This episode advocates for leveraging the ingenuity and perspective of young people to address global challenges. Building on work by global strategist, Sophie Krantz, it argues that youth possess a unique “born-global” mindset, unconstrained by traditional boundaries and quick to adopt new technologies, making them powerful agents of change.

The podcast highlights various youth-led initiatives across different sectors, from road safety and climate education to food security and mental health, demonstrating their capacity for impactful local action with global awareness. Ultimately, this episode encourages leaders to learn from and collaborate with youth to achieve transformative, “positive-sum” outcomes that move beyond the status quo.

Read the article by Sophie Krantz:

https://www.sophiekrantz.com/p/leapfrogging-the-status-quo

It’s hard to achieve outsized results by copying what has worked before. For market-beating, positive-sum outcomes, the advantage goes to those who learn from what’s working elsewhere and leverage it to leapfrog the status quo.

What’s one of the most underused sources of that leverage? Youth.

In most parts of the world, those under 20 have grown up in a digitally connected world. They are, in effect, born global.

This term has been used for companies designed to operate internationally from day one - businesses that skip the slow climb through local dominance before expanding into international markets.

Born-global youth think the same way. They’re fluent in cross-border culture, unconcerned by the borders that slow down older generations, and are quick to adopt tools and technologies that open doors.

Celebrating Youth-Led Leadership

On the 12th August, it’s UN International Youth Day. The 2025 focus is on “Local Youth Action for the SDGs and Beyond.” More than 65% of SDG targets hinge on local action, and, while it’s been reported that SDG targets won’t be met by their 2030 target, youth have the ability to zoom-out for a global perspective, identify strategic leverage points, and zero-in for local impact.

Around the world, born-global youth are driving change and breaking down barriers, often in ways that go further, faster than traditional models.

Zoom-Out to Zero-In

Youth see the bigger picture.They play a smarter game.And if we want to achieve outsized results and impact, so should we.

In an increasingly unpredictable global trade landscape, the traditional model of exporting goods is facing new challenges. This podcast introduces Trade+, a groundbreaking approach, developed by Global Strategist, Sophie Krantz, that redefines export diversification for the digital age.

Discover how businesses can unlock their true potential by scaling what they know, not just what they make and ship. Learn to leverage intangible assets like intellectual property, expertise, and systems to reach new markets faster, with less cost and greater strategic fit.

Trade+ offers a resilient path for growth, helping businesses turn their capabilities into global offers and secure foreign income in a smarter, more agile way. Tune in to understand how Australia, and economies worldwide, can move from commodity-led to capability-led trade, capturing more value and navigating global complexities with confidence.

Download the Trade+ Australia Insights Paper here:

Today we look at when a global recession hits, leaders face a critical choice: retreat and preserve, or explore and expand. This builds on the work by global strategist, Sophie Krantz.

While many instinctively opt for caution, relying on familiar approaches and existing structures, history shows this inward focus can lead to missed opportunities and being outpaced.

A more dynamic path involves maintaining an in-market presence, connecting with local innovators, and uncovering new growth areas driven by demographic and technological shifts. This allows leaders to gain fresh insights, adapt quickly, and pursue new demand, even in unfamiliar territories. Companies that embrace this outward-looking strategy, often led by transformational thinkers, are better positioned to outperform and thrive in the post-crisis recovery. It’s important to remember that a global downturn doesn't mean all markets contract; instead, the ability to spot where growth accelerates will be key to moving smarter and building for what’s next.

You land in a new fast-moving city. The airport Wi-Fi connects. Your phone lights up.

A global recession has just been confirmed.

In this scenario-led edition of Crossing Borders, we explore a moment that could plausibly arise in 2025.

The cause? A double shock: rising tariffs and war in the Middle East. As Stephen S. Roach, the former chair of Morgan Stanley Asia, noted in Project Syndicate on 24 June 2025:

“The possibility of a double-shock combination only increases the odds of global recession; in forecasting circles, it’s as close to a smoking gun as you can get.”

You’re in a new city to do business internationally. How do you respond?

Here are two paths leaders often take: one is a familiar default, the other is shaped by deliberate design.

The value of considering scenarios like these is to explore alternative responses and shift focus from what history shows most will do.

Option 1: Stay With the Familiar

Your itinerary stands. The official meetings take place. Photos are taken and shared on social media. However, the mood has changed. Most of your time is now spent in the hotel, on Zoom with HQ. The focus is on how to adjust, reduce, and preserve.

It’s a common response, explained by:

Familiarity bias. Status quo bias. The mere exposure effect.

These well-documented cognitive tendencies often arise at times of uncertainty. They prompt us to lean into what we know.

Familiarity bias leads us to favour the known over the new. In business, this shows up as a reliance on established markets, trusted partners, and habitual strategies, even when signs suggest fresh thinking is needed.

Status quo bias reinforces inertia. It’s the pull to maintain course, albeit not necessarily because it’s optimal, however because change feels risky. During economic shocks, this bias can stall adaptation and reinforce internal focus.

The mere exposure effect, first described by psychologist Robert Zajonc, explains our preference for what we encounter often. In organisations, it can result in clinging to outdated systems or relationships, albeit not for their performance, but rather for their familiarity.

Individually, these reactions reflect a natural instinct to protect what’s already working or what we currently do. Yet at an organisational level, they can compound, creating a culture that’s cautious, inward-facing, and slow to recognise what’s emerging.

And, that comes with a cost:

* Local signals missed.

* Decisions recentralised.

* Global shifts filtered through a narrow lens.

Retreating may feel safe. However, history shows otherwise: in downturns, those who pause entirely are often outpaced by those who stay moving.

Option 2: Get Out to Explore and Expand

You maintain your in-market focus, checking in with HQ, but not retreating to it. The market you’re visiting isn’t in the headlines, however it is growing, as a result of demographic and technology-enabled economic shifts. You adjust your agenda to meet local ecosystem leaders, explore incubators, and listen in on what’s emerging.

You meet entrepreneurs creating high-impact solutions with limited resources, designing models that lift people up the economic pyramid. You gain insight into how remittances, mobile payments, and informal networks are driving innovation, reshaping access, and accelerating outcomes in ways not yet visible from afar.

And you bring it back to HQ.

Your team (and important stakehodlers) gains first-hand insights on:

* Signals beyond the obvious.

* Models tested under constraint.

* An updated view on what’s possible.

This is what transformational and situational leaders do. They read the room, assessing context, conditions, and cues. Then, they stretch out the map to account for what standard plans might miss.

Transformational leadership involves articulating a compelling vision, motivating others to exceed expectations, and adapting strategies to seize emerging opportunities. Studies have shown transformational leaders increase team innovation, improve adaptability during crises, and are more likely to navigate economic shocks with confidence and cohesion (Bass & Avolio, 1994; McKinsey, 2023).

Situational leadership, originally developed by Hersey and Blanchard, recognises there is no single best way to lead. Effective leaders adjust their style, directing, coaching, supporting, or delegating, based on the readiness of the team and the complexity of the situation. In dynamic or unfamiliar markets, this agility is critical.

In periods of global contraction or volatility, leaders with these traits are better positioned to:

* Act on directional, not perfect, data.

* Adapt without paralysis.

* Spot and pursue new demand, even in unfamiliar markets.

Rather than defaulting to preservation, they remain alert to possibility. The data shows they tend to outperform peers in post-crisis recovery by investing earlier, entering new markets during downturns, and reallocating capital with greater speed (BCG, 2019).

These leaders don’t wait for calm. They explore and build what’s next.

What Drives This Divergence?

Global recessions tend to reveal two different responses.

Legacy firms often recalibrate. Hiring slows, initiatives pause, and attention turns inward to cost control and alignment. During the 2008 Global Financial Crisis (GFC), sectors such as banking, real estate, and manufacturing were among the hardest hit.

Meanwhile, globally curious, intangible-led, and tech-enabled companies move. They respond to unmet needs, rethink their business models, and move toward markets others overlook. Following the GFC this mindset helped shape the rise of several market-leading companies including:

* Xero (New Zealand): Founded in 2006, Xero offered cloud-based accounting software to small businesses needing affordable, remote-ready tools. By 2008, it had expanded into the UK and Australia, leveraging simplicity and early global reach.

* Atlassian (Australia): During the downturn, Atlassian launched starter licences, acquired GreenHopper, and ran its largest hiring campaign. It invested in product-led growth while others downsized.

* Shopify (Canada): Shopify helped small retailers shift online when physical storefronts struggled. Its cloud-native platform scaled quickly, becoming a backbone for global e-commerce.

* Zoho (India): In 2008, Zoho launched Zoho Invoice and added core productivity tools. With heavy R&D investment and a focus on price-sensitive businesses, it surpassed one million users that same year.

Each advanced during constraint. They did not wait, rather they built around what was shifting.

2025 Patterns

In 2025, a similar pattern is emerging.

Legacy sectors like manufacturing, commercial real estate, and traditional retail continue to navigate a number of pressures: workforce imbalances, tariff uncertainty, elevated capital costs, and structural inertia.

Despite ongoing challenges, some legacy sectors, such as manufacturing, are beginning to show signs of stabilisation and adaptation. Continued investment in digital transformation, supply chain resilience, and workforce development is helping these industries manage cost pressures and shifting market demands, offering cautious grounds for optimism.

Yet these incremental gains can reinforce existing models, making deeper shifts less likely, even when larger, longer-term gains may lie elsewhere.

At the same time, a rising cohort of globally attuned companies and entrepreneurs, including those in digital infrastructure, fintech, and AI, are doing business differently. They’re entering new markets, attracting talent, and building business models for a reshaped world.

According to the IMF’s April 2025 World Economic Outlook, economic growth projections vary markedly across countries. See the full country-level breakdown here.

There’s No One Right Move. Yet There Will Be Winners.

There’s no universal playbook for what to do when a global recession hits, whether you’ve just landed in a new city or are watching it unfold from home.

In some organisations, stakeholder expectations demand caution. Internal teams may need reassurance, not expansion. In others, the strategic value lies in uncovering something new. Either way, the pressures of crisis often push us towards conformity and doing what feels safe, expected, and explainable.

And, it’s okay to go your own way.

That might be Option 1, Option 2, or a strategic combination of both. We can imagine a world of leaders choosing differently.

History shows that the leaders who cross borders, break down barriers, and achieve commercial success in the years ahead are those who leverage global shifts - whether promising or problematic - to explore and expand.

In his recent article, Stephen S. Roach also wrote:

“Unlike a recession in an individual economy, which generally reflects a contraction of real output, one at the global level typically involves about half the world’s economies contracting while the remainder continue to expand.”

