Welcome to episode #1034 of Thinking With Mitch Joel (formerly Six Pixels of Separation).

At a time when the lines between culture, commerce and identity feel increasingly blurred, few people understand how value is actually constructed… and reconstructed… better than Douglas Woodham. A former President of the Americas at Christie's and a longtime advisor through his firm Art Fiduciary Advisors, Doug brings a rare dual lens to the conversation… equal parts economist and art obsessive. With a PhD in economics and decades spent inside the machinery of the global art market, he has seen firsthand how artists move from obscurity to icon status… and how markets, narratives and power structures shape that journey . His latest book, Jean-Michel Basquiat - The Making of an Icon, goes far beyond biography to examine how one artist's legacy was not just created… but carefully engineered. In this conversation, Doug explores the intersection of art and economics, unpacking how scarcity, status and human behavior drive the desire to collect… and why ownership has become increasingly performative in a social media age. He challenges the romantic notion that value is purely about the work itself, pointing instead to branding, cultural timing and strategic stewardship… particularly in Basquiat's posthumous rise. We also dig into the broader shifts reshaping the art world… from the declining cultural centrality of fine art to the rise of alternative collectibles, the failure of NFTs to gain traction in traditional markets, and the fragile economics behind fractional ownership models. What emerges is a sharper understanding that art is not just about beauty or expression… it is about markets, narratives and belief systems that determine what is worth owning… and why. Enjoy the conversation…

• Running time: 1:04:35.
• Hello from beautiful Montreal.
• Listen and subscribe over at Apple Podcasts.
• Listen and subscribe over at Spotify.
• Please visit and leave comments on the blog - Thinking With Mitch Joel.
• Feel free to connect to me directly on LinkedIn.
• Check out ThinkersOne.
• Here is my conversation with Douglas Woodham.
• Jean-Michel Basquiat - The Making of an Icon.
• Art Fiduciary Advisors.
• Art Collecting Today.
• Follow Doug on Instagram.
• Follow Doug on LinkedIn.

Chapters:

(00:00) - Introduction to Doug Woodham and His Expertise.
(02:42) - The Life and Legacy of Jean-Michel Basquiat.
(04:48) - Connecting Art and Economics.
(08:45) - Human Behavior and the Desire for Collectibles.
(12:10) - The Shift in Art Collecting Trends.
(15:42) - NFTs and Their Impact on the Art Market.
(20:29) - Artist Compensation and Ownership Rights.
(24:28) - Cultural Relevance of Fine Art Today.
(27:58) - The Psychology of Collecting and Scarcity.
(32:37) - The Business of Scarcity in Consumer Brands.
(35:15) - The Importance of Secondary Markets in Collectibles.
(40:10) - The Evolution of Basquiat's Brand Posthumously.
(54:51) - The Intersection of Art and Commercialization.
(59:53) - Fractional Ownership in Art Investments.

Welcome to episode #1033 of Thinking With Mitch Joel (formerly Six Pixels of Separation).

We spent the last twenty-five years calling software "technology," which was convenient, profitable and just a little bit delusional. Apps got smarter. Feeds got stickier. Ads got creepier. Dashboards got dashboards. Meanwhile, the real world kept asking harder questions. How do we produce enough clean energy for eight billion people? How do we build things again? How do we manufacture without waste? How do we use AI for science, not just better chatbots and faster slop? Pablos Holman has spent his career living inside those questions. He is a hacker, inventor, venture capitalist, and founder of Deep Future, an invention capital firm backing the mad scientists, rogue engineers and maverick entrepreneurs trying to build technologies that actually matter. His career has touched everything from cryptocurrency in the 1990s and AI for financial markets to the early days of Blue Origin and the launch of Intellectual Ventures Lab, where the work included mosquito-killing lasers, malaria-diagnosing microscopes, vaccine coolers, advanced antennas and nuclear reactors powered by waste. His book, Deep Future - Creating Technology That Matters, argues that the next wave of innovation will not come from making software marginally more addictive. It will come from solving the physical, messy, expensive, essential problems that humanity depends on: energy, water, food, waste, construction, manufacturing, medicine and infrastructure. In this conversation, Pablos makes the case for optimism with teeth. Not optimism as a mood. Optimism as a discipline. A willingness to stare at massive problems without flinching… and then go build something. We talk about why software can't save the world by itself, why energy may be the root problem behind almost everything, why AI's most meaningful work may happen in science, and why the future belongs to people willing to work on problems big enough to scare everyone else. Enjoy the conversation…

