This episode of The Future With Friends is about what it really takes to build meaningful human connections — and what can happen when we take a risk and open ourselves up to meeting someone new. Simon is joined by his good friend (and fellow high-seas explorer) Michael Schiffner, founder of Collective Intelligence.

Michael shares a future scenario that’s deeply personal and beautifully written, perhaps the most profound one yet. He takes us twenty years into the future, imagining what Burning Man might look like in 2045, and how it could continue to serve as a catalyst for connection, belonging, and shared experience.

Building on this scenario, Simon and Michael explore how friendship, hospitality, and openness to chance encounters can transform our lives. They reflect on the role of risk and vulnerability in building trust, and how collaboration allows us to draw on a collective wisdom greater than any one individual.

At its heart, The Future of Deep Connection is a reminder that genuine connections are not optional extras — they are the essence of our humanity and essential to how we thrive and survive, both now and in the future.