We’ve made it to 2022 and there is no better guest to kick off the podcast for this year than the strategic optimist herself, Kate O’Neill! Strategic optimism is exactly what we need right now, more than ever (especially in light of Omicron/Flurona/Deltacron and whatever other 97 variants of the virus continue to relentlessly hurl itself at the world!) 

Kate O’Neill is widely known as the “Tech Humanist.” She’s been an innovator in technology for more than 25 years and is the author of several books including Tech Humanist, Pixels and Place, and her latest, A Future So Bright. 

In today’s episode, Kate shares with us the incredible loss that inspired her to focus on the positive and find opportunity in every situation (especially some of the most horrific ones you could EVER imagine).

The conversation flows in this thoughtful episode between Erin, a self-proclaimed “binary thinker”, and Kate, the “integrative thinker” who believes that one thing, many things, or nothing can all exist in the same space all at once. (I know, right? It’s good). 

If you’ve been struggling with negative thought patterns, have been experiencing unwanted side effects from an inability to unplug from technology, or you just feel READY to commit to a brighter future, this one’s for you.

 

In this episode you’ll learn how to: 

• Unlock strategic optimism as both a mindset and a model
  
• Discover exactly how to use hope to fight toxic positivity
  
• Harness the power of positivity even in some of the darkest seasons of life
  
• Think beyond “Dystopia versus Utopia“
  
• Explore the idea that something can be both X and Y at the same time, instead of just one or the other – and learn about the piece of Kate’s identity that taught her this lesson
  
• Change that neurological path in your mind to begin to think more positively
  
• Identify the opportunity to embrace your brightest future
  
• Understand how to frame your message in a language that resonates with your audience
  
• Cultivate a meaningful relationship with technology
  
• Distinguish between Meaningful Work and Meaningful Jobs
  
• Embrace the mindset shift from work/life balance to blend 
  
• Master habituating change to survive 
  
• Analyze how the opposing forces of Technology and Humanity serve each other
  

 

Tweetables:

We think about the future as though it can only be understood in terms of dystopia or utopia. That’s an incredibly reductive way of thinking that removes our agency and empowerment from making decisions and harmfully disconnects us from the consequences of our decisions & actions. — @kateo on Twitter [0:01:53]

I think we are disconnected from our hope because it feels shameful somehow. It feels like we’re not supposed to express our hope. And that relates to toxic positivity because we’ve disconnected the idea of optimism and hope that it takes to get the outcomes that we need. — @kateo on Twitter [0:04:15]

We need to plan for and mitigate the worst possible scenario, but also think about the best-case scenarios. Embrace those opportunities fully and be ready for success when it comes our way. That primes us for the opportunity to embrace that bright future. — @kateo on Twitter [0:12:45]

It’s about meeting them where they are and using the language that they speak. If people can’t relate to positive thinking, then we meet them where they are and use the language that they’ll understand and frame it more strategically in a way that’s going to resonate. — @kateo on Twitter [0:14:08]

Change isn’t stopping anytime soon. So we have to get really good at it. It has to become one of our superpowers that we are very adaptable and resilient and that we are always ready to learn new things and set our minds in a better place. — @kateo on Twitter [0:28:51]

What is the relationship between your work and your life? Whatever that relationship is for you, I think it’s a really important thing to just again, ask ourselves about the meaning and what matters in that question too. — @kateo on Twitter [0:29:39]

What’s your version of kale and pizza at the same time? Let Kate know on Twitter @kateo!

 

Links mentioned in today’s episode:

A Future So Bright:How Strategic Optimism and Meaningful Innovation Can Restore Our Humanity and Save the World (2021)
Tech Humanist: How You Can Make Technology Better for Business and Better for Humans (2018)
Pixels and Place: Connecting Human Experience Across Physical and Digital Spaces (2016)
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Surviving Autocracy by Masha Gessen

Erin King
Erin King on Twitter

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