Technology is evolving faster than our minds, communities, and institutions can keep up. In this special solo episode, Andrea Sampson reflects on what she’s learned from twenty conversations with futurists, neuroscientists, strategists, and innovators — and explores the widening gap between exponential technology and slow human systems.

If you’ve felt overwhelmed by the pace of change, this episode will help you reclaim your agency and understand what it really takes to stay grounded — and human — in a world moving faster than ever.

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Follow Andrea on Instagram: @thisisandreasampson

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We often think of technology as something separate from us — something we use.
But in truth, technology is now part of us.
Electronics have become the invisible infrastructure that powers nearly every aspect of our lives — our hospitals, transportation systems, communications, energy grids, and even our personal health.

In this episode of Sense-Making Conversations, Andrea Sampson sits down with Dr. John W. Mitchell, President and CEO of the Global Electronics Association, to explore what it means to live in a world where electronics function as the nervous system of the future.

Together, they discuss:

How electronics moved from innovation to essential infrastructure

Why responsible design, ethics, and collaboration are key to global resilience

And how the human workforce — from engineers to educators — remains central to technology’s success.

John reminds us that the future of electronics is ultimately about the future of humanity: how we connect, collaborate, and care for the systems that connect us all.

If you’ve ever wondered what keeps our world running — and what happens when it stops — this conversation will give you a new way to see the power and fragility of our connected age.

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As the Global Electronics Association's president and CEO, Dr. John W. Mitchell leads the organization’s global operations and staff. He also assists the board of directors in developing and implementing the Board’s strategic vision and aspirational goals. He joined the Association in 2012 and has been instrumental in responding to an ever-changing business landscape to help its members achieve financial success and strengthen supply chain resilience.

Dr. Mitchell has focused the Association on delivering member value through efforts like creating innovative solutions that support standards development, building and growing industry-led education workforce programs, improving member relations, and advocating for pro-industry policies.

His most recent efforts have been focused on helping countries and other industries understand the criticality of having an electronics strategy for their continued growth, innovation, and advancement.

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Follow John on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnwmitchell/

Find more information: johnwmitchell.com

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What if the future doesn’t happen to us… what if our dreams decide what comes next?

In this episode of Sense-Making Conversations, Andrea Sampson sits down with Ozioma Egwuonwu—Founder of BurnBright International, creator of World Dream Day, and a globally recognized expert in Transformational Strategy and Systems Change—to explore how dreaming becomes a discipline for change.

Together, they uncover how imagination transforms into action, how shared purpose leads to progress, and why reclaiming agency begins with daring to dream of something better.

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Ozioma Egwuonwu is an internationally celebrated speaker, strategist, and expert in Transformational Strategy and Systems Change. As the Founder and Chief Strategic Transformation Officer of BurnBright International, she helps organizations and leaders turn vision into strategy and activate human potential.

Ozioma has advised governments, Fortune 100 companies, and global institutions on transformation and innovation. She has spoken at the United Nations, TEDx, SXSW, Web Summit, and within the Singularity University Expert Faculty network, as well as at Oxford University and Columbia University. She is also the creator of World Dream Day, the first global holiday dedicated to activating ideas, goals, and dreams—now reaching over one billion people worldwide.

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Follow Ozioma on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ozioma

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When trust collapses, what takes its place? In this episode of Sense-Making Conversations, Andrea Sampson sits down with Anne Connelly—TEDx Speaker, author, educator, and global authority on blockchain for social good—to explore how decentralization and emerging technologies are reshaping what it means to trust. From broken institutions to blockchain innovation, Anne shares how we can move from systems built on control to ones built on transparency, participation, and shared humanity. If you’ve ever questioned what’s real, who to believe, or how we can rebuild confidence in one another—this conversation will help you imagine a future where trust is rebuilt, not replaced.

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Anne Connelly is a trailblazer in the blockchain and cryptocurrency space, with over a decade of experience shaping the conversation around decentralized technology and its impact on society.

Anne is Faculty at Boston University's Questrom School of Business, where she teaches Blockchain for Social Impact. She is also an expert on exponential thinking and decentralized societies at Singularity University in California and has lectured at Oxford University’s Saïd School of Business on Innovations for Impact Finance.

An entrepreneur and angel investor, Anne is a globally sought after consultant and advisor. She has worked with notable organizations including Ralph Lauren, The Television Academy Foundation, United Nations OICT, and NASA. Anne co-authored “Bitcoin and the Future of Fundraising”, a guide for charities on crypto donations. She is certified from the Institute of Corporate Directors and sits as a member of the Gitcoin DAO, a decentralized organization that supports the creation of public goods.

Anne previously worked with Doctors Without Borders as a field worker in Central African Republic and the DR Congo. She has a Bachelor of Life Sciences from Queen’s University, an MBA from McMaster University, and is certified in Strategic Disruption from Harvard Business School. She was honoured as one of CBC’s 12 Young Leaders Changing Canada and one of the Fifty Most Inspirational Women in Technology in Canada.

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Buy Anne's Book: https://bitcoinfundraising.com/

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Learn more: https://talkboutique.com

What if the system isn’t broken—it’s doing exactly what it was built to do?

