The Future With Friends

This episode of The Future With Friends is about what it really takes to build meaningful human connections — and what can happen when we take a risk and open ourselves up to meeting someone new. Simon is joined by his good friend (and fellow high-seas explorer) Michael Schiffner, founder of Collective Intelligence.Michael shares a future scenario that’s deeply personal and beautifully written, perhaps the most profound one yet. He takes us twenty years into the future, imagining what Burning Man might look like in 2045, and how it could continue to serve as a catalyst for connection, belonging, and shared experience.Building on this scenario, Simon and Michael explore how friendship, hospitality, and openness to chance encounters can transform our lives. They reflect on the role of risk and vulnerability in building trust, and how collaboration allows us to draw on a collective wisdom greater than any one individual.At its heart, The Future of Deep Connection is a reminder that genuine connections are not optional extras — they are the essence of our humanity and essential to how we thrive and survive, both now and in the future.

This is the final episode of The Future With Friends for the year, and Simon Waller is joined by Steph Clarke—returning to the podcast as the very first guest and therefore self-appointed (and largely uncontested) holder of “best friend” status.It’s also a slightly different format. Rather than exploring a single future, Simon and Steph arrive armed with duelling scenarios—each having written their own version of the future of Christmas set in 2051ish.  Using scenario thinking, humour, and just enough provocation, they imagine how one of our most entrenched rituals might evolve—and what that says about us. Steph imagines a future where Christmas shifts to July, shaped by supermarkets, consumer behaviour, and a society increasingly disconnected from seasonal traditions. Simon counters with a darker scenario, where Christmas is gradually co-opted by a political movement, stripped of shared meaning and repurposed as a tool for influence.Together, these competing futures surface deeper questions about consumerism, power, community, and the role of rituals in a diverse society. As befits the final episode of the year, the conversation meanders into reflections on connection, festive tourism, humour, and why asking better questions matters more than ever.At its core, this episode isn’t really about Christmas at all. It’s about how we imagine the future, the stories we tell ourselves, and how those stories shape what we choose to protect, change, or let go of.

In this episode of The Future With Friends, Simon is joined by his long-time friend Dr Richard Hodge to explore the future of learning.Recorded live in collaboration with Melbourne startup Spill Haus, this special episode brings Richard’s calm wisdom and expansive thinking to a topic that is far bigger than any single trend or technology. Described by Simon as the “wise elder everyone wishes they had in their community,” Richard gently stretches the audience’s imagination, inviting them to consider learning not just as a system, but as an evolving human practice.Rather than narrowing the conversation to AI or digital disruption, Richard holds a much broader space—one that looks at the many facets of learning, how they may unfold in the future, and what valuable lessons we might carry forward from our past. He explores what we do now, what still matters, and what might deserve deeper reflection as we reimagine how people grow, develop, and make meaning in the decades ahead.The conversation doesn’t aim to deliver answers. Instead, it offers an open, thoughtful space—true to the purpose of scenario thinking—where curiosity is more valuable than certainty and exploration is the point. Simon describes it as an inspiring exchange filled with intellectually rich ideas and concepts that stay with you long after listening.At its heart, The Future of Learning invites us to pause, to reflect, and to consider how we might consciously shape the ways we learn—together and for the future.

In this episode of The Future With Friends, Simon is joined by the incredible Kirsten Peterson — or KP, as everyone knows her — a performance psychologist and coach who has attended seven Olympic Games. Together, they explore the fascinating and deeply human topic of the future of emotional transparency.KP’s future scenario imagines a world where emotions are openly shared and even measured — a future that challenges how we think about authenticity, vulnerability, and performance. Drawing on her deep experience supporting elite athletes, KP tells the story of Beth, a competitor navigating the emotional highs, lows, and manipulation that come with this new kind of openness. It’s a scenario that doesn’t feel far-fetched — where wearable tech, data, and performance pressures collide to both reveal and influence our inner worlds.Simon and KP’s conversation goes on to unpack what it really means to be emotionally transparent: the benefits of openness, the vulnerability it demands, and the risks of a world where our inner states are always on display. Their conversation moves seamlessly between the personal and the professional, the athletic arena and everyday life — all anchored by KP’s rare blend of wisdom, warmth, and experience.At its heart, The Future of Emotional Transparency is an exploration of what it means to be human in an increasingly exposed world — and how, by learning to share our emotions more authentically, we might build deeper trust, connection, and resilience in the years ahead.

