The Unfolding Thought Podcast

Eric Pratum
  • 5.0 (11)
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Updated Weekly

The Unfolding Thought Podcast asks a provocative question: Why do we—and the groups we form—think and act the way we do? Although we may feel we understand ourselves and others, much of what drives our thoughts, choices, and behaviors remains hidden or overlooked. Through candid discussions and multi-disciplinary explorations, we reveal those unseen forces—biases, contexts, and patterns—and show how they influence individual and collective dynamics. If you’re a leader or an intellectually curious mind looking for deep, high-value conversations, join us. We’ll challenge common assumptions, illuminate new perspectives, and spark meaningful change—helping you navigate relationships with greater clarity, innovate with confidence, and connect more authentically with those around you.

  1. AI Companies Are Building Their Own Power Plants. Here's Why.

    5d ago ·  Video

    AI Companies Are Building Their Own Power Plants. Here's Why.

    In this episode, Eric talks with energy strategist Peter Kelly-Detwiler about a question that is quickly moving from the engineering world into everyday life: Will artificial intelligence fundamentally change how we think about electricity? Peter argues that the AI race is not primarily a software race. It is increasingly a race for electrons. As companies invest trillions of dollars into AI infrastructure, electricity is becoming a strategic resource that shapes economics, geopolitics, national security, and technological innovation. The conversation explores why AI data centers are unlike previous industrial loads, why a single delayed data center can represent billions of dollars in lost value, and why some companies are willing to pay electricity prices more than one hundred times higher than normal market rates. Peter explains concepts like “compute heat rate,” co-located power generation, battery storage, transmission constraints, and why data centers are beginning to reshape energy markets around the world. Eric and Peter also discuss the surprising fragility of the modern power grid, how AI changes long-term planning for utilities, why batteries may become the Swiss Army knife of the electrical system, and why cybersecurity has become one of the industry’s greatest concerns. They examine the tension between innovation and regulation, the politics of transmission lines, and the possibility that electricity may become as strategically important in the twenty-first century as oil was in the twentieth. Perhaps the biggest idea is one that most people rarely consider. We tend to think of AI as software running in the cloud. Peter suggests a different mental model: AI is the conversion of electricity, chips, and data into digital labor. If that is true, then the future economy may be constrained not by algorithms, but by our ability to generate, move, store, and protect electrons. Episode Links Peter’s article on Compute Heat Rate: https://www.rtoinsider.com/129994-metric-related-data-centers-electricity-that-may-matter/ Peter’s book The Energy Switch: https://www.amazon.com/Energy-Switch-Companies-Transforming-Electrical/dp/1633886662 The Grid by Gretchen Bakke: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1632865688/ Peter’s website: https://www.peterkellydetwiler.com/ Connect with Peter on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peterkellydetwiler/ Peter’s first appearance on The Unfolding Thought Podcast: https://unfoldingthought.com/42-peter-kelly-detwiler-the-future-of-energy-and-sustainability/For more episodes: https://unfoldingthought.com Questions or guest ideas: eric@inboundandagile.com

    1h 9m
  2. Are We Living at the End of Modernity?

    Jun 15 ·  Video

    Are We Living at the End of Modernity?

