Futures Thinking and Resilience with Donna Dupont

In this episode of The Optimized Mind, Dr. Kate is joined by Donna Dupont, an award-winning designer, futurist, and the Founder of Purple Compass. The discussion focuses on her unique journey from healthcare to futures and foresight. Donna shares how her early work as a respiratory therapist, especially during the SARS crisis, shaped her interest in large-scale health system planning, public policy, and emergency management. She highlights the importance of anticipating long-term change and system vulnerabilities rather than just responding to emergencies.

Donna Dupont, is an award-winning designer, futurist, and the Founder of Purple Compass. With over 25 years of experience collaborating with leaders in healthcare, public safety, defense, and security, she helps organizations develop future literacy skills to navigate uncertainty and lead change in today’s complex world. Donna integrates theory and practice to enhance anticipatory and adaptive capabilities, strategic intelligence, and agility, driving impactful future policy and strategic planning. A former healthcare professional, provincial policy advisor, and emergency manager, Donna is deeply passionate about applying foresight to strengthen decision-making, mitigate future risks, and enhance preparedness and adaptive capacity. Her work empowers organizations to seize opportunities for innovation, transformation, and resilience.

Donna’s unique approach combines systems thinking and strategic foresight, leveraging both quantitative and qualitative insights to identify patterns and anticipate change over time. Her extensive portfolio includes advancing insights on climate-risk, international development, environmental and civil security, health and human security, and national defense.Recognized for her exceptional achievements, Donna has received seven government awards for excellence in policy, strategy, and partner relations. Her acclaimed futures research, Anticipation in Emergency Management (2020), earned awards from the Canadian Defence and Security Network and the Association of Professional Futurists. Donna holds a Master of Design in Strategic Foresight & Innovation from OCAD University.

To learn more about Donna, please visit:
www.purplecompass.ca

To Learn More, visit:
www.katelundspeaks.com

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