Poets & Thinkers

Harald Dunnink, designer and serial co-founder behind Momkai and The Correspondent, champions moral ambition and belonging. He talks about using bold branding to make altruism appealing. He contrasts addictive product design with 'memberful' approaches that build belonging. He discusses aligning high ambition with a balanced life and how privilege shapes choices.

Andy Allen, co-founder of Not Boring Software and creator of the Paper app and Pencil stylus, is an award-winning software designer and UW adjunct professor. He talks about reclaiming play and beauty in software. He argues design lost cultural impact as the industry optimized for efficiency. He discusses remaking everyday apps, teaching’s influence, and how small studios can build expressive, lasting products.

Jerry Colonna, executive coach and former venture capitalist who helps leaders practice radical self-inquiry. He recounts becoming the “Holder of Stories of the Heart” and explores asking “How am I actually feeling?” He discusses owning childhood patterns, relinquishing power to create belonging, sitting with others’ suffering, resisting cynicism, and why kindness and human presence matter in times of upheaval.

In this episode, Ben sits down with Omari Souza, design researcher and professor, founder of the State of Black Design Conference, and author of his newly released book Design Against Racism. A first-generation American of Jamaican descent and first in his family to attend university, Omari brings a perspective shaped by being the sole Black male graduate in his design program—an experience that launched his career-defining investigation into where the Black designers are and why design has failed to serve marginalized communities. We discuss the failures of traditional business and design leadership and explore what a more equitable future vision looks like; and what can be done to make it a reality.Key Ideas:Design is not neutral—it amplifies the intentions of those who wield itThe myth of "design does no harm" vs. the reality that we don't teach measurement of harmHow Bauhaus borrowed heavily from West African art without acknowledgment or investmentIn-group/out-group dynamics: why men can't design equitable bathroom experiences for women (and why women can't design equitably for trans or disabled women without understanding their positionality)The danger of AI trained on information "limited in scope and perspective"Positionality mapping: understanding the intersections of identity that create blind spotsDesign at the extremes: solve for the greatest difficulties and greatest ease to shift the entire windowWhy business focus on shareholder profit prevents humane outcomesThe shift from profit to prosperity as a broader definition of successResources & ReferencesDesign Against Racism by Omari SouzaState of Black Design Conference Africa to Bauhaus exhibit at the SmithsonianFastCompany article on Joe Gebbia as the United States’ Chief Design OfficerConnect with Omari SouzaLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/omari-souza-b483187/Bio:Omari Souza is an assistant professor at the University of North Texas. He is the organizer of the State of Black Design Conference (online, April 2021). He previously organized and hosted an multi-panel event titled "The State of Black Design" (online, Sept. 2020), which drew a live audience of 2,071 — the second-largest livestream audience for an academic event in Texas State's history.Omari is a first-generation American of Jamaican descent, raised in the Bronx, New York. Before arriving at Texas State, he gained work experience with companies and institutions such as VIBE magazine, the Buffalo News, CBS Radio, and Case Western Reserve University. He earned a BFA in Digital Media from Cleveland Institute of Art and an MFA in Design from Kent State University. Omari's research explores the idea of perceptions and how visual narratives influence culture — how we view ourselves and others around us.Send us Fan MailFollow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/poetsandthinkerspodcast/Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/poets-thinkers/id1799627484Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4N4jnNEJraemvlHIyUZdww?si=2195345fa6d249fdSend your ideas, feedback and guest recommendations to ben@poetsandthinkers.co 

What if the only way to unlock ingenuity in our organizations is by showing up as authentic leaders who first and foremost know how to “hack their brain” and lead themselves?In this episode, Ben sits down with Christina Goldschmidt, VP of Product Design at Warner Music Group and adjunct professor at NYU Stern. With her deep understanding of neuroscience and trauma-informed leadership, Christina brings a radically different perspective on how to unlock human potential in the age of AI, and why the future of business leadership requires us to embrace our most human qualities. Christina’s vision for management is about understanding our unique cognitive patterns and building organizations where everyone can access their ingenuity.Key Ideas:Procrastination as brain chemistry: learning to induce creative pressure without the downsidesThree modes of problem-solving: dialogue, liminal spaces (showers!), and unconscious processingWhy trauma-informed leadership creates better outcomes for everyoneAuthenticity as permission: when leaders show up as themselves, teams can tooThe apprenticeship crisis: how automation is eliminating the grunt work that teaches skillsVision as the essential AI-age skill: knowing what you want before you can prompt for itCuriosity as the antidote to fear in times of rapid changeResources & ReferencesDopamine Nation by Dr. Anna Lemke Notes on Being a Man by Scott GallowayConnect with Christina GoldschmidtLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinagoldschmidt/Website: https://www.cgoldschmidt.com/Send us Fan MailFollow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/poetsandthinkerspodcast/Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/poets-thinkers/id1799627484Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4N4jnNEJraemvlHIyUZdww?si=2195345fa6d249fdSend your ideas, feedback and guest recommendations to ben@poetsandthinkers.co 

Tim Leberecht, co-founder of the House of Beautiful Business and author, dives into the urgent crises facing businesses today, arguing they are trapped in a cycle of technocracy and late-stage capitalism. He advocates for a shift from efficiency to an economy centered on care and wonder. Exploring the concept of 'Supercuration,' he describes how thoughtfully managing ideas can enrich our lives. Tim emphasizes the importance of love, tenderness, and creativity as essential leadership qualities in a humanist future.

