iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Nate Hagens @natehagens.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

VERMONT - You can come hear me speak this Tuesday, September 29 at the Vermont Summit This clip comes from a recent interview that I did as a guest on Kevin Ellis' podcast, Conflict of Interest. Kevin will be moderating a panel discussion after my talk at the Vermont Summit.

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Nate Hagens @natehagens.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

On the heels of Climate Week, I pose a thought experiment: What would a world leader’s speech sound like if the difficult truths underpinning global heating – which are politically unsayable due to donors, borders, electoral campaigns, and other incentives – were laid bare to the public?

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The Climate Speech We’ll Probably Never Hear | Frankly 160

YouTube video by Nate Hagens

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Nate Hagens @natehagens.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

This week, I zoom out from recent headlines about climbing diesel prices, a thinning U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve, and inflationary bond markets to ask the deeper question: What is the real work that’s required of us as the systems that underpin modern life begin to buckle?

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Four Things We Can't Afford to Get Wrong | Frankly 159

YouTube video by Nate Hagens

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Nate Hagens @natehagens.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

This week’s Frankly begins with a deceptively simple question I was asked in conversation: What would change my mind about The Great Simplification thesis?

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What Would Change My Mind | Frankly 158

YouTube video by Nate Hagens

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Nate Hagens @natehagens.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

This week’s Frankly builds on my recent conversation with systems theorist Greg Elliott, who came on the platform to discuss why our institutions themselves have become psychopathic and how that affects the behavior of the average human.

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Decent People, Indecent System | Frankly 157

YouTube video by Nate Hagens

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Nate Hagens @natehagens.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

This week’s Frankly is an episode from summer of 2023, which is being re-released to provide context for one of the most important questions we face today: What is the role of energy, specifically oil, in the global economic system we’ve built?

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The Economic Foundation We Ignore | Frankly Archives 39 (2023)

YouTube video by Nate Hagens

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Nate Hagens @natehagens.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

Today, with the global dog population nearing one billion, I address the uncomfortable question of what might happen to these beloved animals as the metacrisis continues to unfold.

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What Dogs Reveal About the Metacrisis | Frankly 156

YouTube video by Nate Hagens

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Nate Hagens @natehagens.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

How can humans – at least those with access to the internet – ingest the same facts and data, yet arrive at radically different worldviews? That’s the question I explore in this week’s Frankly.

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The Villains We Choose and the Work They Give Us | Frankly 155

YouTube video by Nate Hagens

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Nate Hagens @natehagens.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

What can one person actually do about the metacrisis? In this week’s Frankly, I explicitly outline just a few of the countless actions we can take to actually change what’s coming, rather than just prepare for it.

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How to Plant Seeds for a Better Future | Frankly 154

YouTube video by Nate Hagens

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Nate Hagens @natehagens.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

This week, I take on a tension I have been navigating for years, at the heart of communicating about the metacrisis: the hazards that arise from sharing true information with a global audience.

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Navigating Information Through the Metacrisis | Frankly 153

YouTube video by Nate Hagens

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Nate Hagens @natehagens.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

In this week’s Frankly, I reflect on a week spent with a group of friends and peers who share my understanding of the world’s converging crises, and what it revealed about the deeply human need to be fully seen, without having to explain yourself first.

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The Beauty and the Horror of Our Moment | Frankly 152

YouTube video by Nate Hagens

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Nate Hagens @natehagens.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

How might oil supply disruptions reshape the things you do, consume, and think about in your daily life?

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Nate Hagens @natehagens.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

This week’s video examines how thoughtful planning requires balancing action with humility, while avoiding solutions that unintentionally deepen the problems they seek to solve.

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What Matters Most in an Uncertain Future? | How to Think About the Future Pt 6, Frankly 151

YouTube video by Nate Hagens

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Nate Hagens @natehagens.bsky.social · 10/07/2026

Today, in Part 5 of the “How to Think About the Future” series, I scale my exploration of civilizational futures down to the future of a single human life and analyze how the same patterns that shape economies, power, geopolitics, and Earth systems turn inward.

