The Ryan Vet Show

Ryan Vet
  • 4.7 (3)
  • Society & Culture
  • Updated Weekly

To lead well today, you have to understand the forces that shaped yesterday and the ones reshaping tomorrow. You were made to Inspire Forward...and every episode helps you do just that. The Ryan Vet Show is where leaders come to understand why the world, and the people in it, work the way they do. Hosted by Ryan Vet, USA Today bestselling author, generational futurist, and contrarian leadership thinker, the show blends research, lived experience, and narrative to help you navigate tomorrow with more insight, perspective, and practical wisdom. Each week, Ryan explores the ideas shaping today’s workplace and culture: Generational dynamics and the behaviors that form each cohortLeadership and organizational psychologyChange management and the forces driving adaptationEntrepreneurship and real-world decision makingCommunication, influence, and human behaviorHow the past explains the present and the present shapes the future The show features two core formats: Long-form interviews with leaders, thinkers, entrepreneurs, and creators whose stories reveal the “why” behind their work, decisions, and impact.Weekly readings of the COLLIDE newsletter, where Ryan breaks down cultural shifts, generational insights, and leadership lessons with a story-rich, research-backed lens. Whether you’re an executive, a manager, an entrepreneur, an educator, or simply navigating cross-generational tension, The Ryan Vet Show gives you the insight and tools to lead with clarity, curiosity, and intentionality. If you want a show that’s intellectually grounded, practically useful, and deeply human — welcome. This is your place to understand the world more clearly and lead it more thoughtfully.

  1. 12h ago ·  Video

    Why Wozniak Got Cheered and Schmidt Got Booed: What Commencement Boos Reveal About AI, Gen Z, and the Velocity Gap

    The Class of 2026 didn't boo the future. They booed being told the future had already been decided for them. The strangest commencement season in memory, and the leadership lesson hiding inside it. Generational futurist, USA Today bestselling author, and keynote speaker Ryan Vet unpacks the commencement booing wave of 2026. A few weeks after he joked that every graduation speaker would inevitably mention AI, the prediction came true. What he did not predict was the reaction from the seats. Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt was booed at the University of Arizona for comparing AI to past technological revolutions. Gloria Caulfield was booed at the University of Central Florida for calling AI "the next industrial revolution," then cheered the moment she changed her framing. Scott Borchetta, the man who signed Taylor Swift, got double booed at Middle Tennessee State for telling graduates to "deal with it." An AI name reader at Glendale Community College mangled graduates' names and got booed by the crowd itself. And Jonathan Haidt, author of The Anxious Generation and one of the loudest critics of phone-based childhood, was booed at NYU before he said a single word. Then there was the contrast. At Grand Valley State, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak was cheered when he told graduates "You all have AI. Actual intelligence." Same topic. Opposite response. Ryan uses that split to explain the Velocity Gap: the distance between how fast the technology is moving and how fast the humans absorbing it are being asked to feel okay about it. The Class of 2026 entered college the same semester ChatGPT went mainstream, were told AI was cheating, and now graduate into a world that calls the same tool the key to staying employable. The data backs up the unease: Pew finds 50% of U.S. adults are more concerned than excited about AI versus just 10% more excited, and Gallup finds employed Gen Z says the risks outweigh the benefits by 48% to 15%, with excitement down 14 points in a single year. This episode is about more than graduation. It is a leadership lesson. There is a difference between "AI is coming, deal with it" and "you are entering a changed world, and your humanity still matters." One breaks the ritual. The other earns the room. In this episode: The commencement booing wave of 2026, speaker by speakerWhy Eric Schmidt, Gloria Caulfield, Scott Borchetta, and an AI name reader all drew boosWhy Jonathan Haidt got booed for the opposite of techno-optimismThe Steve Wozniak contrast: same topic, opposite reaction, better leadershipThe Velocity Gap: when technology moves faster than the humans absorbing itWhy AI hit the nerve for a class told AI was cheating, then told it was opportunityThe data behind the unease: Pew, Gallup, and the Class of 2026 job marketA short history of booing, from Stravinsky and Mahler to Wagner inventing the silent audienceWhy booing at commencement feels different: it breaks the ritual, not just the speechWhat leaders should actually take from this, in any room, not just a stadiumReferenced in this episode: Pew Research Center, views of artificial intelligence (2025)Gallup, Gen Z's AI adoption steady, but skepticism climbs (2026)National Association of Colleges and Employers, Job Outlook 2026 Spring UpdateNBC News (2026), Eric Schmidt booed at the University of ArizonaOrlando Weekly (2026), Gloria Caulfield at the University of Central FloridaFuturism (2026), Scott Borchetta at Middle Tennessee State; Steve Wozniak at Grand Valley StateWashington Square News (2026), graduates boo Jonathan Haidt at NYUBusiness Insider (2026), AI name reader at Glendale Community CollegeCOLLIDE Newsletter by Ryan Vet: ryanvet.com/collideFull essay version of this episode: Why Wozniak Got Cheered and Schmidt Got BooedConnect with Ryan Vet: Website: ryanvet.comCOLLIDE Newsletter: ryanvet.com/collideLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/ryanvetInstagram: instagram.com/ryancvetBook Ryan as a Keynote Speaker: ryanvet.com/generational-speakerSubscribe to The Ryan Vet Show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and wherever you get your podcasts. New COLLIDE essay episodes release every Thursday at 7am ET. Guest era episodes release Monday mornings at 6am ET. Join the COLLIDE newsletter at ryanvet.com/collide for the research, reflections, and frameworks behind every episode. Send us Fan Mail About Ryan VetRyan Vet is a USA TODAY bestselling author, futurist, and international keynote speaker whose insights on generations, culture, and the future of work have been featured in Forbes, Financial Times, ABC, NBC, and CBS. His research helps leaders understand emerging generational patterns and anticipate societal shifts before they fully unfold. Join 20,000+ Leaders for Weekly InsightsIf you want deeper research and behind-the-scenes insights on generations and the future of culture and society, join Ryan’s weekly newsletter: 👉 https://ryanvet.com/collide

