What if understanding human nature could unlock the future of our species?

In this episode, I sit down once again with Don Barden, a classically trained economist with an M.B.A. in Global Technology Management and International Business, and a Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership with a focus on behavioral economics and international finance. With a career spanning global business, leadership research, and economic strategy, Don brings a rare blend of academic depth and real-world insight.

Together, we explore the timeless patterns of human behavior, why ambition and purpose are built into our DNA, and how our morality shifts while our core nature never does. From innovation to spirituality, from economic evolution to cosmic possibility, Don breaks down what he believes is humanity’s next major leap, and why it might happen sooner than we think.

This isn’t theory. It’s a raw, expansive conversation about purpose, consciousness, and what it truly means to live as a human being in a world on the edge of change.

Topics We Explore:

• Why human nature hasn’t changed, and why that matters
• The real relationship between purpose, ambition & innovation
• How social constructs limit our evolution (and how to break free)
• Why consciousness may shift dramatically in the next 20 years
• The role of spirituality, science, and “the divine spark”
• How understanding purpose can reshape society, economics & humanity's future

Connect with Don Barden: https://donbarden.com/

Learn More about The Viking Academy: https://www.vikingacademy.com