What happens when AI meets human creativity?

In this episode, Frederik sits down with Jeremy Utley—adjunct professor at Stanford University, co-author of Ideaflow: The Only Business Metric That Matters, Thinkers50 Top Innovation Leader, host of Paint & Pipette: The Art & Science of Innovation, and co-host of Beyond the Prompt. Jeremy has taught nearly a million students worldwide, advises CEOs and startup founders, and is currently researching how individuals and organizations can accelerate their comfort and confidence in leveraging generative AI.

Together, Frederik and Jeremy explore how AI can amplify—not replace—our creative capacities. They discuss why voice matters in AI interactions, how words shape agency, and why humans must take the role of initiator when engaging with AI. The conversation ranges from practical ideation exercises to the deeper implications of AI on identity, creativity, and education—always with the reminder that AI is a collaborator, not a substitute.

• Creativity is a practice, not magic

• AI as a collaborative partner

• Using your voice with AI is a gamechanger

• Humans as initiators in AI engagement

• The power of words: shaping agency with language

• • Why generating bad ideas often leads to great ones
  • Inviting AI into daily tasks for better collaboration

• Where to find Jeremy Utley:

  • Website: jeremyutley.com

  • Book: Ideaflow: The Only Business Metric That Matters

• • Podcast: Beyond the Prompt

  Where to find Frederik G. Pferdt:

  • Newsletter: NextLetter

  • Book: What’s Next Is Now

  • LinkedIn

  • YouTube

  • Instagram

  • Website

    
    

• (00:00) Intro

• (02:53) Jeremy’s future bio: prompting AI to ask the right questions

• (10:14) Use your voice: showing up with your AI’s

• (14:22) The advent of ChatGPT: a fertile time of exploration

• (18:50) The Initiator: humans as self-hired agents beyond assignments

• (24:51) Humans as initiators and executors with AI

• (26:09) You are the prompt: how words matter (won’t, can’t, have to, want to)

• (29:43) Bad idea brainstorms, wonder wanders, and ego in ideation with AI

• (34:31) Mindstate Moment: powerful reflective prompts

• (42:56) Speed round: what we get wrong with AI, education, habits to adapt, AI and intimate questions

• (47:47) Closing remarks: Post-its and inviting AI into the moment

Original music by Andreas Horchler

Today on the show: Tyler Winick, is an explorer of self, a facilitator of deep inner work, and the creative force behind Tahüm, where his music guides people into presence and discovery. He’s also the co-creator of Garden of True Self, a framework for reconnecting to our truth and protecting our energy. As an artist and musician, he has just recently, hit his first million streams.

In this episode, we explore the profound impact of music as a universal language that transcends borders and cultures. Discover how melodies and rhythms have the power to transform lives, foster connections, and inspire change. Join us as we delve into stories of personal and societal transformation through the universal language of music. Tune in to be moved and inspired by the transformative power of sound.

Today, we talk about:

Inner Work as a Path to future Freedom

The Power of Music and Creativity

The Garden of True Self

Breathwork and Energy

The Role of Intent and Empathy

Where to find Tyler Winick:

https://www.tylerwinick.com/

https://www.tahum.co/

Where to find Frederik G. Pferdt:
NextLetter: ⁠https://www.frederikgpferdt.com/#nextletter⁠

What's NextIs Now The Book: ⁠⁠https://www.whatsnextisnowthebook.com

LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/fgpferdt/⁠⁠⁠
YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/c/frederikgpferdt⁠⁠⁠
Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/frederikgpferdt/⁠⁠⁠
Website: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.frederikgpferdt.com/⁠⁠⁠

In this episode, we cover:

(00:00) Intro
(02:45) Tyler's future bio: A letter to self

(07:55) Origins & Inner Work

(10:55) Out in the desert: The calling of Burning Man
(17:36) Music as Inner Work