  2. 3d ago ·  Video

    Tom LeNoble: Facebook Employee Number 57, the Adult in the Room, and Finding Unity

    Tom LeNoble was employee number 57 at Facebook, recruited out of Palm, the Palm Pilot and Treo company, back when it was still "the Facebook" and still lived inside college networks. He was older than almost everyone in the building, the person Ryan calls the adult in the room, and he had a front row seat as a tiny unknown startup became one of the most powerful companies in the world. In this conversation, Tom pulls back the curtain on the human side of that story: what it was like to meet Mark Zuckerberg for the first time, the camaraderie of the early days, the goodbye he gave Mark on his way out, and what it means to work shoulder to shoulder with brilliant, driven young builders. Then he and Ryan widen the lens. Tom is careful to speak only to his own era, not today's Facebook, and he turns the conversation from technology and kids to something bigger: responsibility, the parts of the tech world most people never see, and how a deeply polarized world might start finding its way back to unity. It is a warm, reflective episode about people, not just platforms, and about the future we are building for our children. In this episode: How a Palm executive became Facebook employee number 57 The human side of the early days, including meeting Mark Zuckerberg Why every team needs an adult in the room What working with brilliant young builders taught him Responsibility, and the side of tech most people never see Depolarization, unity, and a hopeful message for the future Connect with Tom LeNoble: Website: openingpathwayscollective.com LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/tomlenoble Podcast: Opening Pathways (youtube.com/@OpeningPathways, also on Apple Podcasts) Send us Fan Mail About Ryan VetRyan Vet is a USA TODAY bestselling author, futurist, and international keynote speaker whose insights on generations, culture, and the future of work have been featured in Forbes, Financial Times, ABC, NBC, and CBS. His research helps leaders understand emerging generational patterns and anticipate societal shifts before they fully unfold. Join 20,000+ Leaders for Weekly InsightsIf you want deeper research and behind-the-scenes insights on generations and the future of culture and society, join Ryan’s weekly newsletter: 👉 https://ryanvet.com/collide