    In this episode, Eric talks with futurist and philosopher Eliot Frick about a question that quietly sits beneath many of today’s biggest debates: what if the anxiety, polarization, institutional distrust, and constant sense of crisis are not isolated problems, but signs that an entire way of thinking has reached its limits? Drawing from Thomas Kuhn, Nietzsche, complexity theory, developmental psychology, mythology, and futures studies, Eliot argues that paradigms behave like living systems. They emerge, expand into new possibilities, become increasingly rigid, and eventually struggle to solve the very problems they once addressed. The conversation explores why collapse narratives have become so compelling, why institutions increasingly feel performative rather than generative, why social media rewards outrage over imagination, and why cultures often become obsessed with finding new enemies as they run out of new frontiers. Rather than asking whether society is getting better or worse, Eliot invites a different question: What if we are living through the end of one worldview and the uncertain birth of another? At its core, this is a conversation about perception. About the invisible assumptions that shape how we understand progress, identity, institutions, and the future itself. Questions Answered What is a paradigm shift? What is modernity? Why does everything feel like it’s falling apart? Why are collapse narratives so persuasive? Why do institutions become increasingly performative? What is an egregore and how does it influence society? What is adjacent possibility? Why do cultures stop feeling optimistic? Why do societies become more polarized over time? Is progress itself a kind of hidden religion? How do civilizations transform without completely collapsing? What comes after a dominant cultural paradigm?Episode Links Eliot’s latest article that we discuss: https://www.subjunctivism.org/p/it-was-always-already-there Eliot Frick on Substack: https://www.subjunctivism.org/ Eliot’s previous appearance: https://unfoldingthought.com/16-eliot-frick-pioneering-the-unknown/ Thomas Kuhn, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Structure_of_Scientific_Revolutions Jim Dator, Four Images of the Future: https://foresightguide.com/dator-four-futures/For more episodes: https://unfoldingthought.com Questions or guest ideas: eric@inboundandagile.com

    1h 38m
  3. Dr Ming Ming Chiu: Why Fake News Works So Well

    Jun 8 ·  Video

    Dr Ming Ming Chiu: Why Fake News Works So Well

    In this episode, Eric talks with researcher Dr Ming Ming Chiu about fake news, AI generated deception, creativity, and the hidden patterns inside human communication. Drawing from decades of work across education, statistics, online behavior, and computational analysis, Dr Chiu explains why misinformation spreads so effectively and why the future of trust may become one of the defining challenges of modern society. What began as research into how children learn mathematics eventually led Dr Chiu into studying online predators, extremist recruitment, fake news networks, and deceptive communication itself. Along the way, he developed what he calls “Deceptive Writing Theory,” a framework that attempts to identify falsehoods not by checking facts directly, but by analyzing the language patterns people use when they lie. The conversation explores why fake news works in the first place. Dr Chiu argues that deception succeeds because most people are generally honest and cooperative in daily life. Humans are wired to trust. That trust becomes exploitable when large organizations, political actors, or AI systems learn how to manipulate emotion, identity, fear, and social sharing dynamics at scale. Eric and Dr Chiu also discuss how different cultures experience misinformation differently, why AI may dramatically increase the scale of manipulation, and what happens when societies retreat into isolated “truth bubbles.” At the same time, the conversation turns toward creativity and scientific discovery itself. Dr Chiu explains why most of his ideas fail, why failure is central to innovation, and how creativity often emerges by connecting patterns across completely unrelated fields. At its core, this is a conversation about trust. About how humans decide what is real. And about whether societies can maintain shared reality in a world increasingly shaped by algorithms designed to manipulate attention. Topics Covered Why humans are naturally vulnerable to fake news How “Deceptive Writing Theory” attempts to detect lies The language patterns common in deceptive communication Why fake news spreads through emotion and identity The role of Russia, China, and large scale disinformation campaigns Why AI could dramatically increase manipulation online How scammers intentionally target vulnerable people The relationship between trust and misinformation Why different cultures respond differently to fake news Echo chambers, polarization, and collapsing shared reality Why most scientific ideas fail Creativity through pattern recognition across disciplines How Dr Chiu moved from computer science into education research What children’s conversations revealed about human behavior Why large tech companies may be the only groups capable of addressing fake news at scale The tension between optimism and pessimism about humanity’s futureEpisode Links Dr Ming Ming Chiu on Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=pY0PJVsAAAAJ&hl=en Dr Chiu at The Education University of Hong Kong: https://www.eduhk.hk/en/experts/professor-chiu-ming-mingFor more episodes: https://unfoldingthought.com Questions or guest ideas: eric@inboundandagile.com

    49 min
  4. Dr Kathryn J Edin: We Solved Teen Pregnancy. So Why Aren't Things Better?

    Jun 1 ·  Video

    Dr Kathryn J Edin: We Solved Teen Pregnancy. So Why Aren't Things Better?

