July 1, 2026 / Leave a Comment
What if the systems collapsing all around us aren’t the end of something — but the rare, unconstrained chance to build something far better? That’s not wishful thinking for Trista Harris. It’s a methodology.
In this episode, Marcy sits down with Trista Harris, philanthropic futurist, founder of Future Good wearefuturegood.com), and author of Future Good (Amazon, Bookshop) , to talk about what it actually means to study the future for a living — and why she’s “radically, unreasonably optimistic” that we’re only five years from utopia. From the 2008 crisis that turned her into a futurist, to the scrappy reality of self- and hybrid-publishing, to a clear-eyed take on AI, system collapse, and what it means to stay human in a moment of exponential change, this is a conversation about building the future on purpose instead of bracing for the one we think we’ll be left with.
Meet Trista Harris
Trista Harris is a philanthropic futurist and the founder of Future Good, a consulting firm that helps foundations and nonprofits look 30 to 50 years into the future, decide what they want it to look like, and work backward into the present to build the path to get there. Trained in scenario planning at Oxford and by the Institute for the Future and Singularity University, she became a futurist after the 2008 financial crisis nearly shuttered the Minnesota social justice foundation she had just stepped in to lead — and discovered the same foresight tools used to give businesses an edge could help nonprofits radically reimagine their communities.
She is the author of Future Good and co-author of How to Become a Nonprofit Rock Star. Originally based in the Twin Cities, Trista now lives in Los Angeles.
About Future Good
Future Good is a how-to guide for anyone in the social sector who wants to stop reacting to the future and start shaping it. Rather than forecasting — projecting demographics and trends forward — Trista teaches backcasting: radically imagining the future you want, then working backward to figure out what current work moves you toward it and what’s well-intentioned but misaligned. The book demystifies futurism, handing readers a practical toolkit (yes, including the famous “future of” Google Alert trick) so that the person closest to the work — not a consultant flown in for the day — becomes the one who can see what’s next.
Originally published in 2018 through Minneapolis hybrid publisher Wise Ink, Future Good is getting a new edition in the coming months. Trista offers a free ebook copy to anyone who signs up at wearefuturegood.com.
In This Episode
Marcy and Trista cover a lot of ground — here’s what you’ll hear:
On what a futurist actually does — Why a futurist is someone who pays attention to signals in the present that show you what’s coming, and why most people in the social sector already are futurists, whether they call it that or not.
On the 2008 origin story — How a foundation losing nearly half its endowment overnight led Trista to futurism — and how the grantees she taught went on to ten legislative wins in eighteen months, including marriage equity in Minnesota.
On backcasting vs. forecasting — Why “future of climate” will wreck your Google Alerts, and how imagining a positive future changes the information you let in.
On making a book — The unvarnished reality of self-publishing (designing covers, hunting down Library of Congress numbers) versus working with a hybrid publisher, and why a developmental edit turned five frustrating years of writing into the how-to she actually wanted.
On the new edition — What’s getting cut the second time around, including one tech-mogul name Trista refuses to print again.
On “five years from utopia” — Why collapsing systems are a once-in-a-generation opening to rebuild unconstrained — and the delicate work of making sure the collapse doesn’t fall on top of us.
On AI and being human — Why “no” isn’t an answer, what AI super-teams could mean for an understaffed social sector, and the case for a future where people work 10–20 hours a week and get paid for full-time.
On data centers and dreaming better — Environmental justice, who-benefits-from-your-anger, and why “you don’t have to do it in an evil way” might be the most useful framing in the whole conversation.
On rest as a survival skill — Encouraging boredom, building in breaks before you “die at the desk,” and why human connection is core infrastructure for exponential times.
Shownotes
The Book
- Future Good — Trista Harris (Wise Ink, 2018; new edition forthcoming). Free ebook at wearefuturegood.com (Amazon, Bookshop)
- How to Become a Nonprofit Rock Star — Trista Harris and Rosetta Thurman (Amazon, Bookshop)
People and Organizations Mentioned
- Future Good — Trista’s consulting firm
- Wise Ink — Minneapolis-based hybrid publisher of Future Good
- Institute for the Future — where Trista trained as a futurist
Other Books Mentioned
- Rest Is Resistance — Tricia Hersey (Amazon, Bookshop)
- How We Show Up — Mia Birdsong (Amazon, Bookshop)
- The 12 Week Year — Brian P. Moran & Michael Lennington (Amazon, Bookshop)
Resources
- wearefuturegood.com — free ebook, plus details on Future Good’s consulting, strategic planning, and Future Good Studio
Listen Now
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