🎙️ Episode Overview

In this episode of Changing Shapes, Tom Horak sits down with Onika Simon—cultural strategist, brand thinker, philosopher by training, and co-founder of creative studio OK Sorted. With a career spanning two decades across New York, London and Berlin, Onika brings a singular voice to how we should think about creativity, ethics, and the role of technology in shaping culture.

From walking away from Oxford at 17 to starting her career in New York the day before 9/11, Onika has always been driven by big questions. This conversation explores the ethics of AI, the meaning of excellence, and why artists might be the best teachers for business leaders navigating change.

🔍 In This Episode, We Discuss:

✔ Why philosophy, not business, may be the best training for navigating AI

✔ What it really means to “show up in culture” when AI is part of your brand toolkit

✔ How to define excellence and why not everything deserves to exist

✔ The triple bottom line – what “good growth” looks like in the age of automation

✔ Why ethics aren’t corporate—they’re human, and that’s where the responsibility lies

✔ The difference between authenticity, adaptation and alienation when adopting new tools

✔ Her insider’s view on Berlin, London, and New York’s very different responses to AI

✔ Advice for young creatives: the importance of workplace hygiene, insubordination—and learning to ask better questions

🎧 Listen Now:

📌 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2TmkhnKwaBlN2adTHJWTDE?si=60f7e6b9dd844906

📌 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ro/podcast/changing-shapes/id1804432666

📌 Substack: https://substack.com/@thomashorak

✨ Key Takeaways:

• AI is the sum of everything we’ve made—but excellence still matters. Not all outputs are equal, and not everything should be monetised.

• Creative industries have a moral obligation. If we say we’re here to inspire and uplift, then ethics must be more than a line in the brand book.

• Good growth doesn’t sacrifice people or planet for profit. If AI is to be part of the future, it must serve more than the already powerful.

• Companies aren’t ethical—people are. And the true danger is when decision-makers dodge accountability behind the mask of technology.

• Young people should feel empowered to challenge systems. The future needs polite insubordination more than passive compliance.

🔗 Links & References:

• OK Sorted Studio – https://www.oksorted.com/

• Onika’s LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/onikasimon

💬 Join the Conversation:

📢 Share your thoughts on LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-horak/

📩 Subscribe for more cultural insight → https://substack.com/@thomashorak

If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe, rate, and leave a review—it really helps us grow. Until next time, ask better questions, stay human, and remember: not everything deserves to exist.