The Long Journey Home: The Odyssey Reimagined
Originally published on Digoshen at July-Aug 2026
Nearly three thousand years after Homer composed The Odyssey, its lessons remain strikingly relevant. As AI reshapes how we work and lead, the technologies may be new, but the human questions are not.
This growing essay explores The Odyssey through the lenses of leadership, neuroscience, organizational design, and the responsible stewardship of AI, inspired by Christopher Nolan’s film adaptation and Ludwig Göransson’s evocative soundtrack.
The aim is simple: to discover what one of humanity’s oldest stories can still teach us about leading in one of its newest eras.
Reflections
Odysseus’ journey is not only about returning to Ithaca—it is about personal transformation. Every obstacle, temptation, and setback becomes an opportunity to grow in wisdom, courage, and character. For modern leaders, the story is a reminder that meaningful leadership is rarely a straight path. It requires perseverance, adaptability, and the ability to stay true to one’s purpose even when the destination seems distant. The journey itself often shapes us more than the place we are trying to reach.
The message
The greatest journeys are not measured by the distance traveled, but by the wisdom, resilience, and humanity we gain along the way. Ancient stories like The Odyssey continue to inspire us because they reflect the timeless challenges of leadership and life.
Read the full reflection here
About Liselotte Engstam, Digoshen & Novisali
Liselotte Engstam is an explorer of perspectives, an adventurer of ideas, a pathfinder of meaning, and a guide of timeless transitions. She bridges the worlds of board leadership and art, helping organizations and individuals navigate disruption while nurturing creativity and reflection.
As founder of Digoshen, she works with boards and leaders to expand future insights and reduce digital and sustainability blindspots. Through research, networks, and executive programs, Digoshen supports responsible value creation in the digital and sustainable age, contributing thought leadership via books, articles, events, Digoshen Exploring Leaders podcast, and blogs.
She also serves as Chair of the Boards Impact Forum in collaboration with the World Economic Forum and the Climate Governance. The Forum convenes board members, thought leaders, and experts in dialogues, webinars, and collaborative events, accelerating action on climate, AI, and sustainability.
Through her artistic practice as Novisali, Liselotte explores creativity and meaning. Her watercolors, digitally reimagined, invite reflection and renewal, offering perspectives that connect head, heart, and hand, and complementing her work with leaders and boards.
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→ Find more about Liselotte at www.liselotteengstam.com and her Google Scholar page
→ Explore Liselotte’s art and reflections at www.novisali.com and follow on Instagram @novisali_artsEdit