Reimagining the Future from the Inside Out
Mark Warnick knows the power of curiosity. As a seasoned engineer and innovation leader, he’s spent the last 15 years pushing the boundaries of technology and creativity at USAA—earning 26 patents in the process. But recently, Mark felt a shift: he wanted to stand up an internal foresight consulting team within USAA.
That desire led him to our Futurist-in-50-Days and Strategic Thinking Training—and later, the Permissionless Consultant program to help bring foresight forward within his organization.
Why Foresight? Why Now?
Mark joined the training programs during a moment of acceleration. He and a few like-minded colleagues were already exploring futures concepts within USAA, with the goal of building their internal foresight capability and becoming certified.
With momentum building, Mark enrolled in Futurist-in-50-Days and Strategic Thinking along with his team.
“The program combined a lot of what we were working on and then gave us industry vocabulary to connect it across the organization… Anybody who is looking to the future and wanting to know how to participate in future creation can benefit from this program.”
Seeing Through a Foresight Lens
While reflecting on what stood out most, Mark shared: “the two training programs (Futurist-in-50-Days and Strategic Thinking) combined really well. We have a sister team that sits in Strategy, and Strategic Thinking helped us understand how to focus innovation and gave us vocabulary and a base level understanding on how to map foresight back to the business and strategy.”
That shift helped him connect dots more clearly, make more intentional choices, and apply the learnings back to the business immediately.
Blending Creativity + Strategy
Outside of his corporate role, Mark is no stranger to creative exploration. He publishes an annual indie magazine, 3vies, focused on intentional living, and delivers keynotes on creativity, tech, and personal growth.
He describes the programs as uncovering what was already living inside him:
“Foresight thinking has been in me all along, but now I have the tools and language to back it up.”
Mark completed both programs in two weeks, moving quickly, while some of his colleagues took more time. The team met regularly to discuss the content and ask questions. He found himself returning to the material again and again—discovering new insights with each pass. “Being able to take it in a team setting gave it a whole new level that I’d suggest for people.”
The Mindset of a Future-Maker
At the heart of Mark’s work is a desire to leave systems better than he found them—not just for his organization, but for the people inside it and for the next generation, including his three kids. He approaches innovation with both strategic clarity and deep care, always asking:
How can we build for the long-term? How can we create environments where ideas—and people—can thrive?
Whether through his indie magazine 3vies, his creative work, his parenting or his efforts inside USAA, Mark’s philosophy is rooted in bettering the world. He’s not interested in extractive success—he’s designing systems that are built to outlast him.
His journey reflects what it truly means to be a future-maker: someone who pairs vision with action, creativity with strategy, and individual growth with collective progress.
How to Collaborate with Mark
Today, Mark is embedding strategic foresight into his day-to-day role and building the foundation for an internal foresight consultancy—one that supports innovation from within USAA.
He’s also deepening his thought leadership: Mark is currently writing a paper on the future of compensation and value exchange. The paper will appear in a future issue of his indie magazine.
In addition to his work at USAA, Mark offers consulting support in four core areas, supporting both organizations and individuals:
• Visioning + back-casting
• Rapid concept creation and testing
• Supporting brands through the patent process
• Culture-building: building the environment, conditions, and rhythms for success
Want to learn more? Check out the interview above and find Mark’s latest thinking on Threads.
Wishing you success in your next act, Mark! Here’s to what’s next.
About the Author
Lindsay Angelo is the founder of Futurist-in-50 Days, helping individuals elevate their leadership skills by mastering strategic foresight. She's also a practicing and award-winning Strategist, Futurist, MBA and TEDx speaker. She launched her consultancy six years ago with the goal of helping purpose-driven brands drive growth and impact. Since then, she's more than tripled her prior earnings while advising entrepreneurs, think tanks, celebrities, and Fortune 500 companies while creating a nomadic lifestyle rooted in travel, family, and community. Named a Woman to Watch and Global Innovation Leader, Lindsay has delivered over 100+ keynotes and is the creator of a signature blueprint for driving brand growth and impact.
