What if the future can’t be understood through data, strategy, and forecasts alone? In this episode, Dean Newlund and Stephanie Trager explore how intuition, consciousness, self-awareness, and expanded perception may help leaders navigate uncertainty in entirely new ways.

In this episode, Dean Newlund and Stephanie Trager discuss:

• What it means to become a “conscious futurist”
• The limitations of purely linear thinking when navigating uncertainty
• How stories, beliefs, and worldviews shape the futures we create
• Intuition, consciousness, non-linear perception, and expanded awareness
• Indigenous wisdom, nature connection, and the inner work of leadership

Key Takeaways:

• The future is shaped not only by trends and data but also by the stories and assumptions people collectively believe.
• Leaders may benefit from balancing analytical thinking with intuition, reflection, and broader forms of awareness.
• Identity shifts and personal transformation often create opportunities to see new possibilities and futures.
• Expanding perception beyond conventional ways of thinking can open new approaches to leadership and decision-making.
• Greater connection to self, others, and the natural world can help leaders navigate uncertainty with more clarity and intention.

“The conscious futurist is able to have the intellectual [and] analytical capacity to discern… and also to sort of expand perception about reality.” — Stephanie Trager

About Stephanie Trager:

Stephanie Trager is a conscious futurist, systems thinker, and strategic advisor with more than 30 years of multidisciplinary experience working at the intersection of ancient and future intelligence. An attorney with a background in human rights, environmental justice, and corporate litigation, she brings analytical depth to questions of ethics, governance, leadership, and human potential. Her counsel spans Fortune 100 leaders, impact investors, family offices, founders, and next-generation inheritors navigating complexity, innovation, and personal growth. Stephanie is an Earthkeeper, serves on the board of Dream Change, hosts the Catalyst Talks podcast, and is authoring a book on perception and future intelligence.

Connect with Stephanie Trager:  

Website: https://www.stephanietrager.com/

Substack: https://stephanietrager.substack.com/

Show: Catalyst Talks: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/catalyst-talks/id1493328655

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@StephanieTragerCatalystTalks

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanietrager/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stephanietrager/

See Dean’s TedTalk “Why Business Needs Intuition” here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEq9IYvgV7I

Connect with Dean:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgqRK8GC8jBIFYPmECUCMkw

Website: https://www.mfileadership.com/

The Mission Statement E-Newsletter: https://www.mfileadership.com/blog/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deannewlund/

X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/deannewlund

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MissionFacilitators/

Email: dean.newlund@mfileadership.com

Phone: 1-800-926-7370

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