I've Got Questions with Sinead Bovell

Clay Routledge is an existential psychologist, author, and leading researcher on meaning, purpose, and nostalgia. His work explores a fundamental human need: the need to feel that our lives matter.

In this conversation, we unpack why so many people today feel caught in a modern crisis of meaning, even when they’re productive, successful, or doing everything they were told would lead to fulfillment. We explore how social media, rapid technological change, and the rise of artificial intelligence are bringing deeper questions to the surface about identity, work, and what truly gives life meaning.

Clay reflects on why so many of our assumptions about success, productivity, and purpose fall short, and how someone can go about finding meaning and purpose if they are feeling lost.

We also discuss the surprising role nostalgia plays in helping us navigate change, and why questions of meaning and purpose may become even more important in an AI-driven world.

You can grab a copy of Clay’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/Past-Forward-Nostalgia-Help-Meaningful/dp/1683648641

00:00 – What Does It Mean to Find Purpose?

05:00 – Why Humans Need to Feel Like They Matter

10:00 – Are We Living Through a Crisis of Meaning?

15:00 – Work, Identity, and the Fear of Being Replaced

20:00 – How AI Is Forcing Us to Rethink Human Value

25:00 – Decoupling Job Titles From Who We Are

30:00 – A World Without Work: Utopia or Dystopia?

35:00 – Nostalgia as a Guide to the Future

40:00 – Technology, Presence, and What Makes Life Meaningful

45:00 – How Humans Reclaim Meaning in Times of Change

Follow my work here:

Substack: ⁠⁠https://sineadbovell.substack.com⁠⁠
Website: ⁠⁠https://www.sineadbovell.com⁠⁠
Instagram: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/sineadbovell⁠⁠
LinkedIn: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/sineadbovell⁠⁠
Twitter / X: ⁠⁠https://twitter.com/SineadBovell⁠⁠
YouTube: ⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/Sineadbovell⁠⁠
TikTok: ⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@sineadbovell

In this episode, I share my eight AI predictions for 2026, not just where the technology is heading, but how it will change daily life, culture, politics, and the systems we live inside.

This episode is about reading the signals early, understanding what 2026 is likely to unlock, and why the choices made in the next year will matter far beyond technology itself.

From the rise of people being more offline and the rise of voice-first technology, to AI glasses, political backlash, and cultural divides in entertainment, I wanted to share where I view the future potentially going.

00:00 – Intro
00:40 – Prediction #1
04:55 – Prediction #2
05:55 – Prediction #3
07:50 – Prediction #4
10:50 – Prediction #5
12:05 – Prediction #6
13:15 – Prediction #7
15:35 – Prediction #8
17:00 – Final Thoughts

Follow my work here:

Substack: ⁠https://sineadbovell.substack.com⁠
Website: ⁠https://www.sineadbovell.com⁠
Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/sineadbovell⁠
LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/sineadbovell⁠
Twitter / X: ⁠https://twitter.com/SineadBovell⁠
YouTube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/Sineadbovell⁠
TikTok: ⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@sineadbovell

In this episode of I’ve Got Questions, I break down the impact AI will have on the workforce.

Companies will change how they hire, job titles will be going away, working with AI will become the expectation, and right now, there are 7 non-negotiable skills you should focus on building for the AI age.

00:00 – Intro
02:10 – Skill #1
05:00 – Skill #2
07:00 – Skill #3
09:30 – Skill #4
11:00 – Skill #5
12:00 – Skill #6
14:00 – Skill #7
15:25 – What This All Means for You (And Why You’re Not Late)

Follow my work here:

Substack: https://sineadbovell.substack.com
Website: https://www.sineadbovell.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sineadbovell
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sineadbovell
Twitter / X: https://twitter.com/SineadBovell
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/Sineadbovell
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sineadbovell

Nicholas Thompson is the CEO of The Atlantic, author of The Running Ground, former editor in chief of Wired Magazine, and one of the most influential voices at the intersection of journalism and technology. He’s leading a legacy media institution through an era defined by information overload, disrupted business models, and the rise of AI systems that could both empower and destabilize the entire industry.

In this episode, we get into whether media is a “dying business,” how The Atlantic is growing despite that pressure, and why AI is simultaneously the greatest tool and greatest threat to journalism. He breaks down the economics behind partnering with some AI companies while suing others, and what it will take for news organizations to survive when audiences increasingly turn to chatbots instead of websites.

We also discuss Nicholas’s new book, The Running Ground, a moving reflection on running, resilience, and the lessons that shape us far beyond the miles - https://a.co/d/gxLsda3

Dr. Alysson Muotri is a world-leading geneticist and pioneering neuroscientist whose work pushes the boundaries of how we understand the human brain. His lab grows brain organoids—living “mini-brains” created from stem cells—to study how the human mind develops, ages, breaks down, and how it might one day be repaired.

In this episode, we get into why he’s trying to reconstruct the human brain in a lab, how brain organoids are transforming our ability to study and potentially reverse brain-based illnesses, and the emerging field of biocomputing and “organoid intelligence.”

We explore how these living neural systems could shape the next era of AI, what it would mean for AI to be powered by biological tissue, and how this convergence of biology and computation could reshape our future.

Follow my work here:Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.sineadbovell.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Substack: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://sineadbovell.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/sineadbovell⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/sineadbovell⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Twitter / X: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/SineadBovell⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/Sineadbovell⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

TikTok: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@sineadbovell⁠⁠