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The Future Beneath Your Feet | How to Think About the Future Pt 5, Frankly 150

YouTube video by Nate Hagens

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Nate Hagens @natehagens.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

As America marks its 250th birthday, I take a moment to step outside of the celebrations to seek out a wider boundary perspective on this week’s holiday.

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Reflecting on 250 Years of the American Experiment | Frankly 149

YouTube video by Nate Hagens

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Nate Hagens @natehagens.bsky.social · 26/06/2026

In today’s edition of "How to Think About the Future," I build upon the frameworks outlined in part three to create four distinct future worlds – composites that emerge from various combinations of economic conditions, geopolitical scenarios, power structures, and Earth systems stability.

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How Might Daily Life Feel in the Next Decades? | How to Think About the Future Pt 4, Frankly 148

YouTube video by Nate Hagens

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Nate Hagens @natehagens.bsky.social · 19/06/2026

In this week’s Frankly, I explore a pattern of thinking that permeates so many of our conversations: we often decide what we think before we’ve fully heard what’s being said. Are our strongest convictions helping us understand the world, or narrowing what we’re able to see?

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It's Not What You Think | Frankly 147

YouTube video by Nate Hagens

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Nate Hagens @natehagens.bsky.social · 16/06/2026

Today, I use 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.

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Are You Okay With Nuclear Warfare? | Frankly 146

YouTube video by Nate Hagens

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Nate Hagens @natehagens.bsky.social · 29/05/2026

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

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Non-Duality and Our Living World | Frankly 144

YouTube video by Nate Hagens

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Nate Hagens @natehagens.bsky.social · 15/05/2026

In this week’s Frankly, I offer the second episode in my series on staying human, this time focused on dread.

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Navigating Dread and Carrying the Weight of Tomorrow | Frankly 142

YouTube video by Nate Hagens

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Nate Hagens @natehagens.bsky.social · 08/05/2026

On this edition of Wide Boundary News: - the misleading framing of recent oil production statistics by the U.S. - Iran and the Strait of Hormuz - the opening of Minnesota’s Boundary Waters for copper-nickel mining - the rapid expansion of AI data centers - industrial livestock youtu.be/g-BJ9XkP2Pc

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Sacrificing Wilderness, Oil Data Propaganda, and Feeding the Superorganism's Brain | Frankly 141

YouTube video by Nate Hagens

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Nate Hagens @natehagens.bsky.social · 01/05/2026

When comfort and convenience start thinning out, who are you going to be?

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Nate Hagens @natehagens.bsky.social · 24/04/2026

Where do you find yourself already settled on a particular view of the future, and what gets filtered out when you are?

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Nate Hagens @natehagens.bsky.social · 22/04/2026

Is this moment our opportunity to pivot toward worldviews that emphasize the intangible qualities of life, and could that shift cause a cascade through our actions and decisions, leading to more balanced decision-making for the betterment of everyone?

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Nate Hagens @natehagens.bsky.social · 17/04/2026

Our reality is complex and unknowable, and even the most well-informed perspectives may only be able to capture pieces of the bigger picture.

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Nate Hagens @natehagens.bsky.social · 11/04/2026

As the carbon pulse peaks, who do we want to be on the way down?

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Nate Hagens @natehagens.bsky.social · 11/04/2026

How might oil supply disruptions reshape the things you do, consume, and think about in your daily life?

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Nate Hagens @natehagens.bsky.social · 09/04/2026

This initial installment covers some foundational concepts of The Great Simplification platform, including what oil actually is, what it does for us, and why most of us never see any of it.

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Nate Hagens @natehagens.bsky.social · 03/04/2026

What hidden risks in energy and supply chains are still going unnoticed?

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Nate Hagens @natehagens.bsky.social · 01/04/2026

As the war in Iran creates chaos in every domain of life, the already-fragile energy systems of many countries find themselves on the brink of crisis after spending decades investing in natural gas infrastructure, largely supplied by Middle Eastern countries.

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Nate Hagens @natehagens.bsky.social · 27/03/2026

How might the impacts of current conflicts ripple into your own community, and on what timeline?

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Nate Hagens @natehagens.bsky.social · 20/03/2026

Today I share a first-pass framework for action and response that’s organized around what to do now, which could be applied to various places and at multiple scales.

