In the last post, we talked about how our minds view reality through the prism of narrative and story. To develop this further, we’ll now dip into the Hero’s journey, and how these elements of story fit into the architecture of our minds.

I wrote this article a while back for the Nordic Business Report as part of the conference coverage for the Nordic Business Forum in 2016. Nordström is an excitable, energetic stage presence with big ideas about where we’re going in the near future.

I spent a chilly autumnal Sunday evening a couple of week’s back attending the last date on Jordan Peterson’s world tour in Helsinki’s Kultturitalo. As it was father’s day in Finland that day, Dr Peterson centred his talk around what is means to be a good father. And as all questions have multi-layered, deep answers, that’s precisely what he gave us. Strap in, this goes out into the weeds for a while before coming home …

Sir Richard Branson is is a disarmingly charming presence on stage. He chatted and joke with Richard Quest for the best part of an hour at the close of 2016’s Nordic Business Forum, deftly deflecting Quest’s probing questions with a smile and a quip.

Stories, hey? We all love ‘em. From the earliest Aboriginal Dream stories to the latest escapades of your friend who really should know better by now, the ubiquity of stories across the history of humanity is undeniable. Stories are told to us fresh from the womb (oftentimes before) and follow us about long after we’re dead. But what the hell are they? Why are they so central to the human experience? Why do they matter?

Ive been blessed to sit on the metaphorical knee of many a natural storyteller throughout my life. My brain sparks when I hear about actions and ideas that transcend the mundane - it’s a two-fold urge to understand the motives of individuals who find themselves in exceptional situations, and a drive to discover new things.