A Seasonal Attunement:

Greetings, April. Trees and plants that were brown and bare just weeks ago burst with color and texture, each taking their place in the steady onward march of the season. Spring’s brief, blink-and-you'll-miss-it show reminds us to notice and savor each day.

An Historical Tidbit:

Thought to be derived from the Latin aperire (“to open”), April includes a number of seasonal celebrations. The origin of April Fool’s Day, celebrated on the first day of the month, remains a mystery, though a less popular theory suggests the holiday is related to Mother Nature “fooling” us with shifting and unpredictable weather during this time of year.

Alive in April:

A few seasonal aliveness offerings for this month:

In body:

• Find a quiet spot to listen to (or dance in) the rain. If it’s a passing shower, make sure to look for the rainbow.

• Take your regular workout or exercise routine outside or try something new like pickleball.

In nature:

• Head to the woods to look for edible spring treats like ramps or wild garlic.

• Peep returning migratory birds on a nature walk.

In community:

• Grab your favorite people, some portable snacks, and a blanket, and head to the park in honor of National Picnic Day (4/23).

• Celebrate Arbor Day (4/24) by planting a tree or mulching and cleaning up around the trees in your neighborhood.

In creativity:

• Pick wildflowers, press them in a book or flower press, and frame or use them in a creative art project.

• Go for a walk and try to find items in nature that match every color of the rainbow.

In home:

• Make a spring dessert, such as carrot cake or lemon bars.

• Spring clean just one thing in your home - mop the floors, wash the windows, clean out your closet - your choice!

Take what’s useful, leave the rest, and let this new month meet you where you are.

-Kristen

Connect with Rachael: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachael-casterlin/⁠

Takeaways:

• Burnout and stress aren’t the same thing. Stress has a natural recovery arc; burnout doesn’t. Rachael’s own experience, and her work with others, shows that recognizing the difference is what finally lets you hear the “burnout bus” coming before you get on.

• Presence is built in transitions, not retreats. A breath before your next meeting, five seconds before you walk out of your home office. These small pauses are where the practice actually lives.

• Your calendar reflects your values, whether you intend it to or not. Rachael encourages listeners to find one 15-minute block and protect it for something that reflects who they really are.

Connect with David: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidchestnut/⁠

Takeaways:

• AI readiness is about capability, not speed. The real risk isn’t that AI replaces people. It’s that organizations use it to move faster instead of using it to develop deeper expertise and better judgment.

• Expertise still requires effortful learning. If AI removes the “reps and sets” that build real skill, organizations risk creating a workforce that can produce outputs quickly but lacks the understanding needed to evaluate or improve them.

• The bottleneck in knowledge work is shifting to human judgment. As AI dramatically increases the speed of information processing and content generation, the most valuable human roles will increasingly center on discernment, accountability, and deciding what work is actually good enough to stand behind.

Connect with Hanne: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/hannekristiansen/⁠

Takeaways

• Creativity is often equated with artistic skills, but it encompasses much more.

• Awareness is crucial for understanding one’s own creativity and work style.

• The question should shift from ‘How creative are you?’ to ‘How are you creative?’.

• Holding labels lightly allows for greater flexibility in self-identity.

• Creative intelligence involves understanding one’s own preferences and those of others.

• Mindfulness and awareness are foundational to enhancing creativity.

• The interplay between routine and rhythm can lead to a more fulfilling work life.

• AI should be leveraged creatively rather than seen as a separate challenge.

• Understanding the ‘why’ behind actions is essential for meaningful engagement.

• Collaboration benefits from recognizing and utilizing diverse creative styles. Awareness is essential but must lead to action.

• Starting small in self-awareness can lead to curiosity about others.

• Creativity is a skill that can be developed over time.

• Human skills are crucial in the face of technological advancements.

• Soft skills should be rebranded as hard-hitting skills.

• Creativity is increasingly recognized as vital in various fields.

• Education systems need to incorporate creativity into their frameworks.

• Experiential learning is key to understanding creativity.

• The journey of learning creativity should be tailored to individual needs.

• Research is ongoing to understand barriers to accessing creative intelligence.

Chapters

00:00 The Rhythm of Work vs. Routine

06:22 Understanding Creativity and Awareness

12:55 The Importance of Labels and Identity

16:46 Creative Intelligence in the Age of AI

22:22 Questioning Assumptions and Creative Styles

32:04 The Interplay of Awareness and Action

35:05 Embracing Human Skills in the Age of Technology

38:58 Cognitive Flexibility and Creativity

43:07 The Role of Education in Fostering Creativity

57:01 Understanding Creative Intelligence

01:01:09 Research and Community Building for Creative Growth

Takeaways

• AI has matured and is now embedded in organizations.

• Leadership models are changing due to AI’s influence.

• Resilience and adaptability are crucial for modern leaders.

• Next-gen leaders face unique challenges with technology.

• Experiential learning significantly enhances retention and understanding.

• Behavioral change is more impactful than knowledge acquisition.

• Trust and integrity are essential in leadership today.

• Organizations must adapt to the changing workforce dynamics.

• Equine-assisted learning provides valuable insights into leadership.

• The future of leadership will focus on uniquely human skills.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Equine Assisted Leadership

03:01 The Intersection of Horses and Leadership

06:07 Transitioning from Engineering to Leadership Development

09:06 AI’s Role in Modern Leadership

11:58 The Unique Challenges of Next-Gen Leaders

14:52 Resilience and Adaptability in Leadership

17:59 The Perfect Storm of Change in Leadership

21:08 Behavioral Change vs. Knowledge Acquisition

23:57 Experiential Learning in Leadership Development

27:04 The Future of Leadership in an AI-Driven World

Connect with Britney: https://www.linkedin.com/in/britneyacole/

Takeaways

• AI can enhance human creativity rather than replace it.

• Discernment is crucial in deciding when to use AI.