    Tom LeNoble: Facebook Employee Number 57, the Adult in the Room, and Finding Unity

  3. Jul 6 ·  Video

    Nicki Petrossi: Scrolling 2 Death, AI Companion Bots, and the Fight to Keep Kids Safe Online

    Content warning: this episode discusses online harms to children, including suicide, self-harm, and online predation. Listener discretion is advised. If you or someone you know is struggling, call or text 988 in the US to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Nicki Petrossi spent years managing social media for tech companies and their executives. Then she started learning how bad the internet had become for kids, and she could not stop. Today she hosts Scrolling 2 Death, one of the most important resources parents have for understanding what is really happening to children online. Ryan and Nicki go past the usual social media conversation into the traps most parents are not watching: Roblox and online gaming, encrypted chat apps like Discord, and the fast rising world of AI companion bots designed to befriend, isolate, and addict young users. Nicki explains why the common excuse, "my kid will be left out," gets the risk backwards, and why keeping a child off these platforms is an act of love, not deprivation. They dig into the velocity gap, the reality that technology is accelerating faster than our morality and wisdom can keep up, and what that means when the companies on the other side have hired neuroscientists to build the most addictive products ever made. Nicki shares what is finally changing: Australia and the UK raising the minimum age to 16, more than 1,500 school districts taking action, court cases turning on internal documents, and a growing parent movement demanding safety by design. Most important, Nicki offers hope. It is never too late to change your family's relationship with screens. She walks through practical steps for every stage, from newborns to teens, and makes the case that the single most powerful thing a parent can do is stay a safe, open place their kid can always come back to. In this episode: Why "everyone else has it" is the wrong reason to hand over a device The online dangers beyond social media: gaming, encrypted chat, and AI companions What the data shows about Gen Z and chatbots, and why it is climbing fast The velocity gap, and why regulation has been so slow How schools and parents can work together The truth about YouTube and YouTube Kids A practical blueprint for families at every age Learn more about Nicki's work at scrolling2death.com. Send us Fan Mail About Ryan VetRyan Vet is a USA TODAY bestselling author, futurist, and international keynote speaker whose insights on generations, culture, and the future of work have been featured in Forbes, Financial Times, ABC, NBC, and CBS. His research helps leaders understand emerging generational patterns and anticipate societal shifts before they fully unfold. Join 20,000+ Leaders for Weekly InsightsIf you want deeper research and behind-the-scenes insights on generations and the future of culture and society, join Ryan’s weekly newsletter: 👉 https://ryanvet.com/collide

    Nicki Petrossi: Scrolling 2 Death, AI Companion Bots, and the Fight to Keep Kids Safe Online

  4. Jul 2 ·  Video

    America Turns 250: They Signed the Declaration Without Agreeing - United Not Uniform, the Generational Pendulum, and the Middle Ground We Never Lost

