The 2025 Stack
The people to follow, the reframings and vibes to understand, and the resources to explore to be on top of the major themes of 2025 and beyond
What Would You Pack for an Expedition? 🌎
Now, it’s essential to understand that an expedition is very different from a journey. Going on a journey means having a clear destination in mind, that there are paths that lead to that destination, and that there are maps that will help you find your way. Yes, the how of getting to the destination and all the stories that await you in between here and there are uncertain, but you do have a sort of vision, guide, and reference when you go on a journey.
Going on an expedition, on the other hand, is quite different! There are no maps, no roads or even a clear destination. You don’t know where you’re going or where you’ll end up, and everything in between here and whatever there is, is as uncertain as it gets. And that’s the whole idea of an expedition! Because what is certain about an expedition is its purpose: discovery! You are deliberately seeking the unknown, the new, the different!
Packing for an Expedition requires us to rethink! This is what we’d need:
Resilient systems like reliable expedition gear: you want clothing and gear that’s highly durable, high-quality, and also easily repairable
Adaptable resources like multipurpose equipment: the Swiss army knife, these funny-looking pants that can turn into shorts (or simply: multipurpose clothing), a universal phrase book, a water filter….
Diverse knowledge and skills like varied navigation tools: the good old compass and binoculars, the night sky orientation map, the med kit (and some basic skills to use it), and the dozens of knots and indigenous survival skills you learned
Learning capabilities like scientific instruments or simply a curious, playful, and open mind and a simple notebook to write observations and insights down
And lastly, strong networks like a trusted, caring, and skillful expedition team
I find this reframing from journey to expedition quite useful for today’s age, especially this year. In times of an accelerating polycrisis, the journey mindset of following established paths to known destinations seems to serve us no longer. We need to embrace the expedition mindset now, a mindset that prepares us for uncertainty while remaining oriented toward discovery.
In my 2024 recap, I shared 4 macro themes that will help you make sense of the big shifts happening in 2025 and beyond:
A Dying Age
Filterworld → Hyperreality
Apo-calypso
A New Counterculture: Slowing Down
In today’s post, I’m applying the expedition mindset and sharing with you what you need to pack before you step into these uncertain futures:
the core re-framings you need to understand
the vibes you need to “get”
the people you need to follow
and the resources (articles, books, keynotes, podcasts) you need to dig deeper into.
So, here we go: