Just Press Record: Hal Hershfield And Julia Carreon

Julia Carreon’s an industry futurist of sorts who I’ve been reading for years. She’s made a career out of helping people and institutions think forward in time, so naturally, I’ve been curious about how she thinks about looking backwards in time too.

Hal Hershfield’s an applied behavioral psychologist I can say a version of the same thing about. His “future self” work (and excellent book!) is all about how hard it is to connect emotionally with ourselves out of time, especially on a forward-looking basis.

I had hoped by getting Julia and Hal together we might uncover some new thoughts about empathetically time-traveling across our lives while still being present.

But what I got…

We change, the world around us changes, and everybody in that world changes. A lot. A lot, a lot.

Hal talked about becoming a parent, about how a metaphorical question about becoming a vampire he’d heard at a conference in Iceland has long stuck with him. Then, later, he relates how creating art has evolved, as the tools and mediums by which we consume art have evolved, so a show like Bluey could have an episode half about playing pretend and being sad for kids, and half about the silent pain of a miscarriage, expressed via subtle gesture, just for the parents watching along with their kids. Yeah.

Julia talked about her own life and career progression, how up and into her 40s it was all about more power and more influence at work, and now, in her early 50s, she wishes she could tell her prior self just how far those feelings would shift. How she, as a parent herself, is in awe of who her kids are becoming at each life stage, and baffled (in the good ways) by who she’s becoming and has become all along the line in that context. You have to hear her talk about the things she’s just walked away from, the battles she’s chosen to fight and let fight without her, and the focus she has on what matters. Double yeah.

And maybe the most profound thought from this recording, the one I’ve been thinking about for weeks: why it’s ok to have a series of what you understand as frustrating missteps, no matter how painful in the moment, so long as you use them to keep finding your footing and directional orientation. Taking the steps is what counts. Imagining them, emotionally, is a part of the process, but actually taking them is everything.

Julia shares the personal story of her own recent career changes and how she realized roles she would have previously thought she’d kill for, weren’t for her, and how she’s flexing the confidence muscle to be bold she’s been training for years in all new ways.

The future is uncertain, it’s up to us to shine a light onto it, to brighten it up.

Thanks to Julia and Hal for the time, I can’t wait for you to hear this and let us know what you think.