On The Brink With Andi Simon

What if the fastest route to meaningful growth isn't about launching another ad campaign, hiring more salespeople, or optimizing your funnel? What if the real accelerator is simply listening—really listening—to what's already happening around you? In this episode of On the Brink with Andi Simon, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Oscar Barrera, PhD—a brilliant corporate anthropologist and innovation strategist based in Mexico. Oscar and I share a core conviction: anthropology isn't just something you do; it's a way of seeing the world. It allows leaders to notice subtle patterns—those taking shape in their markets, inside their own companies, and in the everyday lives of their customers—even when the clues are hiding in plain sight. Oscar's work drives home a powerful point: the real obstacles to growth are often hidden. Not because they're imaginary, but because we haven't been trained to spot them. Meet Dr. Oscar Barrera: An Anthropologist Forging His Own Path Oscar's journey is as unconventional as it