Like many of you, I am a student of life — past, present, and future. I write and share my thoughts on how we can prepare for the future and on parenting for that future.
Henry O. A. Atang is the author of What the Future Knows About the Past, a book about reinvention, intentional parenting, and preparing for a world that changes faster than most of us were equipped for.
Now in its Third Edition, the book has grown alongside its author — each edition reflecting new lessons, sharper questions, and a deeper understanding of what it takes to change course.
He writes from North East England. He writes as a father. And he writes as someone who started late, learned the hard way, and decided the next generation should not have to figure it all out alone.
Why I wrote this book
I did not grow up with the tools this book tries to give. No one coached me on how to sell myself, how to deliberately build a network, or how patience is active, not passive. I learnt those things late, and some of them I am still learning.
A conversation years ago changed the direction of my thinking. A friend of mine faced a threat to his life and handled it with a calm that astonished me. When I asked him how, he told me he had survived worse — that the pain of his childhood had made him fearless. I could not condone what he had endured, but I could not ignore the result either.
That encounter planted a question: if a negative experience can condition a child to produce a definite outcome, what could a positive, intentional one achieve?
From that question came the book. I began examining what my own upbringing had produced — and what it had failed to produce. I looked at the world my children would inherit: flooded with information, disrupted by technology, demanding skills that most schools are not yet teaching.
What the Future Knows About the Past is my answer. It is not a finished answer — the Third Edition is proof of that — but it is an honest one.
If a negative experience can condition a child to produce a definite outcome, what could a positive, intentional one achieve?
What I do now
I write about reinvention, career strategy, and the future of work. My articles explore the themes from the book in shorter form — spotting trends, building competence, and making sense of a changing job market.
I also offer one-to-one conversations for anyone navigating a career change, a late start, or the challenge of preparing a child for a future that looks nothing like the past.
Get in touch.
Press, speaking, or collaboration: henry@osoisi.com
Workbook templates or book requests: thefuture@osoisi.com