If the headline of a global recession lands, it won’t mean that all markets, sectors, or business models will contract.

Nor must we.

It pays to see where in the world growth accelerates, beyond our known markets and industries.

Because when we see more, we can move smarter.

If a global recession hits your established markets, where in the world would you explore and expand?

Would you be one of the few, while your peers and competitors double down on what they already know and do, or would you be in good company?

Further Reading:

In this episode, we’re building on work by global strategist, Sophie Krantz, rethinking how we navigate new environments, starting right from the moment we arrive. Often, we land with a fixed itinerary and a clear set of contacts, but what if the real opportunities lie beyond our familiar networks?

The traditional approach of sticking to your plan and keeping to yourself might be efficient, but it often means missing out on vital, unscripted insights. The podcast highlights how relying solely on established connections can lead to costly blindspots, especially in today’s interconnected global business landscape. True advantage now goes to those who can map the entire system, not just their small part of it.

Drawing on the concept of Serendipity Theory, we learn that leaders who cultivate curiosity, preparedness, and openness are better equipped to turn unexpected encounters into strategic breakthroughs. It’s about being actively open to “smart luck”; seeing triggers, acting on them, and allowing a casual conversation to become a source of profound insight.

So, how can you do this in practice? Instead of just following the signs, consider making the first move by striking up a conversation in the immigration queue. Or, ask better questions, like “Where do local business people meet?” rather than just “Where’s the taxi stand?” You could even activate weak ties by messaging a second-degree contact before you land. These simple actions can bridge the gap from passive information to lived insight, giving you a sharper perspective on what’s truly happening.

Ultimately, where you land is fixed, yet what you notice isn’t. The most valuable insight often isn’t in your official briefing; it’s in those unplanned interactions - the coffee queue, a question asked in transit, or a moment where you chose to lean in. By seeing the bigger picture, you play a bigger game.

This edition of Crossing Borders explores what shifts when we tune our lens and look beyond familiar networks.

Advantage now sits with those who can map the system, not just manage their slice of it.

And that mapping can begin at arrivals. Who you speak to in the immigration queue. Who you notice at baggage collection. Who’s holding the placard. Who you ask, not where to eat, but where business happens.

Serendipity Theory, as outlined by Christian Busch in The Serendipity Mindset, describes how leaders who cultivate curiosity, preparedness, and openness are more likely to convert unexpected encounters into strategic breakthroughs. Serendipity isn’t passive. It’s a mindset, what Busch calls “smart luck.” It’s about seeing triggers, acting on them, and creating conditions where a passing conversation or casual introduction becomes a source of insight.

How do you navigate the Arrivals Hall? Here are a few scenarios to consider:

Option 1: Stay Within the Line

Option 2: Make the First Move

Option 3: Ask Better Questions

Option 4: Activate Weak Ties on Arrival

Where we land is fixed. What we notice is not.

In fast-moving markets and unfamiliar places, the edge often belongs to those willing to pause, observe, and act on signals others overlook.

Sometimes, the most valuable insight isn’t in the briefing deck - it’s in the coffee queue. The question in transit. The moment we chose to lean in.

Because when we see more, we move smarter.

What kind of conversation could unlock the value you didn’t plan for yet needed to move faster?

Today’s podcast topic, building on work by global strategist Sophie Krantz, is how global leaders prepare before entering a new or high-growth country.

Forget dusty old reports; intelligence gathering for global travel is rapidly changing. Imagine needing real-time insights on a sector like fintech, a list of local founders, and the latest regulatory shifts for a trip to Nairobi or Jakarta, all tailored to your specific goals.

While traditional briefings provide a foundation, they often miss the fast-moving signals in dynamic markets. Generic AI offers speed but lacks crucial human nuance.

The future of briefing is being reimagined, with emerging AI tools already personalising logistics. Soon, integrated AI platforms will combine briefing intelligence, verified contact discovery, and seamless meeting orchestration. Picture asking an AI assistant to pull local media signals, cross-reference investor circles, verify founders, and even confirm meetings for you.

This evolution brings new briefing styles. You can use AI to get up to speed quickly, then combine it with insights from local founders and journalists via platforms like LinkedIn or WhatsApp for curated context and connections. Even better, AI-powered networking tools can connect you with vetted local experts for pre-trip briefings, offering on-the-ground intelligence that can even shift your agenda mid-flight.

This new approach thrives on seeking insights from “weak ties” - those peripheral connections outside your immediate network who often point you toward real signals, local shifts, and overlooked opportunities in unfamiliar markets. A truly effective briefing layers information, insight, and intent: the ‘signal shows what's happening, the ‘story’ reveals its context, and ‘connection’ brings you closer to those who can interpret or act on what you learn.

By combining these advanced briefing tools with human connection, especially from those embedded in the local ecosystem, leaders gain a strategic edge, leading to sharper observations and more relevant exchanges on the ground. Because when we see more, we move smarter.

Before you land in a new or high-growth country, what you know can shape what you notice, who you meet, and the outcomes you unlock. Many leaders default to formal briefings and static country packs. Yet in rapidly-shifting markets, context often moves faster than the briefing notes.

This scenario-led edition of Crossing Borders introduces four briefing styles. Choose your approach - or better yet, design it.

Do you brief by habit, glancing at surface updates, or by design, layering tools, networks, and context to arrive informed?

Imagine boarding a flight and finding a relatively young, quiet person in first class – perhaps not who you expected. In 2025, this could signal something significant. These individuals might be successful young entrepreneurs from high-growth markets where digital adoption is rapid, demographics are shifting, and startup sectors are booming. In these regions, youth can be a multiplier for success. Examples include leaders from Africa and Asia building major companies or social enterprises. They are signals of global shifts that will shape the future.

When faced with this encounter, you have choices: stick to networking with peers, retreat into your own space, or talk but primarily share your own experience. However, being open and curious – an exploration-led approach – allows you to discover their story, momentum, and view.

This can provide expanded context and insights into emerging markets and business models before they become mainstream where you are. These encounters don't need your validation, but they can sharpen your strategy and offer valuable market intelligence.

Ultimately, the person in the seat beside you can be an unexplored window. Getting to your destination is key, but who you meet along the way can matter more, offering pathways to strategic insights and ideas. It's where serendipity meets the open-minded.

This forms part of the Crossing Borders scenario-based series by Sophie Krantz, global strategist.

Read the article here:

For those doing business across borders, familiarity isn’t always a strength. This scenario-led series examines what happens when leaders opt for considered curiosity over comfortable routine. We look at the quiet moments where global intent becomes global action.

You’ve made your last call and are boarding the aircraft for a long-haul flight. You approach your seat, glancing towards your neighbour already sitting in 1A.

They appear relatively young. Quiet. Focused. And they’re not who you expected to see at the front of the plane. You may assume they have wealthy parents. Or, they’ve secured an upgrade. They might be on a scholarship.

Yet in 2025, there are other reasons they might be there. And these reasons are worth knowing.

In regions where digital adoption is rapid, demographics are shifting markets, and startup sectors are being built at speed - rather than youth being a barrier to success, it’s a multiplier.

Who do you talk to in the front of the plane?

Option 1: Seek Out the Professional

You strike up conversation with the individual who mirrors your background or status. You align upward. It’s productive. Yet it’s expected. Your worldview remains intact.

That’s one option. There are others.

Option 2: Talk to No One

You keep to yourself. Headphones on. A meal, a film, some rest. You arrive unshaken, unchanged. No reach. No risk. No shift.

Option 3: Talk to The passenger in 1A (Experience-Based)

You talk to your neighbour but lead with your experience. You’re generous, although not necessarily curious.

You feel helpful. Yet it dawns on you, as you see a senior government official meet them at the gate, that you might have missed the bigger picture.

Option 4: Talk to the Passenger in 1A (Exploration-Led)

You ask questions. You listen. You trace their trajectory. You explore their market. And what begins as idle chat becomes an entry point to something more expansive.

The choice may seem small. However the implications often are not.

Who do you talk to in the front of the plane?

When travelling internationally, particularly to a new country, there’s a key decision to make before you even land: who will you call to meet you? This choice goes beyond just arranging logistics; it sets the tone for your trip and reflects your intent in engaging with the world.

Sophie Krantz, Global Strategist, presents two options.

One option is the standard, Safe Call to your country’s government representatives like embassy staff. This typically leads to formal meetings with validated institutions and vetted partners. It’s professional and predictable, often resulting in polished presentations and good photo opportunities, perfect for showing engagement but likely presenting information that’s already widely known. It’s often focused on appearances and ticking the box of international engagement.

The alternative is the Strategic Call. This means reaching out to someone embedded in the local ecosystem, someone closer to the edge who knows the entrepreneurs, researchers, artists, and operators building what’s next. Instead of a grand tour, you seek curated conversations behind the scenes with people shaping their sector or society.

Choosing the strategic path produces vastly different outcomes. You gain deep insight rather than just information, build meaningful relationships, and discover commercial intelligence and stories before they make the headlines. You see what’s truly possible because you’re invited into the room early, not just presented with finished products. It’s less about public optics and more about planting seeds and finding new directions for your own strategy.

Ultimately, your call determines if you show up as a (business) tourist or a builder. While both approaches are valid, one keeps you maintaining the status quo, while the other can shift your strategy and help you see what’s ahead. Where you go matters, but who you meet matters even more. This decision is the quiet difference between being global in optics and being global in action.

Drawing on recently published insights from Global Strategist Sophie Krantz and various case studies, this episode explores the challenges leaders face when established systems, such as procurement, regulations, and funding pathways, hinder innovation and progress. It argues that instead of confronting these outdated structures, successful leaders often find ‘workarounds’, strategically building beyond constraints to create new markets and deliver novel solutions. The examples provided, ranging from Paul Krugman’s independent journalism to Tesla’s direct sales model, illustrate how organisations bypass traditional barriers to achieve their goals. Ultimately, the podcast suggests a proactive approach to leadership, encouraging the use of strategic design to transform obstacles into opportunities for growth and adaptability.

Read the article here:

https://www.sophiekrantz.com/p/compete-against-the-constraint

Want to cross borders and break down barriers in business? Travel to unfamiliar, valuable parts of the world with intent, not habit. This short scenario-based series shows how to go beyond the status quo, focusing on outcomes, not optics. Fewer LinkedIn likes. More unlocked commercial wins.

You’ve left The Departure Lounge.

You walk toward the gate, boarding pass in hand. Just before take-off, there’s one phone call to make. Someone to meet you when you land. It seems logistical, yet it can be highly strategic. Who you choose to meet says everything about how you engage with the world and how you build within it.

Option 1: The Safe Call

Option 2: The Strategic Call

Who Are You Going To Call?