• Authenticity in communication remains vital despite AI assistance.

• Organizations must adapt to the changing expectations of employees due to AI.

• The future of work will require a focus on uniquely human skills.

• Young people need guidance to redefine their value in the workplace.

• Leadership development should be an ongoing journey, not a one-time event.

• Self-agency is essential for individual contributors in their careers.

• Education systems must evolve to prepare students for an AI-driven world.

• The integration of AI in organizations requires careful consideration of accountability.

Chapters

00:00 Exploring Identity in the Age of AI

03:06 The Integration of AI and Human Creativity

06:01 Discernment and Judgment in AI Utilization

08:57 The Impact of AI on Work Expectations

11:58 The Future of Learning and Development

15:01 Authenticity and Human Connection in AI

18:03 Empowering the Next Generation of Workers

20:56 The Role of Leadership in a Changing Workforce

24:02 Navigating the Challenges of AI in Organizations

26:54 The Importance of Human Skills in the Workplace

30:05 Self-Agency and Personal Growth in Careers

33:03 The Future of Work and Education

35:57 Embracing the Messy Middle of Innovation

• Connect with Betsy: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/betsygardner22/⁠

• Order Betsy’s book “Human in the Room” (use code Alive10 for 10% discount from March 3-27): ⁠https://www.betsygardner.com/store/p/human-in-the-room⁠

• B Student podcast: ⁠https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOsTZD_zoKsvctm4ggdkelvfugZ70XaeU&si=4dps1RQ6FQ9-xFvZ⁠

Takeaways

• Soft skills training comprises only 10% of learning and development budgets.

• Leaders express frustration over people-related issues in their teams.

• Trust and relationship capital are essential for navigating business challenges.

• Young professionals often lack training in trust-building activities.

• The educational system has over-indexed on technical skills at the expense of soft skills.

• Mentorship is crucial for developing the next generation of leaders.

• Presence in the workplace can significantly impact professional relationships.

• AI is changing the landscape of work, necessitating a focus on human skills.

• Organizations must create a culture that values and develops soft skills.

• The crisis of trust in institutions affects workplace dynamics.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Olive and Betsy

02:45 The Importance of People Skills in Business

05:10 The Disconnect Between Spending and People Skills

11:22 Building Trust and Relationship Capital

15:09 The Three Pillars of Soft Skills

19:29 The Role of Presence in Professional Settings

23:30 Navigating Workplace Dynamics and Mentorship

30:38 The Human Element in Leadership

35:50 The Impact of AI on Human Skills

40:42 The Crisis of Trust in Modern Workplaces

A Seasonal Attunement:

Greetings, March. Daylight stretches a few minutes more each day, birds offer a tentative song, green shoots burst through the hard ground, and we begin to remember the bliss of the sun’s warmth upon our skin.

An Historical Tidbit:

March was originally the first month of the calendar year until the Romans added January and February as the first and second months around 450 BCE. So it’s no surprise, then, that the month that marks the return of the sun and the first days of spring is the one that actually feels like the beginning of a new year for many of us.

Alive in March:

A few seasonal aliveness offerings for this month:

In body:

• Go for a walk in the rain or put on some boots and go puddle jumping.

• Open the windows on a sunny day. Breathe the cool air and let it refresh your living space.

In nature:

• Take a spring hike or walk in the woods and look closely for early signs of life.

• Use a windy day to fly a kite at a local park.

• Take a photo each week of the same tree or hillside and watch how it changes throughout the month.

In community:

• Attend a maple syrup festival and learn about the time-honored art of syrup making.

• Visit a St. Patrick’s Day event or parade and take in the sights and sounds of bagpipes and Irish dancers.

In creativity:

• Use pinecones, peanut butter, and seeds (or other materials) to make a DIY bird feeder.

• Create a new dish using green seasonal ingredients like asparagus or artichokes.

• Sketch or paint your favorite early spring blooms like crocus or daffodils.

In home:

• Create an energizing spring playlist to serve as the soundtrack for your spring cleaning.

• Plant herbs or start seeds indoors for your spring garden.

Take what’s useful, leave the rest, and let this new month meet you where you are.

-Kristen

Connect with Luke: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/drmontuori/⁠

Follow Luke’s thought leadership: ⁠https://www.lumosinsight.co.uk/posts⁠

Takeaways

• Cognition is the transformation of information from one type to another.

• Embodied cognition suggests that the body plays a crucial role in cognitive processes.

• The future of work is tied to understanding new economies and cultural values.

• AI challenges traditional notions of cognition and embodiment.

• System zero represents a new layer of cognitive interaction with AI.

• Motivation and individuality will be key differentiators in the future economy.

• Designing for human-AI interaction requires understanding cognitive ergonomics.

• Cognition is not limited to the brain; it includes the body and environment.

• The ability to create and connect ideas will be essential skills.

• Curiosity and personal resonance drive exploration and learning.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Embodied Cognition

06:05 The Future of Work and Value

12:45 Understanding Embodied Cognition

18:00 Cognition Beyond the Brain

24:02 The Role of AI in Cognition

30:06 Human-AI Interaction and Design

36:01 Motivation and Individuality in the New Economy

42:05 Conclusion and Reflections

Connect with Aga: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/agnieszka-jacobs-ab030734/⁠

Learn about SQUARELY Copenhagen: ⁠https://www.squarely-copenhagen.com/⁠

Takeaways

• AI replaces human interactions, leading to a loss of humanity.

• The economy is shifting towards valuing human connection skills.

• Biophilic design incorporates nature into architecture for better well-being.

• Natural environments enhance cognitive performance and creativity.

• Workspaces should be designed to foster creativity and connection.

• Soft transitions in design can improve the work environment.

• Natural materials reduce toxins and enhance well-being.

• Corporate culture often prioritizes aesthetics over functionality.

• Measuring the impact of nature on creativity is essential.