In this episode of The Future With Friends, Simon is joined by his vivacious and very lovable friend Amy Scott to explore her ironically chosen topic - the future of silence.Set in 2045, Amy’s future scenario imagines a world where AI mediation and constant digital noise have made true silence a rare luxury. Drawing on her own experiences, including a transformative silent retreat, Amy and Simon dive into what silence means in an age overflowing with conversation, notifications, and background noise.They explore the many layers of silence - from its role in mental health and mindfulness to the social and cultural forces that determine who gets to experience it. Together, they question whether silence has become a privilege, and what it might mean to value it not just as the absence of sound, but as the presence of awareness.And in a delightfully ironic twist, Simon and Amy do their best to honour pauses and moments of quiet throughout the episode - no small feat for two naturally big, talkative personalities.Their conversation ranges from the healing power of natural soundscapes to the possibility of silence being designed, protected, or even mandated in the future.At its heart, The Future of Silence is an invitation to pause, to listen more deeply to ourselves, to each other, and to the world around us - and to imagine how stillness might become one of the most valuable resources of the decades ahead.GUEST:Amy Scott

This episode is extra special — for the very first time, The Future With Friends was filmed in front of a live audience at CoCo Place in Mornington! The setting perfectly suits this episode’s theme: ‘The Future of Community’.This week’s guest is Steph Koster, founder of the co-working space CoCo Place. The energy of being together in the room brings the conversation to life as Simon and Steph explore what it really takes to keep people connected in a rapidly changing world.They discuss the power of volunteerism, the evolving role of technology, and the emotional bonds that hold communities together. Steph shares a compelling utopian scenario about a small town whose local sports clubs and community life have collapsed after funding is diverted to major city events, and how residents, from elders to teenagers, rebuild connection and purpose.Steph draws on her experience with Tennis Australia, sharing insights from major marketing campaigns alongside her grassroots work in regional towns. She reflects on how communities are formed through local clubs and what could be lost if they disappear.Their conversation highlights the wisdom elders pass down, the universal need for belonging, and the importance of collaboration over competition. At its heart, this episode celebrates the energy of live conversation and the power of stories to strengthen and reimagine community. It’s a reminder that vibrant, resilient communities aren’t built alone — they grow through connection, collaboration, and shared purpose.

In this episode of The Future With Friends, Simon Waller is joined by leadership expert and good friend Anton van der Walt for a heartfelt conversation about immigration, belonging, and the future of cultural integration.Anton shares a beautifully written and deeply personal scenario set in 2042. It explores the journey of an immigrant family navigating the complexities of settling in a new country - the challenges they face, the strengths they bring, and the emotional resilience required along the way. It’s a story that reminds us that true belonging isn’t achieved through assimilation or automation, but through time, empathy, and mutual understanding.Simon and Anton’s conversation weaves through themes of identity, community, and the value of shared experience. They reflect on their parallel journeys in podcasting, the role of technology in fostering connection, and the limitations of a hyper-efficient approach to integration.It’s a thoughtful discussion on the immigrant experience - one that asks us to slow down, listen more deeply, and recognise the cultural richness that emerges when we make space for difference.At its heart, this episode is about the power of stories - and the kind of understanding that only comes from sitting down and truly hearing one another, friend to friend.GUEST: Anton van der Walt

In this episode of The Future With Friends, Simon Waller sits down with long-time friend and human connection expert Anneli Blundell to explore the personal and relevant topic: The Future of Meeting Strangers.Anneli shares a future scenario set in the year 2095 — a world where society has been divided into two classes: creators and connectors. In the pursuit of hyper-efficiency and emotional safety, people are funnelled into roles based on whether they’re better at thinking or relating. But in this divided world, something unexpected emerges: an underground movement where creators are learning to connect again — meeting strangers, holding uncomfortable conversations, and rediscovering their humanity.What follows is a rich conversation about what happens when we start opting out of discomfort — and what we risk losing when connecting with others becomes optional. Simon and Anneli reflect on their own experiences of discomfort, the erosion of social skills post-COVID, and how the pendulum of culture might be swinging too far in the direction of avoidance and efficiency.Together, they explore how technology, isolation, and polarisation are reshaping the way we relate — and how we might gently push back. At the heart of the conversation is a call to action: to do the hard thing, embrace discomfort, and find our way back to one another — one stranger at a time.GUEST: Anneli Blundell