    On July 4, 1776, fifty-six men who agreed on almost nothing signed the Declaration of Independence anyway. Two hundred fifty years later, we have forgotten how they did it. Generational futurist, USA TODAY bestselling author, and international keynote speaker Ryan Vet marks America's 250th anniversary by walking back into the Pennsylvania State House on Chestnut Street. The signers ranged in age from 26 to 70. They were lawyers and ministers, immigrants and planters, men of different faiths and fortunes who disagreed about nearly everything. This episode of The Ryan Vet Show makes the case that the founders were united, not uniform, and asks what shapes us as a people when we lead with our labels instead of the common ground that was there the whole time. Key Takeaways The 56 signers ranged in age from 26 to 70, averaging around 44 (National Archives). More than two generations stood shoulder to shoulder, and they argued the whole way.The pen went to Jefferson at 33, not to Franklin at 70. Franklin's restraint, knowing when to step back, was its own kind of leadership.Jefferson's one pre-Adams edit changed "sacred and undeniable" to "self-evident" (Becker, 1922). Common ground never required shared belief. It required a willingness to reason together.41 of the 56 signers owned slaves at some point, beneath the line "all men are created equal." The promise was freedom. The practice was not. It took a war, a proclamation, and a march on Washington to start closing that distance.The Generational Pendulum: every generation reacts against the one before it, overcorrects, and hands its children a fresh set of problems to correct in turn.Americans still agree more than we are told. In May 2026, 69% said the country has achieved at least a fair amount of its founding ideals, across party lines and age groups (Gallup, 2026). Ask what unites us and the most common answer is simply freedom (AP-NORC, 2026).Adams and Jefferson were enemies for eleven years, then exchanged more than 150 letters late in life, and died within hours of each other on July 4, 1826, fifty years to the day. They chose each other again without ever agreeing.Research and Sources Cited Jefferson's Weather Records and the National Archives signer factsheet on the room, the ages, and the dayCarl Becker (1922) and Michael Zuckert (1987) on "self-evident" versus "sacred" truthMartin Luther King Jr. (1963) reading the country its own sentence back at the Lincoln MemorialYascha Mounk (2023), The Identity Trap, on letting the category stand in for the personGallup (2026) and AP-NORC (2024, 2026) on founding ideals, shared values, and what unites usCultural touchstone: John Trumbull's Declaration painting (the calm image we inherited that was never the room)Connect with Ryan Vet Read the full Collide essay: https://ryanvet.com/collide/america-turns-250-they-signed-the-declaration-without-agreeing/Subscribe to the Collide newsletter: https://ryanvet.com/collideLearn more and book Ryan to speak: https://ryanvet.comSend us Fan Mail About Ryan VetRyan Vet is a USA TODAY bestselling author, futurist, and international keynote speaker whose insights on generations, culture, and the future of work have been featured in Forbes, Financial Times, ABC, NBC, and CBS. His research helps leaders understand emerging generational patterns and anticipate societal shifts before they fully unfold. Join 20,000+ Leaders for Weekly InsightsIf you want deeper research and behind-the-scenes insights on generations and the future of culture and society, join Ryan’s weekly newsletter: 👉 https://ryanvet.com/collide

  5. Jun 29 ·  Video

    Weh'yee Barkon: The Millennial Digital Nomad, Africa Rising, and Building a Borderless Life