• Organizations need to embrace innovative design principles.

Chapters

00:00 The Impact of AI on Human Communication

02:55 The Shift Towards Human Connection in Work

05:58 Understanding Biophilic Design

09:02 The Benefits of Nature on Human Wellbeing

11:56 Designing Workspaces for Creativity

14:58 The Role of Natural Elements in Office Design

18:05 Creating Functional and Inspiring Work Environments

20:52 The Future of Workspaces and Nature Integration

23:57 Measuring the Impact of Nature on Creativity

27:02 The Importance of Soft Transitions in Design

30:01 The Role of Sensory Experience in Design

33:04 Creating Spaces for Reflection and Introspection

35:57 The Need for Change in Office Design

39:02 The Challenge of Corporate Culture in Design

42:01 Innovative Approaches to Office Design

44:56 The Path Forward for Organizations

48:01 Conclusion and Future Collaborations

Connect with Christie:https://www.linkedin.com/in/christiedecarolis/

Christie’s website: https://christiedecarolis.journoportfolio.com/

Christie’s newsletter: https://teachingtech.substack.com/

Takeaways

• Learning is not just about content; it’s about experience and emotion.

• Emotional experiences in learning lead to better retention and understanding.

• Psychological safety is crucial for effective learning environments.

• AI can assist in content creation but cannot replace human insight in learning design.

• The shift to online learning has forced educators to rethink their teaching methods.

• Cohort-based learning can enhance emotional engagement and motivation.

• Personalized learning should be balanced with collaborative experiences.

• The learning ecosystem requires collaboration across different teams.

• Connection and community are essential for effective learning.

• Future learning design must prioritize emotional engagement.

Chapters

00:00 The Heart of Learning: An Introduction

03:00 Understanding Learning: Experience vs. Content

05:50 The Role of Emotion in Learning

08:52 The Importance of Psychological Safety

11:57 AI’s Impact on Learning and Content Creation

15:05 The Evolution of Learning in the Digital Age

17:56 Designing for Emotional Engagement in Learning

20:55 The Future of Learning: Personalization vs. Collaboration

24:09 Building a Learning Ecosystem

26:59 The Role of Connection in Learning

29:55 Looking Ahead: The Future of Learning Design

Connect with Derek: https://www.linkedin.com/in/derekmitchelluk/

Takeaways

• Derek emphasizes the importance of measuring ROI in Learning and Development (L&D).

• AI is transforming the landscape of L&D, making it essential to adapt measurement strategies.

• A background in behavioral science can enhance data analytics in L&D.

• Current frameworks for measuring learning outcomes are outdated and need modernization.

• Standardization of metrics is crucial for effective measurement in L&D.

• Learner confidence in a subject correlates strongly with actual performance outcomes.

• Barriers to applying learned skills must be identified to improve training effectiveness.

• Collaboration between L&D and other departments can enhance learning outcomes.

• Data-rich environments in organizations are underutilized for employee analytics.

• The future of L&D relies on integrating AI and data science with behavioral insights.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Learning and Development Analytics

02:59 The Intersection of AI and Learning Development

05:57 Derek’s Background and Experience in Data

08:50 Challenges in Measuring ROI in L&D

11:55 The Importance of Behavioral Science in Data

14:56 Current Trends and Future of L&D

17:47 Frameworks for Measuring Learning Outcomes

21:09 The Need for Standardization in L&D Metrics

24:02 The Role of AI in Learning and Development

27:02 Derek’s Growth Model for Measuring Learning

29:54 The Importance of Confidence in Learning Outcomes

32:47 Barriers to Applying Learning in the Workplace

35:54 The Need for Collaboration Across Teams

39:06 Final Thoughts on the Future of L&D

Connect with Susan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/susancaesar/

Takeaways

• The workspace design at Airbnb fosters community and creativity.

• AI can help reimagine human roles in organizations.

• Empowering individuals at the edge of organizations is crucial.

• Coaching plays a vital role in navigating AI’s impact on work.

• Ethical decision-making will be increasingly important with AI.

• The future of work emphasizes collaboration over knowledge work.

• Storytelling is essential for human connection.

• Organizations need to adapt to the changing landscape of work.

• Value exchange in work may shift back to bartering systems.

• The collective human experience is enriched by diverse voices.

Chapters

00:00 Redefining Workspaces: The Airbnb Experience

03:03 The Future of Work: Community, Creativity, and Collaboration

05:56 The Human Element in Organizations

08:54 AI as a Catalyst for Human Reconnection

11:50 Empowering People at the Edge of Organizations

14:47 The Role of Coaching in the Age of AI

18:04 Navigating Ethical Decision-Making with AI

20:52 The Shift from Knowledge Work to Collaboration

24:02 The Future of Work: Embracing Adaptability

27:02 The Importance of Storytelling in Human Connection

30:13 The Value Exchange: Rethinking Money and Work

32:59 The Collective Human Experience in the Age of AI

What does it mean to stay fully human in an increasingly abstract world?

As AI becomes embedded in nearly everything we do, that question becomes urgent. Not “how to use AI better” or “which tools to adopt.” The deeper question: What makes us feel truly alive? And how do we cultivate that as the ground shifts beneath our feet?

The Alive Conversations is our way of exploring this in real time - sitting down with researchers, practitioners, educators, and leaders who are grappling with these questions from different angles.

These first four conversations revealed something unexpected. Despite coming from completely different domains - psychology, AI training, cognitive science, learning and development - these guests kept circling back to similar truths.

Here’s what’s emerging.

The First Four Guests

These are the people who kicked off The Alive Conversations. Each brought a different lens to the same question:

Hile Rutledge - Organization development consultant with 25+ years helping people find their authentic truth through tools like Myers-Briggs and emotional intelligence assessments.