This decision is the quiet difference between maintaining the status quo and shifting your strategy. Between being global in optics and being global in action. Between travelling, and truly leveraging.

Where you go matters.Who you meet matters more.

Who do you call?

For ages, businesses thought it was safest to start and stay local, with location dictating strategy. But today, that’s changing. As explored by Global Strategist, Sophie Krantz, thanks to digital tech and global communication, we know that companies big and small can now pursue opportunity over geography.

Instead of being tied to a specific place, the focus is on finding and seizing chances wherever they appear – whether that’s meeting an unmet need or filling a market gap. This means businesses can go global from day one, reaching customers and building teams across borders without needing a massive physical footprint.

Companies that succeed are increasingly those with a global vision, willing to test ideas and adapt across different markets. It’s time for leaders to look beyond traditional boundaries because opportunity, not just geography, is becoming the real driver of growth.

Forget the usual suspects like Silicon Valley or Shenzhen. If you want to see where the future is really being created today, you need to look off the radar. This is the idea behind “Uncharted Study Tours” – journeys designed by Global Strategist, Sophie Krantz, to stretch your thinking and challenge your defaults by visiting places you rarely read about or learn from.

The focus is on locations where people are solving problems, gaining market share, and building business models differently. You’ll explore overlooked innovations, infrastructure, and ecosystems that are already shifting the future.

Imagine travelling to places like Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, to understand energy transitions in challenging environments, or Chișinău, Moldova, to witness innovation against the odds. See fintech leapfrogging in Manila, Philippines, or learn how a manufacturing economy becomes a tech powerhouse in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Explore digital-first governance in Tallinn, Estonia, or discover frugal innovation in space from Sriharikota, India. You could even visit Accra, Ghana, to see how underserved regions are reshaping global health research.

The point isn’t to copy, but to understand. By exploring these diverse and unexpected locations, you get a clearer picture of what’s next in a world where influence is decentralising and change is accelerating. When you know the world more comprehensively, you're better equipped to build with it, compete in it, and co-create the future.

Imagine: you’re in an international departure lounge with a blank boarding pass in hand.

Where do you want to go?

Not on holiday. This is a study tour - one designed to stretch your thinking, challenge your defaults, and open your eyes to where the future is being created today.

Your flight options?

Flights are not departing to the usual suspects. Not Silicon Valley. Not Shenzhen. This time, you’re choosing places where the future is unfolding off the radar.

Your decision is shaped by three questions:

* Where in the world is a blind spot to me?The places I rarely read about, think about, or learn from.

* Where are people solving problems, gaining market share, or building business models differently?The places doing things I’ve not seen before - or not seen clearly enough.

* What’s being built that will shape the world next - whether I see it or not?The overlooked innovations, infrastructure, and ecosystems already shifting the future.

In a world shifting faster than ever before – from reignited global trade wars and accelerating AI to climate volatility and reshaping geopolitical alliances – focusing solely on internal metrics creates blind spots.

This podcast builds on the work of Sophie Krantz, Global Strategist. Drawing on the concept of Untethered Leadership, this podcast explores how to move beyond being tethered to just internal views. Learn how to step back and see more, make sense of the signals, and shift with clarity and relevance in an ocean-sized system. Discover how to navigate the external forces that increasingly hold more power and go further, faster, together.

There’s perceived safety in being the big boat in a small pond.

But the pond no longer exists. It’s overflowing - flooded by global trends, technologies, threats, and opportunities. We’re all in the ocean now.

And in an ocean-sized system, some of the world’s biggest and fastest boats are already moving. If you’re fixated on internal dashboards, you won’t see them coming. Or worse - you’ll miss the opportunity to draft off their wake or sail a smarter course.

Internal focus creates blind spots.External fixation without integration leads to drift.

It’s hard to expand your view and align internal priorities at the same time.

That’s where a short space to Untether is most valuable.

Welcome to a quick dive into the fascinating concept of being Tethered versus Untethered. This idea, building on the work of Global Strategist Sophie Krantz, explores the ways we, and our organisations, can become tied to the status quo.

Being Tethered means being held back by old systems, assumptions, and worldviews that might no longer serve us. Think rigid schedules, identity defined by title, strategy focused only on what's nearby, information being hoarded, or technology used just for efficiency. It's like being tied to an anchor.

On the other hand, being Untethered is about lifting that anchor. It's not about changing constantly, but about recognising when the world has already shifted and strategically adapting. This involves operating across borders, focusing on impact and purpose, directing energy towards global challenges, using technology for scale and connection, and viewing things like age or competition through a different lens.

The core message is this: Sometimes staying tethered is the safest and wisest approach, especially when the world is stable. But when conditions shift, the cost of staying tethered without question can quietly build up. Knowing what to update and when is the strategic move – knowing when it's time to lift anchor and set a more relevant course.

This lens can be applied across many areas, from work and identity to technology and leadership, helping us see where we might be unconsciously holding ourselves back and missing opportunities in a changing world.

This podcast explore the concept of being tethered, which means feeling restricted or controlled. It builds on the work by Sophie Krantz, Global Strategist, on Untethering.

This can happen in situations like being told you have “no scope for promotion,” having your accent criticised, or being instructed not to ask questions in a negotiation. These experiences can make you feel you “didn’t belong” and want to :cut ties and move on” or “get me out of here now”. Many feel this in organisations or industries, often unable to leave immediately due to norms, power dynamics, and expectations that keep us tethered1. The sources ask us to consider not only when we’ve felt tethered but also when we might have reinforced a tether for others.

Untethering is presented as a way to restore autonomy and agency, both personally and organisationally. It involves questioning place, precedent, and perception, and cutting through controls, constructs, and conditions to see clearly and move freely. The key idea is that it’s often smarter to untether before you are forced to by external circumstances. Untethering is seen as foundational, coming before strategy planning, because it creates the necessary space to think.

When leaders untether, they gain the ability to consider options like rethinking market expansion, licensing IP globally, using AI for efficiency, expanding teams remotely, raising global capital, funding growth through partnerships, and solving problems beyond their immediate borders....

Despite these benefits, many remain stuck. This resistance often stems from fear – fear of losing control, disrupting teams, or facing the unfamiliar. Clinging to past methods traps organisations. While the biggest shifts today come from outside our local context, we often default to what we know and control. We can even inadvertently tether others to our comfort zones, limiting their potential. Data from a 2023 Deloitte survey showed low leader readiness for crucial changes, suggesting the issue is often a mindset problem, with nearly half of leaders feeling overwhelmed and experiencing paralysis.

The core message is that what holds us in one place stops us from going further. By untethering from what no longer serves us, we, and our teams, can go further and faster on our own terms.

When have you felt tethered - restricted, controlled? When have you been the one to reinforce the tether?

In a world of shifts, these questions can be uncomfortable. Yet they may be more important to consider than waiting for ties to be cut by external forces.

Many of us work in organisations, industries, or countries where we have felt the urge to cut ties - yet it’s rare we can immediately take such action. We’re tethered by norms, power dynamics, and expectations.

Untethering restores autonomy and agency - personally and organisationally. And often, the smarter move is to untether before you’re forced to walk away.

To question place, precedent, and perception.To cut through controls, constructs, and conditions.To see clearly. To move freely.

Untethering comes before scenario planning. Before strategic foresight.It creates space to think - before setting adaptive strategy.

Then, leaders can:

* Rethink market expansion when local growth stalls.

* License IP or know-how globally without heavy investment.

* Use AI or automation to unlock efficiency.

* Expand teams remotely with global talent.

* Raise capital from investors aligned with global growth.

* Fund growth through global partnerships.

* Solve problems that matter - beyond their borders.

And yet, most remain stuck.

Sometimes, it is safest to stick to the status quo.

Leaders and organisations can’t afford to change constantly - that would add cost, confusion, and complexity. The challenge is knowing when to update how we see the world and how we act within it.

In Untethered: Strategy Workshops on the Water, we explore the forces that keep leaders, entrepreneurs, and organisations tethered to the status quo - systems, worldviews, and assumptions that once made sense, yet may no longer serve in today’s context.

Not every system needs a reset. Yet, some assumptions do.

Untethering does not focus on chasing change.It’s about recognising when the world has already changed and prioritising global shifts to shape what you focus on and do next.

We explore: When do you lift anchor and, with the right signals, set a course toward something more aligned and strategic?

A Global Scan: The Tethered vs Untethered Lens

Through a global scan, we’ve identified more than 20 areas where people and organisations often remain tethered - to beliefs, systems, and worldviews that represent their status quo.

Yet the world around us is shifting. And how we each see that world is shaped by our own experiences, networks, and influences.

How does the lens below sit with you?

* What are you, or your organisation, tethered to?

* Is it still serving you?

* What do you notice - in your team, your industry, or beyond - that’s tethered and missing from this list?

Setting a More Relevant Course

Preserving the status quo has its place.When the world is stable - or too complex to monitor and manage - staying the course can provide clarity, consistency, and control.

Yet when conditions shift, globally, structurally, or subtly, the cost of staying tethered without question can quietly compound.

It’s not necessary to change everything.It’s strategic to know what to update and when.

Sometimes, staying tethered is wise.Other times, the safest move is to lift anchor and set a more relevant course.

Untethered Thinking, Developed Together

The above 20+ areas where people and organisations often remain tethered is being developed in collaboration.

We welcome your perspective:

* What do you see that aligns with your status quo?

* What is missing?

* What have we not yet got right?

While many of us remain stuck - blocked by outdated systems that weren’t designed for what we’re trying to do - there’s a circle of leaders thinking globally, building boldly, and solving in smarter ways.

Being stuck may stem from:

* A procurement process that rewards incumbents and locks out smaller or newer players, even if their solutions are smarter or more sustainable.

* Barriers to accessing global talent, driven by external systems like visas and tax laws, and internal defaults like legacy hiring models and location-based thinking.

* Funding pathways that struggle to assess or back intangible value, whether it’s data, design, know-how, or early-stage innovation.

* Regulations written for old models, making it difficult to operate across borders with modern offerings like APIs, embedded finance, or decentralised tech.

* A licensing or compliance system that doesn’t yet recognise alternative structures, like open networks, cross-sector collaboration, or digital-first delivery.

* Trade policies and tariffs that increase the cost and complexity of exporting physical goods, while technical support remains limited for the diversification into digital, IP, or service-based exports.

The system says no - or not yet.

Yet the work can’t wait. Other market forces are moving: competitors are iterating, customers are shifting expectations, and adjacent sectors are moving faster than the rules can adapt.

So what do leaders who want to cross borders and break down barriers do when decision-makers close doors?

