AfterShock: Leadership for the 5th Industrial Revolution with Caroline Stokes – Détails, épisodes et analyse

Wes Cummins is the visionary CEO of Applied Data, driving technology, hiring and AI data centre solutions forward for communities in an ethical and sustainable way. 

In our conversation, Wes shares his leadership insights for CEOs to evolve in the AI age – fast.

One of the reasons I started this podcast season is because about 50 days ago, I walked into a glass wall. Yes… really.

I had a brain scan and the headaches and poor concentration persist. And I was advised not to travel by air, because concussion recovery apparently takes time. That’s when I asked myself: How do I do book readings if I can’t fly or drive well? The answer is this series. So imagine I’m with you—reading this at your local bookstore or library. Today, I’m sharing the Introduction to AfterShock to 2030.

Picture this: It’s Christmas Day, 2024. I arrive in Bali, and I declare on social media that I’m going to go dark and write. The world's events and the accelerating collision of crises made me realize we are at a leadership tipping point. So, I wrote like my life depended on it.

The preface—what you are about to hear—is where AfterShock to 2030 began.

In this episode, Dean Takahashi, Editorial Director at GamesBeat, joins me for a conversation after reading AfterShock to 2030.

Dean’s been reporting on tech and gaming since 1988, and he’s interviewed some of the most influential CEOs in the industry—including Jensen Huang, CEO of NVIDIA. If you know the tech world, you know Dean is one of its most trusted and respected voices.

In this conversation, we explore the collision of AI, entertainment, and societal reinvention—and what leadership must look like in the Fifth Industrial Revolution.

To launch this series, we’re starting with the foreword to my book AfterShock to 2030: A CEO’s Guide to Reinvention in the Age of AI, Climate, and Societal Collapse.

The foreword was written by Darrell West of Brookings, someone who’s been tracking the intersection of policy, leadership and technology for decades.

I asked Joe Nickolls, a seasoned CEO in interactive entertainment industry, to read it aloud. As you’ll hear, his voice brings depth to Darrell’s framing and power to the urgent leadership themes my book and this podcast will explore.

What does it really take to build organizations that positively impact people, planet, and profit in the Fifth Industrial Revolution?

In this opening episode of the Creating Healthy Organizations series, in association with the AfterShock podcast, I’m joined by Dr. Ludmila Praslova, Professor of Organizational Psychology at the Patty Arvielo School of Business & Management at Vanguard University of Southern California.

Ludmila is recognized as one of the world’s top management thinkers: a member of the Thinkers50 Radar Class of 2024, recipient of the 2024 PBS Difference Maker Award for her work on neurodiversity, and author of “The Canary Code: A Guide to Neurodiversity, Dignity, and Intersectional Belonging”. She is a globally respected voice in inclusivity and talent strategy, shaping how organizations adapt for resilience, innovation, and human dignity.

Together, we explore:

• Trust beyond wellness theatre—how to tell if your culture is truly healthy

• The Do No Harm Audit™—Ludmila’s framework for identifying hidden organizational risks

• Neurodiversity as strategy—why ignoring 20% of the workforce is a recipe for failure

• Bias and resilience—how leaders can confront their blind spots to unlock collective intelligence

• Psychological safety—what it actually means and why it’s essential for innovation

This is not a frivolous, nice-to-have conversation. We know from the US Surgeon General’s guidance, the World Economic Forum and the Edelman Trust Index that healthy organizations are the backbone of resilience in an age defined by disruption. We hope this series will inspire you.

More about Ludmila Praslova:

Ludmila N. Praslova, Ph.D., is a Professor of Organizational Psychology at the Patty Arvielo School of Business & Management at Vanguard University of Southern California. She is a member of the Thinkers 50 Radar Class of 2024—a global group of management thinkers who are most likely to make an impact on the world—and a recipient of the 2024 PBS Difference Maker Award for her work on neurodiversity. She is also a founder of the Creating Healthy Organizations Conference series.

