In this episode, Mickey talks with Thomas Koulopoulos, the Chairman and founder of Delphi Group, a thirty-year-old Boston-based think tank that focuses on disruptive technology innovation. He is also the founding partner of Acrovantage Ventures (which invests in early-stage technology startups), the author of thirteen books, an Inc.com columnist, the past Executive Director of the Babson College Center for Business Innovation, and a professor at Boston University. As the co-author of the new book, Gigatrends: Six Forces That Are Changing the Future for Billions, he examines how six disruptive trends can be harnessed to create new social, economic, and organizational solutions that will usher in the promise of a human-centered future for billions of people.

In this conversation, we focus a lot on the impact of AI on the future of work, from the emergence of a new dematerialized world where virtual assets overtake physical assets to the evolution of global technology ecosystems. We explore the emergence of a new social, economic, and organizational landscape and offer a framework for a mindset that can help us create a brighter future filled with hope and opportunity for humanity.

We dive in with Naomi Boness (Ph.D.), the Managing Director of the Natural Gas Initiative (NGI) at Stanford University. We talk about the experience of being a female leader on boards and in companies, and what it takes to remain authentic. She shares how she found her mission and purpose in the clean energy sector.

Naomi also discusses her leadership practices and creating difficult conversations that go beyond ideological and political camps. As the Co-Managing Director of the Stanford Hydrogen Initiative, she is an experienced practitioner in the energy sector with a focus on using her background in reservoir geophysics and technoeconomic modeling to develop technology solutions related to natural gas, hydrogen, and decarbonization in both the developed and the developing world. In addition to her research, she teaches classes in earth science and energy engineering, most recently co-designing a graduate class on the Hydrogen Economy. She is passionate about connecting technology developers with industry to accelerate the deployment of new decarbonization technologies at scale and is an advisor to a number of energy startups.

Prior to Stanford, Dr. Boness held a variety of technical and management positions at Chevron. She is also an independent Board Director at Aemetis, a renewable fuels company, and Babcock and Wilcox, a renewable power company; and an advisor to a number of startups in the energy sector. Dr. Boness is a member of the Renewable Natural Gas Coalition Advisory Committee; a member of the Partnership to Address Global Emissions Advisory Council; a member of the Open Hydrogen Initiative Independent Expert Panel; a past invited member of the United Nations Expert Group on Resource Classification; and a past Chair of the Society of Exploration Geophysicists Oil and Gas Reserves Committee. As an advocate for women and gender equality, she is proud to be an Ambassador for the Women in Clean Energy, Education and Empowerment (C3E) Initiative.

When you observe the lives of financially successful people, it often seems like they are living the dream. However, this isn't always the case; frequently, their relationships or health are the areas that suffer due to their ambition. At such a crossroads, you may wonder what your second mountain is after successfully climbing the first mountain of making money.

Ryan Lang found his second mountain and in this episode, he shares his life story and his discovery of more meaning in coaching. He also explains why coaches need coaches and some of the fundamentals of why selling and marketing as a coach is different from any other kind. Ryan is the founder of Whole Performance Coaching, Lang Properties, Inc., and co-founder of EMPIRE Partners. He has coached, managed, and mentored over 1,000 professionals over a 20+ year span, working alongside notable thought leaders such as Rory Vaden and Russ Ruffino.

Additionally, Ryan has consulted with organizations including the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New York Yankees, Precision Nutrition, and ConocoPhillips. With over 30 years of study in human psychology, sales, and performance, Ryan holds certifications from Digital Marketer, The Transformational Coaching Academy, NASM, Precision Nutrition, and the Institute for Integrative Nutrition.