    What happens when you trade a fast-rising San Francisco startup job for a one-way ticket to Casablanca and no plan past three nights in a hostel? Weh'yee Barkon found out. He joins Ryan Vet, a friend of more than two decades, to talk about the digital nomad life, rediscovering his roots, and building businesses across Africa. Weh'yee was employee number seven at a fast-growing electronics-recycling startup, helping it climb from roughly one million to nearly seven million in annual revenue. He was traveling constantly and climbing the ladder, but he wasn't fulfilled, and the pace was wearing on his health. Single, no kids, and standing in front of an open window of time, he bought a one-way ticket from San Francisco to Casablanca and spent the next twelve months moving through eleven countries, much of it overland. As a first-generation Liberian-American whose parents were born and raised in Liberia, the trip was about more than travel. It was about rediscovering where he comes from. Along the way he lived on a Workaway program, farmed in the Sahara, hosted a hostel in Seville, and eventually crossed into Senegal, where an accidental moment with a refugee family and a bag of charcoal became the spark for everything that came next. Today he runs Africa Rising, a recruitment firm that connects skilled African talent to global companies, alongside on-the-ground businesses including short-term rentals in Dakar, a poultry farm, and a butcher shop in Kigali, Rwanda. This conversation is really about the future of work. Weh'yee and Ryan dig into why a lean team of two to five people plus AI can now do what once took fifty, why the return-to-office fight is the same push and pull that follows every period of change, and why, in the age of AI, the real edge is getting back on the ground and shaking hands. In this episode: Why Weh'yee left a fast-rising San Francisco startup at the top of his climbThe one-way ticket to Casablanca, eleven countries, and traveling overland with about ten thousand dollarsRediscovering his Liberian roots as a first-generation Liberian-AmericanWorkaway, a month farming in the Sahara, and hosting a hostel in SevilleWhy we become "country club visitors" of other countries, and how to actually experience a placeThe charcoal-bag moment in Senegal that became his entrepreneurial sparkAfrica Rising: connecting elite African talent to global companies, and why it is a win-win-winHedging online income with real-world businesses: rentals in Dakar, a farm, a butcher shop in KigaliWhy a team of two to five people plus AI can now do what once took fiftyThe return-to-office push and pull, and Ryan's advice to leaders afraid of distributed workWhy the age of AI is sparking a renaissance of in-person, on-the-ground connectionConnect with Weh'yee Barkon: Africa Rising: africarising.workLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/wehyeebaConnect with Ryan Vet: Website: ryanvet.comCOLLIDE Newsletter: ryanvet.com/collideLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/ryanvetInstagram: instagram.com/ryancvetBook Ryan as a Keynote Speaker: ryanvet.com/generational-speakerSubscribe to The Ryan Vet Show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and wherever you get your podcasts. The guest era continues every Monday at 6am ET. Next week: Nicki Petrosi on "Scrolling to Death," and what always-on screens are doing to all of us. The COLLIDE essay podcast continues every Thursday at 7am ET. Send us Fan Mail About Ryan VetRyan Vet is a USA TODAY bestselling author, futurist, and international keynote speaker whose insights on generations, culture, and the future of work have been featured in Forbes, Financial Times, ABC, NBC, and CBS. His research helps leaders understand emerging generational patterns and anticipate societal shifts before they fully unfold. Join 20,000+ Leaders for Weekly InsightsIf you want deeper research and behind-the-scenes insights on generations and the future of culture and society, join Ryan’s weekly newsletter: 👉 https://ryanvet.com/collide