Steffi Kieffer - AI readiness trainer who runs workshops combining AI skills with nature immersion (breath work, ice bathing, trail running) in Munich. Host of the Insanely Human podcast.

Nick Kabrel - Doctoral researcher at University of Zurich studying cognitive maps and how people actually experience GenAI in the workplace.

Brittany Aubin - Learning and development expert with journalism background, focused on how digital technologies are literally changing our brains.

Five Things That Keep Showing Up

During these first four conversations, certain themes keep surfacing. Not identical takes - but complementary perspectives on the same underlying truth.

1st Insight. AI is forcing us to become MORE human, not less

This one is surprising at first but makes complete sense upon reflection. It is also very promising and inspiring, fingers crossed that this is how it plays out.

In most conversations I brought up MIT’s Sloan business school’s research showing that the economy is already shifting towards “uniquely human capabilities”, they term these capabilities EPOCH:

• Empathy/emotional intelligence

• Presence (specifically in developing human connection)

• Opinion (especially regarding moral and nuanced decision making)

• Creativity (and curiosity)

• Hope (and the ability to inspire, and paint visions of what’s possible)

Hile, who admits he avoids AI “like taking medicine,” put it starkly: “AI doesn’t have any core truth. AI just wants to steal from everything that’s out there and give me what I think I want. And that’s what I’ve been trying to convince my clients not to do for the last 25 years.”

Nick saw the flip side: “I feel that the world adjusted to my skills a bit more. It’s a more suitable place for what I can bring to this world.” The shift toward human skills favors people who’ve been working on the subjective, relational side all along.

2nd Insight. Easy isn’t always good

Brittany told me about trying to remember an Excel formula while using ChatGPT. The AI made it so frictionless that even after using the formula five times, she still couldn’t remember it. “Not everything that is easy is good,” she said.

Steffi echoed this through a different lens: ice swimming. “It’s uncomfortable every single day, but the reward is great.” Learning to be comfortable with discomfort is becoming the meta-skill.

3rd Insight. You can’t do this alone

Every single conversation came back to connection.

Steffi: “Never prompt alone” - her workshops emphasize collaborative learning over isolated AI use.

Nick: When studying workplace AI adoption, he found people felt MORE competent with AI, not less, because of that “second pair of eyes.” But the real growth came from talking to people with different perspectives.

Hile: His “four burner model” (work, family, self, friends) highlighted how modern life forces us to turn burners down - and male friendship in particular is suffering.

Brittany: “It would be amazing if some of the work we’re freeing up by not having to memorize Excel formulas can be focused on helping us all to be better at being human.”

4th Insight. Resistance might be wisdom (or a tiger)

Here’s what struck me most: Hile’s reluctance to embrace AI isn’t technophobia - it’s integrity.

He’s spent his career helping people find their authentic truth, not perform for others. AI’s fundamental purpose - to pattern-match and give you what you want - directly contradicts that mission.

Meanwhile, Steffi would say that resistance is often a “tiger response” - your brain seeing AI as an existential threat. Both might be right.

5th Insight. We’re dancing in the fog

Steffi had a metaphor that captures this moment perfectly: “It all looks very foggy to me. I’ve become friends with the fog... We’re not waiting by the sidelines for the fog to clear. It’s not going to happen anytime soon.” - we named the episode Learning to Dance in the Fog.

Nick talks about expanding mental maps into unknown territory. Brittany admits “we don’t fully know yet” what students need. Hile sees people struggling to turn burners back on that they’ve left off too long.

Nobody knows where this is going. The human move is to stay present and adapt. Dance in the fog, as Steffi would encourage us to do.

What’s Emerging

Four conversations. Four very different people. And yet they’re all circling the same truth:

AI isn’t the enemy of humanity. It’s the mirror that reveals what we’ve already lost - and the catalyst for reclaiming it.

The skills we need aren’t new. They’re old. Really old:

• Asking good questions (Brittany’s journalism training)

• Connecting authentically with others (Hile’s life’s work)

• Staying flexible and questioning your assumptions (Nick’s cognitive maps)

• Creating rather than consuming (Steffi’s workshops)

• Embracing productive struggle (all four)

We didn’t need AI to know these things mattered. We needed AI to make us feel how much we’d let them atrophy.

Where This Goes Next

These are just the first four conversations. Already, a pattern is emerging - but patterns need more data points to become clear.

The work of The Alive Institute is about more than understanding AI’s impact. It’s about reclaiming what makes us feel fully human in a world that’s increasingly abstract and disconnected from embodied experience. The Alive Conversations is one way we’re doing that - creating space for the people living in this tension to share what they’re learning.

Brittany reminded me: “Throughout the arc of human history, our trajectory has always been upward.”

Nick found that people using AI feel MORE competent, not less.

Steffi sees curious improvers everywhere, ready to experiment.

Hile knows people can show up Thursday doing something they weren’t doing Wednesday.

The question isn’t whether humans can adapt. We will.

The question is: Will we use this moment to become more fully human, or will we just become more efficient machines?

The answer won’t come from any one perspective. It’s emerging from the conversation itself.

And we’re just getting started.

-James

Working with The Alive Institute: I help individuals and organizations restore cognitive flexibility through workshops, training programs, and assessments grounded in peer-reviewed research.

Learn more at TheAlive.Institute

Email James@TheAlive.Institute for inquiries.

Note on AI collaboration: The Alive Letter explores how humans can stay fully human while learning to work with modern technology. In that same spirit, I collaborate with AI in the creation of these articles. As an industrial/organizational psychologist who studies human-AI collaboration, I carefully guide, refine, and evaluate AI outputs. At its best, this partnership helps me more clearly and authentically communicate my own thoughts and perspectives than I am able to alone.

Brittany shares a deceptively simple example: using ChatGPT to generate Excel formulas. She could get the answer instantly, but after copying and pasting it five times in one day, she still couldn’t remember it. When she forced herself to practice retrieval—actually trying to recall the formula—she finally retained it. The insight: friction isn’t a bug in learning, it’s a feature.

