Leading Through Chaos With Futurist Thinking with Wendy White
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What if you could spot disruption weeks before it hits and turn it into momentum? That question drives our conversation with Wendy White, co-founder and CEO of Continuum Consulting Services, whose 30-year path runs from ropes courses and catamarans to culture design, change management, and multi-sector collaboration. We unpack how a single signal from a pharma client led her team to scenario-plan early for COVID, pivot their services online, and meet clients where they were—proving that curiosity, speed, and small reversible bets can outpace chaos.
We open up the toolbox leaders need right now: a futurist’s habit of scanning the horizon, practical routines for identifying weak signals, and 90-day strategic cycles that keep vision steady while tactics flex. Wendy explains why diversification across industries cushions shocks, how risk tolerance separates founders from spectators, and what it takes to build teams that bring energy without burning out. Instead of chasing balance, she champions integration—protecting health, pursuing inspiration beyond work, and using “geographical resets” to refresh perspective and creativity.
We also dive into Crossroads Collaboratories, Continuum’s live, transformational gatherings designed to tackle “gnarly” challenges like climate resilience and the future of healthcare. By convening scientists, youth leaders, Indigenous voices, and change-makers, these sessions move beyond doom narratives to shared action. Alongside this is Let’s Choose Love, a nonprofit funding grassroots projects with coaching support, turning business into a vehicle for community impact. If you’re navigating uncertainty, rethinking planning, or searching for a more human way to lead, this conversation offers a clear, proven path forward.
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Guest contact info:
www.continuumcs.com - Continuum Consulting Services
Thanks for Listening. You may contact me or our team at https://billgilliland.biz/
All the best!
Bill
Thanks for listening. Please hit the subscribe button, leave us a 5 star review, and share this podcast. You can reach me at [email protected] or at https://billgilliland.biz/
All the best!
Bill
Chapters
1. Leading Through Chaos With Futurist Thinking with Wendy White (00:00:00)
2. Meet Wendy White And Continuum (00:01:10)
3. Lessons From 30 Years In Consulting (00:02:43)
4. Adapting From Retreats To Systems Change (00:04:13)
5. Leading In A Polycrisis World (00:06:42)
6. How To Scan The Horizon (00:08:55)
7. Case Study: Reading Early COVID Signals (00:11:06)
8. Virtual Pivot And Opportunity Spotting (00:14:39)
9. Risk, Resilience, And Misconceptions (00:16:52)
10. Growth Through Diversification (00:18:57)
11. Integration Over Work Life Balance (00:20:52)
12. EPIC Framework: Energy And Education (00:22:42)
13. Planning In 90-Day Cycles (00:24:47)
14. Finding Inspiration Beyond Work (00:26:36)
15. Commitment, Intuition, And Follow-Through (00:28:34)
16. Crossroads Collaboratories And Retreats (00:30:34)
17. Multi-Sector Solutions For Climate (00:33:35)
233 episodes