Imagining the Future with August Cole

From Vision to Reality with Michael Brasseur

For the Season Two finale of Creating the Future, Michael Brasseur joins Mary Mattingly to reflect on the conversations, people, and ideas that shaped the past two seasons. From visionary founders and defence innovators to lessons in leadership, trust, and creativity, this episode explores how the future is imagined, built, tested, and scaled. A look back at the journey, and a look ahead at what's next.

Imagining the Future with August Cole

In this episode of The Skapa Podcast: Creating the Future, host Michael Brasseur is joined by August Cole—co-author of Ghost Fleet and co-founder of Useful Fiction—for a thought-provoking conversation on the power of narrative in shaping the future. August explores how storytelling is not just a creative exercise, but a strategic tool used to understand risk, anticipate conflict, and drive real-world decision-making. From military planning to emerging technologies, the discussion highlights how the stories we tell influence what we build—and how we prepare for what comes next. Together, they examine the gap between imagination and execution, the risks of getting the story wrong, and why organizations must think differently about the future if they want to stay ahead.

Rebels and Servants with Schuyler Moore

Saab UK’s Schuyler “Sky” Moore joins Michael Brasseur for a candid conversation about innovation, autonomy, and what it really takes to deliver capability to the edge. Recorded prior to the current conflict in the Middle East, this episode explores the lessons Sky carried from Task Force 59 and U.S. Central Command into her role as VP of Innovation at Saab UK and Managing Director of BlueBear. From rapid prototyping and swarm technology to the hard realities of manufacturing at scale, Sky unpacks why process innovation often matters more than the technology itself. This episode is a deep dive into the tension between experimentation and execution, rebels and servants, and the future of defence manufacturing in an era of constant adaptation.

Coming out of Stealth with Brennan Grignon

Saab's Michael Brasseur is joined by Brennan Grignon, a longtime defence and industrial-policy leader, for a wide-ranging conversation about resilience, scale, and the unglamorous realities that shape national security outcomes. Recorded as Brennan comes out of stealth as CEO & Co-Founder of Vantive, the discussion traces her journey from the Pentagon and COVID-era supply chain response efforts to a broader reflection on what the future of defence and security really depends on.

The New Battlespace with Michael Robbins

In this episode of the Skapa Podcast: Creating the Future, Michael Brasseur is joined by Michael Robbins, CEO of AUVSI, to explore how autonomy, robotics, and trusted human-machine teams are reshaping modern warfare. The conversation digs into why the future fight will be defined by scale, speed, and trust in autonomy, not just exquisite platforms or legacy thinking.