We discuss how AI is changing our relationship to knowledge acquisition, why “desirable difficulties” matter for retention, and emerging research showing reductions in critical thinking with generative AI use. Brittany reveals how her journalism background—asking good questions, tracking down the why, curating information—has become more relevant than ever in the AI age.

The conversation moves from individual learning to organizational implications: as the economy restructures around uniquely human skills, on-the-job learning becomes crucial. The question isn’t whether to create new digital content on emotional intelligence—it’s whether performance management systems can provide meaningful feedback on skills that suddenly matter more.

Throughout, Brittany emphasizes a pressing truth: AI will change students’ brains. That’s a given. But she remains bullish on humanity—hoping this transition gives us more time and space for what’s truly uniquely us.

Connect with Brittany Aubin: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/brittany-aubin/⁠

Takeaways

• Frictionless access to information through AI reduces retention and recall.

• Friction in learning is a feature, not a bug—it creates the difficulty that drives retention.

• Desirable difficulties and retrieval practice are essential for deep learning.

• Early research suggests AI use may reduce critical thinking skills.

• Journalism skills—asking good questions, curating information, tracking the why—are increasingly relevant.

• The economy is restructuring around uniquely human skills, not technical knowledge.

• On-the-job learning and performance feedback may become primary development mechanisms.

• Performance management systems need rubrics for human skills like adaptability and emotional intelligence.

• AI will change students’ brains—educators have a mandate to prepare them thoughtfully.

• Self-directed learning skills matter more as AI handles routine knowledge work.

• The hope: AI frees us to focus on what’s uniquely human.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Brittany Aubin and Learning in the AI Age

01:17 From Journalism to Learning and Development

04:19 The Excel Formula Problem: When Learning Becomes Frictionless

07:01 Friction as a Feature: Why Easy Access Reduces Retention

12:00 Desirable Difficulties and Retrieval Practice

18:00 Critical Thinking in the Age of AI

24:00 What Journalism Taught About Working with AI

30:00 The Closet Metaphor: What Knowledge Do We Actually Need?

36:00 From Knowledge Retention to Uniquely Human Skills

42:00 The Economy Restructuring Around Human Capabilities

45:00 On-the-Job Learning and Performance Management

47:48 What We Must Not Forget About Learning

49:54 Their Brains Will Change: The Educator’s Mandate

50:19 Bullish on Humanity: Hope for What’s Uniquely Us

Nick shares insights from his research on mental navigation, sparked by his own phenomenological experience in coaching where each new realization felt like “expansion of the mental territory” he could explore. We discuss how people naturally use spatial metaphors when describing their thinking, how cognitive rigidity can trap us in familiar corners of our mental maps, and why the ability to expand and flexibly navigate our conceptual space may be one of the most crucial skills for the AI age.

Nick reveals surprising findings from his current research on AI adoption—including that people often feel more competent when using AI tools, not less, because they have “a second pair of eyes” that validates their work. The conversation touches on why we resist questioning our own ideas, how interdisciplinary thinking expands our maps, and practical ways to challenge our mental models through AI-assisted reflection and human conversation.

Throughout, we explore how cognitive flexibility—the ability to navigate, expand, and reconstruct our mental maps—may be the foundational capacity underlying all uniquely human skills like creativity, connection, and adaptive thinking. As Nick observes, the shift toward uniquely human capabilities creates space for those who work on “the human stuff.”

Connect with Nick Kabrel: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-kabrel/

Link to Nick’s paper discussed in this episode: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/17456916251378430

Takeaways

• Cognitive maps represent how we navigate conceptual space in our minds.

• Every new idea or realization expands the mental territory we can explore.

• People naturally use spatial metaphors when describing their thinking and growth.

• Cognitive rigidity keeps us trapped in familiar areas of our mental maps.

• Cognitive flexibility may be the foundational capacity underlying all uniquely human skills.

• AI adoption research reveals people feel more competent with AI tools, not less.

• Using AI for critical reflection—not just content creation—expands mental flexibility.

• We have cognitive biases that prevent us from questioning our own ideas.

• Speaking our thoughts aloud helps us discover what’s already in our mental maps.

• Interdisciplinary thinking naturally broadens our conceptual space.

• The shift toward human skills makes the world more suitable for humanistic expertise.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Nick Kabrel and Cognitive Maps

03:13 Nick's Work at the Digital Society Initiative

05:15 The Holmes Quote: Minds Stretched by New Ideas

07:12 From Personal Experience to Scientific Framework

12:00 Mental Navigation and Expanding Conceptual Space

18:00 Cognitive Rigidity and Getting Stuck in Mental Corners

24:00 AI, Organizations, and the Change Management Challenge

30:00 How Conversation Expands Mental Territory

36:00 Multiple Perspectives and Map Limitations

42:00 Research on AI Adoption: Surprising Findings on Competence

45:00 Deeper Qualitative Research on GenAI at Work

48:25 The World Adjusting to Human Skills

49:35 Practical Tips: Using AI to Challenge Your Mental Models

51:54 Final Recommendations: Talk, Question, Expand

Your mind wanders. You know this.

You’re in a conversation and suddenly realize you’ve missed the last thirty seconds. You’re trying to fall asleep and the thoughts won’t stop. You sit down to be present with someone you love and your mind is already somewhere else—three days ahead, rehearsing a meeting that hasn’t happened yet.

You try to focus. The mind has other plans.

This isn’t occasional. Research suggests we spend nearly half our waking hours somewhere other than where we are. Lost in thought. Planning, rehashing, simulating, worrying. The mind doing its thing, whether we asked it to or not.

Here’s a question worth sitting with:

If your mind seems to do what it wants half the time—if you can’t always direct it, can’t always quiet it, can’t always be where you are—why do you identify so strongly with it?

