Why Raising Adaptive, Curious Humans in the Age of AI Matters More Than Ever Before

Shifting Schools: Conversations for K12 Educators

In this conversation, Tricia Friedman speaks with Tania Tasopoulou, a business psychologist and organizational development expert with more than 25 years of experience in Europe and the GCC. Tania has led executive roles at global organizations including Coca-Cola HBC and King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), and began her career at Korn Ferry (formerly Hay Group S.A.), where she served as Expertise Leader for Talent Management and Leadership Development across Southeast Europe.

Now the founder of OrgDesignWays, Tania is pioneering conversations about the future of work, the transformative power of Generative AI, and how leaders can evolve alongside technology—not behind it. Together, Tricia and Tania explore how AI reveals patterns in human behavior, why psychology and philosophy are more relevant than ever, and how families and educators can help shape mindsets that are adaptive, creative, and future-ready.

Whether you’re an HR professional, educator, or executive navigating emerging technologies, this episode will challenge you to rethink leadership, learning, and the real future of human-centered work.

Meet our guest:

Tania is a business psychologist and organizational development expert with over 25 years of experience in Europe and the the GCC region, holding diverse executive roles in both Organizational Development and Business Operations.

Tania started her career as a consultant at Korn-Ferry (formerly Hay Group S.A.) where she was the Expertise Leader for Talent Management & Leadership Development for South East Europe, before moving to corporate roles in Coca-Cola HBC and King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST).

Tania is deeply interested in the future of work and the transformative impact of technology, particularly Generative AI, on the work landscape. For this reason, Tania established OrgDesignWays, a pioneering company with the vision to lead the future of organizational development through People & AI.

Tania holds two BAs in Psychology, an MSc in Organisational Assessment and an Executive MBA.

Connect with our guest:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/tania-tasopoulou/

https://orgdesignways.com/

https://www.taniatasopoulou.com/

Learn more about our show sponsors for our summer series:

https://pod.shiftingschools.com/

⏱️ Chapters & Timestamps

00:01 – Origins of a Futurist Mindset Tania shares what sparked her lifelong interest in organizational strategy and the future of work.

03:22 – Generative AI & Redefining Job Value What large language models reveal about how we value human contribution in the workplace.

05:23 – Why Humanities are More Important Than Ever A compelling case for blending psychology, philosophy, and technology in future-focused education.

07:31 – Chatbots, Comfort, and Asking Big Questions A study reveals students prefer asking questions to AI—what does that mean for learning?

09:22 – Fear vs. Opportunity in the Future of Work Why we need to shift our mindset to prepare for jobs that don’t exist yet.

12:32 – Raising Curious, Adaptive Humans Tania offers parenting insights on how to build confidence, resilience, and readiness for change.

17:32 – How Psychology Explains Generative AI From hallucinations to biases: Tania explains how psychology helps decode AI behavior.

21:44 – Interdisciplinary Leadership in the Age of AI Why leadership today means managing both people and intelligent systems.