--- title: "Symbiotic Futures: Megatrends, foresight, and Futures Thinking" podcast: "Modem Futura" episode: "Episode 32" hosts: "Sean Leahy and Andrew Maynard" date: 2025-05-20 audio: https://cdn.simplecast.com/audio/018f87c3-4d42-4bc0-9d66-53873b51ec68/episodes/eacf556e-83f1-4374-9a49-4d2628847e0f/audio/d95f70a3-b342-481a-8ebf-e268e98cab50/default_tc.mp3?aid=rss_feed&feed=3frRI0HN mirror: https://text.futureofbeinghuman.com/modemfutura/32-symbiotic-futures-megatrends-foresight-and-futures-thinking.html --- # Symbiotic Futures: Megatrends, foresight, and Futures Thinking Modem Futura · Episode 32 · May 20, 2025 · 59 min · Hosts: Sean Leahy and Andrew Maynard Listen: [MP3 audio](https://cdn.simplecast.com/audio/018f87c3-4d42-4bc0-9d66-53873b51ec68/episodes/eacf556e-83f1-4374-9a49-4d2628847e0f/audio/d95f70a3-b342-481a-8ebf-e268e98cab50/default_tc.mp3?aid=rss_feed&feed=3frRI0HN) · [Apple Podcasts](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/symbiotic-futures-megatrends-foresight-and-futures/id1771688480?i=1000709108301&uo=4) · [Spotify (show)](https://open.spotify.com/show/3eFl4hY4t1qTCWE2Bxotrg) · [YouTube (video)](https://www.youtube.com/@ModemFutura) --- Sean Leahy and Andrew Maynard reunite after Sean’s trip to Lisbon’s *Future Days* conference to riff on everything from testing an Apple Vision Pro on an 11‑hour flight to the Iberian‑Peninsula blackout that plunged Portugal and Spain into darkness. They use those real‑world anecdotes to explore “symbiotic futures,” the fragility of complex socio‑technical systems, and why futures thinking — complete with megatrend scanning and human‑centered foresight — belongs in every profession. Along the way they celebrate reaching listeners in 74 countries, read a heartfelt note from Isabel in Zurich, and issue a friendly call for ratings and reviews to help Modem Futura crack the top‑ten tech‑and‑futures charts. -----Modem Futura is a production of the Future of Being Human initiative at Arizona State University. Be sure to subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. To learn more about the Future of Being Human initiative and all of our other projects visit - [https://futureofbeinghuman.asu.edu](https://futureofbeinghuman.asu.edu/)Subscribe to our [YouTube Channel: @ModemFutura](https://www.youtube.com/@ModemFutura)Follow us on Instagram: [@ModemFutura](https://www.instagram.com/modemfutura/)**Host Bios:****Sean M. Leahy, PhD** - [ASU Bio](https://search.asu.edu/profile/3183014)\ Sean is an internationally recognized technologist, futurist, and educator innovating humanistic approaches to emerging technology through a Futures Studies approach. He is the Executive Director for the [Future of Being Human Initiative](https://futureofbeinghuman.asu.edu/) and Research Scientist for the [School for the Future of Innovation in Society](https://sfis.asu.edu/) and Senior Global Futures Scholar with the [Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory](https://globalfutures.asu.edu/) at [Arizona State University](http://www.asu.edu/).**Andrew Maynard, PhD** - [ASU Bio](https://search.asu.edu/profile/2670673)\ Andrew is a scientist, author, thought leader, and Professor of Advanced Technology Transitions in the ASU [School for the Future of Innovation in Society](https://sfis.asu.edu/). He is the founder of the ASU [Future of Being Human initiative](https://futureofbeinghuman.asu.edu/), Director of the ASU [Risk Innovation Nexus](https://riskinnovation.org/), and was previously Associate Dean in the ASU [College of Global Futures](https://collegeofglobalfutures.asu.edu/).----- --- *These are the show notes for this episode of Modem Futura (), a podcast hosted by Sean Leahy and Andrew Maynard and part of the ASU Future of Being Human initiative (). This file is a text mirror of the episode’s show notes — not a transcript. Listen to the full episode via the links above, or watch it on YouTube ().*