We say “I think” as if we’re the one doing it. But often, if you watch closely, it feels more like thinking is happening to you. Thoughts arise. Spiral. Repeat. You didn’t choose to replay that awkward exchange from Tuesday for the fifteenth time. You didn’t decide to spend your shower mentally drafting emails. It just... happened.

And yet: we treat this mind as self. We fuse with it. “I am a strategic thinker.” “I’m an analytical person.” “I’m someone who lives in my head.”

What if that fusion is learned? What if it didn’t have to be this way?

There are cultures that relate to thinking very differently.

The most striking examples come from immediate-return societies—communities that still live close to how humans evolved for most of our 300,000-year history. Anthropologists studying these groups notice something consistent: thinking isn’t welded to identity the way it is for us. It’s held lightly. Picked up when useful. Set down when not.

These aren’t simple people living simple lives. They navigate complex social dynamics, track animals across vast landscapes, make high-stakes decisions with incomplete information. But they do it using thinking as one way of knowing among several.

They also draw on embodied knowing—intelligence that lives in the body, not just the head. Intuition sharpened through years of direct experience. An ability to read people and situations through sensory attunement rather than analysis. A felt sense of what a moment requires before any conscious reasoning kicks in.

Their physical environments and cultural perspectives cultivate this way of being. They don’t train “analytical skills” versus “soft skills”—they develop fluid, contextual intelligence that moves between modes based on what’s needed.

Here’s what’s interesting: these capacities—intuition, embodied cognition, situational awareness, presence, adaptive responsiveness—are exactly what researchers are now identifying as uniquely human capabilities for the age of AI.

The EPOCH framework from MIT’s Sloan School of Management, for example, emphasizes that as machines take over routine analytical tasks, human value will increasingly lie in these harder-to-automate capacities. The skills we’ll need most are the ones these cultures never lost.

We, obviously, don’t experience things this way.

For most of us, thinking isn’t a tool we pick up and set down. It’s the water we swim in. It’s running constantly, and we’re so immersed in it we don’t notice there’s anything else.

How did we get here?

The story is longer than most people realize—about ten thousand years long.

Before agriculture, humans lived in what anthropologists call immediate-return environments. You foraged, you ate. You hunted, you fed your family. Action and outcome were tightly linked. The present moment was where life happened, because that’s where feedback lived.

The Agricultural Revolution changed the temporal structure of human life. Suddenly survival depended on thinking about later. Planting now for harvest months away. Storing grain for next year’s scarcity. Managing land and livestock across seasons. The mind that could simulate the future—that could hold abstract plans and run mental scenarios—became essential for survival.

This was the first step up what I call the Ladder of Abstraction. Cognition shifted from present to future, from concrete to abstract.

The Industrial Revolution took another step. Work moved indoors, onto schedules, away from natural rhythms and embodied craft. The factory didn’t need your intuition or your felt sense of materials. It needed you to perform cognitive tasks reliably, repeatedly. The body became secondary. The analytical mind became primary.

Then came the Digital Revolution. Screens everywhere. Reality increasingly mediated through symbols, text, interfaces. We started spending most of our waking hours not in direct sensory contact with the world, but in abstract representation of it. Email. Documents. Spreadsheets. Feeds.

Each transition trained cognition further into abstraction and away from embodied, present-moment awareness. But something else shifted too—something more subtle.

It wasn’t just our thinking that changed. It was our relationship to thinking.

Somewhere along the way, we stopped using the analytical mind as a tool and started being it. Identity fused with cognition. “I think, therefore I am” stopped being philosophy and became lived experience. The observing awareness that can notice thoughts arising—that can hold thinking lightly and set it down—got buried under the constant stream.

We forgot there was ever an alternative.

This is almost completely overlooked in modern approaches to development and wellbeing.

Consider what we actually teach.

We teach people what to think—content, facts, frameworks. We teach them how to think—critical thinking, strategic thinking, systems thinking, design thinking. We offer productivity systems to organize thinking more efficiently, and meditation apps to quiet it down when it gets too loud.

But we almost never address the deeper question: how do you relate to thinking itself?

Is it a tool you use, or a current you’re swept up in? Can you engage it deliberately and set it down when it’s not needed? When you try to be present—really present—who or what is the thing that keeps pulling you back into analysis and simulation?

These questions aren’t asked. We’re only beginning to recognize the extent of the gap.

The fusion of identity with analytical cognition is so complete, so culturally reinforced, so invisible as the medium we swim in, that most people don’t know there’s anything to examine. They assume the constant thinking is consciousness. They assume the inability to be present is just a personal flaw to be managed. They’ve never been shown that their relationship to thinking is itself a learned pattern—one that differs dramatically across cultures and throughout human history.

The Perspective dimension of Ecological Aliveness Theory addresses exactly this.

Your cognitive flexibility isn’t just shaped by your physical environment (Place) or the structure of your work and activities (Pursuits). It’s shaped by something more fundamental: what you’ve been taught thinking is, how you’ve learned to relate to it, and whether you’ve ever been given permission to hold it differently.

What can you do about this?

Start with noticing.

Not fixing, not changing—just noticing. When your mind wanders without permission. When you try to be present and get pulled away. When you realize you’ve been lost in thought and don’t know for how long.

Notice the gap between who you think is running your mind and who actually seems to be in charge.

This isn’t a failure to correct. It’s information. You’re observing a relationship that was trained into you—by culture, by education, by ten thousand years of history—and you’re beginning to see it as a relationship rather than as simply “how things are.”

From there, you can experiment. Holding thinking more lightly. Recognizing it as one mode of knowing among several. Giving yourself permission to access other modes—embodied awareness, intuition, felt sense—without dismissing them as less rigorous or less real.

The capacities that will matter most in the age of AI aren’t skills to install from scratch. They’re natural human capacities that have been suppressed by a particular relationship to thinking. Change the relationship, and they can re-emerge.

