Disruptive Futures Institute Celebrates 5 Years of Guiding Leaders with Ancient Wisdom for Modern Uncertainty

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Superpower of Unpredictability by Design: Learning from Eastern Philosophy & Zen Buddhism to Embrace Impermanence, Transformation, and Systemic Change

SAN FRANCISCO, CA, UNITED STATES, September 17, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- As disruption becomes the new normal, the Disruptive Futures Institute marks five years of pioneering a unique approach to strategic foresight - one rooted in Zen Buddhism, Eastern and existential philosophies.

“Our frameworks challenge the traditional Western pursuit of stability and certainty,” explains Roger Spitz, Founding Chair. “True resilience comes from embracing impermanence as a superpower - not from trying to control the uncontrollable or predict the unpredictable."

Founded by top-ranked futurist Roger Spitz, the Disruptive Futures Institute empowers leaders and organizations to turn unpredictability into a source of adaptability, creativity, and meaningful impact.

ANCIENT WISDOM MEETS ADAPTIVE LEADERSHIP
Rather than resisting change, the Disruptive Futures Institute’s approach - what Spitz calls “unpredictability by design” - leverages the lessons of impermanence for innovation and regenerative transformation.

Drawing on Eastern Philosophy, the Disruptive Futures Institute emphasizes practices like shoshin (beginner’s mind) for cultivating intuition, imagination, and invention of the impossible; and mujō (impermanence) for building adaptability and improvisation. Together, these principles encourage leaders to discover their ikigai - a sense of flourishing and purpose - in a constantly shifting world.

THE 6 I’S: A FRAMEWORK FOR IMPOSSIBILITY
At the heart of the Disruptive Futures Institute’s methodology is its signature 6 i’s:

• Intuition
• Inspiration
• Imagination
• Improvisation
• Invention
• Impossible

The 6 i’s reinforce one another to expand networks, welcome serendipity, and build “impossibility muscles” that generate novel ideas and unprecedented opportunities - far beyond what strategy and analysis alone can achieve.

EXISTENTIAL FREEDOM: AGENCY IN AN UNCERTAIN ERA
Blending philosophy with foresight, the Disruptive Futures Institute grounds its work in existentialist thought: uncertainty is not a limitation but a condition of freedom. Leaders have agency to shape futures through choices and action. By embracing the unknown, they emerge more resilient and more human in the midst of systemic disruption.

CELEBRATING FIVE YEARS OF IMPACT
Now celebrating five years, the Disruptive Futures Institute reaffirms its mission: to help leaders and organizations master the language of disruption, with both the philosophical grounding and practical frameworks to thrive in a post-playbook world.

Founded by global futurist Roger Spitz, the Institute has reached over 100,000 leaders through hundreds of keynotes across six continents and 40+ countries. Thousands more have engaged through its executive programs, workshops, and masterclasses.

By building ecosystems, developing evidence-based tools, and creating proprietary intellectual property, the Disruptive Futures Institute equips changemakers to co-create futures of resilience, relevance, and regenerative value.

Discover how ancient wisdom meets adaptive foresight. Explore keynotes, courses, and workshops with the Disruptive Futures Institute.

• Email: speaking@disruptivefutures.org
• Explore: https://www.disruptivefutures.org/speaking

For media inquiries and interviews: media@disruptivefutures.org

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ADDITIONAL NOTES:

DISRUPTIVE FUTURES INSTITUTE 6 I’S TOOLKIT
A key part of the Disruptive Futures Institute’s toolkits and methodologies is the 6 i’s framework:

• Intuition: Explore ambiguous environments without straightforward answers by tapping into curiosity, avoiding preconceptions.
• Inspiration and Imagination: Encompassing broader futures, be inspired by asking profound questions and breaking from the present.
• Improvisation: Experiment through improvisation, mistakes, and ambiguity, seeking authenticity.
• Invention: Nothing is predetermined. We have an open canvas to create our futures.
• Impossible: With the courage to wander and fail, you can stumble upon - and achieve - the impossible.

ZEN BUDDHISM & EASTERN PHILOSOPHY: BEGINNER’S MIND & TRANSIENCE
In an effort to understand, survive, and thrive in our disruptive world and uncertain futures, it is useful to consider the timeless teachings of Eastern Philosophy and Zen Buddhism. We can learn from a set of tactics developed and refined over millennia.

• Shoshin (初心) is the Japanese concept of beginner’s mind that articulates the value of approaching each situation with an open, accepting, curious mind. While a beginner’s mind most obviously connects to the i’s of intuition and invention, it also aids its practitioners in improvisation by being in the moment, and achieving the impossible from first-principles thinking - a problem-solving technique that teaches us to deepen our understanding by decomposing a problem or a thing into its most foundational elements. As individuals and collectively as humankind, greater practice of shoshin would improve our intuition, imagination, and capacity for invention.

• Ikigai (生き甲斐) means “purpose in life” or “a life worth living.” Ikigai makes life easier to navigate during difficult times and unknown futures. In the West, ikigai is often used as a career-finding diagram. In Japan, ikigai is a way of life. In reality, ikigai is more related to passion than profit. It’s not about career or activities, but the happiness that springs up naturally from within you. If we can find our ikigai - a clearer fit between what one is good at and what the world needs - we will each experience greater flourishing. If you’re going to find your ikigai, you also need to understand and incorporate mujō

• Mujō (無常) teaches us the profound importance of change and impermanence. By accepting that nothing lasts forever and that everything in our lives is in a constant state of flux, we gain a powerful perspective. This philosophical understanding directly aids our ability to improvise and invent. It helps us to see things afresh, without being bound by the way they have always been. To truly understand the future, we must first master the present, or “nowness.” Mujō provides a vital lens for understanding this transience.