In this episode of The Future With Friends, Simon Waller sits down with long-time colleague and leadership expert Leanne Williams to explore a provocative and timely topic: The Future of Doing Risky Things.Leanne shares a future scenario set in 2049 — a world so consumed by policies, procedures, and the pursuit of safety that risk itself has become taboo. But instead of creating a safer society, this hyper-regulated world gives rise to something unexpected: an underground leadership experiment where people go to remember what it feels like to not be safe.What follows is a direct and honest conversation about our shifting relationship with risk. Simon and Leanne reflect on their own experiences with discomfort, and how risk has often been the catalyst for growth. They explore how risk aversion is showing up in leadership, workplaces, and culture — and what it might cost us if we keep trying to safety-proof life.They also examine how technology, insurance, and a culture of compliance are reshaping our sense of what’s acceptable — and where the line sits between smart safeguards and stifling control.

In this episode, Simon Waller sits down with the sweary and sharp-witted Scottish writer Lizzie Davidson to explore the timely and deeply human topic: The Future of Meaningful.Lizzie shares a bold and hopeful future scenario set in the aftermath of a great global reset — triggered by the trajectory we’re currently on: climate collapse, pandemics, conflict. But rather than dystopia, this is a world where consumerism has been replaced with connection, and the fundamentals of life — housing, food, education, healthcare — are no longer things people have to worry about.As Simon puts it, this was “easily the most utopian scenario that someone has produced for the show so far.” But the conversation isn’t naive. Together, they unpack the real-world tensions between individualism and community, and the societal work required for such a future to emerge. It’s a vision rooted in deep congruence — a world where people show up the same in their work lives as they do in their personal lives.They explore the joy in everyday things, the sticky process of imagining a better future, and how we might each become weak signals for the change we want to see — quietly lighting the way toward what’s possible.This conversation is both deeply uplifting and quietly challenging. Because maybe meaning isn’t something we find. Maybe it’s something we practice.GUEST: Lizzie Davidson

In the second half of our two-part special, Simon Waller and Dr Jason Fox continue their exploration of the future of continuity—this time shifting the focus from the machine to life itself.Set in the same imagined world of 2043, this scenario envisions a future where humans have reclaimed agency, hard work is meaningful, and governance is grounded in decentralised, transparent systems designed in service to all of life. Together, Simon and Jason dive into the value of scenario planning, the role of friction and creativity in shaping resilient futures, and what it means to lead a quest in times of ambiguity.This is a future shaped not by optimisation—but by agency.GUEST:Dr Jason Fox

Welcome to a special ‘double feature’ of The Future With Friends, where we explore a two-part scenario set in the year 2043. In this first instalment, Simon Waller and Dr Jason Fox dive into The Future of Continuity (of The Machine), imagining a world where AI plays a central role in shaping human experiences.As the machine takes over the stories we tell and the systems we trust, what becomes of creativity, critical thinking, and human connection? This episode unpacks a possible future dominated by optimisation, gamification, and algorithmic control - where megacorporations govern attention, and metrics dictate meaning.Through the metaphor of the “infinite garden,” Simon and Jason explore the tension between compliance and curiosity, raising urgent questions about what we might lose when everything is engineered to work perfectly.This is just the beginning. Stay tuned for Part 2, where we explore The Future of Continuity (Of Life).GUEST:Dr Jason Fox

In this episode, Simon Waller sits down with storytelling expert and actor Megan Davis to explore the uncertain — and deeply human — future of acting.Megan shares her personal journey back to the craft after a long hiatus, reflecting on the profound impact acting has on personal growth and its role in helping us understand humanity. Together, Simon and Megan unpack the emotional power of performance and how stepping into different roles can help us reconnect with ourselves.In Megan’s near-future scenario, technology and emotion collide. AI-generated actors and virtual sets challenge our notions of authenticity, empathy, and even art itself!This opens up a fascinating discussion about our evolving relationships with AI, the importance of emotional depth in human interactions, and the future of acting in a world increasingly shaped by technology — and the cost savings that come with it.They touch on the rise of automation in the film industry, the battle over digital rights, and the ethical complexity of ultimately owning a face or a feeling. At its core, this episode is a meditation on what makes us human — and whether that can ever truly be rendered.Because in a world increasingly shaped by machines, acting might just be one of the last places we get to feel something real.GUEST:Megan Davis

In this episode of The Future with Friends, Simon Waller and Mykel Dixon explore “The Future of The Past.” Their conversation begins with a reflection on their first meeting and unfolds into a rich discussion on the role of ancient wisdom in navigating modern challenges. They examine how the arts can deepen human connection, how technology might enable cultural renewal, and why a belief in a hopeful future is essential for meaningful change. Grounded in Mykel’s vision, the episode emphasises the need to reconnect with nature, community, and intuition as a pathway to a more inclusive and vibrant world.GUEST: Mykel Dixon