    Weh'yee Barkon: The Millennial Digital Nomad, Africa Rising, and Building a Borderless Life

  6. Jun 25 ·  Video

    Is America Going Black and White Again? - The Wizard of Oz, Gen Z's Grayscale Rebellion, and the Overstimulation Era

    The Wizard of Oz taught a generation to gasp when the world turned to color. Now Gen Z is deliberately turning its phones back to black and white. Generational futurist, USA TODAY bestselling author, and international keynote speaker Ryan Vet starts with a viral photo, two rows of cars sixty years apart, captioned "America is losing its color," and goes looking for the numbers. What he finds is a culture draining toward white, black, and gray, from cars to countertops to the grayscale screens Gen Z is choosing on purpose. This episode of The Ryan Vet Show asks whether all that restraint is peace or avoidance, and what the overstimulation era is really signaling. Don't miss this week's Monday guest episode with Lenore Skenazy, founder of Free-Range Kids, on why overprotection is the real danger. Key Takeaways By 2024, roughly four out of five new passenger cars worldwide were white, black, gray, or silver (BASF, 2024). White and off-white together make up about 70% of US countertop choices (Houzz, 2024).71% of Americans report overstimulation, and Gen Z carries the heaviest load at 85%, nearly twice the rate of Boomers at 47% (Best Therapies, 2026).Students who switched their phones to grayscale used them about 40 minutes less per day, with the steepest drops in social media (Holte and Ferraro, 2020). Bright color is the reward. Take it away, and the slot machine goes dark.Gen Z is the only age group actively shrinking its digital footprint (PYMNTS Intelligence, 2024), and built a movement around buying less called underconsumption core (McKinsey and Company, 2024). It cut overall spending about 13% in early 2025 (PwC, 2025).The bare white room and the dim gray phone may be the same instinct aimed at two screens: when the input will not stop, you turn down the part you can.The open question is whether this is calm or avoidance. A grayscale screen reads as discipline in one hand and exhaustion in the other.Research and Sources Cited BASF (2024), Houzz (2024), and Fixr (2024) on the neutral drift across cars, countertops, and home palettesBest Therapies (2026) and the American Psychological Association (2023) on overstimulation and Gen Z stressCenters for Disease Control and Prevention (2023) on teen screen timeHolte and Ferraro (2020) and Dekker and Baumgartner (2024) on grayscale smartphone interventionsPYMNTS Intelligence (2024), McKinsey and Company (2024), and PwC (2025) on Gen Z's shrinking footprint and underconsumption coreNortheast Recycling Council (2024), EPA (2018), and McDonald's (2021) on the recycling era that shaped MillennialsCultural touchstone: The Wizard of Oz (1939)Connect with Ryan Vet Read the full Collide essay: https://ryanvet.com/collide/gen-z-is-turning-its-phones-black-and-white/Subscribe to the Collide newsletter: https://ryanvet.com/collideLearn more and book Ryan to speak: https://ryanvet.comSend us Fan Mail About Ryan VetRyan Vet is a USA TODAY bestselling author, futurist, and international keynote speaker whose insights on generations, culture, and the future of work have been featured in Forbes, Financial Times, ABC, NBC, and CBS. His research helps leaders understand emerging generational patterns and anticipate societal shifts before they fully unfold. Join 20,000+ Leaders for Weekly InsightsIf you want deeper research and behind-the-scenes insights on generations and the future of culture and society, join Ryan’s weekly newsletter: 👉 https://ryanvet.com/collide