They don’t wait. They find a workaround.

Don’t Fight the System. Work around it.

In 2025, it’s common to feel the effects of systems that weren’t built for what’s next. They were designed to optimise, scale, or protect what was already known. That’s why the sharpest constraints show up when you’re building something novel - intangible, cross-border, counter-status quo.

At that moment, there are three options:

* Continue to adhere to the status quo (stagnant).

* Convince the system to change (slow).

* Or build beyond it (smarter).

This is strategic design. Constraints highlight where to focus. They point to smarter paths, sharper thinking, and better ways to build.

Below are examples where individuals and organisations didn’t wait for permission. They didn’t fight the system. They worked around it. And in doing so, they moved the work forward.

It’s worth noting: This isn’t a celebration of scale or success. It’s a demonstration of what becomes possible when people and companies design around constraints and leave behind a path others can follow, adapt, and often improve upon.

Global Case Studies: Building Beyond the Block

Paul Krugman: Independent Analysis, UnconstrainedNobel Prize-winning economist and long-time New York Times opinion columnist who left the Times after 25 years to write independently on Substack, citing editorial constraints and wanting space for more analytical writing with charts and in-depth analysis. As of August 2025, Krugman has over 410,000 total subscribers on Substack, a mix of free readers and paid subscribers contributing around US$7/month or US$70/year. Krugman’s Substack has become a significant platform, with high readership and influence outside traditional media.

And, he gets to work on his terms - which is worth celebrating!

Image: Paul Krugman, via paulkrugman.substack.com

Tala: Financial Inclusion Without the BanksTala bypassed traditional credit systems by using smartphone data - SMS patterns, payment history, and app usage - to assess creditworthiness for microloans. Operating in Kenya, India, and The Philippines, it didn’t wait for credit bureaus or banking reforms. It redefined eligibility on its own terms, making US$1.3B in loans accessible to underserved borrowers by 2025.

Project Kuiper: Amazon’s Space-Based InternetRather than wait for fragmented national telecom reforms, Amazon is launching over 3,000 satellites to deliver global broadband coverage. Its bet is to go above the system, literally. By building its own space-based internet layer, it sidesteps regulatory patchwork on Earth to reach under-connected markets.

ONDC: India’s Open eCommerce NetworkTo counter dominance by global platforms like Amazon and Flipkart, India launched the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC). It’s a government-backed digital protocol that decentralises eCommerce and allows small traders and service providers to plug in.

Spotify: Flexible Licensing to Play GloballySpotify is available in 237 countries. They didn’t challenge every country’s IP regime head-on. Rather, it adapted by licensing content market-by-market, tailoring deals with local collecting agencies, and offering regionally tuned plans. It built a business model that respected fragmentation without being blocked by it.

Tesla: Direct-to-Consumer Without the DealersTesla bypassed traditional franchised dealership networks by selling cars direct-to-consumer. In some US states, it faced outright bans and still found legal workarounds, pop-up galleries, or delivery centres to meet customers.

BRAC & Grameen Shakti: Off-Grid Solar in BangladeshFaced with an unreliable electricity grid, NGOs like BRAC and Grameen Shakti rolled out solar home systems, financed via microcredit. They didn’t wait for utility reform. They gave households power, literally and figuratively.

Airbnb: Redefining the Market While Rules LaggedIn city after city, Airbnb launched before hospitality regulations existed for home-sharing. While controversial, its model forced legal clarity and consumer standards and demonstrated how platforms can create new market categories.

Market-Creating Leaders

Academic research and practitioner insights show that visionary leaders are often the ones who create entirely new markets and business models by working around outdated systems and redefining how value is created (Gestaldt, Abundance Global).

Rather than being confined by legacy structures, they sense emerging shifts early and respond by designing business models aligned to what’s next - whether through digital platforms, embedded finance, or open networks (HBR).

These leaders cultivate cultures of innovation, experimentation, and adaptability that allow their organisations to move ahead of the pack, often by establishing new ecosystems beyond conventional boundaries (ScienceDirect).

Strategic foresight is a core feature, enabling breakthrough offerings and sustainable growth that reshape entire sectors, not just products. From Steve Jobs to regional pioneers launching platforms outside established regulatory frames, these leaders initiate change (Forbes, MSU).

Still True in 2025: Constraints Are Real. And So Are Workarounds.

If momentum matters, so does the strategy of workarounds.

Questions worth asking, when stuck:

* Is the constraint a by-product of the system, anchored in status quo thinking or the lived experience of decision-makers?

* Are others already working around it, in different parts of the world or across adjacent industries?

* What conversation could you have this week to unlock a viable workaround?

The answers can shift where we look, how we build, and how fast we move. And whether we keep pace with competitors who are already moving.

The circle of leaders achieving positive-sum outcomes in 2025 can - and needs to - expand.

It’s worth remembering when stuck: When we see the bigger picture, we can play a bigger game.

Quite literally all of the world’s information is at our fingertips.

Generative AI provides access to vast data, summarized insights, and pattern recognition at scale. Reports published by organizations around the world, ranging from the IMF, World Bank, and OECD to the Dubai Future Foundation, ARK Invest, and the World Economic Forum, provide insights on economic shifts, industry trends, and emerging risks. And, corporate research from firms like PwC and McKinsey, alongside open datasets from global institutions, offer valuable commercial intelligence.

Yet, while the information is available, its value lies in developing strategic intelligence that supports smarter business success - what edges us closer to investment, income, influence, and introductions that result in commercial outcomes.

Here, we explore how to do this in a resource light way.

This podcast episode discusses the concept of “altitude” as a way for business leaders and entrepreneurs to gain a bigger picture perspective in order to operate more strategically. It draws on the analogy of climbing the mast on a racing yacht, where gaining height provides a different viewpoint that allows one to see the whole system, identify patterns, and get back on course. This builds off the work of Global Strategist, Sophie Krantz.

The episode highlights that in business, spending too much time in the details can prevent leaders from seeing the larger context and from recalibrating their strategies. To play a bigger game, it’s necessary to “zoom out” and gain altitude. This involves seeing patterns across different areas, anticipating long-term shifts, spotting early signals, and understanding global interconnections.

The podcast introduces various tools that can help leaders achieve this “altitude” in a business context. These include platforms that provide satellite imagery (Story.earth), visualise interconnected global systems (Globaïa), offer time-lapsed global data (EarthTime), present evidence-based global data trends (Our World in Data), provide scenario planning tools (International Futures), offer population and urbanisation data (WorldPop), and provide tools to challenge outdated worldviews using global data (Gapminder). These tools offer strategic vantage points for understanding the world differently.

The episode emphasises that gaining altitude helps leaders move beyond simply reacting to short-term issues and instead allows them to understand the broader context of global volatility. Scenario planning, grounded in data and imagination, is presented as a key benefit of this higher perspective, enabling leaders to prepare for multiple potential futures rather than trying to predict a single outcome.

Furthermore, the podcast explains that “altitude” is not just a physical viewpoint but also a strategic vantage that helps leaders cross borders of geography, sector, and mindset. This leads to sharper priorities, the formation of important alliances, and the ability to see and break down barriers that others might miss. Ultimately, altitude provides clarity, shows the system in motion, and enables leaders to take action and lead effectively, especially when things feel stuck or out of control.

Early 2025 saw significant global breakthroughs across various sectors. Author Nate Silver highlights the need for scientific knowledge and self-awareness to discern meaningful signals. These advancements offer valuable insights into global shifts, allowing for proactive leverage and impact. This episode builds on work by Global Strategist, Sophie Krantz.

Key breakthroughs from Q1 2025 include:

* Health and Medicine: Oregon Health & Science University introduced the PAC-MANN blood test for early pancreatic cancer detection with 85% accuracy at a low cost. This enables routine screening and could improve survival rates. Cornell University noted widespread adoption of DeepSeek AI in Chinese hospitals for enhanced diagnostics, workflows, and patient management. This raises regulatory and ethical considerations.

* Environment and Energy: The University of Cambridge developed a solar-powered reactor converting CO₂ to liquid fuel (syngas) using only sunlight, simplifying scaling and potentially reducing clean fuel costs. France’s WEST tokamak achieved a fusion energy record by sustaining stable plasma for 22 minutes. This brings clean, sustainable energy closer to reality.

* Technology and Quantum Computing: Microsoft unveiled the Majorana 1 Quantum Processor with up to one million qubits, enhancing stability using topological superconductivity and potentially accelerating quantum computing timelines. Applications include breaking down microplastics, self-healing materials, and the need for quantum-resistant cryptography. Amazon introduced the Ocelot quantum chip, designed to reduce quantum error correction costs by up to 90%, enhancing commercial viability across various industries.

* Space Exploration: Naicker Scientific developed the SonoChem System for lunar water production using microwaves and ultrasound, crucial for sustainable lunar habitation. The UK completed its first Mars rover, Rosalind Franklin, set to launch in 2028 to search for signs of life. Chinese researchers revealed a shapeshifting robot submarine that reached the Mariana Trench, enhancing deep-sea exploration.

* Global Health Equity: Ghana’s Yemaachi Biotech, in partnership with Roche, launched The African Cancer Atlas (TACA), a comprehensive genomic database for African populations, aiming to improve precision oncology and address underrepresentation in research.

* Artificial Intelligence for Scientific Collaboration: Google unveiled the Gemini 2.0 AI Co-scientist, a multi-agent system to assist researchers in generating hypotheses and structuring experiments, designed as a collaborative tool.

These breakthroughs are accelerating, emerging globally, crossing borders, and breaking down barriers, shaping future products, services, and business models. Recognising and responding to these signals is vital for business success and societal progress.

It takes courage to climb the mast.

On a racing yacht at sea, not everyone does it. Many will look up. Fewer will act. And only one will strap in, climb high, and do what needs to be done. They’ll face the force of wind, the motion of the boat, and the pressure of knowing what’s at stake.

From that height, the view shifts. It is about fixing a problem. And, it’s about getting back on course. Making the finish. Making it safely home.

And up there, perspective changes.

From above, patterns emerge. You can see the set of the sails, the angle of the hull, the conditions unfolding ahead. You can see the whole system in motion. Distractions fall away. The bigger picture becomes clear.

In business, altitude matters.

We spend much of our time in the thick of things - making decisions, managing people, responding to changes. Yet to play a bigger game, we must zoom out. To see more, so we can do more. To stop reacting and start recalibrating.

Maps that Show the World Differently

Satellite imagery. Global dashboards. Time-lapse data. Today, we have tools that show us the world from above - geographically, geopolitically, economically.

These are compelling visuals. And they’re also strategic vantage points.

