Podcast

The Great Simplification with Nate Hagens shines a light on the foundations of the human predicament, revealing how energy, the environment, economics, human behavior, and systems science intertwine.

The Great Simplification

The Great Simplification with Nate Hagens shines a light on the foundations of the human predicament, revealing how energy, the environment, economics, human behavior, and systems science intertwine.

Frankly

This series serves as a beacon, revealing the interconnected challenges facing society and guiding the way through Nate Hagens’ broader work on The Great Simplification.

Reality Roundtables

A guiding light within The Great Simplification Podcast, where experts converge to shed light on global challenges—highlighting the complexities of energy, ecology, economics, human behavior, and systems synthesis.

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Frankly#147 | How to Play 5D Chess: It’s Not What You Think

In this week's Frankly, Nate explores a pattern of thinking that permeates so many of our conversations: that we often decide what we think before we've fully heard what's being said.

Watch nowJun 19, 2026
No More Dystopian StoriesWith Rob HopkinsThe Great SimplificationEp 224 | Rob Hopkins

In this episode, Nate welcomes Rob Hopkins, co-founder of the Transition Network and author of “How to Fall in Love with the Future,”  for an exploration of what tips people over the edge and into action to build more livable futures, and what role imagination plays in cultural motivation and agency.

Watch nowJun 17, 2026
Frankly#146 | The Ultimate Alternative: Are You Okay With Nuclear Warfare?

This week's Frankly is another in Nate’s recurring series Uncomfortable Questions for Unsettled Times, in which he poses questions about our shared future. Today, he uses headlines regarding a potential ceasefire deal between the U.S. and Iran to confront a subject that has re-entered public discourse with a quiet but startling force: nuclear warfare.

Watch nowJun 16, 2026
The U.S. Can't Back DownWith Michael EveryThe Great SimplificationEp 223 | Michael Every

In this episode, Nate is joined by Michael Every, Global Strategist at Rabobank, for an unflinching analysis of the Hormuz crisis and the fundamental principles pointing toward the Strait’s closure for several more months.

Watch nowJun 12, 2026
Reality RoundtableReality Roundtable Why ‘Community’ Fails: Everyone Wants a Village, Nobody Wants to Be a Villager

In this episode, Nate is joined by Nora Bateson, creator of Warm Data Labs, alongside her colleagues Jonathan Goldsmith and Lucas Jackson, for a rich conversation about what it actually takes to build community and why so many of our attempts fail.

Watch nowJun 10, 2026
Frankly#145 | How to Think About the Future (Part 3): Uphill Futures in a Downhill World

This week’s Frankly is part three of the series How to Think About the Future. Today, Nate builds a framework for understanding the pathways that connect today’s choices to tomorrow’s realities. Drawing from biology, ecology, history, and systems thinking, he introduces a civilizational terrain of ridges and valleys that is constantly shifting as we are moving through it.

Watch nowJun 5, 2026
Back to the LandWith Brett KenCairnThe Great SimplificationEp 222 | Brett KenCairn

In this episode, Nate is joined by regenerative change practitioner Brett KenCairn for a conversation that reframes the dominant narrative about climate change, emphasizing that it was never just a carbon problem but also one centered on living systems degradation.

Watch nowJun 3, 2026
Frankly#144 | A Word I Can’t Seem to Understand: Non-Duality and Our Living World

In this week’s Frankly, Nate discusses his long-running attempt to understand non-duality, and why this concept has remained just out of his grasp despite years of conversations with teachers, thinkers, and podcast guests.

Watch nowMay 29, 2026
Darkness Deficit DisorderWith Andrew HolecekThe Great SimplificationEp 221 | Andrew Holecek

In this episode, Nate is joined by meditation practitioner, Andrew Holecek, for an exploration of the concept of dark retreats, periods of extended time in complete absence of light, as a practical path toward reflection and reconnection with ourselves and others.

Watch nowMay 27, 2026
Frankly#143 | A Guide to Staying Human (Part 3): Why Mindfulness Matters When the World Is Breaking Down

In this week’s Frankly, Nate offers the second episode in his series on staying human, this time focused on dread.

Watch nowMay 22, 2026
Reality RoundtableReality Roundtable Why Standardized Testing Contributed to the Metacrisis – and How to Fix It

In this episode, Nate is joined by developmental psychologist Dr. Theo Dawson alongside returning guest and philosopher of education Dr. Zak Stein to explore the history of educational testing and show how we’ve progressively narrowed our definition of learning while stunting the very mental capacities we most need.

Watch nowMay 20, 2026
Frankly#142 | A Guide to Staying Human (Part 2): Navigating Dread and Carrying the Weight of Tomorrow

In this week’s Frankly, Nate offers the second episode in his series on staying human, this time focused on dread.

Watch nowMay 15, 2026

That’s very understandable because with left hemisphere thinking, one of the problems is that you see everything as a series of problems that must have solutions. Iain McGilchrist Neuroscientist and Philosopher

What we’re seeing is probably the largest mass movement of marine life, at least in the last 10,000 years, towards the poles. Malin Pinsky Associate Professor

The worst thing you can do to people is make them feel that whatever they do, it doesn’t matter. What we call in psychology “helplessness” — or even stronger, learned helplessness. Maren Urner Professor, Sustainable Transformation

We can’t have hundreds and hundreds of real relationships that are healthy because that requires time and effort and full attention and awareness of being in real relationship and conversation with the other human. Nate Hagens Executive Director ISEOF

30 min overview

The Great Simplification Animated Series is a 32-minute animation – in four acts – describing the backdrop for an economic and cultural transition beginning in the not-too-distant future. Energy Blind reveals how fossil fuels shaped our world, while The Human Superorganism shows their impact on economies and ecosystems. The Human Being examines the psychology behind our short-term thinking, and The Great Simplification encourages a systems-thinking approach to future challenges. With detailed notes and transcripts, this series offers a thought-provoking look at our past, present, and future. You can also enjoy all four parts together in our Animated Movie.

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The Institute for the Study of Energy and Our Future (ISEOF) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation, founded in 2008, that conducts research and educates the public about energy issues and their impact on society.

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