Insights · December 25th, 2022
Well, 2022 has been quite the year. In fact, it feels like 2020, 2021 and 2022 have been long and chained experiences underpinned by the chaos of the pandemic. A challenging time. I could talk about epiphanies and important learning however it really has been a slog. Let’s not sugar coat it.
The good thing is that 2022 was a real rising from the chaos into some kind of rekindling of why we are here – connection. Let’s review the epoch of 2020 to 2022 – unraveling and accelerating in three acts.
2020 – Patience and Transcendence
At the end of 2019 things were kicking into high gear. I had broken significantly into the US market and was speaking at 2000+ venues in Las Vegas and beyond. That continued into early 2020 and the pipeline was brimming with fun projects.
In February I traveled to both NYC and Palm Springs. I watched the covid-19 case load accelerate out of China into Iran and beyond. The world was not prepared for what was to come.
In March we moved into a new house, my partner was pregnant and lockdowns kicked in. All business evaporated and we hunkered down. Opportunity was gone. Writing about this feels deeply emotional and hard on my soul. Life moves on and the opportunity to have a deep lasting and meaningful impact was just gaining pace.
I rebuilt my mission from the ground up and reached out to clients I knew needed my help the most. I switched from a primary focus in speaking into consulting mode and worked with some incredible companies wanting to plumb the depths of our futures with serious intent – Google, Bank of Canada, Allstate, Swept, American Express, League of Innovators, Strathallen, Tourism Industry Association of Canada, and others.
Our transition to online was underpinned by a huge home studio upgrade and production upgrade. I rethought how my keynotes worked and how I delivered messages using FUTURE CASTING. It’s still evolving to this day.
I also boosted up my Exponential Minds podcast and interviewed a lot of amazing folks, and also redesigned nikolasbadminton.com.
The year was underlined by the incredible strength of my partner and our families and with the welcoming of my son. What a blessing. We never stopped traveling and that was a trip for sure.
2021 – Exponential Growth
The entire year was spent producing keynotes and content in my studio. I craved to be out on the road and was hoping that we transcended into that state through this year. Thanks to Omnicron it didn’t.
My resolve was tested and my focus intensified. The first 3 months of the year came on like a hurricane:
- Became a Fellow of The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce, also known as the Royal Society of Arts (The RSA) – a London-based organization committed to finding practical solutions to social challenges
- Signed an international book deal with Bloomsbury Business to release ‘Facing Our Futures: How Foresight, Futures Design and Strategy Creates Prosperity and Growth’ – preorder here.
- Completed the acquisition of futurist.com, took on the role of Chief Futurist and built a strong relationship at the helm with Glen Hiemstra providing guidance and the Futurist Think Tank creating incredible impact.
- Refocused my keynotes and the important messages around futures exploration.
- Recharged my speaking and consulting and worked with even more incredible organizations – Corteva, Greater Toronto Airports Authority, BC Securities Commission, American Express, Eden Care, IRC Global Executive Search Partners, Transporeon, Thales Group, Canada Life, ISACA, TD Wealth, Jersey Office of the Information Commissioner, Ardo, Toshiba, City of Dublin (Ohio) and others.
It was my busiest year to date. I also decamped to Palm Desert in California to enjoy family time away from the cold white North. I even had fun imagining what Coachella Valley could look like in 2050 and beyond.
2022 – Impact and Resiliency
Omicron threw a spanner into the works and the world had a shaky start. Thanks to my incredible clients we transitioned and made things happen in January of 2022.
I released our call-to-action – ‘Facing Our Futures’ – Civilization is gaining pace, yet it feels we are becoming less civilized. We celebrate our progress, yet we are caught in a failing Industrial Complex. Our world is strained by unsustainable practices inherited from the last 300 years of capitalism, greed, and conflict. And, while we should be collectively looking for solutions to avoid collapse, we’re distracted by luxury, convenience, game play and media noise. We have forgotten that our actions today resonate through the annals of time. And, we must reconnect with our dreams, our people, our planet, and our futures. We believe our hope, unity, and our joint resolve will disrupt the noise of the industrial complex we believe we can set the right course for the next thousand years and beyond…
In February I was back on the road and in Scottsdale keynoting to 200 execs at WM’s executive conference, to Agriculture executives in Los Angeles, and business leaders in San Francisco. Also, finally caught covid and it seemed like everyone else in my community did at the same time. It’s a cunning virus that’s for sure – we moved onwards and upwards.
The newly designed and focused futurist.com launched with renewed focus – We challenge our collective poverty of imagination and awaken curiosity about our futures; We disrupt the culture of short-term thinking by celebrating play, creative thinking and brave actions to challenge our failing industrial complex; and we develop resilient and future-ready mindsets that can imagine a multitude of possible futures that positively affect the lives of over eight billion people on this Spaceship Earth.
My late-April the year was in full swing and the speaking and consulting work began – Thales Group, Datalex, NHS Lothian, Penn State Extension, JP Morgan Chase, Designit, Association of Professional Futurists, Conversion (loved that gig in Nashville), Redpath Mining, Deloitte, Tektronix, Intel, Florida Educational Facilities Association, Halton District School Board, Cobank, Elevate, BICSI, Association of Canadian Pension Management, MISA, Central 1, City of Ottawa, Farm Credit Services of America, Institute for Performance and Learning, CIRA, George Weston Ltd., Goldsmiths, Sollio, Regional Municipality of Peel and others.
Many of the amazing futurists in the Futurist Think Tank were booked to work with amazing clients and we started work on more collaborations.
2023 is in full swing with research for governments, keynotes being booked, preparation for my book launch – read more here, and incredible growth expected.
The strongest leaders and organizations anticipate the disruption and unknown risks. Each day they explore the question – ‘what if our world changes?’
Nikolas Badminton, Chief Futurist at Futurist.com
We have something very special planned for 2023 so stay tuned.
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Nikolas Badminton is the Chief Futurist at futurist.com. He’s a world-renowned futurist speaker, consultant, author, media producer, and executive advisor that has spoken to, and worked with, over 300 of the world’s most impactful organizations and governments. He helps shape the visions that shape impactful organizations, trillion-dollar companies, progressive governments, and 200+ billion dollar investment funds.
You can preorder ‘Facing Our Futures’ at Amazon, Bloomsbury, Barnes and Noble and other fine purveyors of books. We’s also love it if you considered pre-ordering from your local, independent book store as well.
Please contact futurist speaker and consultant Nikolas Badminton to discuss your engagement or event.