  7. Jun 22 ·  Video

    Lenore Skenazy: Free Range Kids and Why Overprotection Is the Real Danger

    We convinced ourselves that childhood is more dangerous than ever, right as crime hit historic lows. Lenore Skenazy, founder of Free Range Kids and president of Let Grow, joins The Ryan Vet Show to explain why overprotection became the actual threat, and how to give kids their independence back. In 2008, Lenore Skenazy let her nine year old ride the New York City subway home alone. He had begged for it. He made it back levitating with pride. She wrote a column about it, and within two days she was on the Today Show, MSNBC, Fox News, and NPR defending herself against the title that stuck: America's Worst Mom. She turned that moment into Free Range Kids, and then into Let Grow, the nonprofit she co-founded with psychologists Jonathan Haidt and Peter Gray to make childhood independence normal and easy again. In this conversation with host Ryan Vet, Lenore unpacks how American fear got so distorted. She traces the spike to the 1980s: the arrival of 24 hour cable news, a handful of high profile abductions, and missing kid photos on milk cartons that left out the context. The result is a culture where, by one University of Michigan finding she cites, half of parents of nine to eleven year olds will not let their child walk to a different aisle in a store. Meanwhile the data points the other way. Lenore cites figures putting the American homicide rate back to where it was around 1900, and notes that a genuine stranger kidnapping is so rare you would have to leave a child outside for hundreds of thousands of years for it to become statistically likely. The cost of all that protection is not neutral. Drawing on Peter Gray's work, Lenore argues that as children's real world independence has declined over decades, anxiety and depression have climbed, because independence is how kids build an internal locus of control, the felt sense that they can handle things. Ryan connects this to his Generational Pendulum, from latchkey kids to helicopter parents to today's digital leash. Lenore's sharpest point lands on tracking apps: with around 86 percent of children now tracked, she argues we are replacing faith with certainty, and certainty is more fragile because you have to keep checking it. The episode closes on what actually works. The only thing that changes anxiety, Lenore says, is action. She walks through Let Grow's free programs, the Reasonable Childhood Independence laws now passed in 13 states, and a Harris finding that kids themselves rank free play first and time online last. They are there by default, not by desire. In this episode: The subway story that made Lenore America's Worst Mom, and what her son actually learned that dayWhy American fear spiked in the 1980s: 24 hour cable news, high profile abductions, and the milk carton effectThe University of Michigan finding that half of parents of nine to eleven year olds will not let them go to a different aisle in a storeWhy a stranger kidnapping is statistically so rare, and the homicide rate's return to roughly 1900 levelsInternal versus external locus of control, and how independence builds resiliencePeter Gray's research linking the decades long decline in independence to rising anxiety and depressionThe tracking trap: why around 86 percent of kids are now monitored, and why certainty is more anxious than trustRyan's Generational Pendulum: latchkey kids, helicopter parents, and the digital leashLet Grow's free programs: the Let Grow Experience, the Let Grow Play Club, and the Independence KitThe 13 states that have passed Reasonable Childhood Independence laws, usually with bipartisan supportThe Harris finding that kids rank free play first and online last when choosing how to spend time with friendsReferenced in this episode: Let Grow: letgrow.orgFree-Range Kids by Lenore Skenazy (2009, re-released 2021)Jonathan Haidt and Peter Gray, co-founders of Let GrowPeter Gray's research on declining independence and rising youth anxietyThe Anxious Generation by Jonathan HaidtKevin Stinehart and the Let Grow Play Club (last week's episode)Connect with Ryan Vet: Website: ryanvet.comCOLLIDE Newsletter: ryanvet.com/collideLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/ryanvetInstagram: instagram.com/ryancvetBook Ryan as a Keynote Speaker: ryanvet.com/generational-speakerSubscribe to The Ryan Vet Show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and wherever you get your podcasts. The guest era continues every Monday at 6am ET. Next week: Weh'yee Barkon on the millennial digital nomad, work without borders, and what a location independent life really costs. The COLLIDE essay podcast continues every Thursday at 7am ET. Send us Fan Mail About Ryan VetRyan Vet is a USA TODAY bestselling author, futurist, and international keynote speaker whose insights on generations, culture, and the future of work have been featured in Forbes, Financial Times, ABC, NBC, and CBS. His research helps leaders understand emerging generational patterns and anticipate societal shifts before they fully unfold. Join 20,000+ Leaders for Weekly InsightsIf you want deeper research and behind-the-scenes insights on generations and the future of culture and society, join Ryan’s weekly newsletter: 👉 https://ryanvet.com/collide