This month’s Alive Paper—Ecological Aliveness Theory: Developing the Uniquely Human Capabilities for the Age of AI—explores all three dimensions in depth and offers frameworks for individuals and organizations ready to restore cognitive flexibility systematically.

You can access it here.

Who taught you how to think?

You probably had teachers, parents, mentors who shaped your analytical capabilities. You learned what to think about. You learned methods for thinking well.

But who taught you how to relate to thinking? How to use it without being used by it? How to hold it lightly, engage it deliberately, and set it down when presence is what’s needed?

Probably no one. That education doesn’t exist in most of the modern world.

It might be the most important education there is.

—James

Working with The Alive Institute: I help individuals and organizations restore cognitive flexibility through workshops, experiential programs, and assessments grounded in peer-reviewed research.

Learn more at TheAlive.Institute

Email James@TheAlive.Institute for inquiries.

Note on AI collaboration: The Alive Letter explores how humans can stay fully human while learning to work with modern technology. In that same spirit, I collaborate with AI in the creation of these articles. As an industrial/organizational psychologist who studies human-AI collaboration, I carefully guide, refine, and evaluate AI outputs. At its best, this partnership helps me more clearly and authentically communicate my own thoughts and perspectives than I am able to alone.

Steffi shares her observation that our brains often perceive AI as a threat to our identity and competence—”like a tiger”—triggering defensive responses that block learning before it can begin. Her approach? Give people vocabulary for their emotions, create psychological safety, and design small “magic moments” where skeptics discover unexpected capabilities.

We discuss her unique combination of nature immersion with AI skill-building, the neuroscience of why deliberate pauses and embodied practices enhance learning, and her transformative experience building a “second brain” with Claude Code and Obsidian. The conversation touches on cognitive ecology, 4E cognition, and why “you never prompt alone.”

Throughout, Steffi returns to her compass: creation over consumption, connection over isolation, and learning to dance in the fog rather than waiting for it to clear.

Connect with Steffi: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steffikieffer/

Takeaways

• AI readiness requires understanding uniquely human capabilities.

• Workshops should focus on human interaction rather than just AI skills.

• Emotional responses to AI can be defense mechanisms.

• Nature immersion enhances learning and creativity.

• Creating a “second brain” with AI can streamline productivity.

• It’s essential to embrace discomfort in the face of uncertainty.

• Creation over consumption fosters a positive mindset.

• Cognitive ecology supports better learning environments.

• Human connection is vital in navigating AI’s impact.

• Creativity will be a key skill for the future.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to AI Readiness and Human Capabilities

03:14 Workshops and Human Interaction with AI

05:48 Emotional Responses to AI and Defense Mechanisms

09:02 The Role of Human Skills in AI Adoption

12:03 Nature Immersion and AI Skills Training

15:12 Cognitive Flexibility and Learning in Natural Environments

17:57 The Science of Nature and Creativity

21:06 Breathing Techniques and Cognitive Ecology

23:49 Transformative Learning Experiences with AI

27:13 Future Interactions with AI and Personal Insights

30:16 Community Engagement and Workshops

33:03 Navigating Claude Code: User Experience

37:02 Building a Second Brain with AI

43:06 Creativity and Systems Thinking

49:01 Cognitive Ecology and Feedback Loops

52:02 Embracing Uncertainty and Creativity

You know this feeling.

You’re trying to be present—with your partner, your kids, your friend—and your mind keeps leaving. To the email you haven’t sent, to the meeting next week, to the project you’re worried won’t work.

You tell yourself to focus. The thoughts keep coming.

We’ve been told this is normal. The “monkey mind”, as meditation teachers sometimes call it. It’s just the default mode of human cognition. Something we should strive to overcome.

But what if your mind isn’t broken?

What if it’s doing exactly what it evolved to do—just in an environment it was never designed for?

The Mind That Tracks

Your mind evolved to track unfinished business. Psychologist Bluma Zeigarnik discovered this a century ago: incomplete tasks create cognitive tension that persists until resolution. The mind holds them active, keeps returning, won’t let go.

This is useful. If you’re tracking prey, you shouldn’t forget about it. If you started building shelter, your mind should nudge you to finish before dark.

The system works when tasks actually end. Chase, catch, done. Build, complete, done. Loop closes. Mind releases. Resources free up.

Now consider modern life.

When did you last feel genuinely done? Not “done for now” or “done enough” or “done pending more information.” Actually complete. Loop closed. Mind released.

We carry financial goals with no clear endpoint. Health goals that shift as we age. Parenting goals we won’t know the outcome of for decades. Home maintenance that never finishes. An endless stream of decisions about things our ancestors never had to decide—what to eat, what to watch, which of forty-seven options to choose.

The loops stay open. The mind keeps tracking.

For knowledge workers, this intensifies. Work goals stretch across quarters and years. Completion criteria blur—when exactly is a strategy “done”? Feedback arrives late or never, often disconnected from the effort that produced it. You carry dozens of professional open loops on top of all the personal ones, each pulling at attention, each demanding cognitive resources that never get freed.

Your mind does what it evolved to do. It keeps tracking. It keeps returning. It keeps trying to close loops that won’t close.

And we feel it. And we think its normal.

The Mind That Compensates

When the environment doesn’t provide feedback, the mind simulates it.

Researcher and professor Leonard Martin calls this I-D Compensation. We evolved in immediate-return environments where effort produced visible results within hours. Delayed-return environments provide no such clarity. So the mind compensates—simulating outcomes, rehearsing scenarios, speculating endlessly about what might happen.

That mental chatter isn’t noise. It’s your cognitive system compensating for the feedback signals your environment cannot provide.