DISRUPTIVE FUTURES INSTITUTE: AWARDS AND GLOBAL ACCLAIM
The Disruptive Futures Institute helps decision-makers anticipate change, adapt dynamically, and build antifragile systems to thrive amid disruption. Its proprietary frameworks integrate futures studies with principles from both existential philosophy and Eastern wisdom traditions. Through this synthesis, the Disruptive Futures Institute equips with the mindset and essential frameworks needed to embrace and leverage unpredictability.

The Disruptive Futures Institute continues to receive international recognition, reflecting the growing demand for new operating systems and futures fluency in today’s increasingly complex environments:

• Top 50 Innovation Thought Leader:
Thinkers360 Top 50 Innovation Thought Leader Award (2025).

• World Economic Forum’s Global Foresight Network:
Appointed to WEF’s invitation-only community of foresight leaders.

• Cascade Institute’s Polycrisis Stakeholder Map:
The Disruptive Futures Institute’s work in global systemic risk is recognized by the Cascade Institute.

• Award-Winning Publications:
Includes The Definitive Guide to Thriving on Disruption (acclaimed 4-volume series) and Disrupt With Impact (2024 Chanticleer International Best Book Award; Foreword Indies Bronze Winner).

• Reimagining Futures Studies with Innovative Toolkits:
Thousands have been reached through the Disruptive Futures Institute’s executive programs, workshops, and masterclasses. Its futures intelligence suite - featuring concepts like Techistentialism, Metaruptions, UN-VICE, and The Complex Five - helps leaders build fluency in the language of disruption and navigate complexity with confidence.

• The Pioneering AAA Framework: Turning Foresight into Impact
The AAA Framework (Antifragile, Anticipatory, Agility) is a cornerstone of the Institute's future-readiness approach, used globally to bridge the persistent “foresight-impact gap.” The Disruptive Futures Institute prioritizes action over abstraction.

• Techistential Center for Human & Artificial Intelligence:
Research and education center exploring AI ethics, governance, and societal impact - introducing Techistentialism, a philosophical framework coined by Roger Spitz to examine humanity’s agency in an AI-driven world.

• DFI Nature & Climate Academy:
Global hub for climate foresight and sustainable transition strategy. The DFI Nature & Climate Academy’s Brazil Chapter leads ecosystem-based decarbonization initiatives in collaboration with Lux Carbon Standard.

• Case Studies & Global Implementation:
These field-tested frameworks have been applied globally - from reshaping Brazil’s voluntary carbon markets (in partnership with Lux Carbon Standard, featured by the World Economic Forum), to informing heat governance futures in Sydney (James Balzer, Journal of Futures Studies), to contributing a chapter on applied frameworks in Anticipatory Governance: Shaping a Responsible Future (World Scientific Publishing, 2025).

ABOUT ROGER SPITZ
Roger Spitz is a top-ranked futurist and keynote speaker. Over the past decade, he has delivered well over 500 keynotes to 100,000+ leaders across six continents and 40+ countries, captivating audiences worldwide. His keynote presentations provide clarity, informed optimism, and actionable intelligence amid constant change. His latest bestselling book, Disrupt With Impact, is Winner of the 2024 Harvey Chute Best Business Book Award (Chanticleer International Book Award), Winner of the 2024 Foreword Indies Book of the Year Award, Winner of the 2025 Readers’ Favorite International Book Award (Bronze Medal, Non-Fiction - Business/Finance), and 2025 Finalist for the International Book Awards in General Business and Management & Leadership. An industry-recognized writer, speaker, and investor in Artificial Intelligence, Roger Spitz coined the term Techistentialism, which studies the nature of human beings, existence, and decision-making in our technological world. As an advisor and investor in dozens of artificial intelligence startups, Spitz chairs the Techistential Center for Human & Artificial Intelligence, and serves on the AI Council of Indian Society for Artificial Intelligence (ISAIL).

This growing recognition - from the publishing industry frontliners, cross-sector professionals, and passionate readers alike - underscores the urgent need for bold, effective frameworks to navigate the complexities of our rapidly evolving world.

KEY EDUCATION FOCUS AREAS OF THE DISRUPTIVE FUTURES INSTITUTE
The Disruptive Futures Institute’s approach blends real-world case studies with transformative educational experiences to address key areas of foresight, innovation, and sustainable change:

• Philosophy & Zen Buddhism: To leverage invention, impact, and meaning, through Existential & Eastern philosophies.
• Techistentialism: Ethical & Existential Foresight for shaping the future of Artificial Intelligence and decision-making.
• Anticipatory Practices: Corporate & Strategic Foresight to anticipate and shape the futures.
• Sustainable Futures: Climate Foresight & Sustainable Value Creation for long-term impact and resilience.
• Transformative Change: Complexity, Systems Thinking & Virtuous Tipping Points to disrupt with positive impact.
• Anticipatory Governance: Board, Leadership, & Investor Foresight Practice to steer organizations through unpredictability.
• Technology Foresight: Emerging Technologies, Design Fiction & Systems Innovation to create new possibilities.
• Agency & Storytelling: Shaping the futures through effective narratives.

Roger Spitz
Disruptive Futures Institute
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