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Nate Hagens @natehagens.bsky.social · 18/03/2026

How might reducing our exposure to EDCs such as phthalates, bisphenols, and parabens improve markers of hormonal health and create ripple effects on our overall quality of life?

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Nate Hagens @natehagens.bsky.social · 13/03/2026

While the first edition of my "Uncomfortable Questions in Unsettled Times" series posed broad questions about civilizational trajectory, this one looks at Iran effects, local preparedness, and the potential end of an empire.

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Nate Hagens @natehagens.bsky.social · 11/03/2026

Human exceptionalism is so woven into our systems and thought patterns that it rarely gets named, let alone challenged. But what if this invisible worldview – more than fossil fuels, overpopulation, or any single policy failure – is at the very root of the ecological crisis?

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Nate Hagens @natehagens.bsky.social · 10/03/2026

How might the second- and third-order effects of this conflict, from fertilizer to metals to food prices, reshape the global economy in ways that outlast the war itself?

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Nate Hagens @natehagens.bsky.social · 06/03/2026

I open with Operation Epic Fury and the broader turbulence of 2026, but turn inward toward a question that has been reshaping my theory of change: why does growing awareness of the more-than-human predicament so often produce paralysis rather than action?

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Nate Hagens @natehagens.bsky.social · 04/03/2026

What can the long overlooked story of rare earth metals, energy resources, and industrial capacity tell us about ongoing geopolitical events?

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Nate Hagens @natehagens.bsky.social · 27/02/2026

The rapid rise of artificial intelligence has served to dramatically increase the speed of information production while also eroding accuracy, making it difficult to differentiate between content that simply sounds confident and content that’s actually grounded in reality.

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Nate Hagens @natehagens.bsky.social · 25/02/2026

Humans aren’t rational. We don’t evaluate facts objectively; instead, we interpret them through our biases, experiences, and backgrounds.

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Nate Hagens @natehagens.bsky.social · 23/02/2026

My Wide Boundary News series ties topics to the larger story of the Great Simplification, offering updates on what pathways might be available to pursue the long-term stability of humanity in the biosphere.

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Nate Hagens @natehagens.bsky.social · 20/02/2026

Where do we see societal thresholds when scale removes the natural limits that once kept us in balance?

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Nate Hagens @natehagens.bsky.social · 18/02/2026

With grocery prices skyrocketing and supply chain disruptions becoming more frequent, the average person has more and more incentive to get involved in growing their own food – but how does one even get started?

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Nate Hagens @natehagens.bsky.social · 13/02/2026

What would change in your life if the country you reside in chose stability over growth?

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Nate Hagens @natehagens.bsky.social · 11/02/2026

CO2 is often seen as the problematic byproduct of modern lifestyles that threatens our planet’s stability. But this perspective overlooks the fundamental role of CO2 in everything on Earth, from the food we eat to the houses we live in to our bodies themselves.

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Nate Hagens @natehagens.bsky.social · 09/02/2026

This new series is all about zooming out to see what pathways might be available to pursue the long-term stability of humanity in the biosphere.

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Nate Hagens @natehagens.bsky.social · 06/02/2026

In the energetically-intensive reality we have lived in for the past few decades, it has been easy to drift to the top of the consumption pyramid without even really choosing to.

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Nate Hagens @natehagens.bsky.social · 04/02/2026

Collapse has long been discussed in the public imagination as something that happens suddenly, immediately turning the world upside down. But history shows that collapse is more often characterized by the slow unraveling of a civilization.

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Nate Hagens @natehagens.bsky.social · 02/02/2026

Last week there was so much news I recorded two Franklies – this one includes my reflections on a recent seminal essay posted by Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, likening Artificial Intelligence as a “rite of passage” for the human species rather than just a narrow technological breakthrough.

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Nate Hagens @natehagens.bsky.social · 30/01/2026

As we are increasingly inundated with vast quantities of news, it becomes important to be able to tease out a thread on how they interconnect. The stories we tell ourselves about progress, growth, and stability no longer perfectly line up with the biophysical reality beneath them.

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