The Humancurrent

In this episode, Angie interviews Founder and Chief Scientific Officer of Cognitive Edge, Dave Snowden. Professor Snowden describes his work with complexity and how it applies to decision-making. He also introduces us to “anthro-complexity”, which is a term he has coined to represent a whole new approach to human systems based on natural science. Professor Snowden explains that “human systems are fundamentally organic entities”, so they should be studied as entirely different forms of complex systems.

In this episode, Angie and Haley explore their political mental models in order to question their own assumptions and ideologies. They also share clips from past guests, John Feehery and Spencer Gerrol, regarding presidential power in the USA. Additionally, they discuss some helpful resources, like the quiz on isidewith.com, to help increase awareness of the complexity underneath most political “talking points”.

In this episode, Angie interviews Spencer Gerrol, a human behavior specialist, applied neuroscience expert, and founder and CEO of SPARK Experience. Spencer shares the results from a research study he performed with his team to gather biofeedback data from both Trump and Clinton supporters. He also discusses the importance of valuing and understanding emotions in order to make more mindful decisions.

In this episode, Haley interviews Republican strategist, columnist, and part-time lobbyist, John Feehery, on the complexity of politics in the United States of America. John describes his political outlook and shares how and why democracy requires a lot of personal accountability from all American citizens.

In this episode, Angie and Haley ask past guests—Benjamin Taylor, Angela Montgomery, Oleg Konovalov, and Sonja Blignaut—to share their thoughts on a quote by Jeff Lawrence. His quote states, “There is no such thing as a dysfunctional organization, because every organization is perfectly aligned to achieve the results it gets.”

In this episode, Angie interviews Sonja Blignaut who is a narrative practitioner, change catalyst, and founder of a niche consultancy called More Beyond. Sonja shares how using a complexity thinking approach to study and influence company culture can help leaders avoid best practice recipes and reach positive organizational change.  

In this episode, Haley interviews Benjamin Taylor, a business evolutionary, systems thinker, and avid learner. Benjamin discusses the intended and unintended consequences of systemic leadership, and he describes the philosophical side of company culture, as well as, how leaders can influence company culture.

In this episode, Haley interviews Dr. Oleg Konovalov, who is the author of a new management concept called Organisational Anatomy, which views organisational processes and functions from a biological perspective. Dr. Oleg shares some key concepts from his new book, along with several metaphoric examples to help unpack complexity and make it more digestible.

In this episode, Angie interviews author, entrepreneur, and systemic thinking advocate, Angela Montgomery PhD. Angela discusses the importance of leadership education and systemic thinking within organizations and she shares some key insights and tools for managing business complexity.

In this episode, Haley interviews Dr. Daniel Taber, a scientist who specializes in food policy and systems research. In his interview, Dr. Taber uses real-world language and examples to explain the complex relationship between system science, science communication, policy change, and public health.   

In this episode, Angie interviews D’Artagnan Caliman, a child welfare consultant, who discusses the complexity of serving two million people with many different interconnected network service groups and stakeholders. His enlightening case study reveals the importance of cause prevention within the child welfare system, rather than simply treating the symptoms of family dysfunction as they arise.  

In this episode, Haley interviews Jasper Faolan, a writer, psychiatric nurse practitioner, and founder of Journal to Save Your Life, which is a free, online mental health program. Jasper advocates for self-expression, including storytelling, as a way for people to heal from trauma and mental health problems. And, she explains how her non-profit (J2SYL) promotes social change by connecting the dots within complex adaptive systems.

In this episode, Stacy interviews Angie about the ins and outs of action research for her Master’s in Leadership project. Together, they also introduce the topic of complex human networks with guest Mary Anne Herrick, who is the Communication’s Program Officer at World Vision and the President of Foster Care Alumni of America (FCAA). FCAA is also the sponsoring organization for Angie’s Master project.

In this throwback episode, Haley shares some clips from past guests: Diego Espinosa, TK Coleman, Gloria Burgess, and Jason Dykstra. The clips from their interviews are responses to these questions: what is a self organizing system, how did you become interested in systems thinking, and why does understanding complexity matter?

In this episode, Angie interviews Andrea Ippolito, who is the Innovator's Network Lead at the Department of Veteran Affairs. Andrea shares how human-centered design is implemented and deployed at the VA in order to create exceptional experiences for our veterans. Her examples and advice are helpful for anyone wanting to build an innovation strategy using design and systems thinking methods.

In this episode, Haley interviews Jon Kolko, the VP of Design at Blackboard and the founder of the Austin Center for Design. He is also an author of several books, including Well-Designed: How to Use Empathy to Create Products People Love, which is discussed in this episode. Jon shares his vast knowledge and experience with complexity, design, and problem solving.

In this episode, Angie interviews Turi McKinley from frog design, a global design and strategy firm. As a leader at frog, Turi regularly utilizes design thinking principles in order to excel frog’s thought leadership initiatives. During her interview, Turi explains the complex topic of design thinking in layman’s terms, as well as why design thinking is an essential mindset for anyone dealing with complex, wicked problems.

How do we take an understanding of complexity and apply it to how we handle “wicked problems”? Is design thinking an innovative action plan for approaching complex problems? In this episode, Angie talks with our former co-host Stacy Hale to address these questions and take a closer look at what “design thinking” really means.

In this episode, Haley interviews hypnotherapist and wellness coach, Pilar Angel, to discuss the power of mindfulness. Pilar shares some tips and tricks for practicing mindfulness and explains how this practice can reduce stress and improve overall performance. 

In this episode, Haley interviews TK Coleman to discuss how humans allow their conflicting mental models to influence the way they handle controversial topics like racism. TK also shares how understanding context and patterns within human systems ultimately empowers us to actively contribute to human progress.