In this episode of Sense-Making Conversations, Andrea Sampson sits down with Arash Aazami—energy futurist and founder of the Universal Right to Energy initiative—to explore why real change won’t come from fixing old systems, but from redesigning them entirely. From the global energy transition to the way we think about power, Arash challenges us to shift from achieving missions to serving them—and shows how joy, imagination, and mindset can become the scaffolding for a different future. If you’ve ever felt burned out by trying to change a world that resists change, this conversation will give you new ways to imagine—and to build—what comes next.

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Arash Aazami is a visionary thinker and entrepreneur who works at the intersection of energy systems, ethics, and paradigm shift. Originally trained as a musician, Arash entered the energy sector and became disillusioned by its entrenched models of scarcity, profit-maximization, and centralized control. He eventually founded Kamangir, a venture committed to designing energy systems based on sufficiency, regeneration, and shared value.

His work centers on the idea that energy should be considered a public good — not a commodity — and that the systems we design must support life, not just survival. Arash speaks frequently about burnout among change-makers, including his own experience of emotional and spiritual depletion after years of advocating for change within resistant systems.

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Follow Arash on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/arashaazami/

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He is an advocate for paradigm shifts at multiple levels: not just technological or economic, but cognitive, ethical, and spiritual.

We’re not in a tech crisis.
We’re in a leadership crisis—and AI is just the pressure test.

In this episode of Sense-Making Conversations, Andrea Sampson sits down with Dr. David Bray, former CIO, bipartisan advisor, and one of Business Insider’s “24 Americans Changing the World,” to talk about why our biggest systems—governments, institutions, even communities—are struggling to adapt to exponential change.

David brings decades of frontline experience navigating global disruptions—from bioterrorism to cyber warfare, from pandemics to disinformation. And what he makes clear is this: AI won’t break society. But our failure to respond humanely—and imaginatively—might.

Together, they explore:

• Why trust is migrating away from institutions
• How fear and anxiety are shaping systems
• And what it will take to govern—not with control, but with courage

If you’re wondering what it really means to lead in a time of collapse and creation, this conversation is for you.

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David Bray has spent his life tackling complex global challenges at the intersection of technology, policy, and human resilience—from briefing on bioterrorism preparedness during 9/11 and leading U.S. public health crisis responses, to advising on AI, cybersecurity, and space innovation for government, industry, and global coalitions. He has served as Executive Director for two bipartisan U.S. Commissions, earned national and global recognition for transformational leadership, and was named one of Business Insider’s “24 Americans Changing the World.” A distinguished fellow, keynote speaker, and advisor, David brings a bold, benevolent approach to adaptive leadership in times of rapid change. _____________________________________________________________

Follow David on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dbray

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The biggest threat to the future of work isn’t AI—it’s inertia.

In this episode, Andrea Sampson speaks with Mark Patterson, one of Canada’s leading voices on inclusive recruitment and labour market innovation, about what most leaders are getting wrong. While tech accelerates, our systems—education, hiring, policy—are standing still.

Mark has spent over a decade helping employers and institutions redesign for the real world of work: fast-changing, skill-fractured, and increasingly unequal. And he argues that if we don’t act now, we’ll miss the chance to build a more human, inclusive future. This isn’t theory. It’s already happening.

If you’re building teams, guiding systems, or shaping strategy—this episode will change how you see what’s coming.

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Mark Patterson is a changemaker, pioneering new approaches in career development, inclusive recruitment and contextualized labour market information to drive social and economic change. For more than a decade, he has focused on providing opportunities for diverse job seekers – whether MBA students, high-tech professionals or refugees – and addressing the needs of employers for talent.

As Executive Director, Mark led the creation of Magnet, a social Innovation project based at Toronto Metropolitan University, where he has built a national network of partners across sectors powered by a data-rich, job-matching technology platform to bridge the skills gap. Supporting 12,000 employers with more than 250 community, labour, educational and industry organizations, Magnet is bridging the skills gap while advancing diversity and inclusion. _____________________________________________________________

Follow Mark on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-patterson-magnet/

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Singularity University was built to shape the future.

But after the disruption and changing business climate from the pandemic, it almost disappeared. In this episode of Sense-Making Conversations, Andrea sits down with Aaron Vaccaro, President of Singularity Group (formerly Singularity University), to unpack the quiet crisis that nearly took the organization down—and the radical clarity it took to bring it back.

This is a story about what happens when a mission driven organizations begins to stray into more ego driven decision making… when a team begins to forget its shared vision… and when leadership has to choose what to let go of.

Aaron shares what it meant to step into the collapse and lead from heart, not ego—rebuilding culture, strategy, and rediscovering a purpose that could reunite the passion that was still held within the team.

If you’ve ever led through uncertainty… or questioned whether to stay or walk away…this episode is for you... listen to what honest leadership really sounds like and make sure to stay with all the way through, Aaron's lessons are essential for any leader facing change.

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Aaron Vaccaro serves as President at Singularity, where he has led the organization’s transformation since 2023. Prior to joining, Aaron was Vice President at WestRiver Group, a global innovation investment platform and lead investor in Singularity.

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Follow Aaron on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaronvaccaro/

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9lKpC76iMyrpCJ3eQWBkdxZZudvlNJ_N

Follow Andrea on Instagram: @thisisandreasampson

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