In Episode 9 of the Digital Mythology Podcast, Declan Goodman is joined by Vito Forte to explore the growing hype surrounding artificial intelligence, the rise of AI-first organizations, and why wisdom and critical thinking still matter in technology leadership.

Using the myths of Icarus, King Solomon, and the Court Jester, this conversation examines:

• AI hype cycles and exaggerated promises
• the illusion of AI companionship
• ageism and experience in tech
• why business strategy should lead technology adoption
• customer-first thinking in digital transformation
• the danger of losing critical thinking in an AI-driven world

Vito shares insights from more than four decades in technology, reflecting on previous hype cycles and explaining why organizations must balance innovation with judgment, trust, and human understanding.

This episode is a thoughtful discussion for leaders, technologists, strategists, and anyone trying to make sense of the rapidly evolving AI landscape.

Guest: Vito Forte
Host: Declan Goodman

Digital Mythology explores technology, leadership, storytelling, and the human side of digital transformation.

The Digital Mythology Podcast is here to help you bridge the gap between complex tech and human understanding, transforming your digital efforts into a narrative that truly resonates. As you embark on your digital transformation journey, remember that success isn't just about the tools or technology—it's about how well you can tell your story. By leveraging the timeless power of mythology, storytelling, and emotional connection, you can engage stakeholders, win buy-in, and inspire action.

Join host Declan Goodman as he guides you through this journey, one story at a time.

In this episode of the Digital Mythology Podcast, Declan Goodman speaks with Grant Ecker about the evolving role of enterprise architecture in the age of AI - and why storytelling is becoming a critical leadership skill.

We explore:

• Navigating AI hype vs real value
• The future role of architects
• Decision-making in complex environments
• Why storytelling builds trust in transformation

Key Moments:

• AI hype vs reality
• Architecting for AI
• The evolving role of enterprise architects
• Storytelling as a leadership tool
• Practical steps for leaders

Watch the full episode here:

https://youtu.be/CWbpVUWAw00

Connect with Declan here:

declangoodman | Instagram, Facebook, TikTok | Linktree

Mythology isn’t about fairy tales - it’s about the stories behind human transformation. Digital transformation is no different - it’s about people, not systems.

The Digital Mythology Podcast is here to help you bridge the gap between complex tech and human understanding, transforming your digital efforts into a narrative that truly resonates. As you embark on your digital transformation journey, remember that success isn't just about the tools or technology—it's about how well you can tell your story. By leveraging the timeless power of mythology, storytelling, and emotional connection, you can engage stakeholders, win buy-in, and inspire action.

Join host Declan Goodman as he guides you through this journey, one story at a time.

In this episode of the Digital Mythology Podcast, I speak with Ava Battles, CEO of MS Ireland, about leadership, compassion, and how digital transformation can support people living with multiple sclerosis.

Using the Digital Mythology framework, we explore three myths that help explain how organisations create real change.

Xin – Leading with Heart and Mind
We begin with the story of Brigid’s Cloak of Compassion. In Irish legend, Brigid spreads her cloak not to conquer land, but to create sanctuary. It’s a powerful metaphor for leadership rooted in empathy and care.

In the MS community, every statistic represents a person. Behind every number is a real human story.

Metaphor – Making the Invisible Visible
We explore the parable of The Blind Men and the Elephant. Each person experiences only one part of the elephant and mistakes it for the whole.

Multiple sclerosis can be similar. No two people experience MS the same way, which is why empathy, collaboration, and understanding are essential.

Catalyst – Empowering a Community
Finally, we discuss the story of the Bundle of Sticks. A single stick breaks easily, but a bundle is strong.

This myth reflects the strength of communities like MS Ireland, where people come together through advocacy, support, and shared experience.

We also discuss how digital initiatives such as online physiotherapy programmes, The May 50K challenge, and World MS Day are helping connect and empower the MS community across Ireland.

About the Digital Mythology Podcast

The Digital Mythology Podcast explores how ancient myths and storytelling can help leaders make sense of modern challenges like digital transformation, leadership, and organisational change.

Mythology isn’t about fairy tales – it’s about the stories behind human transformation. Digital transformation is no different – it’s about people, not systems.

