You can’t be a leader unless you’re a continuous learner.

In this special Season 1 closer, Lisa is joined by her mom, Dr. Bonnie Kay! Bonnie is many things: consultant, psychologist, continuous learner, competitive golfer, and lifelong inventor of her own path. Together, they revisit the choices, relationships, and philosophies that shaped Bonnie’s unconventional career and deeply influenced Lisa’s own work in futures thinking and design.

During the conversation, Bonnie shares stories from her early days as an English teacher, her leap into psychology during a major turning point for women, the “shortest dissertation ever” on gender roles and marital satisfaction, and her later career helping leaders grow through quality management and emotional intelligence.

You’ll hear:

• How “continuous learning” became her north star
• Why the circle of influence still matters in chaotic times
• The power of great conversations
• Her signature philosophies like “take the best and leave the rest”

It’s a warm, funny conversation about ambition, family, reinvention, and the lifelong practice of creating a meaningful life on your own terms. A perfect end to Season 1.

Some of Bonnie’s Favorite books and resources:

7 Habits of Highly Effective People Stephen Covey

Fierce Conversations by Susan Scott

Women Who Run with Wolves, by Clarissa Pinkola Estés

Think Again by Adam Grant (my mom literally gives everyone in her life Adam Grant’s calendar)

9 lifetime Hole in Ones, Impressive! An informal account of golf highlights by Bonnie Kay

The Rise of the full Stack Learning Organization, Lisa Kay Solomon

The future is being built in the spaces most of us never learned to see.

In this episode, Lisa talks with journalist and entrepreneur Jennifer Brandel. Jennifer is the co-founder of Zebras Unite, and creator of the Interstitium, a theory of the hidden connective work that keeps communities, movements, and systems alive. Jenn has spent her career naming the “in-between” roles that make change possible and giving shape to the people who do them.

They explore:

• The Interstitium Jenn's new framework for the unseen connective tissue of society
• Hexagon people those who bridge local life and global ideas
• Sacred hospitality how to create spaces where real transformation can happen
• Why connection is the real antidote to loneliness, polarization, and overwhelm
• Zebras Unite a model for building companies that are profitable and regenerative

Jenn shares stories from journalism, civic innovation, and community building, showing how naming and noticing these patterns helps people feel less alone.

This conversation is an invitation to reconnect with each other, design healthier ways of working together, and imagine futures built on reciprocity, meaning, and resilience.

Links from the show:

• Jennifer’s website
• The Intersitium
• Hexagon People
• Zebras Unite
• Zebras Fix what Unicorns Break

Great coaches train better people, not just better athletes.

Coach John Tanner (JT) is about to start his 29th season as the Stanford women’s water polo coach. On this episode of How We Future, JT and Lisa explore how coaching goes far beyond the pool. Over decades of leading championship teams, JT has developed a coaching style that focuses on resilience, communication skills, and the value of practice.

He helps athletes become confident, empathetic, and thoughtful leaders. Whether it’s having his athletes make TED Talks for each other or facilitating weekly check-ins about how his team is feeling about their academics, JT prioritizes training methods that will help his students long after their athletic careers.

JT and Lisa discuss:

• How high-pressure sports environments can cultivate empathy
• Why JT integrates storytelling and reflection into his team’s daily routine
• How intentional, consistent practice is crucial to navigating the highest-pressure moments
• The mindset behind coaching for long-term growth, not just short-term victories
• Ways to translate JT’s coaching strategies into personal or professional leadership practices

Leadership isn’t only forged in the workplace. It’s practiced every day in the ways we connect, communicate, and lift others.

Links from the show:

• Coaching Citizens Athletes, Stanford Report Article
• The Coaches Wore Cardinal, Stanford Magazine
• The Right Call by Sally Jenkins (Lisa’s favorite book about sports and leadership)
• Stanford Women’s Water Polo Speaker Series
• See JT on Wu Tsai Human Performance Alliance Female Athlete Research Meeting (FARM)