Here are a few platforms helping leaders see the world differently:

Story.earth

Satellite images as storytelling tools, showing how Earth is changing in near real-time.

Globaïa

Visualising the interconnected systems and global patterns of Earth - transport, trade, energy, ecology - to show our planet as a networked whole.

EarthTime

A Carnegie Mellon platform using time-lapsed global data to visualise complex changes, from climate to inequality.

Our World in Data

Clear, evidence-based visuals and data trends across global health, environment, and economics.

International Futures (IFs)

A scenario planning tool for long-term global outlooks.

WorldPop

Population, urbanisation, and mobility data with spatial precision.

Gapminder

Tools to challenge outdated worldviews using real global data.

Seeing Patterns. Spotting Possibility.

From altitude, leaders can:

* See patterns across regions, markets, and time

* Anticipate long-term shifts - moving beyond reacting to short-term noise

* Spot early signals from beyond the traditional spotlight

* Break out of localised views and understand global interconnections

Scenario Planning: Playing a Bigger Game

Understanding the shifts that are shaping the future helps us lead with purpose. The volatility of today’s world - conflict, climate, contraction - gains greater context when viewed with greater perspective.

Scenario planning, grounded in data and guided by imagination, helps leaders build strategies that hold under pressure. The focus is not about predicting the future. Rather, it is about being ready for more than one future.

This thinking doesn’t come from staying at sea level.

It comes from altitude.

Leadership That Crosses Borders

Altitude goes beyond a physical viewpoint. It gives a strategic vantage.

Leaders who gain altitude cross borders - of geography, sector, and mindset. They set sharper priorities. They form alliances that matter. They see and break barriers others don’t even notice.

Altitude gives clarity.

It shows the system.

And, like on the boat, while many may be watching - it often takes just one to climb, look again, and lead.

When much is stuck, stagnant, and spiralling out of control, it is valuable to see the bigger picture. From there, we can play a bigger game.

Lead with Clarity During Global Complexity

If you want to strengthen how you help clients navigate global complexity, it starts with gaining altitude - so you can see more, act smarter, and lead with confidence.

There’s one space left in the May Coaching Series:Support Your Clients in a Shifting World.

A focused, high-impact programme designed to help you navigate global shifts and translate them into client value.

Book now to secure the final place [click here].

Further Reading:

The world is shifting, stalling, and at times, it seems to be spiralling out of control.

As business leaders and entrepreneurs, what can we control?

Three things:Context - seeing more as it changes.Questions - driving clarity through dialogue.Connections - updating who we know, and who knows us, in step with the world.

These go beyond soft skills. They’re survival skills for business leaders navigating complexity and change. Together, they form a framework for global sensemaking - seeing what others miss and acting where others stall or fall short.

The intersections provide further clarity:

Filter (Context + Questions): What matters now, and what no longer does?Find (Questions + Connections): What new ideas, partners, or threats are you missing?Focus (Context + Connections): Which signals are worth aligning your energy and resources around?

This model works because it reflects how the world actually behaves - non-linear, interconnected, and in motion. It’s a tool to help leaders anchor their decisions in shifting times without becoming stuck in outdated thinking or narrow networks.

“You are not Atlas carrying the world on your shoulder. It is good to remember that the planet is carrying you.” - Vandana Shiva, Indian environmentalist and scholar

The challenge is to align with what is working in the world, rather than be pushed by what is not.

The Risk of Disconnect

A warning comes from Tokugawa Japan, which enforced a strict seclusion policy from 1639 to 1853. For over two centuries, Japan closed itself off to most foreign contact. While this preserved internal order, it came at a cost. As the world advanced in science, technology, and trade, Japan missed the signals. When Commodore Perry arrived into Tokyo Bay in 1853 and forced the country open, it faced the world at a disadvantage - and had to modernise rapidly just to catch up.

When leaders disconnect from global shifts, they can quickly lose ground.

When the most significant trends, technologies, and threats - as well as opportunities - increasingly originate far from where we live and work, it’s never been as important to be connected to global shifts.

That’s why leaders must now build the capacity to see more, ask better questions, and stay connected across borders.

Quick Check: How Global Is Your Lens?

Score each from 1 (not true) to 5 (very true):

* We regularly review global signals that could impact us.

* We ask ambitious and uncomfortable questions about the future.

* Our team includes or consults with people from outside our industry or geography.

* We know what not to do, not just what to pursue.

* Our partnerships are shaped by global shifts, not just past relationships.

* Our questions lead us to new insights - not just confirmation.

* We revisit our assumptions when the world changes.

Scorecard:30–35: Strong global sensemaking. Leverage it.20–29: Moderate. Strengthen your blind spots.Below 20: Too narrow. Time to widen your lens.

The leaders with clarity and conviction are seeing, listening, and connected to something broader than themselves.

They cross borders and break down barriers, achieving smarter business success. They know that we go further, faster, together.

How did you score?What would it take you to move up a level?

Hate Networking? You’re Not Alone.

Research from Bond University highlights the challenges and benefits of professional networking. The findings, shared by Libby Sander, Assistant Professor of Organisational Behaviour, from the Bond Business School, include:

* Reluctance to Network: A study of MBA students at a networking event revealed that although 95% aimed to meet new contacts, they spent over half of their time with familiar faces.

* Feelings of Discomfort: Engaging in networking for career advancement can evoke feelings of discomfort or even a sense of ‘dirtiness’ in some individuals.

* Limited Networking Among Women in STEM: Research indicates that women in STEM fields make 42% fewer contacts, spend 48% less time interacting with them, and establish 25% fewer LinkedIn connections compared to their male counterparts.

As established leaders, we tend to break bread - spending time working and socialising with the same people. It’s comfortable, familiar.

And yet, the world is shifting, prompting us to ask: should we update who we know?

Old alliances - whether industry colleagues, leaders, trading partners, safe havens, or preferential markets - may no longer be as predictable or valuable as they once were. They may no longer warrant the same time and resources.

Breaking Bread: Expanding who we know to go further, faster, together.

A Network that Works

Who we know directly impacts our business results. The below image shows four types of business leaders based on the strength of their global network and how well they use it. Leaders with a strong, well-leveraged network achieve results faster and with less friction. Those without one - or those who fail to use it - fall behind. The goal? Move to the top-right, where connections turn into real business outcomes.

Where are you now?

Where do you want to be?

Going Further, Faster: Deliberately & Discerningly

Going further, faster in today’s environment means going beyond the status quo. Beyond your industry. Beyond your lived experience. Beyond borders. Especially when you need specific support, for targeted outcomes:

* Investment (Capital that aligns with your ambitious goals.)

* Intelligence (Insights that are not widely available yet give a competitive edge.)

* Introductions (To the right people, not just more people.)

* Influence (Access to decision-makers who shape outcomes.)

* Income (Revenue-generating opportunities that sustain long-term commercial results.)

* Innovation (New ways of thinking and operating to stay ahead.)

* Ideas (Fresh perspectives that challenge assumptions and open new pathways.)

* Implementation (The ability to turn plans into action with the right expertise.)

The Fast Five: Your Expanded Inner Circle

Some believe that building a strong network is about knowing the most people. Yet, it pays to know the right people. Who are the right people? Setting a clear target and defining their role in your network helps - inviting them into your inner circle with intention. With clients, I work towards a Fast Five.

Why five? It’s an actionable and practical number to work with. And, as the late Jim Rohn said:

“You are the average of the five people you spend most of your time with.”

Your Fast Five should be:

* Strategically aligned to your ambitious goals.

* Capable of accelerating key outcomes (introductions, insights, investment).

* Diverse in thought, geography, and experience.

Your inner circle should challenge and expand your thinking. If the key people you engage with most look, sound, and think like you, there’s a good chance you’re limiting yourself - and that will directly impact what you achieve over the next 1–5 years.

When Should You Build Your Inner Circle?

Before you need it. As Douglas Conant says:

“The time to build a network is always before you need one.”

The best networks aren’t built out of desperation. They’re built intentionally - before a crisis, before a funding round, before a market expansion.

The next four years will bring significant global shifts - geopolitically, economically, demographically, and technologically. It’s a safe bet that we all have gaps in our networks given scope of these shifts.

How to Start

* Identify Gaps – What’s missing in your network? Who could help you see more and act faster?

* Curate Your Fast Five – Look beyond your immediate circle. Who can elevate your thinking and unlock opportunities?

* Engage with Purpose – Networking isn’t transactional. It’s about creating mutual value. The right people stay when they see the value of being in your world.

Breaking Bread: The Power of Connection

Breaking bread has long been a symbol of connection, trust, and collaboration. Across cultures, sharing a meal signifies more than sustenance - it builds relationships, fosters understanding, and creates a foundation for deeper alliances.

In business, the same principle applies. Strong networks are about shared experiences, mutual respect, and collective progress. When leaders come together with openness and intent, they unlock new opportunities and accelerate success.

When you don’t know where to start, or want to learn and network with leaders who cross borders and break down barriers for smarter business success, join us.

We are Going Global.

Who would you love to break bread with in 2025?

In a time of world dis-order where institutions are strained and nationalism is rising, individuals, especially business leaders, have the power to shape their own order. This builds on work by Global Strategist, Sophie Krantz.

Despite a current fracturing of world order, individuals don’t have to stand still. Thanks to digital infrastructure and global connectivity, there’s a “playground of opportunity”. Individuals can:

* Build networks beyond borders.

* Learn from the world.

* Hire global talent.

* Solve global problems.

* Access decentralised funding.

* Create and share content globally.

* Participate in global communities.

* Access global marketplaces for freelancers.

* Innovate through open source.

* Engage in global philanthropy.

* Leverage data for global insights.

* Participate in remote hackathons.

Acting beyond borders is an economic choice to diversify and a mindset shift beyond nationalism. Individuals can take meaningful action to bring order to the dis-order.

The world is in dis-order. We can each bring it into order, driven by the need for greater wins for the world. We can go further, faster, together.

I hope you’ll join me.

If you seek to be a part of a global community of leaders who cross borders and break down barriers for smarter business success - join us. We are Going Global.

Some leaders are happy being a big fish in a small pond. Others yearn for a bigger ocean to swim in.

There’s a group of established and emerging leaders who see beyond their immediate horizons. They want to take what works in their domestic market or region and expand it globally. What’s their mission? To earn foreign revenue, diversify markets, de-risk their business model, and amplify their impact on a global scale.

Yet bigger oceans aren’t without their threats. Larger competitors exist, and while bigger opportunities await, so do bigger challenges.

The Comfort Zone Trap

Leaders who remain confined within their immediate surroundings do so for various reasons – comfort, mindset, or structural limitations. Their focus stays local, even when global opportunities beckon. However, as industries become increasingly interconnected and borders blur, those who fail to expand their perspective risk missing out on transformative growth and impact.

