It might not come as a surprise that we love bold ideas, fresh perspectives and alternative thinking here at Thinking Ahead. Our team recommend what’s on their current shelf from what they’re watching, reading or listening to.
Roger, Co-founder
Co-Intelligence: Living and Working with AI | by Ethan Mollock. This explores how to collaborate with AI tools in daily work and life. Treat AI Like a person (with relevant skills and limits). Read Roger’s full holiday time reading list.
Anastassia, Research
Speak, Memory | by Vladimir Nabokov. It’s a memoir unlike any other—elegant, poetic and deeply introspective. Nabokov revisits his early life in pre-revolutionary Russia, his family’s exile, and his development as a writer, all through the lens of memory.
Louisa, Communications & Engagement
Educated by Tara Westover. Born to a father opposed to public education, Tara didn’t step foot in a classroom until the age of 17. This powerful memoir follows Tara’s life, from early life in a Mormon family in rural Idaho to earning a PhD from Cambridge University.
Emilia, Membership
The Feud on Channel 5. A fast past-paced thriller about a couple who decide to do a kitchen extension after living on the street for several years only to find out relationships between the neighbours are not all as they seem.
Hari, Research and Delivery
The Great Derangement (2016) | by Amitav Ghosh. One of the earliest and rare literary works of its kind, the book lifts climate science out of charts and IPCC reports and asks why serious literary fiction has largely failed to engage with climate change.
Tim, Co-founder
The Great Simplification podcast | Nate Hagens. Long-form interviews with fascinating guests, exploring ‘the human predicament’ of balancing energy use, economic growth and planetary boundaries. If you don’t have a dog, you may need to get one as there is >400 hours of high-class material here.
Andrea, Research
The Psychological Drivers of the Metacrisis (podcast). I’m not a podcast fan, but this episode features three panellists who each have their own excellent series of videos and podcasts.
Jess, Research
The Terminator(s). In a time when artificial intelligence is moving so fast, I wanted to put the Terminator series out there for anyone thinking about AI and its place in our lives, questions of human agency, ethics and how we shape the tools we build.
Jodie, Events
Ted Lasso. The series is about an optimistic American football coach who’s hired to manage a struggling English football team, despite knowing nothing about the sport. It’s a heartwarming, funny show that’s about kindness, growth and connection, which is exactly why I like it.
Marisa Hall, Head of Thinking Ahead
No Exit – a 1 act play by French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre. It always reminds me to not be trapped by the limitations put on you by others. To truly be creative you have to keep on challenging yourself and be willing to disrupt.
Selected insights for you
Our latest top five insights:
Off-the-record interview with our co-founders Roger Urwin and Tim Hodgson
Thinking Ahead Institute at 10: Leadership Spotlight with Marisa Hall
Are tipping points and systemic risk related? And, if yes, how? By Tim Hodgson
Investing for Tomorrow podcast: AI and tokenisation shaping the future of investment and private markets
Suggested pages
Marisa Hall
Roger Urwin
Jessica Gao
Tim Hodgson
Jodie Forster
Andrea Caloisi
Anastasia Johnson
Emilia Atwood