Models to Learn From: IETF and Ostrom

In this powerful second installment of Big Picture Mind, Robb Smith presents a sweeping yet grounded vision for the future of the integrative worldview — one that meets the historic demands of our moment and invites each of us into a shared project of planetary coherence. We are living amidst a multi-system breakdown: geopolitical instability, techno-economic upheaval, ecological overshoot, a crisis of meaning, and the disintegration of shared epistemic ground. In the face of this metacrisis, Robb argues that a new era is dawning — the Transformation Age — and with it, the emergence of a post-postmodern, integrative worldview capable of offering wholeness, meaning, and emancipatory power. But this worldview, while rich in insight and spiritual depth, remains fragmented, fringe, and institutionally underdeveloped. In this episode, Robb outlines a bold grand strategy to help the integrative movement grow into its world-historical responsibility. Drawing on insights from sociology, systems theory, and metatheory, he offers a call to action: it's time for a stage-three reintegration — a shift from the pluralistic differentiation of the last decade to a more coherent and collaborative movement, organized through a network-based logic. You’ll hear Robb introduce: - The 7 strategic vectors of the integrative movement’s evolution — including storytelling, tool-building, attention economics, and network coherence - The need to shift from isolated genius and fragmented silos into a self-organizing worldview network - Why leadership is our scarcest resource — and what kinds of leadership we now require - A systems-level understanding of how civilizational reorganization occurs through worldview emergence - The beginnings of a global collaboration protocol designed to align the many “nodes” of the meta-movement into shared strategic action Joined by voices across the integrative landscape, this conversation moves beyond theory into praxis, exploring how integrative ideas can be translated into real-world transformation — in culture, politics, education, governance, and beyond. Whether you're a long-time integral practitioner, a nodal leader in the liminal web, or someone newly drawn to the integrative vision, this episode invites you into a conversation about how we might truly rise to meet the transformation age — together.