    In this episode, Eric talks with sociologist Dr Kathryn J Edin, one of America’s leading poverty researchers, about what decades of fieldwork reveal that statistics alone can miss. Dr Edin’s work began in living rooms, church basements, public housing communities, and long conversations with families trying to survive on too little money and too little stability. Early in her career, she learned something simple but deeply important from welfare recipients in Chicago: no one could actually live on welfare alone. Families had to improvise, hustle, rely on informal support, and sometimes break rules simply to survive. The conversation explores how poverty has changed over the past several decades. Dr Edin explains why child poverty statistics can hide the deeper problem of instability, how welfare reform created both benefits and serious gaps, and why families can fall into stretches of extreme hardship that are very difficult to climb out of. Eric and Dr Edin also discuss marriage, motherhood, fatherhood, declining labor opportunities for non-college men, and the changing meaning of family formation in America. Drawing from Promises I Can Keep, Dr Edin explains why many low-income women value marriage highly, but see it as something too important to enter into under unstable conditions. They also talk about place. Why do some communities recover while others struggle for generations? Dr Edin points to the loss of social infrastructure, the disappearance of places where people build bonds, and the importance of cross-class relationships in creating opportunity. At its core, this is a conversation about seeing people clearly. About the stories behind the numbers. And about why the explanations we reach for first are often too simple. Topics Covered How Kathryn Edin was drawn into poverty research Why fieldwork reveals what statistics often miss What welfare recipients taught her early in her career How poverty has changed over the past several decades Why instability matters as much as annual income The rise of extreme poverty and cashless survival What welfare reform got right and wrong Why low-income women often value marriage deeply How the meaning of marriage has changed in America The decline of stable work for non-college men Fatherhood, family instability, and labor market withdrawal The role of place in shaping opportunity Why social infrastructure matters What happens when communities lose gathering places The relationship between narrative, numbers, and policy Why poverty is often misunderstood from a distanceEpisode Links Explore Dr Edin’s books: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Kathryn-J.-Edin/author/B0C4LVDY7P Dr Edin at Princeton: https://sociology.princeton.edu/people/kathryn-edin Dr Edin on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kathryn_Edin Connect with Dr Edin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathryn-edin-2a534923b/For more episodes: https://unfoldingthought.com Questions or guest ideas: eric@inboundandagile.com

    1h 15m
  5. Rich M. Smith: Why Most Marketing Fails Before the Campaign Starts

    May 25 ·  Video

    Rich M. Smith: Why Most Marketing Fails Before the Campaign Starts

    In this episode, Eric talks with growth strategist and former seven-time CMO Rich M. Smith about a problem that quietly undermines many organizations: confusing marketing activity with actual strategy. Rich argues that most companies do not fail because they lack talent, products, or ideas. They fail because they never solve distribution. In crowded and commoditized industries, the challenge is rarely creating something functional. It is figuring out how to become meaningfully different in the minds of customers and how to consistently reach the right people at the right moment. The conversation explores why modern marketing often drifts toward tactics before strategy. Companies obsess over channels, platforms, SEO, social media, and performance metrics without first answering deeper questions about positioning, customer behavior, and competitive advantage. Rich explains why many organizations spread themselves too thin, chase “shiny objects,” and mistake activity for progress. Eric and Rich also discuss commoditized markets, customer experience design, attribution problems, AI-driven consumer behavior, and the growing tension between brand marketing and direct response marketing. They examine how organizations measure success, why data alone can become misleading, and why experience and judgment still matter in a world increasingly driven by analytics and automation. Throughout the discussion is a larger question: what actually creates durable advantage when products, channels, and tactics can all be copied so quickly? At its core, this is a conversation about discipline. About understanding customers deeply enough to build meaningful differentiation. And about why great marketing is often less about clever campaigns than about aligning strategy, distribution, and human behavior. Topics Covered Why many businesses fail because of distribution, not product quality The challenge of differentiation in commoditized industries Why marketing often becomes overly tactical The dangers of “spray and pray” marketing How CMOs translate marketing metrics into business outcomes Why customer experience extends far beyond the product itself The relationship between specialization and modern marketing How organizations chase “shiny object syndrome” The tension between brand marketing and direct response marketing Why attribution is harder than most companies realize The hidden role upper-funnel marketing plays in conversions Why smaller companies should focus closer to demand intent How AI is changing customer behavior and discovery The difference between AI adoption and AI adaptation Why experience and instinct still matter in marketing decisions How gut instinct functions like professional muscle memory The growing importance of strategic discipline in a multi-channel worldEpisode Links Rich’s website: https://richmsmith.com/ Connect with Rich on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/smithlink/For more episodes: https://unfoldingthought.com Questions or guest ideas: eric@inboundandagile.com