A Lonely Planet

The world can feel isolating when you’re a big fish looking to move beyond your small pond. Understanding the mindset of peers and assessing the risks and trade-offs is valuable. Navigating beyond these constraints can be crucial for professional and business success.

Are you a big fish in a small pond? Will you stay there in 2025?

Small ponds risk turning stagnant.

We don’t have to be confined or defined by where we live and work.

Yet, swimming out into the larger ocean alone can be daunting.

Breaking free from a local mindset requires intentional effort - seeking exposure to global shifts, leveraging intangible assets, and building networks beyond immediate surroundings. The businesses and leaders who do this successfully scale up and they scale out. They find new ways to compete and create impact beyond their home market.

In 2025, while many leaders remain focused locally, a growing network of forward-thinking leaders, entrepreneurs, and businesses are crossing borders and breaking down barriers. They’re working towards smarter global success in 2025 and beyond, creating a community of peers who challenge each other to think and act bigger.

When we see the bigger picture, we can play a bigger game. If this resonates with your vision for growth, join us. We are Going Global.

https://www.skool.com/going-global/about

Welcome to the podcast, where today we delve into a fascinating convergence of ideas and technology that promises to reshape our future. We’ll be exploring the concept of Superagency, popularised by Reid Hoffman in his upcoming book, which envisions an optimistic future where AI significantly enhances individual capabilities and drives societal progress.

This optimistic vision gains tangible ground with the arrival of NVIDIA’s Project Digits, a personal AI supercomputer announced at CES 2025. Priced at US$3,000 and resembling a Mac Mini, this powerful device offers computing power equivalent to 1,000 times that of an average laptop . Powered by NVIDIA’s Grace Blackwell architecture and the GB10 Superchip, it can run AI models with up to 200 billion parameters, rivalling even advanced systems like OpenAI’s GPT-4 . Linking two units allows for even larger models of up to 405 billion parameters.

Jensen Huang’s ambition with Project Digits is to democratise access to data centre-level AI computing, bringing it to the desks of developers, researchers, and students globally. Its energy efficiency, thanks to collaboration with MediaTek, ensures high performance using standard power outlets. This affordability and accessibility are key, placing this technology within reach of an estimated 41 to 82 million individuals worldwide.

This shift signifies a new era of distributed agency, lowering the barriers to entry for AI development and enabling individuals to shape the future of AI from their desktops. This amplified computing power accelerates ambition, allowing individuals and organisations to pursue higher goals and solve problems on an unprecedented scale. Imagine researchers running complex simulations overnight, climate scientists developing high-resolution local weather models, and medical specialists training AI on their own patient data. Creative professionals, educators, and language preservation projects also stand to gain immensely.

This global distribution of agency means that significant innovations are increasingly likely to emerge from diverse locations worldwide, not just traditional tech hubs. Business leaders must adopt a broader perspective to harness this collective imagination and ingenuity. As tools like Project Digits become more accessible, the potential for interconnected and ambitious global collaboration grows exponentially.

In 2025, with the launch of Superagency, the theme of agency becomes prominent, reminding us that it’s not just about individual power but also about collective action on a global scale. Join us as we explore the exciting implications of this technological leap and what it means for the future of innovation and human potential.

Fancy speaking to an Aussie about your network and making new connections to expand it?

That’s not speaking to me. It’s speaking with Boardy.

No-Networking Network-Building: As easy as sliding into Boardy’s DMs

Boardy is an AI-powered networking platform designed to facilitate professional connections.

Simon Schmincke of Creandum, explains why the early stage VC-firm has invested in Boardy:

“In my 15 years in venture, I’ve never seen anything like it. While we regularly encounter incredible companies and founders, Boardy left me speechless. Within an hour, all of our partners had connected with Boardy and received calls. We were convinced we had to invest without seeing a pitch deck or even speaking to a human! Could this be the first autonomous AI fundraise?”

Networking that Works

Boardy acts as an AI super connector that helps professionals make strategic introductions, such as:

* Connecting CEOs with compatible CTOs

* Introducing founders to potential investors

Key features include:

* Real-time connection suggestions

* Automated professional matchmaking

* Networking facilitation through AI technology

It’s a new form of networking. There’s not a business card, canapé, or awkward conversation in sight.

The platform operates through LinkedIn, with users agreeing to their Privacy Policy and Terms when engaging with the service. Boardy emphasises rapid, targeted professional introductions, and so positions itself as an intelligent networking assistant that can quickly broker meaningful business connections.

Working the Net: Other Networking Platforms

Several other AI-powered networking platforms exist in the professional space, offering services beyond recruitment (for that, check out Melbourne-based Polynize):.

Here are some examples:

* CEO Hangout: Matches executives based on goals, industries, and skills, providing curated networking opportunities and a secure Slack-based community for collaboration.

* Osmos: Uses AI to match executives based on specific business needs and goals.

* Linked AI: Focuses on professional networking and career growth with intelligent matchmaking and profile optimisation.

These AI-powered platforms are transforming how professionals connect and collaborate.

Generative AI: From Fun to Competitive Edge

AI can be fun to explore, yet its true value lies in leveraging it to secure a competitive edge. Achieving this requires a closer look at what is working, who it is working for, and how to make it work for us.

1. What’s Working

Boardy is certainly easy to use, requiring only an internet connection and a phone. A direct message to Boardy on LinkedIn results in a phone call from the Boardy bot. Through this discussion, the Boardy AI facilitates introductions, sending follow-up emails with the details.

2. Who is It Working For?

Anyone, anywhere, with internet access and a phone. Entrepreneurs or professionals who need to expand their network for commercial outcomes stand to benefit the most.

3. How to Make It Work for Us?

Theoretically, almost anyone in the world is already accessible. There are 5.55 billion active internet users globally, and LinkedIn alone has 1 billion members across more than 200 countries and territories.

It’s easy to collect LinkedIn connections - a vanity metric (a number that looks impressive but lacks substance) like the count of connections and followers. Yet, these numbers don’t necessarily reflect a network that contributes to achieving commercial targets and outcomes. Key is to focus on value metrics, which measure the effectiveness and quality of your connections in achieving specific outcomes, such as referrals, collaborative projects, or revenue generated from the network.

Using Boardy or another AI-based networking platform, the risk lies in gathering more contacts without achieving smarter, easier, or more sustainable commercial outcomes.

“Your social capital - your ability to form and use connections with others - is the most valuable currency you have in today’s world.” - Herminia Ibarra, professor at London Business School, from Act Like a Leader, Think Like a Leader.

Who Are the Right Connections?

The ideal network depends on what you want to achieve. If your goal is international business growth, consider:

* Business Targets: Identify individuals aligned with your specific international business objectives. Who can help you achieve investment, income, ideas, implementation, intelligence, insights, introductions, and influence?

* Network Gaps: Assess your current network. What expertise or connections are missing? Look for emergent areas of expertise, geographic markets with potential, and upcoming leaders.

* Building Influence: Verne Harnish, author of Scaling Up, highlights the importance of including influential individuals in your network to support business scaling.

* Mutual Value: Networking should be underpinned by mutual benefit. What can you offer that would make others value having you in their network?

What’s Next?

If you were to speak to Boardy, who are the five people you’d aim to connect with in the next month?

Unsure? Learn to identify and engage your “Fast Five” - the key people in your global network who can unlock opportunities, overcome barriers, and drive results. While AI can connect you, this session will help you pinpoint who you need to in your networking to succeed on a global scale. No painful networking included.

You’ll be speaking with an actual Aussie 👋.

Join me: [link here]

Today, we’re exploring a revolutionary concept recently written about by global strategist, Sophie Krantz: it’s now possible to build a billion-dollar company without knowing how to code. This challenges us to use AI to create valuable solutions that can ‘shift systems’.

This unprecedented opportunity is driven by ‘vibe coding’. Popularised by OpenAI co-founder Andrej Karpathy in early 2025, vibe coding means humans focus on the vision and outcome, while AI handles all the technical details. You simply describe what you want, and the AI turns it into functional software, removing the need for traditional coding knowledge or large technical teams. It’s described as the “drag-and-drop for the AI age”, democratising digital product development and inviting many globally to build at scale.

Lovable is a prime example of this shift, a platform allowing anyone to build and launch full-stack web apps by simply describing them. Since late 2024, Lovable has seen phenomenal growth, reaching a US$1.8 billion valuation and attracting over 2.3 million active users who have built more than 10 million projects with just 45 employees. This rapid adoption highlights what's possible when powerful tools are openly accessible.

This new frontier also prompts us to embrace positive-sum ambition. While the wealth gap is a concern, wealth can positively shape the world when used well. Melanie Perkins, Canva’s CEO, is a clear example of ‘positive-sum capitalism’, having pledged most of Canva’s wealth to charity and created an employee equity pool. This is an invitation to create significant value and position ourselves where positive-sum ambition is expected, rather than merely coping with AI.

https://www.sophiekrantz.com/p/agency-over-expectation

This podcast discusses the importance of looking beyond traditional metrics and embracing a wider perspective to identify emerging opportunities in the global economy. It builds on an article by Global Strategist, Sophie Krantz, which can be read here.

Many business leaders rely on outdated metrics that fail to capture the dynamic and decentralised nature of modern innovation, especially in developing countries. Tools like the Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC) and Harvard’s Economic Complexity Index (ECI) primarily focus on traditional indicators like export diversity and sophistication. While these are valuable, they often overlook the ingenuity emerging from informal ecosystems, grassroots initiatives, and digital platforms.

The podcast highlights case studies of organisations like M-KOPA, SELCO, and Sistema.bio that are successfully addressing challenges in emerging markets by leveraging technology and local knowledge. These examples demonstrate that significant opportunities exist beyond traditional markets and industries. These organisations highlight the importance of robust communication infrastructure for scaling and replicating innovative solutions across regions.

Advancements in communication infrastructure, such as the increasing reach of mobile networks and the rise of satellite communication technologies, are transforming global connectivity and decentralising opportunities for growth. The Connectivity Atlas visually demonstrates how networks are uniting us beyond political borders. Proliferated satellite constellations, as being deployed by SpaceX and Amazon, are providing internet access to remote areas, further democratising access to opportunity.

The podcast encourages leaders to adopt an expanded worldview by incorporating emerging metrics like digital economy contributions, social innovation, and network effects into their strategic thinking. By questioning outdated constructs and embracing a wider perspective, businesses can uncover hidden opportunities and unlock the full potential of the global economy. It is crucial to look beyond the immediately visible and consider the broader context to identify emerging trends and seize new opportunities.