In this week’s episode, Simon Waller is joined by long-time friend and collaborator Col Fink for a rich and deeply meaningful conversation about The Future of How We Live.Inspired by Col’s own lived experience, the episode explores a future where communal living - like the village life of generations past - becomes not just desirable, but essential to our wellbeing. Together, they question whether our obsession with independence has taken us further from what truly nourishes us: connection, shared responsibility, and collective care.From multigenerational homes to co-living models that prioritise community over consumption, their discussion considers two possible pathways to the same outcome. While Col explores this way of living through choice and privilege, Simon offers a more sobering perspective - one where housing affordability and urban pressures may force us to rethink how we live together.This conversation invites us to reimagine what a good life looks like - and reminds us that the future we need may be closer to the one we left behind. More than just imagining a different future, Col is actively living it. And perhaps the best way to show our children what’s possible… is to live it ourselves.GUEST:Col Fink

In this episode, Simon Waller is joined by his good friend and long-time collaborator, Michelle Newell, for a deep and surprisingly uplifting exploration of a topic many find uncomfortable: Death and Dying.Far from morbid, this thoughtful conversation is sparked by Michelle’s imaginative future scenario, which envisions her own hyper-personalised death experience in the year 2062. From there, the discussion flows through emerging burial practices, the future of memorialisation, and the shifting meaning of legacy. At one point, they even dream up a new social system - where turning loved ones into diamonds becomes a beautiful way to express what they meant to us.Together, Simon and Michelle reflect on cultural attitudes toward death, emerging trends in the death-care industry, and why it's so important to create space for more open, honest, and human conversations about mortality.Ultimately, this episode reminds us that by taking the time to thoughtfully consider death, we make room to more fully appreciate—and truly value—life.GUEST:Michelle Newell

In this episode of The Future with Friends podcast, Simon Waller and Dr Adrian Medhurst explore the forever unresolved concept we call work-life balance.Simon and Adrian delve into the deep complexities of how we might better integrate our life and our work. They discuss the role technology might play in work-life dynamics - exploring  its potential to support wellbeing by predicting burnout and overload, acting as safeguard, and enabling people to achieve better ‘balance’. They also question what might happen if there is an over-reliance on technology and the risks of nefarious manipulation.The conversation also explores the emerging concept of Job Crafting as a more human-centric approach to work-life integration, emphasising the need for collaboration between individuals and organisations to create fulfilling work environments.GUEST: Dr Adrian MedhurstBenny Button

In this pilot episode of The Future with Friends, Simon Waller and fellow futurist Steph Clarke dive into a thought-provoking exploration of what friendship might look like in the near future.Tasked with crafting a future scenario, Steph envisions a world where social connectedness is quantified - where Oura rings track the health benefits of our relationships, and algorithms determine whether our friendships are truly enriching our lives. But as with anything measured, there’s always the potential to game the system. Could people start changing their behaviour to boost their "friendship score"?Their conversation delves into the implications of social scoring, the growing crisis of loneliness, and how communities might evolve in response. They explore bold ideas - co-housing arrangements among friends, new models of shared parenting, and the shifting role of digital platforms in shaping human connection.As the lines between technology and relationships blur, what does it really mean to have a meaningful friendship? GUEST:Steph Clarke

In this episode of The Future With Friends, Simon is joined by his longtime friend Zoe Routh - leadership expert, podcaster, and acclaimed author of speculative fiction with a techno-thriller edge.Zoe explores the future of power, a theme that runs deep through both her science fiction writing and her leadership development work. She shares a beautifully written and deeply researched future scenario, drawing on the ideas woven through her five novels. In it, she takes us forward in time to imagine how power might evolve - and how clashes between cultural norms, values, and worldviews could unfold in ways we’re already beginning to glimpse today.Building on this scenario, Simon and Zoe dive into concepts such as spiral dynamics, the evolution of human consciousness, and the possibilities (and tensions) of new models of power. Their conversation bridges Zoe’s work in leadership with her richly imagined science fiction, creating a dialogue that feels both urgent and inspiring.At its heart, The Future of Power is an invitation to rethink what power really means - not just as hierarchy or control, but as something that can evolve, adapt, and transform the way we live, lead, and collaborate in the decades ahead.