I have something very big to share with you: Today, Make Sense hits 50 episodes!
In my 40 years of living, I never thought I could execute consistently over the long run. If you asked me to do a 30-day fitness challenge, I’d miss a day within the first five. Indeed, I have a 6-month arm workout I started in 2022 that I’m still working through.
As a reminder, Make Sense is a video-first podcast that simplifies complex issues at the intersection of tech & people. My goal is to keep the topics relevant and the conversation interactive to empower you to make better decisions about how you use technology and improve your problem-solving so the human experience is future-proof for all of us.
The Journey to Reaching 50 Podcast Episodes
The seed for Make Sense was planted in late 2019 but carving out the time to launch it back then didn’t make sense with my business plan. Five years ago, I thought “If I’m going to create content, it needs to sell Labs* and LearnProductMarketFit.com.”
While I had fun creating almost 200 videos answering common startup and founder questions on YouTube, there was always a small yen to discuss the systems-level implications of technology. From my vantage, the common mistakes among founders and innovators at the project level weren’t having a compounding effect on solving the most complex problems at a global scale.
Early Challenges to Getting Started
It wasn’t until the start of 2023 that launching Make Sense made sense for me and my work. Yet, I had some personal challenges to overcome.
The biggest challenge? Getting out of my own way.
I noticed in January and February that I was hesitating. The first signs that I had some fears to overcome were feeling confused as I shaped the show’s topic and intent, figuring out how to invite people, and worrying that they may say no (and I’d feel rejected).
I held back in fear even though Make Sense is part of my vision for myself and life.
While I was growing aware of these bubbling fears, my friend and executive coach Arielle Shnaidman and I began talking about how she views entrepreneurship as a “personal quest.” A light bulb went off: For the first episode, Arielle and I would talk about this concept and I’d invite her to coach me past my fears. When you’re facing something scary, sharing it with a close confidant is a way to assuage your inner turmoil.
That segment became part of the top clips from Make Sense’s first 30 episodes, and I believe it’s why Arielle’s episode has the highest number of listeners; also it has been up the longest 😉
Simple Technology Lessons Learned from 50 Episodes
- When it comes to using AI across industries, the technology still needs a human chaperone
- In discussing the fear that “AI will take our jobs,” we grossly undervalue ourselves and misunderstand the technology
- No one is saying much about the metaverse anymore because (surprise!) virtual reality still has yet to find a use case that requires mass adoption
- Many tech-enabled predictions that “experts” make are incredibly disconnected from the reality of what technology can support
- The education system and EdTech are going through a massive reckoning, but change will still be slow
- Crypto is struggling with mass adoption, the outcomes of the FTX trial didn’t help, and the amount of electricity it eats from our power grid is keeping us from addressing other problems
- Venture Capitalists will never stop hunting “unicorns” even during an economic downturn
- Hybrid work is certainly here to stay, and the technologies needed to enable the future of work will grow
- AI and other Health Tech innovations are a long way from replacing our doctors because, particularly in the US, of regulations, insurance, and hospitals’ slowness to adopt
- The conversation about mental health will continue to grow and be normalized but modern technologies, particularly social media, are part of the problem
Looking Ahead: The Future of Make Sense
The goal for 2024 is to publish another 40 episodes. We are still building out our line-up and accepting suggestions via the form at the bottom of this page.
In Q2, we already have conversations lined up to cover Health IT, mental health in children, resilient and conscious entrepreneurship, design thinking and data, and the employee experience of the future.
The topic of enterprise software (the tools most you use at work) will continue to be a recurring theme as I believe its ineffectiveness both drives macro, and system-level problems, and the micro, daily frustrations most employees have with their jobs.
Have you listened to Make Sense?
I know your time is valuable so I am grateful for every minute you spend watching or listening. We’ve started hearing from a few listeners, but I would love to hear from more of you. Send me a message at hi at lindsayt dot com.
Celebrate 50 Episodes with Us!
As Make Sense is still in its infancy, every little bit of support you can provide goes a long way.
- Follow on Apple Podcasts
- Follow on Spotify
- Follow on YouTube
BONUS POINTS: Knock my socks off by leaving a review on Apple!
New to Make Sense?
Get Caught Up with the Top 10 Clips from Make Sense’s First Year
Make Sense is a video-first podcast dedicated to simplifying complex issues at the intersection of people and technology. There are many!
Access our Top 10 Clips from the first 30 episodes and get caught up with the latest tech predictions, headlines, and discussion points via accessible and easy-to-understand discussions with innovators across climate, HR, finance, connectivity, and healthcare.
Continue to be the smartest person in the room with this mobile-friendly list:
