The moment we are in
Do you think the pace of change is moving at a breakneck speed?
If your answer is yes, know this: today is the slowest it's going to be.
What makes this moment different is not just change,
but constant pressure.​​​​
Right now, many forces are shifting at the same time. Technology evolves overnight. The rise and fall of leaders, empires. Conspiracy theories are becoming realities, and society is more distracted than ever. War, political and economic instability, corporate unrest, the rise of movements, social upheaval are all unfolding together. Trust in institutions, businesses, and leaders is declining. Civilians feel watched, overwhelmed, and exhausted, while cognitive warfare plays out in the background.
Many organisations are reacting continuously, yet still feel out of control.
We are often told that everything is becoming more open and democratised, yet at the same time, power is becoming more centralised. Decisions are increasingly made by systems, algorithms, and processes that many people do not fully understand. This creates confusion, anxiety, and distance between people and leadership.
​
The real challenge today is not only seeing what might happen next. The real challenge is knowing how to think clearly, make good decisions, and understand the consequences of our actions in a world where everything feels connected and unstable. This moment asks for more than speed or efficiency. It asks for clarity, responsibility, and the ability to see the bigger picture, so that we are on the right side of history.
Carmen Murray is a futurist, cultural forecaster,
and transformation strategist working at the intersection of human potential, technology, and foresight.
Foresight Leadership Transformation AI Innovation Personal Mastery Culture Change Disruption
Her work is anchored in Authentic Intelligence
and human–AI partnership, enabling organisations to build future fit muscle and lead with clarity in the
New RenAI²ssance so that they may shape change, rather than being enslaved by it.
“The future doesn’t happen to us, we happen to the future.
Her work is deeply personal.
Carmen’s birth was made possible by a medical breakthrough enabled by technology, at the time, a record-breaking procedure in South Africa. From the very beginning, the relationship between humans and machines has shaped her life and continues to fuel her curiosity.
She believes we are standing at the threshold of what she calls:
The NEW RenAI²ssance
This is our moment to build something that has never been built before. Just as the original Renaissance emerged from disruption, uncertainty, and the questioning of old truths. The NEW RenAI²ssance is unfolding at the intersection of technology, culture, psychology, and power. This moment is not only about what is coming next, but who we need to become to meet it.
Carmen’s work focuses on tracking how society is reinventing itself in the age of AI, and helping leaders adapt so they can thrive in increasingly polarised and uncertain times. She believes we have two choices: either we are enslaved by change, or we become the change to build what comes next.
Carmen has travelled the world on stages and comes from a background in Marketing, Technology, and Innovation. She has been deeply involved in academia, writing academic textbooks and certified courses, and helps organisations predict trends from the inside out and the outside in. Her work includes research, trend monitoring, bespoke trend vaults, Trend Audits, and partnerships with influential companies.
She completed her postgraduate studies at Henley Business School as a systems thinker and later studied indigenous knowledge systems to help her see the world differently. What she knows for sure is that the future we need to write is not the one we are being sold, and it is up to us to shape what comes next. She challenges narratives where humans have no agency and believes now is the time to remember who we are as the human race and consciously build what comes next.
The future is unwritten, and we have a choice: be enslaved by change, or become the change.
Carmen is a protégé of world-renowned futurist Faith Popcorn and brings a distinctly African, globally informed perspective to leadership in uncertainty. She is a leading podcaster, reaching audiences in over 83 countries, and hosted the Future Fit Lab on 919 FM, which reached more than 300,000 listeners weekly.
She also runs a Future Focussed Marketing Business, Carmen Murray Communcations, and founded Conscious LeadHERS, a movement of 10,000 nation builders focused on building future fit muscle and amplifying women’s voices to help build nations.
When Carmen steps onto a stage, she represents 10,000 voices. She shares what is on the horizon, and how leaders can actively shape tomorrow. Her mission is to help leaders understand what is happening in the world so they can change it, starting with themselves, and consciously grow, think, and partner in the age of AI.
We are the disruption, so let’s disrupt what matters.
more about Carmen
newsletters
The Authentic Intelligence™ Framework
Authentic Intelligence is a human-first framework to grow, think, and predict in complexity. It strengthens partnership with AI, enabling better decisions, wiser use of human power, and stronger, more sustainable business outcomes.
​
Testimonials
"A natural storyteller who uplifts and shifts how brands think."
Chewymoon
"Inspiring, reflective, and impossible to ignore."
Heineken
"Uplifting, inspiring and full of energy. The team loved it!"
Old Mutual
"Global insight. Local relevance. Immediate impact."
TIH
"High-energy foresight that educates and energises at once."
Yum! Restaurants
"In a world increasingly shaped by algorithms, Carmen reminds us that our greatest asset is our humanity." APMP
Recent Interviews
Carmen Murray ©2026 | All Rights Reserved