Scott Galloway
Marketing Professor at NYU Stern, bestselling author, serial entrepreneur
Angus Fletcher
Professor of story science and author of Primal Intelligence (August 2025)
“The most important story is the one you tell yourself—about yourself.”
Photo credit: Kelly Koolhoven
Angus Fletcher is a professor at Ohio State University’s Project Narrative who brings a unique blend of storytelling, neuroscience, and innovation to the stage. His work has been praised by thought leaders such as Malcolm Gladwell (“mind-blowing”) and Brené Brown (“life-changing”) and endorsed by institutions including NASA and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. In his forthcoming book, Primal Intelligence, Fletcher shares groundbreaking insights into how intuition, imagination, emotion, and commonsense are the true innovation and growth drivers in the age of AI.
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About Angus Fletcher
Angus Fletcher is a professor and the author of, Wonderworks: The 25 Most Powerful Inventions in the History of Literature, as well the forthcoming book, Primal Intelligence: You Are Smarter Than You Know (August 2025). His work stands at the intersection of narrative theory, psychology, and brain science, making him a pioneering figure in understanding how stories shape human experience and cognition.
Fletcher is a speaker for curious audiences who enjoy a challenge and want tools for solving problems and achieving goals in business and life. He has consulted with and spoken at organizations like NASA, the U.S. Special Forces, and Fortune 500 companies. His smart, motivating, and humorous lectures inspire leaders, cultivate innovation, and boost team performance.
One of Fletcher’s most acclaimed works is his research on the neuroscience of creativity. He has conducted groundbreaking studies on how the brain processes narratives and has applied these insights to various domains, including education, leadership, and innovation. His book Wonderworks: The 25 Most Powerful Inventions in the History of Literature examines how literature has developed psychological tools over the centuries to help humans deal with challenges like fear, stress, and uncertainty. In it, he links literary innovations to discoveries in neuroscience, offering a fresh perspective on the enduring power of storytelling.
His forthcoming book, Primal Intelligence: You Are Smarter Than You Know, is highly anticipated by readers looking for inspiration on upleveling creativity and innovation at the intersection of psychology and business. Based on the revolutionary training developed by Fletcher’s Project Narrative and U.S. Army Special Operations, the book offers a brand-new approach to accessing our hidden, Primal Intelligence.
Fletcher holds a Ph.D. in literature from Yale University. In 2023, he was awarded the Commendation Medal by the U.S. Army for his “groundbreaking research” with the U.S. Army Special Operations into Primal Intelligence.
Contact us for more information about booking Angus Fletcher for your next event.
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Speaking Topics
The Human Brain is Born to Lead: Lessons in Leadership
In this riveting lecture, Angus Fletcher (re)tells the story of leadership. Looking back thousand of centuries, he illustrates how we are all descended from generations who passed the test of leadership, literally leading tribes through harsh winters. This nature has been hidden and today most leaders fail—and fail permanently. Based on his lab’s studies of thousands of Special Operations commanders and senior business executives, Fletcher unpacks what is interfering with this natural leadership. Looking at brains during a leadership failure, researchers see one of three brain states: The first state is panic, the second is anger, and the third is disorganization. Fletcher runs audiences through a simple method, field tested in business and combat, for eliminating this root cause.
Why Humans Will Always Be Smarter Than AI
In this lecture and in-discussion format, Angus Fletcher draws on his background in literature and neuroscience to understand how brains and machines process story and narrative. He explains that AI cannot engage in negative thought, understand cause and effect, or think in narratives and future states, all essential to creativity. While AI excels in probabilities and facts, it lacks the ability to innovate like humans. Fletcher believes that human storytelling will remain vital, and by embracing this, we can foster more effective collaboration between humans and machines.
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Praise for Angus Fletcher
Praise for Wonderworks
Reading good books doesn’t just entertain us; it teaches us how to better use our brains and our emotions, as this lively treatise tells us . . . An idiosyncratic, richly detailed, often lyrical invitation to reconsider how and why to read literature.
— Kirkus Reviews (starred review)"I'm totally obsessed with Wonderworks. It swallowed me whole.
— Brené Brown -
Books by Angus Fletcher
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Featured Title
Wonderworks
"Fascinating. . . . It blew my mind!" —Malcolm Gladwell
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