Influential Visions

Nat Schooler - Business Futurist
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Hosted by ex-IBM Futurist Nat Schooler, this is the definitive leadership and business development guide for non-technical leaders and ambitious professionals navigating organizational change. Most professionals today face unprecedented workplace transformation. At Influential Visions, we move beyond the hype to provide proven career, business, and leadership strategies from global executives who have overseen tens of billions in commerce. Every episode delivers tactical roadmaps for:   Leadership in Practice: Navigating digital transformation, management challenges, and organizational culture  Executive Presence & Influence: Building real authority and impact in your organization  Business Strategy & Growth: Scaling operations, company culture, and personal brand  Human-Centered Leadership: Developing human-led skills that amplify organizational performance  The Archive Advantage: Drawing from 500+ episodes to predict future shifts  We show you how to stay irreplaceable and valuable in an era of rapid change—no technical complexity required. TAKE THE NEXT STEP: Lead the future. Join top leaders with exclusive strategies at www.mondayinfluencer.com

  1. 2 HR AGO

    Why India Is Winning The AI Race Nobody Is Watching | Tushar Kansal

    The world's biggest AI conversation is happening without India in the room. That is a mistake. One in eight of ChatGPT's weekly users sits in India. Eighty per cent of Indian professionals use AI at work — against fifty per cent in the US. And the country is quietly building its own sovereign language models, frugal AI tools, and healthcare diagnostics at a scale the West has not begun to absorb. Tushar Kansal — founder of Kansaltancy Ventures, VC strategist to 1,700-plus international investors — joins Nat Schooler to cover what India is actually building, what happened at the Delhi AI Summit that nobody is talking about, and why ancient Indian philosophy understands something about intelligent machines that Silicon Valley has missed completely. "AI can give you the right answer. But it cannot give you the right intention." Read the full piece: https://www.natschooler.com/why-india-is-winning-the-ai-race-nobody-is-watching/More from Nat: https://www.natschooler.com Monday Influencer®: https://mondayinfluencer.com Tools: https://www.natschooler.com/tools

    30 min

  2. 1 DAY AGO

    Sovereign AI: The US vs China Money War (And Why Spending More Is Not Winning)

    Sovereign AI is the race for every nation to control its own artificial intelligence — and the US versus China money war just exposed why spending more is not winning. Fresh data from the 2026 Stanford AI Index reveals a staggering reality: the United States poured $285.9 billion of private AI money into the race in 2025, compared to China’s $12.4 billion. That is a massive 23-to-1 spending gap. Yet, despite the US being the biggest spender in history, the performance gap between the top American and Chinese models has collapsed to a mere 2.7%. In this teaser episode, we break down why money isn't buying absolute safety or control, how the illusion of "borrowed control" creates real-world human risks, and why this completely reframes the global tech race. If the world's biggest budget can barely maintain a lead, what does it mean for nations competing on a fraction of the cost? 🔗 Resources Mentioned Read the full deep-dive article: The Sovereign AI Paradox: Why No Nation Builds Its Future Alone Subscribe to: Future Proofed Leader on Substack https://futureproofleader.substack.com/  Monday Influencer for your weekly dose of signal over noise here: https://mondayinfluencer.com What You’ll Learn In This Teaser: The 23-to-1 Paradox: Why Washington's multi-billion-dollar spending advantage isn't yielding a dominant lead. The Performance Collapse: How a 2.7% performance gap changes the geopolitical playing field overnight. Human-Centric Dangers: A look at the three very real, non-technical risks of relying on foreign technology: price volatility, signal manipulation, and infrastructure vulnerabilities. The Road to Thursday: How this sets the stage for our upcoming, exclusive conversation with Indian venture capitalist Tushar Kansal, exploring how India is competing on a fraction of the budget. Connect With UsDon't miss the full conversation dropping this Thursday. Hit that Subscribe or Follow button to stay ahead of the curve.