You can see this in the research. A 2024 study tracked procrastination and mind-wandering over four months. Procrastination—leaving tasks open, unresolved—predicted future mind-wandering. But mind-wandering didn't predict procrastination. The structure creates the symptom, not the reverse. Deny the mind closure, and it starts simulating.

But there's a clue. Simply making a concrete plan for when and how you'll complete a task quiets some of the simulation—even though the task remains undone. Not full closure, but enough signal that the loop will eventually close.

It’s not asking for much. Just clarity. Just some signal that the loop will eventually close.

The Hunt Reversed

Many people experience it strongly on Sunday evenings.

The weekend is technically still here. But their mind has already left, scanning the week ahead, sorting priorities, rehearsing conversations that haven’t happened yet. Their partner is talking. They are nodding along, but they’re not really there.

This is what it feels like when the chase reverses. You started out pursuing goals. Now they pursue you. They occupy your evenings, your weekends, your time with people you love.

We’ve become so habituated to this state that we mistake it for baseline—the default condition of the human mind. But it’s not. It’s compensation. Adaptation to an environment the mind was never designed for.

And it costs us something essential.

Not just productivity. The very capacity to be here. To connect with another person without part of your mind tracking the open loops. To access the embodied intuition that only emerges when the analytical mind quiets. To feel fully alive rather than perpetually elsewhere.

Cognitive flexibility—the ability to shift between abstract thinking and concrete presence—is emerging as a core human capability. One of the things that make us uniquely human, something that AI can’t replicate. The thing that makes creativity and genuine human to human connection possible.

Modern environments, especially modern work environments, suppress it systematically.

What the Mind Actually Needs

The good news is structural.

Your mind is already being shaped by your environment—the delayed-return structure of modern work is already training your cognition. This is the water you swim in.

But that means the lever is accessible. Give your mind what it needs—clarity, feedback, closure—and the compensatory simulation quiets. Not through willpower. Through slight environmental adjustments.

I’ve started practicing what I call “one and done” thinking. When my mind returns to the same topic repeatedly—the same worry, the same decision, the same unresolved thread—I stop. I either address it fully then and there, taking the time needed to do so, or I plan and schedule (actually write it down, schedule time, as if it was an important appointment) time to do it later. Make a decision or make a plan and write it down. Then the mind can say to itself “we’ve handled this. No need to keep tracking.”

This kind of “cognitive offloading” is simple but it really works. Write things down. Make concrete plans. Begin to harness the power of your mind’s ability to simulate so you can use it when you want to, on your terms.

Also, create closure where you can. Not just to-do lists—done lists. Actively marking completion. Your mind is seeking that signal. Give it.

And find pursuits that actually end. There’s a reason hobbies tend toward immediate feedback: golf, cooking, woodworking, puzzles, even video games. Effort, feedback, completion, release. This isn’t escapism. It’s restoration. Your mind briefly gets what it was designed for.

The Pursuits Dimension

This is what Ecological Aliveness Theory calls the Pursuits dimension: the structure of what we do and whether it gives the mind what it needs.

Last week we discussed the Place dimension. Place shapes our cognition through the physical environment. Embed nature where you can, become attuned to how different environments shift your cognitive states.

Pursuits shape us through task feedback and closure—whether our activities resolve or remain perpetually open.

The uniquely human capabilities that matter most now—creativity, adaptability, presence, connection—all require cognitive flexibility. And cognitive flexibility requires a mind that isn’t constantly compensating for missing feedback, endlessly simulating closure it never receives.

We don’t have to live in the state we’ve mistaken for normal.

Our goals don’t have to constantly chase us.

Small structural changes—clarity, feedback, closure—restore access to what was never lost. Just buried. Under all the open loops we’ve been carrying.

If this resonated with you, send me an email to learn more: james@thealive.institute

Next week we learn about how cultural narratives and norms, what we call cultural Perspective, shapes our cognition. And how we can leverage it.

-James

Working with The Alive Institute: I help individuals and organizations restore cognitive flexibility through workshops, training programs, and assessments grounded in peer-reviewed research.

Learn more at TheAlive.Institute

Email James@TheAlive.Institute for inquiries.

Note on AI collaboration: The Alive Letter explores how humans can stay fully human while learning to work with modern technology. In that same spirit, I collaborate with AI in the creation of these articles. As an industrial/organizational psychologist who studies human-AI collaboration, I carefully guide, refine, and evaluate AI outputs. At its best, this partnership helps me more clearly and authentically communicate my own thoughts and perspectives than I am able to alone.

We discuss the importance of self-awareness, emotional intelligence, and interpersonal relationships in a world increasingly influenced by technology. Hile emphasizes the need for individuals to connect with their core values and motivations, while also recognizing the role of AI as a tool rather than a replacement for human interaction. The discussion highlights the significance of nurturing relationships and the challenges of maintaining balance in various aspects of life.

Connect with Hile Rutledge: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hile-rutledge-644a291/

Takeaways

• AI is reshaping the conversation around uniquely human skills.

• The objective vs. subjective mindset is crucial in understanding human behavior.

• Self-awareness is foundational for personal and professional growth.

• Emotional intelligence can be developed like a muscle.

• Human connection is essential for innovation and problem-solving.

• The four burners metaphor illustrates the balance needed in life.

• AI should be a tool to enhance human capabilities, not replace them.

• Understanding personal values can lead to greater fulfillment.

• Leaders must cultivate emotional intelligence to be effective.

• The future will require a deeper understanding of what it means to be human.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to AI and Human Skills

02:59 The Objective vs. Subjective Mindset

06:11 The Role of AI in Self-Discovery

09:03 Understanding Human Values and Motivations

12:07 The Importance of Self-Awareness

14:57 Emotional Intelligence in Leadership

17:48 Developing Emotional Intelligence Skills

21:01 The Need for Human Connection

23:47 Navigating Relationships in a Tech-Driven World

27:08 The Four Burners of Life

29:57 Looking Ahead to 2026 and Beyond