    51 min
  6. Lisa Berry Blackstock: The Five Root Canals That Changed Everything

    May 18 ·  Video

    Lisa Berry Blackstock: The Five Root Canals That Changed Everything

    In this episode, Eric talks with independent patient advocate Lisa Berry Blackstock about a reality few people think about until it is too late: modern healthcare is increasingly difficult to navigate alone. Lisa’s path into advocacy did not begin in medicine. It began with pain. After experiencing debilitating electric shocks in her face, she spent months searching for answers and ultimately underwent five unnecessary root canals before discovering the true cause: a rare nerve disorder called trigeminal neuralgia. That experience revealed something unsettling. Even intelligent, persistent people can become overwhelmed and vulnerable when they enter a healthcare system during moments of crisis. The conversation explores the role of patient advocates and the growing complexity of healthcare systems. Lisa explains how insurance structures, hospital incentives, administrative pressures, and fragmented care models create environments where mistakes and missed signals become easier. She argues that advocates are not simply administrative assistants. They can serve as navigators, translators, and safeguards for patients and families during some of life’s most difficult moments. At its core, this is a conversation about preparation. About vulnerability. And about finding ways to maintain agency in systems that often feel too large and complicated to understand. Topics Covered Lisa’s misdiagnosis journey and five unnecessary root canals How trigeminal neuralgia changed the course of her life What independent patient advocates actually do Why healthcare has become harder for patients to navigate The difference between hospital advocates and independent advocates Why teaching and research hospitals can matter in complex cases The hidden role incentives play in healthcare systems How insurance structures shape care experiences Why many people delay healthcare planning until crisis hits Defining quality of life before emergencies happen The relationship between aging, isolation, and wellbeing Physician burnout and administrative pressures The unintended consequences of healthcare policy changes Why healthcare preparation should resemble estate planning How advocates help patients maintain agency during crisisEpisode Links Check out Lisa’s conversation with Jess Villegas for a more in depth version of her story:     On Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/episode/7GKDdOlRr2hAjSvz7jObGs?si=hmp5pDjwTzWrWeEBjNtLjQ On Apple - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-leaders-commute-podcast/id1871575343?i=1000749890031   Eric’s conversation with Annalee Kruger - https://unfoldingthought.com/annalee-kruger-the-invisible-patient-and-the-cost-of-caregiving/ Soul Sherpa Solutions - https://soulsherpasolutions.com Lisa’s business - https://soulsherpa.netFor more episodes: https://unfoldingthought.com Questions or guest ideas: eric@inboundandagile.com