    8 min
  3. Who Really Controls Your AI? The Sovereign AI Race Nobody Noticed

    4 DAYS AGO

    Who Really Controls Your AI? The Sovereign AI Race Nobody Noticed

    Who Really Controls Your AI?Two of the biggest moments in AI this year happened in the same fortnight and almost nobody noticed. Five companies quietly agreed to let the US government look at their newest models before anyone else. Days later, the President walked away from the order that would have made it mandatory. So we are left with a halfway house. Government has a foot in the door. The door has not been locked open. In this episode I break down what actually happened, why nations are now racing to build sovereign AI, and the three reasons the world still reaches for American models despite the growing distrust. I also share what I learned watching this exact pattern play out from the inside during my time as a Futurist at IBM. The full blog with all sources and FAQs is on my website: https://natschooler.com Subscribe to my Substack for the deep detail by email here: https://futureproofleader.substack.com Subscribe to Monday Influencer for world-class strategies to power your week: https://mondayinfluencer.com

    6 min
  4. Governments Are Running on AI at Scale—What That Actually Means

    6 DAYS AGO

    Governments Are Running on AI at Scale—What That Actually Means

    "Governments Are Running on AI at Scale" Guest: Nicolas Babin, EU Deputy Mayor & Digital AmbassadorWhat if I told you that your government is running on AI systems that operate at speeds humans cannot match? Not chatbots. Not theoretical. Real systems detecting fraud across millions of accounts, predicting security threats before they happen, accelerating healthcare innovation, and shaping policy before votes occur. In this episode, I sit down with Nicolas Babin—someone inside the European digital infrastructure who has spent a decade watching this transformation unfold—to talk about: Why the Latvia SIM card fraud (200M+ fake accounts) changed how governments think about detection How vision AI and drones are catching undeclared assets for tax compliance The speed-versus-problem gap in cybersecurity (and why humans cannot close it alone) AI's actual role in healthcare innovation (vaccine acceleration, tumour detection, personalized medicine) What happens when governments move faster than citizens can follow This is not a fearmongering episode. It is a clarity episode. If your organization works with government, depends on government systems, or is trying to understand where the world is actually heading, this conversation is for you. The core question we don't ask enough: When governments use AI to detect, predict, and enforce at machine speed, how do we ensure the system is fast and fair?

    13 min
  5. AI in Government — Five Facts That Change the Map

    SEASON 14, EPISODE 1 TRAILER

    AI in Government — Five Facts That Change the Map

    Every country is running a different AI experiment on itself right now. Most people only see one of them. For five years, the AI story had four postcodes — San Francisco, Brussels, Beijing, and maybe London on a slow news day. That era just ended. In this opening episode of Series 14, Nat Schooler — ex-IBM futurist and host of Influential Visions — maps the new global AI landscape through three lenses: power, people, and place. Five facts. One framework. And one thesis he will defend across every episode: AI scales volume, but human networks scale judgement. Shownotes here. The countries winning with AI are not the ones with the biggest models. They are the ones with the strongest trust built underneath. For leaders, executives, and anyone trying to navigate a world where the rules are being rewritten faster than you can read them.  Subscribe. Share with one leader asking the wrong questions. And tell Nat which country you want covered next.  Join the expert network at www.mondayinfluencer.com.

    8 min
  6. The New Executive Presence [How Leaders Build Real Influence]

    27 FEB

    The New Executive Presence [How Leaders Build Real Influence]