Connect and follow the host Declan Goodman at the link below:

declangoodman | Instagram, Facebook, TikTok | Linktree

The Digital Mythology Podcast is here to help you bridge the gap between complex tech and human understanding, transforming your digital efforts into a narrative that truly resonates. As you embark on your digital transformation journey, remember that success isn't just about the tools or technology—it's about how well you can tell your story. By leveraging the timeless power of mythology, storytelling, and emotional connection, you can engage stakeholders, win buy-in, and inspire action.

Join host Declan Goodman as he guides you through this journey, one story at a time.

In this episode of the Digital Mythology Podcast, Declan Goodman speaks with Cheng Yeo, Vice President of the Cleft Palate & Lip Society of Victoria and Manager of Architecture & Strategy at Crown Resorts, about digital health, early intervention, and healthcare inclusion.

They explore how technology, telehealth, and online speech therapy can improve access for families affected by cleft lip and palate — especially those in regional and remote areas. Cheng shares her personal journey, the critical gap in care between surgery and school age, and how empowering parents with the right knowledge enables earlier and more effective intervention.

This episode offers a practical, human perspective on digital inclusion in healthcare, showing how technology doesn’t replace care — it helps families access it sooner.

The Digital Mythology Podcast is here to help you bridge the gap between complex tech and human understanding, transforming your digital efforts into a narrative that truly resonates. As you embark on your digital transformation journey, remember that success isn't just about the tools or technology—it's about how well you can tell your story. By leveraging the timeless power of mythology, storytelling, and emotional connection, you can engage stakeholders, win buy-in, and inspire action.

Join host Declan Goodman as he guides you through this journey, one story at a time.

In this powerful solo episode of Digital Mythology, host Declan Goodman dives deep into the third and final pillar of his storytelling framework for digital transformation: Catalyst. With storytelling flair and insightful metaphors, Declan unpacks how igniting emotional and role-based engagement is key to winning stakeholder buy-in. He explores how “Catalyst” serves as the driving force that turns understanding into action—clarifying stakeholder roles, inspiring identity within the transformation journey, and ensuring each person feels both seen and essential. From bamboo tree metaphors to practical engagement tactics, this episode is a must-listen for transformation leaders seeking to connect, motivate, and mobilize their teams.

Episode Breakdown

00:00 – 02:00 | Welcome & Recap
Declan reintroduces the Digital Mythology podcast, his background in IT, and the purpose of the show: using storytelling to empower digital transformation. He briefly references the three pillars: Shin (emotion), Metaphor (understanding), and Catalyst (action).

02:01 – 04:45 | What is Catalyst?
Declan defines Catalyst as the spark that drives engagement. After connecting with stakeholders emotionally (Shin) and intellectually (Metaphor), Catalyst is about inspiring action and involvement.

04:46 – 08:00 | Catalyst and Stakeholder Identity
He discusses the importance of helping stakeholders see their role in the story. By creating a sense of identity—whether as champions, contributors, or informed observers—stakeholders become more invested.

08:01 – 11:30 | The Bamboo Tree Metaphor & Long-Term Engagement
Declan uses the metaphor of a bamboo tree (long time underground, rapid growth) to illustrate the slow but powerful build-up of digital transformation and how early stakeholder engagement matters—even if results aren’t visible immediately.

11:31 – 15:00 | Role Clarity and Business Alignment
He offers real-world examples of how to define stakeholder roles at different phases. Whether it’s gathering business requirements or supporting vendor management, clarity drives confidence and alignment.

15:01 – 17:00 | Crafting the Story for Your Audience
Declan advises tailoring your transformation story to your audience, much like screenwriters adapt scripts for demographics. The aim is to reduce fear, eliminate rumors, and foster active participation.

17:01 – 18:00 | Final Thoughts & Call to Share
He closes by inviting feedback from listeners, especially change managers, encouraging a shared dialogue about how to best ignite the flame of transformation in others.

Why Listen
This episode blends actionable strategy with evocative storytelling. Whether you're a digital leader, change agent, or just passionate about transformation, Declan’s Catalyst framework provides the inspiration and structure needed to turn strategy into reality.

The Digital Mythology Podcast is here to help you bridge the gap between complex tech and human understanding, transforming your digital efforts into a narrative that truly resonates. As you embark on your digital transformation journey, remember that success isn't just about the tools or technology—it's about how well you can tell your story. By leveraging the timeless power of mythology, storytelling, and emotional connection, you can engage stakeholders, win buy-in, and inspire action.