• Running time: 1:04:47.
• Hello from beautiful Montreal.
• Listen and subscribe over at Apple Podcasts.
• Listen and subscribe over at Spotify.
• Please visit and leave comments on the blog - Thinking With Mitch Joel.
• Feel free to connect to me directly on LinkedIn.
• Check out ThinkersOne.
• Here is my conversation with Pablos Holman.
• Deep Future - Creating Technology That Matters.
• Check out Pablos on the Tim Ferriss Podcast: One of The Scariest Hackers I've Ever Met — Pablos Holman.
• Follow Pablos on LinkedIn.
• Follow Pablos on X.
• Follow Pablos on Instagram.

Chapters:

(00:00) - Introduction to Deep Future and Venture Capital.
(02:47) - The Shift from Software to Deep Tech.
(06:08) - Revolutionizing Manufacturing with Robotics.
(08:49) - The Environmental Impact of Energy Production.
(12:13) - Innovative Solutions for Energy Challenges.
(15:08) - The Role of AI in Scientific Advancements.
(17:53) - Cultural Shifts in Manufacturing and Education.
(20:55) - The Future of Energy and Nuclear Solutions.
(23:56) - The Importance of Long-Term Thinking.
(26:45) - Connecting Work to Meaning and Purpose.
(30:13) - The Role of Corporations in Infrastructure Investment.
(33:03) - The Future of Jobs in an Automated World.
(36:13) - AI's Role in Solving Global Problems.
(39:01) - The Need for Optimism in Technology.
(41:59) - Final Thoughts and the Future of Humanity.

Welcome to episode #1032 of Thinking With Mitch Joel (formerly Six Pixels of Separation).

At a time when productivity is still measured in speed, output and constant motion, few voices are pushing for a more human… and ultimately more effective… way of working than Natalie Nixon. A creativity strategist, keynote speaker and founder of Figure 8 Thinking, Natalie has built her career helping leaders unlock the business value of imagination… not as a soft skill, but as a strategic capability. Her work sits at the intersection of design thinking, anthropology and business innovation, and her previous book, The Creativity Leap, positioned curiosity, empathy and intuition as essential leadership muscles. In her latest work, Move. Think. Rest. - Redefining Productivity & Our Relationship With Time, Natalie challenges the deeply embedded belief that more effort equals better results… arguing instead that we're not in a tech revolution, but a human one. She introduces the MTR framework (movement, thought and rest) as a way to rebalance how we work and live, emphasizing that creativity doesn't happen despite pauses… it depends on them. In this conversation, Natalie explores how burnout and busyness have become normalized, why organizations must move beyond outdated productivity metrics, and how leaders can cultivate environments where creativity and trust can thrive. She makes a compelling case that AI, while powerful, is not the story… it's the backdrop. The real opportunity lies in how humans choose to engage with it… whether we double down on efficiency or expand into imagination, play and connection. From rethinking workplace culture to redefining growth as a non-linear, deeply human process, this conversation is a call to redesign not just how we work… but why we work at all. Enjoy the conversation…

• Running time: 1:02:21.
• Hello from beautiful Montreal.
• Listen and subscribe over at Apple Podcasts.
• Listen and subscribe over at Spotify.
• Please visit and leave comments on the blog - Thinking With Mitch Joel.
• Feel free to connect to me directly on LinkedIn.
• Check out ThinkersOne.
• Here is my conversation with Natalie Nixon.
• Move. Think. Rest. - Redefining Productivity & Our Relationship With Time.
• The Creativity Leap.
• Figure 8 Thinking.
• Sign up for Natalie's newsletter.
• Follow Natalie on Instagram.
• Follow Natalie on LinkedIn.

Chapters:

(00:00) - Introduction to Creativity and Productivity.
(04:01) - The Crisis of Creativity and Busyness.
(08:06) - Redefining Creativity in Various Professions.
(11:57) - The Role of AI in Creativity.
(15:52) - Human Connection in the Age of Technology.
(19:51) - The Infinite Nature of Creativity.
(24:14) - The Importance of Play in Work Culture.
(32:35) - Cultivation 2.0: Rethinking Productivity.
(34:01) - Proofs of Concept: Companies Leading the Way.
(39:03) - Culture and Productivity: An Inextricable Link.
(40:51) - Redesigning Work: The Need for Systemic Change.
(45:51) - Navigating Liminal Spaces: Embracing Uncertainty.
(50:47) - The Human Revolution: Beyond Technology.
(56:07) - Rest as a Productivity Tool: A Paradigm Shift.