Join João Sevilhano, a psychologist, business consultant, and philosopher, as he dives into the 'bullshit economy' that prioritizes control over genuine human connection. He challenges our obsession with certainty and metrics, arguing it's hurting our mental health. João explores the need for creativity and play in art, and critiques how modern capitalism shapes education and personal development. He advocates for balancing technology with human wisdom to foster true growth and ethical discernment in society.

What if the race toward “superintelligence” is misguided and what does a more humanistic vision for AI adoption actually look like? In this episode of Poets & Thinkers, we dive deep into the intersection of artificial intelligence, culture, and human agency with Prof. Arvind Narayanan, a computer science professor at Princeton University whose work has fundamentally challenged how we think about AI’s role in society. Named on TIME’s inaugural list of 100 most influential people in AI, Arvind brings decades of research experience studying the gap between tech industry promises and real-world impacts.Arvind takes us beyond the hype and fear that dominates AI discourse, as we dive into his book “AI Snake Oil” (co-authored with Sayash Kapoor) and their latest essay titled “AI as Normal Technology” that draws powerful parallels to past general-purpose technologies like electricity and automobiles. He reveals why the term “artificial intelligence” itself creates dangerous confusion, masking critical differences between predictive AI systems that are already affecting the lives of millions of people – determining who gets bail, healthcare coverage, and job opportunities – and generative AI tools like ChatGPT that capture public attention. Through rigorous analysis of adoption patterns, organizational barriers, and historical societal precedent, Arvind demonstrates why superintelligence predictions fundamentally misunderstand both the nature of human intelligence and the complex realities of technological diffusion.In our conversation, Arvind challenges leaders to move beyond automation fantasies toward human-AI augmentation, explains why current AI benchmarks fail catastrophically at predicting real-world performance, and makes the case for why flexible, bottom-up innovation will determine which organizations thrive in the AI era. His perspective bridges computer science rigor with deep humanistic values, showing how thoughtful design and governance frameworks can help us navigate this transformation while keeping human agency at the center.This episode is a provocation to think more precisely about AI’s actual impacts, move beyond techno-optimism and techno-pessimism toward nuanced understanding, and focus on the practical frameworks needed to ensure this technology serves human flourishing.Resources Mentioned“AI Snake Oil” book by by Prof. Arvind Narayanan and Sayash Kapoor“AI is Normal Technology” essay by Prof. Arvind Narayanan and Sayash KapoorAir Canada chatbot legal case as reported by The GuardianEverett Rogers’ work on technology adoptionSend us Fan MailFollow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/poetsandthinkerspodcast/Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/poets-thinkers/id1799627484Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4N4jnNEJraemvlHIyUZdww?si=2195345fa6d249fdSend your ideas, feedback and guest recommendations to ben@poetsandthinkers.co 

What if the biggest regret we’ll have in 10 years isn’t over-regulating AI, but failing to educate people about it? In this episode of Poets & Thinkers, we explore the intersection of AI policy, national sovereignty, and digital literacy with Jaxson Khan, a unique cross-sector leader who transitioned from startup founder to senior policy advisor for Canada’s Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry. From his home in Toronto, Jaxson shares hard-won insights from the frontlines of AI policy development, where he helped craft Canada’s approach to artificial intelligence across multiple critical areas.Jaxson takes us behind the scenes of government AI strategy, revealing why less than 25% of Canadians have any formal AI education despite the country being home to some of the technology’s foundational researchers. He explains Canada’s Sovereign AI Compute Strategy – a response to the brain drain that sees Canadian talent and capital flow south to Silicon Valley – and makes the case for treating AI infrastructure like a public utility. Through his current work helping nonprofits and corporations adopt AI, Jaxson demonstrates how the same technology reshaping global geopolitics can be leveraged for social good.Throughout our conversation, Jaxson challenges the notion that we need to choose between innovation and regulation, instead advocating for what he calls “meaningful consent” in privacy frameworks and emphasizing the critical importance of cultural sovereignty in AI development. His perspective bridges the technical, political, and deeply human aspects of our AI-powered future, showing how policy decisions made today will determine whether societies remain intact through this transformation.In this discussion, we explore:Why AI literacy should be treated as urgently as national defense in the modern eraHow Canada is building sovereign AI infrastructure without trying to replace Big TechThe three pillars of AI sovereignty: technology IP, data and compute, and cultural preservationWhy privacy laws that predate iPhones are a “travesty” in the AI ageHow the imagination gap is holding back traditional companies from AI adoptionWhy NGOs and government agencies must accelerate AI adoption to stay relevantThis episode is an invitation to think beyond the hype and fear surrounding AI, focusing instead on the practical policy frameworks and educational foundations needed to ensure this powerful technology serves humanity’s highest aspirations.Resources MentionedCanada’s Sovereign AI Compute Strategy “Bridging the Imagination Gap” Royal Bank of Canada white paperOECD data on international AI adoption patterns “AI is Normal Technology” by Prof. Arvind Narayanan and Sayash Kapoor“Genesis” by Kissinger, Schmidt, and MundySend us Fan MailFollow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/poetsandthinkerspodcast/Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/poets-thinkers/id1799627484Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4N4jnNEJraemvlHIyUZdww?si=2195345fa6d249fdSend your ideas, feedback and guest recommendations to ben@poetsandthinkers.co 

Danielle McClune, a writer and poet at Microsoft, dives into the human side of AI development. She discusses the absurdity of charging users for basic politeness in AI interactions and challenges the direction of current tech practices. Danielle advocates for AI as a public utility, urging for a balance between technology and humanity. She reflects on the gender dynamics in tech, speculating on how women's leadership might alter AI's evolution. Education is key, as she emphasizes enhancing AI literacy to prepare future generations.