    1h 6m
  7. Avish Parashar: Saying "Yes, And" to Change

    May 11 ·  Video

    Avish Parashar: Saying "Yes, And" to Change

    In this episode, Eric talks with speaker, author, and improviser Avish Parashar about a deceptively simple idea that shapes how people respond to uncertainty, conflict, and change: the difference between “yes, but” and “yes, and.” Drawing from decades of improv comedy and corporate leadership work, Avish argues that most organizations misunderstand resistance to change. Leaders often assume people are stubborn or hostile, when in reality many employees are overwhelmed, uncertain, or emotionally exhausted. The real challenge is not forcing acceptance. It is transforming hesitation and apathy into genuine engagement. The conversation explores how language quietly shapes organizational culture. “Yes, but” narrows possibilities, reinforces defensiveness, and keeps people locked into existing assumptions. “Yes, and” creates space for curiosity, collaboration, and forward movement. The shift is not about blind agreement or toxic positivity. It is about responding to ideas with openness long enough to understand what people are actually trying to protect, solve, or accomplish. Eric and Avish also discuss psychological safety, change fatigue, creativity under constraint, and why many organizations accidentally suppress the very thinking they claim to want. They explore how uncertainty can become a source of innovation rather than fear, why resistance often hides deeper concerns, and how leaders can create environments where people feel safe enough to contribute honestly. At its core, this is a conversation about mindset. About the stories people tell themselves when circumstances change. And about the possibility that creativity, adaptability, and resilience are often less about talent than about learning how to respond differently to uncertainty. Topics Covered The difference between “yes, but” and “yes, and” Why organizations often misunderstand resistance to change The role of uncertainty and loss aversion in human behavior How improv comedy became a framework for leadership and communication Why many employees are not resistant, but apathetic or exhausted The psychology behind change hesitation and burnout How language shapes culture and collaboration Why psychological safety matters during organizational change The connection between creativity and uncertainty How constraints can increase innovation Why leaders should listen before persuading The dangers of shutting down ideas too early How to encourage more honest participation in teams The relationship between creativity, experimentation, and growth Why “yes, and” is a mindset rather than a literal phrase How organizations can move from change acceptance to change excitementEpisode Links Check out Avish’s book: https://avishparashar.com/say-yes-and-to-change/ Visit Avish’s website: https://avishparashar.comFor more episodes: https://unfoldingthought.com Questions or guest ideas: eric@inboundandagile.com

    1h 1m
  8. Helen Pluckrose: From Social Justice to Social (In)Justice

    May 4 ·  Video

    Helen Pluckrose: From Social Justice to Social (In)Justice

    In this episode, Eric talks with writer and cultural commentator Helen Pluckrose about a pattern that shows up in universities, organizations, and public life: the slow shift from inquiry to certainty. Helen’s work began with a simple concern about the health of academic debate. Over time, that concern widened into a broader question about how ideas spread, harden, and eventually become resistant to criticism. The challenge is rarely malicious intent. More often, it begins with a desire to improve the world, followed by a gradual loss of skepticism about one’s own assumptions. The conversation explores how language shapes perception. Words that once described reality can quietly transform into moral signals. Concepts intended to promote fairness can become tools for shutting down disagreement. And when disagreement is framed as harm, institutions may begin protecting beliefs rather than testing them. They also discuss the psychological comfort of belonging to a moral community. Shared values create cohesion, but they can also create blind spots. When identity becomes tied to ideology, questioning an idea can feel like betraying a group. That emotional pressure makes it harder to admit uncertainty, revise beliefs, or acknowledge tradeoffs. At its core, this is a conversation about intellectual humility. About the discipline of staying curious even when an answer feels obvious. And about the responsibility to keep testing ideas, especially the ones we most want to be true. Topics Covered How ideas shift from open inquiry to unquestioned belief The role of language in shaping perception and moral judgment Why good intentions do not guarantee good outcomes The difference between disagreement and harm How moral certainty can suppress curiosity The psychological comfort of belonging to a shared ideology Why institutions sometimes protect beliefs instead of testing them The tension between social justice goals and open debate How identity can become fused with ideology The importance of intellectual humility in public discourse Why skepticism is a form of care, not hostility The risk of treating complex problems as morally simple How to create cultures that encourage disagreement without hostilityEpisode Links Read Helen’s writing on Substack: https://www.hpluckrose.com Explore Helen’s books: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B08GSPKP4M?ccs_id=56f8b1a6-fbea-4049-9c00-adaca09c1cf3For more episodes: https://unfoldingthought.com Questions or guest ideas: eric@inboundandagile.com

    56 min
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About

The Unfolding Thought Podcast asks a provocative question: Why do we—and the groups we form—think and act the way we do? Although we may feel we understand ourselves and others, much of what drives our thoughts, choices, and behaviors remains hidden or overlooked. Through candid discussions and multi-disciplinary explorations, we reveal those unseen forces—biases, contexts, and patterns—and show how they influence individual and collective dynamics. If you’re a leader or an intellectually curious mind looking for deep, high-value conversations, join us. We’ll challenge common assumptions, illuminate new perspectives, and spark meaningful change—helping you navigate relationships with greater clarity, innovate with confidence, and connect more authentically with those around you.

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