In this episode of Be Anomalous, futurist and designer Radha Mistry joins me for a conversation that felt both deeply personal and profoundly expansive. Radha shares her journey from growing up across continents to training as an architect, ultimately carving a path in foresight that helps organizations imagine the world 20 years from now.
We talk about questioning cultural expectations, redefining what marriage and motherhood look like, and the healing that comes from raising kids differently than you were raised. Radha’s story is about curiosity as a compass, about refusing to fit neatly into boxes, and about permitting yourself to change course, again and again.
If you’ve ever felt like you don’t quite fit in, or wondered how to align who you are with the life you’re building, this episode will remind you that you don’t have to follow the blueprint; you get to create it.
Listen to the episode
What you’ll learn
Why foresight isn’t about predicting the future, but provoking new possibilities
How Radha redefined career, marriage, and motherhood on her own terms
The role of weak signals in shaping the next 20 years of technology, culture, and design
Why curiosity, not ego, has been her guiding principle
How parenting became both healing and grounding in her career
The importance of mentors, representation, and building your own table when none exists
Favorite Quote
“We are called to be architects of the future, not its victims.”
— Buckminster Fuller
Favorite Book
📖 Trick Mirror by Jia Tolentino
In this episode, we cover:
(00:00) Introduction to Radha Mistry
(05:00) Growing up between cultures and never fitting in a box
(12:00) Architecture as heritage — and why she stepped away
(20:00) Moving to London, narrative environments, and finding foresight
(28:00) What foresight research really is — and why it matters
(37:00) Building a career with no roadmap
(44:00) Representation, mentors, and building your own table
(53:00) Redefining marriage and motherhood on her own terms
(01:00:00) How parenthood became healing and grounding
(01:07:00) Favorite quote & book
Where to find Radha Mistry
Referenced in this episode
Arup Foresight Research + Innovation
Central Saint Martins (Narrative Environments MA)
Speculative design collectives: Archigram, Superstudio, Ant Farm, Japanese Metabolists
