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If you've ever felt paralyzed by uncertainty or like the world is shifting too fast to keep up, this episode is going to reframe how you think about that feeling entirely.
I sat down with Mathias Behn Bjørnhof, a futurist and founder of Anticipate, a strategic foresight consultancy based in Copenhagen, who has done this work with organizations like the United Nations, and he completely changed how I think about navigating the unknown. A futurist isn't someone who predicts the future, it's someone who helps you build the mental skills to move through many possible futures with more confidence and creativity.
We talk about how to fight the algorithm, how to find a balanced news diet, and why imagination is actually one of the most practical and underrated professional skills you can develop right now. We also go deep on something I don't think we talk about enough in the context of work — love, empathy, and what it actually means to become a whole person.
If you're a leader, a builder, or just someone trying to find your footing in a noisy world, I think this one will stick with you.
Key Takeaways:
The future is not predetermined, and you have more agency over it than you think.
Fighting the algorithm is a skill, and your news diet shapes how clearly you can think.
Imagination is not fluffy; it is one of the most practical professional tools you are not using enough.
Scenarios and strategic foresight are not just for big organizations; they are tools any individual can apply to their own work and life.
Love and empathy are not soft skills to leave at the door at work; they might actually be the most critical ones we have.
Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction
03:03 What “futures thinking” actually is
04:17 How to deal with information overload
7:39 How to intentionally break out of your echo chamber
11:37 Why we are wired for doom & how to fight it
15:11 Strategic foresight in action
21:36 Imagination is your most underrated professional skill
28:22 The skill anyone can learn regardless of their background
30:03 Why love belongs at work more than you think
35:18 Where to find Mathias & his hopes for the future
Resources Mentioned:
Anticipate - Strategic Foresight Consultancy
The Futurists Guide to Foresight
Harvard Human Flourishing Program
Connect with Mathias:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mathiasbehnbjoernhof/
Website: https://www.anticipate.dk/
Connect with Me:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tracyannclark08/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buildingthinkers/
Building Thinkers Newsletter: https://building-thinkers.kit.com/24cdc43dcf
More About Building Thinkers:
I'm your host, Tracy Clark, and this is where potential becomes reality through deliberate curiosity, reflection, practice, and play. The Building Thinkers podcast is based on the realization that there's exponential potential in the things we build.
And so, in my little corner of the internet and podcasting land, I want to take my 12 favorite problems, these are my constant curiosities, and I want to go deeper. I want to build thinkers. This is a community of multi-potentialites who may be disoriented by all the possibilities of success we envision but haven't yet achieved.
If any of that sounds like you, come listen in. Welcome to the Building Thinkers podcast.