Welcome to episode #1031 of Thinking With Mitch Joel (formerly Six Pixels of Separation).

At a time when businesses are still trying to wrap their heads around "customer experience," few thinkers have shaped that conversation… and pushed it forward… as much as B. Joseph Pine II. As cofounder of Strategic Horizons, Joe has spent decades helping organizations understand how economic value evolves… from commodities to goods, to services, to experiences… and now, to something far more ambitious. Best known for The Experience Economy: Work Is Theatre And Every Business A Stage, Joe didn't just introduce a concept… he gave leaders a new language to describe how businesses compete for time, attention and meaning. In this conversation, Joe extends that thinking through his latest work, The Transformation Economy: Guiding Customers To Achieve Their Aspirations, where the goal is no longer just to stage memorable moments… but to help customers become something more. He argues that the highest form of economic value isn't what a company delivers… but what a customer becomes as a result. That shift reframes everything: experiences are no longer the end game… they are the raw material for change. Drawing on decades of research and real-world examples, Joe makes the case that businesses must move beyond efficiency and even beyond engagement… toward fostering human flourishing across dimensions like health, wealth, wisdom and purpose. It's a bold elevation of the role of business… one that demands a long-term mindset, ethical use of data, and a deeper understanding of individual customers as people, not segments. And while technologies like AI can accelerate customization and coaching, Joe is clear that tools alone won't get us there… mindset will. In a world obsessed with speed, optimization and short-term gains, this conversation is a powerful reminder that the real opportunity lies in helping people grow… not just transact. Enjoy the conversation…

• Running time: 58:44.
• Hello from beautiful Montreal.
• Listen and subscribe over at Apple Podcasts.
• Listen and subscribe over at Spotify.
• Please visit and leave comments on the blog - Thinking With Mitch Joel.
• Feel free to connect to me directly on LinkedIn.
• Check out ThinkersOne.
• Here is my conversation with B. Joseph Pine II.
• Transformation Economy: Guiding Customers To Achieve Their Aspirations.
• The Experience Economy: Work Is Theatre And Every Business A Stage.
• Strategic Horizons.
• Follow Joe on Substack.
• Follow Joe on X.
• Follow Joe on LinkedIn.

Chapters:

(00:00) - The Experience Economy: A Game Changer.
(03:07) - Understanding Experiences vs. Services.
(06:01) - The Challenge of Attention in the Experience Economy.
(09:05) - The Progression of Economic Value.
(11:50) - Transformation: The Next Level of Value.
(14:56) - The Role of Self-Service in Experiences.
(18:07) - Empathy and Customer-Centric Business.
(20:53) - Long-Term Thinking in Business Strategy.
(31:32) - Long-Term Investment Strategies for Companies.
(34:51) - The Importance of Meaningful Purpose in Business.
(37:48) - Data, Analytics, and the Customization Revolution.
(39:40) - Balancing Data Use and Customer Privacy.
(46:51) - The Concept of Flourishing in Business.
(52:15) - Experiences vs. Anti-Consumerism.
(53:35) - AI: The Future of Customization and Transformation.

Welcome to episode #1029 of Thinking With Mitch Joel (formerly Six Pixels of Separation).

These days, technology feels both familiar… and completely unrecognizable. Few voices bring the kind of clarity and grounded perspective that David Armano does. A longtime digital strategist, advisor, self-proclaimed futurist and friend, David has spent decades at the front lines of transformation… helping organizations navigate everything from the rise of social media to the mobile-first revolution, and now the seismic shift of artificial intelligence. In his current role at Launch by NTT Data, he works directly with enterprises trying to make sense of AI not as a tool, but as a system-wide change that touches people, process and culture. Alongside this, his widely read Substack, David by Design has become a space where he explores what he calls "intelligent experiences, "and the broader societal implications of living in a world shaped by AI. In this conversation, David frames AI as both a continuation of past technological waves and something entirely new, with a cognitive reach that extends far beyond previous disruptions. He reflects on how organizations are grappling with adoption - often caught between experimentation and transformation - while individuals face a more personal tension: the realization that the very tools augmenting their work may also replace it. At the same time, David pushes beyond the typical optimism-versus-doom narrative, offering a more nuanced lens rooted in what he calls "adapting intelligently"… a form of realism that acknowledges both the extraordinary upside and the very real societal risks. From the emergence of an "intelligence wealth gap" to the psychological impact of algorithmic systems, we explore how AI may amplify both opportunity and inequality… rewarding those who learn to direct it while leaving others increasingly dependent on it. Grounded in both professional experience and personal reflection, this is a conversation about change at every level… not just technological, but human.  Enjoy the conversation…