    Lenore Skenazy: Free Range Kids and Why Overprotection Is the Real Danger

  8. Jun 18 ·  Video

    There Is No Such Thing as a Fragile Child: What We Created When We Tried to Keep Kids Safe

    We didn't raise a fragile generation. We renamed discomfort as danger, then removed the very experiences that make kids strong. The contrarian case for why there is no such thing as a fragile child. Generational futurist, USA Today bestselling author, and keynote speaker Ryan Vet makes a contrarian case: there is no such thing as a fragile child. Kids learn to walk by falling. They are built to fall, fail, recover, and grow stronger. So what changed? Over a few decades we did not simply parent differently. We renamed the experience of discomfort itself. Ryan traces the language shift that quietly rewired childhood. Psychological safety, introduced by Carl Rogers in the 1950s and redefined by organizational scholars before going mainstream in the 2010s. Emotional safety, which spread through counseling and parenting literature in the 1980s and 1990s. Safe spaces, born in 1960s social movements and vastly expanded in the 2010s. Trigger warnings, which migrated from late-1990s internet forums into academia by the early 2010s. Linguistic change is a leading indicator of cultural change. The pain of emotional hurt was not new. It just got a new name. And once discomfort was framed as harm, kids learned to avoid the wet paint entirely. Then he turns to Nassim Nicholas Taleb's idea of anti-fragility, the observation that some systems grow stronger under stress. "Some things benefit from shocks; they thrive and grow when exposed to volatility, randomness, disorder, and stressors." A healthy immune system is anti-fragile. So is a child. Scraped knees, risky play, and low-stakes failure are not threats to development. They are the mechanism of it. Ryan names three forces that combined to strip those experiences away: technology, media, and parenting. Nursery cameras, GPS trackers, and smartphones gave parents total visibility for the first time in history, and visibility created the obligation to manage everything. Media turned statistically rare fears into constant ones. And new language relabeled "challenging" as "dangerous." The cost is now measurable. Research on risky play shows children need age-appropriate exposure to uncertainty to build resilience (Sandseter & Kennair, 2011), and a 2023 review in The Journal of Pediatrics ties the decades-long decline in children's independent activity directly to the rise in anxiety, depression, and helplessness among young people (Gray, Lancy & Bjorklund, 2023). This is the Generational Pendulum at work. Every generation overcorrects for the one before it. Free-range childhood gave way to the helicopter, and the helicopter, for all its love, gave us fragility. But the pendulum is already swinging back. The generation we raised most carefully is the same one now choosing the mall, the bookstore, and the face-to-face over the screen. Kids are not fragile. They just have not been given enough chances to prove it. In this episode: The bear trap parable, and why the trap sometimes has to tighten before it releasesThe "wet paint" test: how kids actually learn, and what happens when we remove the lessonHow four words rewired childhood: psychological safety, emotional safety, safe spaces, and trigger warningsWhy linguistic change is a leading indicator of cultural changeFragility vs. anti-fragility, and what Nassim Taleb got right about stressThe three forces behind overprotection: technology, media, and parentingWhy total parental visibility created the obligation to manage everythingThe data: risky play, independent activity, and the rise in youth anxiety and depressionThe Generational Pendulum: how every generation overcorrects for the one before itWhy there is no such thing as a fragile child, and how the pendulum is swinging backReferenced in this episode: Nassim Nicholas Taleb, Antifragile: Things That Gain from DisorderCarl Rogers (1954), Toward a Theory of CreativityAmy C. Edmondson (1999), psychological safety and learning behavior in work teamsSandseter & Kennair (2011), children's risky play from an evolutionary perspective, Evolutionary PsychologyGray, Lancy & Bjorklund (2023), decline in independent activity and children's mental well-being, The Journal of PediatricsCOLLIDE Newsletter by Ryan Vet: ryanvet.com/collideConnect with Ryan Vet: Website: ryanvet.comCOLLIDE Newsletter: ryanvet.com/collideLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/ryanvetInstagram: instagram.com/ryancvetBook Ryan as a Keynote Speaker: ryanvet.com/generational-speakerSubscribe to The Ryan Vet Show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and wherever you get your podcasts. New COLLIDE essay episodes release every Thursday at 7am ET. Guest era episodes release Monday mornings at 6am ET. Join the COLLIDE newsletter at ryanvet.com/collide for the research, reflections, and frameworks behind every episode. Send us Fan Mail About Ryan VetRyan Vet is a USA TODAY bestselling author, futurist, and international keynote speaker whose insights on generations, culture, and the future of work have been featured in Forbes, Financial Times, ABC, NBC, and CBS. His research helps leaders understand emerging generational patterns and anticipate societal shifts before they fully unfold. Join 20,000+ Leaders for Weekly InsightsIf you want deeper research and behind-the-scenes insights on generations and the future of culture and society, join Ryan’s weekly newsletter: 👉 https://ryanvet.com/collide

    There Is No Such Thing as a Fragile Child: What We Created When We Tried to Keep Kids Safe
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3 Ratings

About

To lead well today, you have to understand the forces that shaped yesterday and the ones reshaping tomorrow. You were made to Inspire Forward...and every episode helps you do just that. The Ryan Vet Show is where leaders come to understand why the world, and the people in it, work the way they do. Hosted by Ryan Vet, USA Today bestselling author, generational futurist, and contrarian leadership thinker, the show blends research, lived experience, and narrative to help you navigate tomorrow with more insight, perspective, and practical wisdom. Each week, Ryan explores the ideas shaping today’s workplace and culture: Generational dynamics and the behaviors that form each cohortLeadership and organizational psychologyChange management and the forces driving adaptationEntrepreneurship and real-world decision makingCommunication, influence, and human behaviorHow the past explains the present and the present shapes the future The show features two core formats: Long-form interviews with leaders, thinkers, entrepreneurs, and creators whose stories reveal the “why” behind their work, decisions, and impact.Weekly readings of the COLLIDE newsletter, where Ryan breaks down cultural shifts, generational insights, and leadership lessons with a story-rich, research-backed lens. Whether you’re an executive, a manager, an entrepreneur, an educator, or simply navigating cross-generational tension, The Ryan Vet Show gives you the insight and tools to lead with clarity, curiosity, and intentionality. If you want a show that’s intellectually grounded, practically useful, and deeply human — welcome. This is your place to understand the world more clearly and lead it more thoughtfully.

Information

  • Creator
    Ryan Vet
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    39
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The Ryan Vet Show
  • Show Website
    The Ryan Vet Show

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