    In this episode, I sit down with Shayna Davis, founder of the Executive Signals Group, to break down why executive presence needs a complete reframe — and what to build instead: external influence. Most leaders are told they need "executive presence" — but nobody can define what that actually means. In this episode, host Nat Schooler sits down with Shayna Davis, founder of the Executive Signals Group and former White House communications advisor, to reframe the conversation entirely. Shayna argues that what leaders really need isn't presence — it's external influence. And she breaks down exactly how to build it using her 3-pillar framework: 🎯 Leadership Identity — Who are you beyond your title? 🎯 Leadership Branding — How does the world perceive you? 🎯 Leadership Messaging — What's your unique point of view? In this episode, you'll learn: Why "executive presence" is an outdated and vague concept The difference between internal and external influence How leaders can build a personal brand without undermining their company Why AI is making human influence MORE valuable, not less The 3 things every leader needs to stand out in a trust-depleted world About Shayna Davis: Shayna is a leadership branding strategist who has advised White House officials, Fortune 500 executives, and global leaders. She founded the Executive Signals Group to help senior leaders build the external influence that drives business results. 🔗 Nat Schooler: https://natschooler.com Executive Asset Workshop 🔗  Get Shayna Davis: ShaynaDavis.com and on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shaynarattler/

    25 min
  7. High-Humanity Advantage: Unlock AI Career Success Beyond Your Comfort Zone

    20 FEB

    High-Humanity Advantage: Unlock AI Career Success Beyond Your Comfort Zone

    Stop signing your own resignation letter by staying comfortable.. In the Great Detachment of 2026, the only "job for life" is the one you architect yourself. We aren't just surviving the AI Revolution; we are leading the Creative Revolution by leveraging the one thing AI cannot replicate: Your unique humanity.Guest Bio: Nicolas Babin is an AI expert, EU Digital Ambassador, and former Head of Sony Europe Robotics. He advises global organizations on navigating the technological revolution with a human-first approach. The Golden Ticket: Stop letting your future be something you blindly inherit. Join the Monday Influencer Community for elite strategic coaching and the "Indispensable Weekly Guide." 👉 Get World Class Advice for $1: https://learn.mondayinfluencer.com/337Shownotes can be found here: https://www.natschooler.com/is-your-comfort-zone-an-ai-risk-how-to-future-proof-your-career-today/

    24 min
  8. AI is Hollowing Out Middle Management. Is Your Role Next?

    13 FEB

    AI is Hollowing Out Middle Management. Is Your Role Next?

    AI is coming for the middle managers—here’s why that might actually be a good thing if you’re human.In this briefing, Francisco Marin (CEO of Cognitive Talent Solutions) reveals how Fortune 500 giants are using Organizational Network Analysis (ONA) to find the "invisible" influencers who actually run their companies.  We dive into why a 500-person AI experiment failed, how to slash onboarding time by 40%, and the "Trojan Horse" strategy for bringing collaborative freedom into rigid corporate structures. If you’re worried about AI displacement or struggling with team engagement, this episode is your blueprint for the new era of work. Get the shownotes here: https://www.natschooler.com/ai-career-success-the-network-first-manifesto-and-the-new-architecture-of-human-connection/ Get world class advice here for $1 Dollar: https://learn.mondayinfluencer.com/337

    25 min
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About

Hosted by ex-IBM Futurist Nat Schooler, this is the definitive leadership and business development guide for non-technical leaders and ambitious professionals navigating organizational change. Most professionals today face unprecedented workplace transformation. At Influential Visions, we move beyond the hype to provide proven career, business, and leadership strategies from global executives who have overseen tens of billions in commerce. Every episode delivers tactical roadmaps for:   Leadership in Practice: Navigating digital transformation, management challenges, and organizational culture  Executive Presence & Influence: Building real authority and impact in your organization  Business Strategy & Growth: Scaling operations, company culture, and personal brand  Human-Centered Leadership: Developing human-led skills that amplify organizational performance  The Archive Advantage: Drawing from 500+ episodes to predict future shifts  We show you how to stay irreplaceable and valuable in an era of rapid change—no technical complexity required. TAKE THE NEXT STEP: Lead the future. Join top leaders with exclusive strategies at www.mondayinfluencer.com

Information

  • Creator
    Nat Schooler - Business Futurist
  • Years Active
    2018 - 2026
  • Episodes
    177
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Nat Schooler
  • Show Website
    Influential Visions

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