Join host Declan Goodman as he guides you through this journey, one story at a time.

In this thought-provoking episode of Digital Mythology, host Declan Goodman is joined by renowned educator and design science expert Dr. Wayne Hellmuth to unravel the intricate relationship between digital transformation, learning, and identity. More than just a conversation about technology in education, this episode dives deep into the human side of digital experiences, blending ancient mythological insights with modern-day challenges in learning and self-understanding.

Together, Declan and Wayne explore why storytelling, identity, and embodied experience matter more than ever in an increasingly digital world. They critique the over-reliance on tech in schools and workplaces and emphasize how digital systems risk detaching us from authentic, social, emotional, and physical identity—core pillars necessary for meaningful learning. Grounded in philosophy, psychology, and educational theory, this episode is both a call to reflection and a practical guide for parents, educators, and digital professionals alike.

🧭 Episode Breakdown

00:00 – 05:30 | Opening & Intentions
Declan introduces the episode’s theme: identity in the digital age, and why storytelling is a critical lens for understanding digital transformation.

05:30 – 15:00 | Dr. Wayne Hellmuth: From Literacy to Design Science
Wayne shares his 35-year journey from classroom teaching to his PhD in design science, focusing on solving “wicked problems” in education with information systems.

15:00 – 25:00 | The Learning Crisis: Can Tech Really Teach?
A philosophical unpacking of whether digital tools can truly replace embodied learning. Declan and Wayne question if current tech-driven methods enhance or hinder educational outcomes.

25:00 – 35:00 | Digital Identity vs. Real-World Roles
Explores how social roles shape identity and the impact of digital platforms—where role clarity and uniqueness often blur or vanish.

35:00 – 45:00 | Social, Emotional, and Physical Identity in Learning
Introduces the Three Learning Pillars:

• Social Identity: Role salience and group contribution.
• Emotional Identity: Dr. Marc Brackett’s RULER model (Recognize, Understand, Label, Express, Regulate).
• Physical Identity: Importance of play, hands-on learning, and embodied cognition.

45:00 – 55:00 | The Cost of Convenience: Doomscrolling, Disconnection & ADHD
An honest discussion about how digital habits disrupt attention, emotional regulation, and genuine learning—especially in children and teenagers.

55:00 – 60:00 | Tips & Takeaways: How to Reclaim Identity in Learning
Wayne offers actionable advice:

• Encourage multiple social roles for children to build diverse identity anchors.
• Teach emotional literacy using the RULER framework.
• Reintroduce physical play and real-world activities to ground learning in experience.

The Digital Mythology Podcast is here to help you bridge the gap between complex tech and human understanding, transforming your digital efforts into a narrative that truly resonates. As you embark on your digital transformation journey, remember that success isn't just about the tools or technology—it's about how well you can tell your story. By leveraging the timeless power of mythology, storytelling, and emotional connection, you can engage stakeholders, win buy-in, and inspire action.

Join host Declan Goodman as he guides you through this journey, one story at a time.

🔍 Episode Synopsis:

In this insightful episode, Declan Goodman explores the second pillar of the Digital Mythology storytelling framework: metaphors. Building on the foundation of the first pillar, Xin (the heartfelt narrative), Declan emphasizes the critical role of metaphors in bridging the gap between complex technical language and stakeholder understanding. With engaging examples—from ancient parables to surfing metaphors—he demonstrates how metaphors can transform digital transformation conversations into relatable, memorable stories that foster alignment and buy-in across an organization. Whether you're leading a digital initiative or trying to gain executive support, this episode provides practical tools to help you communicate with impact.

🧩 Episode Breakdown:

00:00 – 01:20
Introduction & Context
Declan reintroduces the podcast and sets the stage by revisiting the storytelling framework, with a focus on the second pillar: metaphors.

01:21 – 04:30
Why Metaphors Matter in Tech
Declan explains why the digital industry, known for its jargon, needs metaphors more than most. Like engineering or architecture, digital systems are complex—and metaphors help translate that complexity into human terms.

04:31 – 07:50
Metaphors as Bridges
Metaphors serve as bridges between technical speak and business language. Declan positions them as the “middle” of the storytelling tree—linking emotion (Xin) with action (to be covered in future episodes).