There is more to the world than what we see.

When you change the way you see the world, you change the way you can shape it.

*Season one of The Global Edge podcast with Sophie Krantz is AI generated. Season two, launching early in 2025, will be hosted by Sophie Krantz.

This podcast builds on work by Global Strategist Sophie Krantz, exploring the events and shifts that accelerated in 2024. Each year, Earth travels approximately 940 million kilometres through space as it circles the sun. However, some things on Earth changed faster than others in 2024.

The podcast will cover 20 events across a number of domains, including:

● Business and Economy

● Technology and Innovation

● Leadership and Global Trends

● Sustainability and Climate Action

● Geopolitics and Global Cooperation

● Scientific Achievements

The podcast will look at the acceleration of both problems and progress, and how they are shaping the world. It will also discuss how these changes will impact businesses and policymakers in 2025. The podcast will encourage listeners to think about what sped up in 2024 and how it might affect their business plans or goals in 2025.

When you change the way you see the world, you change the way you can shape it.

*Season one of The Global Edge podcast with Sophie Krantz is AI generated. Season two, launching early in 2025, will be hosted by Sophie Krantz.

This podcast, which builds on the work of Global Strategist Sophie Krantz, reviews dynamic models that can help leaders envision ambitious futures. The podcast emphasizes that these models enable transformative actions and policies that drive global goals. The central question posed by the podcast is whether ambitious goals should be based on current capabilities or on emerging possibilities that might be necessary to achieve these objectives. This question is particularly relevant in the context of energy transition, where ambitions often surpass the forecasts of traditional economic models.

The podcast highlights the work of the Institute for New Economic Thinking and the Oxford Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment. These institutions advocate for dynamic models that provide a more accurate foresight into policy impacts. Dynamic models are presented as a significant improvement over traditional methods like cost-benefit analysis and equilibrium models, which are considered outdated. Traditional models are criticized for their inability to handle the complexities of modern challenges and their failure to fully capture technological advancements and global economic forces. In contrast, dynamic models offer a more nuanced understanding of how ambitious policies can shape the future.

The podcast provides examples of ambitious initiatives such as China’s Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), the UK’s offshore wind auctions, and the US Inflation Reduction Act. These initiatives aim to redefine their respective sectors but rely on navigating uncharted territories and leveraging emerging technologies. Dynamic models are presented as a tool to bridge the gap between ambitious goals and actionable strategies. The podcast also emphasizes that ambition is not limited to governments and large organizations. Individuals, small startups, and community groups worldwide are setting bold targets and pushing boundaries. This collective drive to innovate reflects the idea that ambition is about envisioning a better future and striving to achieve it.

Ultimately, the podcast encourages listeners to consider whether they set ambitious goals based on what they want to achieve or based on current possibilities within their organization, industry, or the wider world. It suggests that pursuing ambitious goals requires a bold reimagining of forecasting, planning, and action, particularly in the context of energy transition. The podcast concludes by emphasizing that embracing uncertainty, fostering innovation, and venturing into the unknown are essential for shaping a better collective future.

When you change the way you see the world, you change the way you can shape it.

*Season one of The Global Edge podcast with Sophie Krantz is AI generated. Season two, launching early in 2025, will be hosted by Sophie Krantz.

This podcast episode, based on the work of Global Strategist Sophie Krantz, explores the theme of collaboration as a driving force for achieving global goals. The podcast argues that strategic alliances, even among competitors, can lead to innovative solutions and mutual success, especially in challenging economic times. It challenges the traditional notion of "crushing the competition" and highlights the importance of collaborative strategies.

The podcast draws parallels between the business world and the natural world, where collaboration is essential for survival and success. Examples of natural collaborations, such as the symbiotic relationship between fungi and plants (mycorrhizae) and the cooperative efforts of African elephants in creating water holes, are presented to illustrate this point.

The podcast then showcases real-world examples of “coopetition” among competitors, where companies and countries have collaborated to achieve win-win outcomes. These examples include:

* Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel in India: These telecom giants collaborated to lay submarine optical fibre cables, improving internet infrastructure across the country.

* Telekom, Safaricom and Airtel in Africa: These mobile network operators in Kenya enabled interoperability of their mobile money services to enhance customer experience and financial inclusion.

* Alibaba and Tencent in China: These tech giants partnered in a government-led initiative to develop a standard technology for digital invoicing, aiming to digitise operations and reduce fraud.

* SESAME in the Middle East: This scientific research facility in Jordan brings together members from countries often in political conflict to promote scientific cooperation and peace.

* Apple and Google in the USA: These tech giants collaborated on contact tracing technology during the COVID-19 pandemic.

* Uber and Lyft globally: These ride-sharing competitors have collaborated on regulatory and policy issues to shape the future of urban mobility.

The podcast also highlights the concept of “10x” individuals (highly ambitious individuals who aim for tenfold growth) and the benefits of collaboration among them. It emphasises the multiplier effect that arises from the pooling of resources, ideas and energy when such individuals collaborate.

The podcast concludes by urging a shift from “Globally Aware” to “Globally Active” leadership. While “Globally Aware” leaders understand global trends, “Globally Active” leaders actively engage with them, leveraging global networks and driving change on a global scale.

The podcast ends by posing thought-provoking questions to the listeners, encouraging reflection on successful international collaborations and potential future partnerships.

When you change the way you see the world, you change the way you can shape it.

*Season one of The Global Edge podcast with Sophie Krantz is AI generated. Season two, launching early in 2025, will be hosted by Sophie Krantz.

This podcast builds upon the work of Global Strategist Sophie Krantz and explores how leaders can leverage global networks to utilise emerging trends and technologies from diverse markets. It highlights the increasing challenge of significant trends, technologies, and threats arising in locations distant from our usual work and living environments. The podcast emphasises the importance of building a personal advisory network to achieve ambitious goals.

A personal advisory network:

* Provides strategic worldwide support

* Keeps individuals informed on global trends

* Enhances innovation and offers a sounding board for ideas

* Facilitates introductions and helps secure influence and investment

* Maintains focus on ambitious goals amidst obstacles

* Is crucial for achieving next-level success within 12-24 months

The podcast suggests conducting a network audit, examining communication patterns in mobile phone contacts, email inboxes, and meetings to assess the strategic value of current connections. It encourages evaluating connections in areas such as:

* Emerging technologies like AI, blockchain, and quantum computing

* Innovative business models designed for global scale

* Geopolitics, looking beyond headlines for strategic insights

* Strategic foresight to identify future opportunities and threats

The podcast argues that a network concentrated around one’s company, industry, city, or country is likely too limited. It suggests that a personal advisory network of five to seven individuals can provide crucial support and knowledge when facing global trends, technologies, and threats. The podcast concludes by emphasising the growing importance of who you know in addition to what you know.

When you change the way you see the world, you change the way you can shape it.

*Season one of The Global Edge podcast with Sophie Krantz is AI generated. Season two, launching early in 2025, will be hosted by Sophie Krantz.

This podcast, based on the work of Global Strategist Sophie Krantz, explores the importance of embracing a global mindset for business leaders to foster innovation and collaboration. The podcast emphasizes the value of “wonderlust, wander, and wonder” as key principles for achieving success in today's interconnected world.

Here are the key takeaways:

* Wonderlust refers to a deep curiosity about the world, driving leaders to explore new ideas, cultures, and innovations beyond their immediate environment.

* Wander encourages leaders to deviate from conventional paths, embracing exploration and experimentation to uncover hidden opportunities and foster innovation.

* Wonder involves viewing challenges and opportunities with a childlike curiosity, questioning assumptions, and remaining open to new possibilities.

The podcast argues that by embracing these principles, business leaders can:

* Create a more wonderful world by leveraging business practices to make a positive impact on society and the environment.

* Achieve next-level success by understanding diverse markets, exploring new territories, and questioning the status quo.

The podcast suggests practical steps for leaders and their teams to cultivate a global mindset:

* Embrace cultural diversity through immersive experiences.

* Challenge assumptions and foster a culture of innovation.

* Seek collaborative opportunities for mutual benefits.

* Learn from experiences in diverse settings.

* Foster open communication and diverse perspectives.

The podcast concludes that inspiration can be found everywhere, both physically and online. By embracing wonderlust, wander, and wonder, business leaders can navigate today's complexities with curiosity, creativity, and a commitment to positive change.

When you change the way you see the world, you change the way you can shape it.

*Season one of The Global Edge podcast with Sophie Krantz is AI generated. Season two, launching early in 2025, will be hosted by Sophie Krantz.

This podcast discusses the importance of comprehensive market intelligence for leaders to mitigate risks and identify new opportunities, building on the work of Global Strategist, Sophie Krantz.

Leaders need to think and act globally by collecting insights from all over the world in order to make informed and strategic decisions. This is especially important in today’s world where AI is constantly collecting and connecting global data. The podcast will use the analogy of the video game Pac-Man to illustrate this point. Just like Pac-Man needs to collect all the dots in the maze to win, leaders need to collect insights from all over the world to be successful.

The podcast will also discuss how to form a personal advisory network that reflects global innovation hubs and high-growth regions of the world. This will help leaders to gain a competitive edge by having access to a wider range of perspectives.

Key takeaways for listeners will include:

* The importance of collecting insights from all over the world

* How to form a personal advisory network

* How to think and act globally

This podcast is for leaders who want to stay ahead of the curve and make informed decisions in a rapidly changing world.

When you change the way you see the world, you change the way you can shape it.

*Season one of The Global Edge podcast with Sophie Krantz is AI generated. Season two, launching early in 2025, will be hosted by Sophie Krantz.

This podcast episode focuses on the importance of global engagement for business leaders in a rapidly changing world. It builds on the work by Global Strategist, Sophie Krantz. Her findings include leaders tend to limit themselves to familiar experiences, failing to explore the world and missing out on crucial developments and partnerships.

The global landscape is shifting, with a significant rise in working-age populations in the Global South. This presents new opportunities and challenges, with countries like India, Nigeria, and Indonesia driving innovation and value creation.

Emerging leaders and companies from these regions are already making their mark on the world stage. Examples include Infosys, Tata Motors, and Gojek, showcasing entrepreneurial spirit and technological advancements. Leaders from India, such as Sundar Pichai, Satya Nadella, and Shantanu Narayen, have also made a significant impact on the global technology landscape.

Leaders must expand their horizons by engaging with these shifts. While physical travel is one way to do this, digital connectivity also offers a powerful tool for global collaboration.

Despite these opportunities, many leaders remain confined to familiar networks, hindering diversity and innovation. This lack of global engagement can lead to missed opportunities and ineffective solutions.

