OMED25: Thought leader on creating change shares insights on adapting to rapidly advancing technology

At OMED 2025, speaker and musician Cameron Atlas presented a keynote presentation on how we go about moving through change and embracing rather than running from advancing technology. Atlas is a thought leader on creating change and has 15 years of experience helping organizations adapt to changing environments. In his work, he blends sharing his insights on leadership, psychology and human performance with live music.

In his talk, Atlas shared the story of his great-great-grandparents’ journey across the world. The voyage, which took 104 days, was tumultuous and courageous, and Atlas uses this tale of embracing great uncertainty to show what amazing things can come from it—in this case, the journey was a wonderful adventure that brought Atlas’ great-great-grandparents closer together and allowed them to make friends around the world.

Atlas’ presentation and OMED25 CME content are available on the OMED On-Demand platform through Dec. 31. In his presentation, Atlas encouraged DOs to have the courage to embrace change.

‘Human-centered progress’

“It’s the powerful idea of human-centered progress—change and innovation don’t just happen to you, they happen because of you,” said Atlas. “And I think that really matters, because at the end of the day, each and every one of us is a living, breathing, evolving story.”

Atlas also shared his four-step systematic approach to discovering and developing breakthrough ideas:

• Question: Challenge assumptions and identify the real problems hiding beneath surface symptoms.
• Imagine: Envision bold possibilities that stretch beyond current limitations and conventional thinking.
• Expand: Systemize and scale successful experiments to create lasting impact and transformation.
• Experiment: Test ideas quickly, learn from failures fast and iterate with purpose and precision.

With technology advancing at a seemingly constant rate, it’s imperative we choose carefully what to home in on and create the progress we want to see in our world and ourselves, so we don’t miss out on the growth opportunities that are still ahead of us. The power to create change and embrace sparks of curiosity is within all of us.

‘Choose what deserves the mic’

“You can utilize this approach to create the most amazing innovations, and you can utilize it to create a simple habit,” said Atlas. “Choose what deserves the mic.”

He ended his speech by imploring us all to work alongside technology rather than pushing back against change and challenging us to look for growth opportunities and consider various mindsets and ideals.

“Change is here, my friends, and it’s only going to continue accelerating at an exponential speed,” said Atlas. “It’s in stepping forward, even in the face of great uncertainty, that creates opportunity. So, what’s the next line in your story going to be?”

Atlas’ full keynote speech can be viewed on-demand through Dec. 31.