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Movements Don’t Start Big. They Start Here.

Movements Don’t Start Big. They Start Here.

Welcome to NEXTletter, your personal 121 (One To One) with your future - 1 question, 2 perspectives, 1 experiment.

Frederik Pferdt
April 25, 2025

Prefer to listen 🎧 > click here.

Hi future friends,

In 17 cities, we didn’t just talk about the future. We saw how it starts—with one small act of courage and connection.

In the foreword of my book Radikal Besser, Miriam Meckel and Lea Steinacker wrote:
“This is more than a book—it’s a movement.”

And over the last few weeks, during the Zukunftsgeist Tour, we began to see what that actually means.

Movements are often imagined as fireworks: loud, bright, sudden.
But maybe they’re more like seeds—quiet, intentional, and dependent on trust, care, and the right conditions to grow.

What we experienced across Germany, Austria, and Switzerland was this:
The future grows from moments of connection.

One shared question. One open heart. One room where people feel safe to imagine differently.

ONE QUESTION TO REFLECT ON

How does a movement begin—one that reshapes how we see the future, and ourselves?

TWO PERSPECTIVES TO CONSIDER

1 Movements begin when people feel seen

In every city, from Hamburg to Munich, we heard something deeply human:
“I thought I was the only one thinking this way.”

In Stuttgart, an 11-year-old stood up and asked: “What if we’re not afraid anymore?”

This is where movements begin—not with slogans, but with recognition.
When someone feels seen, they step forward.

And when we meet that step with empathy and openness, a space for transformation is born.

2 Movements grow when people act

In Vienna, two people didn’t leave after the event. They stayed. Talked. Then said something simple: “Let’s start a Future Breakfast.”

No slides. No strategy. Just an invitation:
“Bring an idea for the future you want. Let’s share and start somewhere.”

This is what sociologist Damon Centola calls “complex contagion.”
Ideas don’t spread like viruses—they spread through trust, repeated connection, and meaningful moments.

When small groups take small actions together, a movement begins to move.
Movements don’t grow top-down. They grow sideways.

From one brave conversation to another.
From imagination to action.

ONE EXPERIMENT

(Try it now. Return to it often.)

Try this. Host a Future Breakfast!
Pick one morning this week. Invite two or three people you admire—friends, teammates, neighbors.

No need for fancy food. What matters is the question:
“What kind of future do you want to live in—and what’s one thing we could do to begin shaping it now?”

Let it be playful. Let it be personal.
You’re not hosting an event. You’re sparking a signal.
Bring post-its, or just bring presence.

Movements are like mushrooms in the forest.
They don’t grow in isolation.
They emerge from mycelium—an underground network of connection.

Your breakfast? That’s a mycelium moment.

So ask boldly.
Listen deeply.
And start a small movement—over coffee or tea.

Special: Get One, Give One – and Inspire Two Futures

You know I usually write and speak for a global audience, but this time… it's a bit different: I just released my very first book – and it's in German 🇩🇪.
It’s called Radikal Besser (Radically Better) and it’s all about shaping hopeful futures.

Now, I get it – many of you don’t read German (yet 😄).
But maybe you know someone who does: a colleague, a friend, or that one curious relative.

Here’s the idea:
If you get one copy, you get another one for free – so you can gift the future to someone else, too. Buy here. Anyone who orders a copy of the book by April 30 and sends proof of purchase to [email protected] will receive a second copy for free.

Already reading it?
I’d love to hear how it’s inspired your thinking – and would be grateful for your review on Amazon. Review here.

And don't worry – my next big thing will be in English again. Stay tuned.

Future love
Frederik

Catch up on previous editions 📧 : The Most Important Question You’re Not Asking About Your Future, A Better Relationship With Your Future or Turning Crisis Into Creation.