A Brave New World

“You can't stop the waves. But you can learn to surf.”

- Jon Kabat-Zinn

In the final episode of our first season, before delving into the key themes from Chapter 20 ("A Brave New World") of Steve's book, we share two pieces of big news.

The first is that an expanded and completely revised 2nd edition of Remarkable Retail will be released on April 13th, featuring a Foreword by Sucharita Kodali. It's now available for pre-order on Amazon or on Indigo in Canada and just about everywhere books are sold. The second is that we will be doing a new season of our podcast, launching February 2. More details on episode themes and special guests coming soon.

This episode we explore what it means to operate in a "VUCA" world and how uncertainty, humility and adopting a "Beginner's Mind" can be the source of great wisdom. And we remind ourselves of SNL producer Lorne Michael's great quotation that "the show doesn't go on because it's ready. It goes on because it's 11:30."

With guests Chris Walton and Anne Mezzenga from OmniTalk, we talk about their experience driving innovation during their time at Target, how technology continues to accelerate and some of the things malls must do to adapt to retail's brave new world.

Anne Mezzenga & Chris Walton

Chris Walton and Anne Mezzenga met leading Target’s Store of the Future Project. Currently they are the Co-CEOs of Omni Talk, which they founded in 2017 and quickly turned into one of the fastest growing and most frequently read blogs in retail. Together they also own and operate Third Haus a retail technology lab in Minneapolis, as well as Urban Rooster Shop, a new online marketplace for local brands that just opened this past fall and that has already received national attention. Their unique blend of candor and humor, from the perspective of real retailers, who have lived and breathed next generation retail in both theory and in practice, is what sets them apart. When they are not keynoting trade shows, moderating webinars, or writing for Forbes, you will find them holding court each week on their weekly Omni Talk Fast Five podcast, which is the quickest, fastest, and quite possibly funniest rundown of all the week’s top headlines in the world of retail.

Related Reading

Clayton Christensen, The Innovator's Dilemma

Steve Dennis, "We're Never Ready"

Steve Dennis is an advisor, keynote speaker and author on strategic growth and business innovation. You can learn more about Steve on his website. Remarkable Retail: How To Win & Keep Customers in the Age of Disruption was recently named the best retail book of all time by BookAuthority. It's available in hardcover, audiobook or as a ebook at Amazon or just about anywhere else books are sold. Steve regularly shares his insights in his role as a Forbes senior contributor and on Twitter and LinkedIn. You can check out his speaker "sizzle" reel here.

Michael LeBlanc is the Founder & President of M.E. LeBlanc & Company Inc and a Senior Advisor to Retail Council of Canada as part of his advisory and consulting practice. He brings 25+ years of brand/retail/marketing & eCommerce leadership experience, and has been on the front lines of retail industry change for his entire career. Michael is the producer and host of a network of leading podcasts including Canada’s top retail industry podcast, The Voice of Retail, plus Global E-Commerce Tech Talks and The Food Professor with Dr. Sylvain Charlebois. You can learn more about Michael here or on LinkedIn.

About Us

Steve Dennis is a strategic advisor and keynote speaker focused on growth and innovation, who has also been named one of the world's top retail influencers. He is the bestselling author of two books: Leaders Leap: Transforming Your Company at the Speed of Disruption and Remarkable Retail: How To Win & Keep Customers in the Age of Disruption. Steve regularly shares his insights in his role as a Forbes senior retail contributor and on social media.

Michael LeBlanc is a senior retail advisor, keynote speaker and media entrepreneur. Michael has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions hosted senior retail executive on-stage in 1:1 interviews worldwide. Michael produces and hosts a network of leading retail trade podcasts, including The Remarkable Retail Podcast, The Voice of Retail, The Food Professor, The FEED powered by Loblaw and the Global eCommerce Leaders podcast. He has been recognized by the NRF as a global Top Retail Voice for 2025 and 2026 and continues to be a ReThink Retail Top Retail Expert for the fifth year in a row.