As a global inclusive talent strategy expert with extensive experience and research expertise in intercultural relations, dignity and civility at work, bullying and moral injury prevention, and neurodiversity, she understands both the dark and the light sides of organizational life. “The Canary Code: A Guide to Neurodiversity, Dignity, and Intersectional Belonging at Work” (Berrett-Koehler, 2024) received multiple literary gold awards and sparked a wave of interest in major organizations and universities. Dr. Praslova has provided training to Amazon, MIT, the Michigan Department of Labor, and many other organizations across sectors.

https://give.vanguard.edu/stories/inspiring-belonging-in-the-workplace-ludmila-praslova-phd/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/creating-healthy-organizations-conference/

https://www.facebook.com/creatinghealthyorganizationsconference/

What does it mean to flourish in an age defined by AI, disruption, and uncertainty?

In this AfterShock episode, philosopher and writer Samuel Loncar explores the cultural forces and hidden assumptions that shape not just technology, but the way we lead. As founding editor of the Marginalia Review of Books and a consultant to scientists and institutions worldwide, Loncar reveals how narratives of progress, salvation, and transcendence quietly drive the boldest ambitions in Silicon Valley — and why they matter for every leader today.

From the “Manhattan Project” mindset in AI labs to the overlooked role of CEOs as meaning-makers, Loncar argues that leadership in this decade cannot rest on profit and strategy alone. It must also cultivate vision, purpose, and human flourishing.

If you want to find out how to thrive in this era, you’ll want to listen to this episode. It’s about the ideas and values steering the future of technology — and why engaging them may be the most essential leadership skill of our time.

Here’s what you’ll learn in our AfterShock conversation:

- Silicon Valley’s hidden belief system that drives AI.

- How tech leaders are chasing a kind of immortality.

- The “Manhattan Project” mindset — and its risks.

- Where capitalism, philosophy, and spirituality collide.

- Why CEOs must become meaning-makers, not just profit-makers.

- The marketing tricks steering AI as much as science.

- Why AI feels like an arms race — and what that means.

- The compassion gap between AI super-users and everyone else.

- What history’s most disruptive tech teaches us (and what we ignore).

- How to stay human amid the most radical transformation in history.

Listen to the full AfterShock episode — and see the tech world in a way you’ve never imagined.

About Samuel Loncar:

Samuel Loncar, PhD (Yale University), is helping heal the divide between mind and matter that has split wisdom and spirituality from science and technology. He practices an ancient art of philosophy, linked to the origins of science and Western spirituality, that promotes the perpetual evolution of human potential. Loncar has applied his practice as a speaker and consultant for clients like the United Nations, Oliver Wyman, and Red Bull Arts. He is the founder and CEO of Olurin Consulting and the editor-in-chief of the Marginalia Review of Books, where he directs the Meanings of Science Project. He brings his work to the public through the Becoming Human Project and through his scholarly and popular writing.

Learn more at www.samuelloncar.com

Yasmine Abdu, CEO and founder of CarbonTrac, is on a mission to cut UK emissions by 5% by 2030. Using machine learning, partnerships with organizations including the United Nations, and a strategy to engage the entire supply chain, she’s driving change through the power of small, measurable shifts in consumer behaviour.

We talk about how everyday grocery store choices can ripple throughout supply chains, why supermarkets are at the heart of this transformation, and how Yasmine combines emotional storytelling, gamification, and financial incentives to drive systemic change.

What we cover:

- Yasmine’s “aha” moment that sparked CarbonTrac.

- Why 34% of global emissions come from food—and how supermarkets can influence the system.

- The surprising maths: small swaps like dairy milk to oat milk for coffee can cut UK emissions by over 1%.

- Bridging the gap between wanting to act sustainably and actually taking action (80% vs. 12%).

- Using emotional incentives (“enough ice for penguins”) alongside financial rewards to shift habits.

- Designing sustainability to be profitable for retailers, suppliers, and consumers.

- Tackling legacy systems and risk-averse corporate cultures.

- How CarbonTrac’s model could be applied to publishing, fashion, and tech.

- Expanding into nutrition: AI-driven insights to address deficiencies and improve health.

- The urgency of 2030 climate targets, and what needs to change now.

More about Yasmine Abdu:

Yasmine is the CEO and founder of CarbonTrac, an AI platform gamifying sustainable grocery shopping to make it easy and rewarding. Her work has attracted recognition from the UN, Samsung, Sage, and Huawei. Yasmine is driven by the belief that millions of small actions, done together, can reshape entire supply chains.

Find out more at carbontrac.io

From DEF CON, Black Hat, and Wired’s Google Gemini warning… to an urgent conversation with Peter Warren on the shareholder insurance every 2025-2030 C-Suite must have and how connected risks can put anyone in your organization in the firing line.