• Running time: 1:00:57
• Hello from beautiful Montreal.
• Listen and subscribe over at Apple Podcasts.
• Listen and subscribe over at Spotify.
• Please visit and leave comments on the blog - Thinking With Mitch Joel.
• Feel free to connect to me directly on LinkedIn.
• Check out ThinkersOne.
• Here is my conversation with David Armano.
• David by Design.
• Launch by NTT Data.
• Follow David on X.
• Follow David on LikedIn.

Chapters:

(00:00) - Introduction to David Armano.
(02:17) - The Evolution of Digital Transformation.
(06:46) - AI as a Force Multiplier.
(10:07) - Real-World Applications of AI.
(13:34) - Enterprise Perspectives on AI.
(18:32) - The Human Element in AI Adoption.
(22:46) - The Future of AI and Society.
(30:53) - Geopolitical Implications of AI.
(32:04) - The Evolving Global Landscape.
(35:54) - The Intelligence Wealth Gap.
(39:08) - Navigating the Creator Economy.
(44:34) - AI Slop vs. Vibe Content.
(51:00) - The Future of Work and Knowledge Workers.

Welcome to episode #1028 of Thinking With Mitch Joel (formerly Six Pixels of Separation).

In a world increasingly defined by information overload and ideological certainty, the ability to change one's mind may be the most undervalued skill of all… and few thinkers have explored that terrain as deeply as my friend, Nir Eyal. A bestselling author, behavioral design expert and former Stanford lecturer, Nir has built a career examining how habits are formed, how attention is controlled and how human behavior can be shaped both externally and from within. His previous works, Hooked - How To Build Habit-Forming Products and Indistractable - How To Control Your Attention And Choose Your Life, established him as a leading voice on the psychology of technology and focus. In his latest book, Beyond Belief - Change Your Mind, Change Your Life, Nir shifts inward, exploring the often invisible force that determines whether knowledge translates into action: belief itself. Drawing on behavioral science, psychology and lived experience, he introduces what he calls the "motivation triangle" - behavior, benefit and belief - and argues that without belief, even the best strategies and intentions collapse. At the core of his work is a provocative idea: beliefs are not truths… they are tools (flexible, revisable constructs that shape what we see, feel and do). He explores how limiting beliefs persist even when we know better, why we often fail to act on advice we actively seek, and how techniques like "turnarounds" can help reframe our assumptions to unlock agency and change. At the same time, Nir wrestles with the broader implications of belief in a polarized, AI-driven world… where narratives are reinforced, critical thinking is uneven, and certainty is often mistaken for truth. Grounded in both rigorous research and personal reflection, his work reframes belief not as something to defend, but as something to consciously design and refine. Nir is also available to join your meetings or gatherings on ThinkersOne. I have had him on the show countless times and he is always inspiring and insightful. Enjoy the conversation…

• Running time: 54:58.
• Hello from beautiful Montreal.
• Listen and subscribe over at Apple Podcasts.
• Listen and subscribe over at Spotify.
• Please visit and leave comments on the blog - Thinking With Mitch Joel.
• Feel free to connect to me directly on LinkedIn.
• Check out ThinkersOne.
• Here is my conversation with Nir Eyal.
• Book Nir for your next meeting on ThinkersOne.
• Follow Nir on Instagram.
• Follow Nir on LinkedIn.

Chapters:

(00:00) - Introduction to Nir Eyal and His Journey.
(05:50) - Understanding Belief: Tools, Not Truths.
(11:56) - The Power of Prayer and Its Impact.
(17:59) - Liberating vs. Limiting Beliefs.
(23:59) - Beliefs as Tools for Action.
(32:54) - Beliefs as Tools, Not Truths.
(43:01) - The Power of Optimism and Self-Reflection.
(51:34) - Embracing Change and Open-Mindedness.