Falling in Love with the Future - with author, musician, podcaster and futurenaut, Rob Hopkins

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Jun 18, 2025

This week’s guest is Rob Hopkins, a renowned author, musician, and co-founder of the Transition Network. He shares captivating insights from his upcoming book that dives into historical movements embracing future visions for social change. Rob discusses the empowerment of radical imagination in envisioning a flourishing future and critiques climate complacency. He emphasizes the transformative power of storytelling and community in combating global challenges while encouraging listeners to build a hopeful world together.

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ANECDOTE

Time Traveler Speech Sparks Book

Rob Hopkins performed a time traveler speech imagining a successful 2030 future.
Audience reacted emotionally with tears, sparking the inspiration for his book.

INSIGHT

Future Imagination Uses Memory

Imagining the future uses the same brain processes as remembering the past.
Our 'memory cupboards' must be filled with positive future images to foster imagination.

ADVICE

Create Multi-Sensory Future Memories

Use multi-sensory exercises to create vivid memories of the future.
Include sights, sounds, and smells to embed emotional connection to desired futures.

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Our guest this week, Rob Hopkins, is a towering figure in the world of regenerative change. Co-founder of Transition Network and of Transition Town Totnes, he is host of the podcast 'From What if to What Next', stars in the groundbreaking French film 'Demain', speaks at TED Global and TEDx events and most recently, has created a collaborative music project with artist Mr Kit, ‘Field Recordings from the Future‘ which will be released on 17th of May 2025, alongside his new book,‘How to Fall in Love with the Future’.

With the subtitle, 'A Time Traveller's Guide to Changing the World', this book does what it says on the tin - it offers a radical, moving, deeply inspiring dive into the people and movements throughout history who have used visions of the future to inspire positive change on a large and dramatic scale. From the life and writings of musician Sun Ra and the history of Black utopian movements to the latest neuroscience on what goes on in our minds—and hearts—when we travel through time, Rob brings essential new thinking to anyone overwhelmed with dread and anxiety for the future. He asks us to consider: what would the world look like if we all got to work imagining—and then building—a world we were deeply in love with?

So this is our invitation to you: Listen to Rob now, then read his book, then explore what a genuinely flourishing future would feel like for you. And then together, let's make this happen.

Rob's website https://www.robhopkins.net/
Rob's book on Hive Books https://www.hive.co.uk/Product/Rob-Hopkins/How-to-Fall-in-Love-with-the-Future--A-Time-Travellers-Gu/31447799

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