Warren, chair of the Cyber Security Research Institute, breaks down the why and the how: from AI’s self-poisoning problem and database poisoning to protecting critical infrastructure, safeguarding data integrity, and sharpening leadership decision-making in an AI-driven world.

In this episode of AfterShock, we dig into:

- Why 90% of major cyber-attacks have nation-state fingerprints.

- The rise of database poisoning — the tactic set to replace ransomware.

- AI’s self-poisoning problem, hallucinations, and the erosion of truth.

- From Paul McCartney’s bank details to Lockheed Martin missile defence files — all found on discarded hard drives.

- Why IoT devices, autonomous cars, and even robotic farms are the next frontline.

- The "Herod Clause" public Wi-Fi sting that caught users agreeing to give away their eldest child.

- How over-reliance on GPS and apps is quietly rewiring our brains — and dulling our decision-making.

- The best- and worst-case cyber futures for 2030 — and what leaders must do now.

More about Peter Warren:

An award-winning investigative journalist who has worked for the Sunday Times Insight Team and BBC Two, Peter Warren has written about cybersecurity for over 35 years. The New York Times’ John Markoff and Warren wrote the first-ever stories on the subject and have covered it ever since.

https://www.futureintelligence.co.uk/

https://x.com/techtvl

In what Edelman has called the “Era of Grievance”, I sit down with organizational psychologist, leadership coach and author Dr. Gena Cox to explore why respect—not just diversity and inclusion—is the true foundation of healthy organizations.

Together, we explore:

• Why DEI has been misunderstood and how leaders can reframe it as an obligation of effective leadership.
• A powerful case study from healthcare, showing how a “respect ethos” improved retention, engagement, and patient outcomes.
• The connection between respect, trust, and organizational resilience in an era of global grievance and distrust.
• How leaders can integrate respect-driven behaviours into culture, strategy, and everyday decision-making.

In this interview, Dr. Cox provides clarity and practical tools to help leaders rebuild trust and drive the outcomes CEOs want most.

This AfterShock conversation is the last in our September series on Creating Healthy Organizations, inspired by the annual conference founded by Dr. Ludmila Praslova at Vanguard University. Together, we’ve been exploring what it really takes to build organizations—and lives—that positively impact people, planet, and profit.

More about Dr. Gena Cox

Dr. Gena Cox is an award-winning organizational psychologist, executive coach, and global thought leader who has spent over 25 years helping leaders elevate their impact and guiding them in building psychologically healthy workplaces. Named to the Thinkers50 Global Top 50 Coaches list, Gena brings a rare blend of psychological expertise, corporate leadership experience, and multicultural insight to her advisory and coaching engagements.

At the heart of Gena’s work is her evidence-based argument that inclusion is a leadership imperative, not an option, which must be built on a foundation of respect. She therefore believes that respect is the foundation of effective leadership. Her proprietary R-E-S-P-E-C-T Ethos TM framework provides leaders with a practical and actionable roadmap for ensuring that every employee feels respected (Seen, Heard, and Valued) at work.

Gena Cox is the author of the multiple award-winning book “Leading Inclusion: Drive Change Your Employees Can See and Feel”, a guide for leaders who want to build truly inclusive organizations from the top down. Her voice is a trusted one in the leadership space: she is a prolific writer and speaker on the intersection of leadership, psychology, and inclusion. She is a contributor to Forbes.com, and her ideas have been featured in Harvard Business Review, Fast Company, Fortune, Bloomberg, The New York Times, and many other prominent business media outlets. She is frequently invited to keynote conferences and advise executive teams worldwide.

Before founding Feels Human LLC, her boutique advisory and coaching firm, Gena held leadership roles in major corporations, gaining an insider’s understanding of the pressures executives face—and the practical realities of leading in high-stakes environments.

Gena serves on the Professional Practice Editorial Board of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP) and chairs SIOP’s DEI White Paper Task Force. She is Chair-Elect of the American Psychological Association’s Committee for the Advancement of General and Applied Psychology (CAGAP).

Gena earned her PhD in Industrial-Organizational Psychology from the University of South Florida.

https://www.genacox.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/genacox

Free e-book, “25 Ways Anyone Can Help Build A Culture of Respect”:

https://genacox.com/respectebook/