The podcast encourages leaders to awaken their inner explorer and consider:

* What they need to learn about the world.

* How to enhance their global understanding.

* When to identify and engage with key players in emerging markets.

Deeper, more immersive global engagement is crucial for achieving ambitious goals in the future. Leaders are challenged to expand their networks and explore the world to navigate the shifting international environment effectively.

When you change the way you see the world, you change the way you can shape it.

*Season one of The Global Edge podcast with Sophie Krantz is AI generated. Season two, launching early in 2025, will be hosted by Sophie Krantz.

This podcast episode emphasizes that significant innovations can come from ordinary people outside of Silicon Valley and big corporations. Building on work by Global Strategist, Sophie Krantz, the podcast hosts argues that in the digital age, anyone with an internet connection can revolutionize an industry because passion, perspective, and drive are more important than vast resources or elite education.

The podcast episode highlights several “unusual suspects” who have created impactful innovations:

* William Kamkwamba built a windmill from scrap materials to power his family’s home and pump water for his village in Malawi.

* Shubham Banerjee created an affordable Braille printer from a LEGO kit while in middle school.

* Bruno Rondani launched 100 Open Startups in Brazil, a platform that connects startups with large corporations.

* Marcin Jakubowski founded Open Source Ecology, a network building open-source, low-cost industrial machines for sustainable communities.

* Joy Buolamwini founded the Algorithmic Justice League to highlight bias in artificial intelligence and advocate for fairer technology.

These individuals identified gaps where traditional leaders were failing and, through their innovation, created value and changed the world around them. The podcast host encourages listeners to celebrate and find these unusual suspects because they demonstrate that anyone can make a difference in the interconnected, digital world. The host concludes by asking listeners to reflect on who they know who is creating innovative solutions, whether they are “usual or unusual suspects.”

When you change the way you see the world, you change the way you can shape it.

*Season one of The Global Edge podcast with Sophie Krantz is AI generated. Season two, launching early in 2025, will be hosted by Sophie Krantz.

This podcast episode focuses on the importance of ambition and challenging conventional wisdom to achieve groundbreaking results, building on work by Global Strategist, Sophie Krantz. The episode uses the story of Katalin Karikó, winner of the 2023 Nobel Prize in Medicine, to illustrate this concept. Karikó faced many setbacks in her career, including being ousted from her research position at the University of Pennsylvania. However, with support from her family, she persevered and ultimately made a groundbreaking discovery that changed the course of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The podcast also highlights the achievements of other individuals who have defied expectations, including:

* Avi Schiffmann, who designed a website that provided real-time pandemic tracking during the COVID-19 outbreak.

* Gitanjali Rao, who invented a device to detect lead contamination in water and an app to detect cyberbullying.

* Wolf Cukier, who discovered a new planet while interning at NASA.

These stories demonstrate that innovation can come from anyone, regardless of their age, background, or qualifications. The podcast argues that traditional accolades and recognition systems may need to be updated to reflect this new reality. It concludes by emphasizing the importance of curiosity, ambition, and a willingness to challenge the status quo in driving progress.

When you change the way you see the world, you change the way you can shape it.

*Season one of The Global Edge podcast with Sophie Krantz is AI generated. Season two, launching early in 2025, will be hosted by Sophie Krantz.

What If You Built a Billion-Dollar Company Without Knowing How to Code?

That was the question posed to a small group of us recently. This wasn’t a hyped-up pitch or a theoretical debate. It was a challenge, set in an online room filled with serious global professionals who come together to think and act bigger.

The task? Build an AI-enabled tech solution that makes a billion dollars.

Why? Because it’s now possible. And not through vast investment, a large team of technical experts, or deep knowledge of traditional code. It’s now possible through something called ‘vibe coding’.

The world is full of fear-based restraint. Yet agency is growing. We can create. Convene. Influence. And we can compete on the world stage.

It helps to put ourselves in the right rooms - where positive-sum ambition is not only welcome, but expected. As agency grows, so too does ambition - in certain circles.

I know which spaces I prefer to be in. You?

This podcast explores the changing landscape of global power in light of major demographic shifts and technological advancements. The discussion stems from the work of Global Strategist Sophie Krantz and examines the growing influence of a young workforce in low- and middle-income countries, contrasting with the aging populations of developed nations.

Key insights from the podcast include:

* UN population forcasts predict the rise of young populations in regions like Africa and India offers significant economic opportunities, potentially disrupting existing industries and global power balances.

* Entrepreneurs in countries like Nigeria, Indonesia, Kenya, and India exemplify this shift, leveraging technology to build impactful companies and drive economic growth in their respective regions.

* These entrepreneurs often operate as “Exponential Organizations,” achieving disproportionate impact by capitalizing on their countries' rapid technological adoption and growing markets.

* The podcast emphasizes the democratization of opportunity in the digital age, where barriers to entry for new businesses are lower than ever before.

The podcast concludes by offering a three-step framework for leaders to navigate these global shifts: Learn about the trends, Leverage your network to stay informed, and Lead by making decisions that factor in this evolving worldview. Ultimately, the podcast suggests that this distributed power, driven by digitally-enabled youth, may be a positive force for peace and progress in the world.

When you change the way you see the world, you change the way you can shape it.

*Season one of The Global Edge podcast with Sophie Krantz is AI generated. Season two, launching early in 2025, will be hosted by Sophie Krantz.

This podcast discusses how women’s voices are being silenced in various ways, particularly in Afghanistan, and how digital platforms can empower any marginalised individuals around the world to amplify their voices and reach global audiences.

The podcast draws on the work of Sophie Krantz, a Global Strategist focusing on the theme “Be Heard Where It Counts.” It highlights the contrast between the silencing of women in Afghanistan and the success of individuals like Heather Cox Richardson, who earns US$1 million per month through her digital platform.

Key points covered in the podcast:

* The Taliban has implemented laws in Afghanistan that prevent women from speaking, singing, or reading aloud in public. This is part of a wider effort to eliminate women from public life, depriving them of education, work, and freedom of movement.

* This silencing extends beyond Afghanistan, with women globally facing barriers to being heard, especially in professional settings. Studies show that women displaying ambition-related traits are often penalized, and media portrayals reinforce negative stereotypes.

* Despite progress, women remain underrepresented in leadership roles, with gender parity still a distant goal.

* The podcast emphasizes the power of digital platforms to amplify voices and drive change, citing examples like Heather Cox Richardson, Malala Yousafzai, Greta Thunberg, and Tarana Burke. These individuals have leveraged digital connectivity to reach global audiences and advocate for various causes.

* The podcast underscores the importance of expanding worldviews, embracing global perspectives, and creating opportunities for others to be heard. It urges listeners to find their global voice and speak where it counts.

When you change the way you see the world, you change the way you can shape it.

*Season one of The Global Edge podcast with Sophie Krantz is AI generated. Season two, launching early in 2025, will be hosted by Sophie Krantz.

This podcast explores the importance of a global worldview for leaders in today’s rapidly changing world, building on work by Global Strategist, Sophie Krantz. It draws inspiration from Ferdinand Magellan’s circumnavigation of the globe 500 years ago, an achievement that transformed humanity’s understanding of the world and opened up new possibilities.

The podcast argues that, much like Magellan’s voyage, embracing a broader perspective is crucial for leaders to navigate the complexities of the 21st century. Throughout history, significant shifts in human understanding have resulted from challenging existing beliefs and embracing new perspectives. The podcast will delve into examples such as the heliocentric theory, continental drift, and the discovery of DNA, illustrating how expanded worldviews have led to groundbreaking advancements in science, technology, and beyond.

The podcast emphasizes that leaders who cultivate a global mindset are better equipped to identify opportunities and mitigate risks in a world marked by constant change. It will explore various contemporary global shifts, including:

* Demographic shifts: The rise of younger populations in certain regions and aging populations in others.

* Geopolitical shifts: Rising nationalism, ongoing conflicts, and shifting global alliances.

* Economic shifts: Divergence in economic growth across regions and the momentum towards a regenerative economy.

* Corporate shifts: Disruption of traditional industries and the rise of new business models.

* Technological shifts: Exponential advancements in artificial intelligence, automation, and other technologies.

The podcast will provide actionable insights for leaders to expand their global worldview and prepare for these shifts. It will encourage listeners to:

* Expand their networks globally, building relationships beyond their immediate circles to gain diverse perspectives.

* Stay informed about global trends to anticipate potential risks and opportunities.

* Partner across borders to foster innovation and tap into new markets.

* Embrace technological innovation to enhance efficiency and expand global reach.

* Engage in strategic foresight by exploring different future scenarios to prepare for a range of potential outcomes.

The podcast concludes by challenging listeners to reflect on their own worldview: Are you seeing enough of the world to lead effectively in this dynamic and interconnected global landscape?

When you change the way you see the world, you change the way you can shape it.

*Season one of The Global Edge podcast with Sophie Krantz is AI generated. Season two, launching early in 2025, will be hosted by Sophie Krantz.

This podcast builds on the work of Global Strategist Sophie Krantz, who emphasizes the power of finding possibility where most see problems. Millions of displaced people, like Kholoud from Syria, have been forced to flee their homes due to conflict, violence, and human rights violations. These individuals face immense challenges, but they also possess great potential. This podcast will explore how digital tools are transforming the lives of displaced populations by creating scalable solutions for resilience and economic independence. It will showcase innovative organisations and leaders who are using technology to address the global displacement crisis, including:

* Talent Beyond Boundaries (TBB): Connecting skilled refugees with international employers.

* Tarjimly: Providing real-time translation services to refugees and humanitarian organisations.

* Re:Coded: Offering tech training programmes for refugees and underserved youth.

* GiveDirectly: Providing direct cash transfers to refugees and displaced populations.

* Refugee Investment Network (RIN): Promoting investment in refugee-led businesses.

The digital age is driving this shift by eliminating geographical barriers, enhancing communication, and enabling access to education and financial services. By leveraging these tools, organisations can empower displaced populations and create pathways for economic independence and long-term resilience. This podcast will also discuss how leaders and organisations can explore opportunities to make a meaningful impact by:

* Assessing how their core value proposition aligns with global needs.

* Understanding the scale of the opportunity and the needs of displaced populations.

* Collaborating with humanitarian organisations.

* Investing in accessible and scalable solutions.

The displacement crisis highlights systemic global issues, but it also presents an invitation for leaders and organisations to make an impact with novel solutions. By changing our focus from problems to possibilities, we can change our world.

When you change the way you see the world, you change the way you can shape it.

*Season one of The Global Edge podcast with Sophie Krantz is AI generated. Season two, launching early in 2025, will be hosted by Sophie Krantz.