(23:30) Stage fright and antidodes
(27:12) I am enough: The Story of Tahüm
(30:30) The garden of True Self

(33:33) Energy Ceiling: A Daily Practice
(36:08) How we show up: The Future of Inner Work & Sound
(38:47) Mindstate Moment — Led by Tyler (Music by Tahüm)

(53:50) Quick Questions - Visual Creativity from Scratch

(59:14) One Seed to Plant: Get better at Feeling

Music: Andreas Horchler & Tahüm

Today in The Future Is How: Frederik's Summer Best-of Special: "Growing Your Future"

Welcome to a very special summer edition of The Future is How. Frederik wants to take you on a walk through a different kind of garden. This garden has rich soil made of powerful questions, strong trellises of trust, flowing channels of communication, and restorative greenhouses of rest. But it's also alive with the buzz of cross-pollinating bees, nourished by both sunshine and rain, enriched by compost that transforms challenges into growth, and tended by a community that understands how every element supports the whole.

Over this past season of conversations, Frederik had the privilege of speaking with remarkable gardeners of the future - people who've mastered different aspects of this living ecosystem. Today, he shares their wisdom as we explore eleven essential elements in this garden of possibility.

Today, we talk about:

Welcome to the Garden - one small thing that could grow into something bigger

The Soil of Questions - the richest soil is made up of the questions we ask

The Trust Trellis - some plants need support to reach their full potential. In our garden, trust serves as the strongest trellis of all.

The Communication Channels - the irrigation system that nourishes everything we're trying to grow.

The Storytelling Sunshine - compelling narratives don't just entertain - they transform how we see ourselves and our possibilities.

The Rest and Recovery Greenhouse - sleep and rest aren't empty spaces - they're specialized greenhouses where our most important growth actually happens.

The Wellness Ecosystem - A thriving garden (and humans)requires attention to the health of the entire ecosystem.

The Compost of Transformation - Personal transformation often requires composting old patterns to create rich soil for new growth.

The Cross-Pollination Bees - cross-pollination between future thinking and design creates innovations we never could have imagined.

The Connection Root Network - human connections create the invisible networks where our best futures can flourish.

The Innovation & Inspiration Blooms – inspiration, an active force that transforms individuals and communities.

The Beautiful Purpose That Blooms - beauty as the naturalexpression of purpose lived with intention.

In this episode, we cover:

Intro (03:14)

The Soil of Questions The next big disruption will not be technological, but psychological." - MarcChampagne

(06:47) The Trust Trellis "Kids are not luggage — they are human beings. The next generation doesn't need more control, they need more trust." - Esther Wojcicki

(10:31) The Communication Channels "It's about connection, not perfection." - Matt Abrahams

(14:13) The Storytelling Sunshine "Great storytelling is about making people feel." - Kalle Ryan

(17:45) The Rest and Recovery Greenhouse "Quality vs. quantity: What matters most for unlocking better performance." - Dr. Els van der Helm

(21:32) The Wellness Ecosystem "Destigmatizing mental health struggles through openness creates safety and trust." - Newton Cheng

(25:25) The Compost of Transformation "Home is where I grow." - Angela Pferdt

(29:22) The Cross-Pollination Bees "We need to develop a 'futurist' mindset and use our imagination to shape a better world." - Lisa Kay Solomon

(32:53) The Connection Root Network "The surprising finding: connection's impact on longevity is stronger than almost any other factor." - Dr. Robert Waldinger

(36:30) The Innovation & Inspiration Blooms "Inspiration is more than a feeling. It's an active force that fuels creativity, leadership and change." - Adam Galinsky

(40:07) The Beautiful Purpose That Blooms "The future belongs to those who can create beauty in business and meaning in work." - Tim Leberecht

(44:58) Your Future is HOW “HOW will you nourish your garden today? HOW will you plant seeds for tomorrow? HOW will you shape the future you want to see?” – Frederik Pferdt

Music: Andreas Horchler