07:51 – 11:10
Examples: The Blind Men and the Elephant
Declan uses the classic parable to illustrate how different perspectives in an organization can lead to misunderstanding—and how a single metaphor can align everyone around the bigger picture.

11:11 – 13:50
“What’s In It For Me?” & Surfing the Digital Wave
Tackling common resistance to change, Declan shares examples of metaphors that resonate with stakeholders—like planting seeds for future systems, or catching the right wave at the right time.

13:51 – 15:50
Metaphor Strategy: Match the Domain or Shift the Lens
Guidance on selecting metaphors tailored to stakeholder backgrounds—sometimes staying close to their area of expertise, other times deliberately shifting perspective to unlock new understanding.

15:51 – 17:00
Closing Thoughts & Call for Listener Metaphors
Declan recaps the value of metaphor as a communication tool and invites listeners to share their own culturally diverse metaphorical approaches to digital transformation.

🎧 Perfect for:
Digital leaders, transformation professionals, tech communicators, and anyone looking to engage stakeholders through the art of storytelling.

The Digital Mythology Podcast is here to help you bridge the gap between complex tech and human understanding, transforming your digital efforts into a narrative that truly resonates. As you embark on your digital transformation journey, remember that success isn't just about the tools or technology—it's about how well you can tell your story. By leveraging the timeless power of mythology, storytelling, and emotional connection, you can engage stakeholders, win buy-in, and inspire action.

Join host Declan Goodman as he guides you through this journey, one story at a time.

Episode Synopsis:
In this episode of The Digital Mythology Podcast, host Declan Goodman introduces the concept of Xin (心)—a Chinese term meaning the heart-mind connection—and explains its vital role in digital transformation storytelling. Declan emphasizes that while technical jargon and logical reasoning are essential, true stakeholder engagement comes from crafting narratives that resonate emotionally. He demonstrates how reframing corporate and tech-centric language using more heartfelt, intuitive storytelling can drive deeper connections, foster stakeholder buy-in, and lead to more successful digital initiatives.

Declan also shares practical examples of how to shift from purely analytical language to more felt, emotionally engaging narratives—transforming cold, technical terms like "remediating technical debt" into "restoring integrity and addressing past neglect". He invites listeners to contribute their own examples of Xin-based storytelling for common digital transformation challenges.

Episode Breakdown:

[00:00] – Introduction to The Digital Mythology Podcast

• Declan welcomes listeners and shares his excitement about launching the podcast.
• The podcast’s mission: using mythology and storytelling techniques to improve digital transformation communication.

[01:30] – The Power of Storytelling in Digital Transformation

• Digital transformation is often complex, technical, and difficult to communicate effectively.
• Many projects fail due to a lack of emotional buy-in from stakeholders.

[03:00] – What is Xin?

• Definition: A Chinese term meaning heart-mind connection.
• Xin is where emotion meets cognition—essential for effective storytelling.
• Inspired by Alan Watts and Eastern philosophy.

[05:00] – Why Xin Matters in Digital Transformation

• Digital transformation efforts often rely too much on logic and data, neglecting emotional engagement.
• Stakeholders respond better when they feel connected to a project’s purpose.
• Xin helps bridge the gap between analytics-driven professionals and human-centered decision-making.

[07:00] – Practical Examples of Xin Storytelling

• Example 1: Instead of “remediating technical debt,” say “restoring integrity and addressing past neglect.”
• Example 2: Instead of “increasing separation efficiency,” say “harmonizing workflows.”
• Example 3: Instead of “enhancing data-driven decisions,” say “balancing insights with intuition.”

[10:00] – How to Use Xin to Improve Communication

• Adjust storytelling to make technical concepts more relatable.
• Use metaphors and emotional framing to engage stakeholders.
• Appeal to intuition as well as logic in decision-making.

[11:30] – Call to Action

• Declan invites listeners to share their own examples of Xin-based storytelling.
• Encourages audience participation to refine how digital transformation is communicated.

The Digital Mythology Podcast is here to help you bridge the gap between complex tech and human understanding, transforming your digital efforts into a narrative that truly resonates. As you embark on your digital transformation journey, remember that success isn't just about the tools or technology—it's about how well you can tell your story. By leveraging the timeless power of mythology, storytelling, and emotional connection, you can engage stakeholders, win buy-in, and inspire action.

Join host Declan Goodman as he guides you through this journey, one story at a time.