Desperately Seeking Wisdom - podcast cover

Desperately Seeking Wisdom

Red Bicycle & Creators Incwww.desperatelyseekingwisdom.com
This is a podcast where well-known people talk about what they’ve learned from life - particularly the tough times. Guests have come from the worlds of entertainment, politics, business and journalism, including: Richard Curtis, George Alagiah, Amber Rudd, the Rev. Richard Coles, Lyse Doucet and David Baddiel. It’s a chance to hear their wisdom - and to think about how it might apply to your life…After the Brexit vote, Craig Oliver's high-powered job and privileged position at the heart of the British government came to an abrupt end.In the aftermath of that bruising battle, he despaired at how divided society had become, but also came to realise something fundamental was missing from his own life. Outwardly he was still achieving; but he realised he'd never felt comfortable in his own skin.Life had always felt more of a grind than a gift – he'd always believed that if he only worked harder, he'd find fulfilment. Now he realised that wasn't the case. Like many others, he asked himself why he'd always had a constant feeling of unease and discontent?He wondered what wise people had to say about how we can live better. Craig decided to try a different path to the one he'd travelled before, reading and listening to many people. Some had little to offer, but he found many revelatory.Throughout this podcast series, Craig talks to some extraordinary people about the wisdom they've been able to take from the ups and downs of life - including traumas and triumphs - and finds out what they believe will help others gain peace of mind and heart.
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Episodes

Jonathan Scott Lee

This is a special edition of Desperately Seeking Wisdom. Just after we completed the third season a few months ago, Craig began began talking to Jonathan Scott Lee. In 2023, Jonathan's daughter, Caitlyn, took her own life at the exclusive Wickham Abbey School. Her tragic death was covered widely in the media and forced him to confront some hard questions about why Caitlyn did what she did. As a regular listener to the series, Jonathan wondered if others might like to hear about what he went thro...

Sep 02, 202437 minSeason 3Ep. 21

Tanni Grey-Thompson - Part 2

Baroness Tanni-Grey Thompson is one of Britain’s most successful athletes, having won 16 Paralympic medals, including 11 golds. In part two of our conversation, we talk about what Tanni has learnt from moving from being a elite athlete to working in the House of Lords...as well as the wisdom her father gave her, when he told her to think of herself as a 'Venn Diagram'. This is the last episode of our current season. All of our episodes, from every season, are available now and we have a fantasti...

Apr 04, 202426 minSeason 3Ep. 20

Tanni Grey-Thompson - Part 1

Baroness Tanni-Grey Thompson is one of Britain’s most successful athletes, having won 16 Paralympic medals, including 11 golds. Since retiring, she’s transferred her drive to a different arena, the House of Lords. In part one of our conversation, we discuss where her positive attitude comes from and explore how she’s achieved such remarkable success throughout her life. We discuss how she has learnt not to react to the steady stream of prejudice she faces and she also refers to the action movie ...

Apr 01, 202429 minSeason 3Ep. 19

Sir Trevor McDonald - Part 2

Sir Trevor McDonald is one of our country’s most celebrated journalists and news presenters. In part two of our conversation, Sir Trevor talks in more detail about some of the defining moments of his career, including his reaction to hearing Nelson Mandela’s wisdom when he was released after nearly three full decades in prison. This episode is produced by Red Bicycle.

Mar 28, 202437 minSeason 3Ep. 18

Sir Trevor McDonald - Part 1

Sir Trevor McDonald is one of our country’s most celebrated journalists and news presenters. He rose from a poor childhood in Trinidad, to cover the biggest stories of our times - and became one of the most famous people in Britain while he was at it. It’s a unique story and in part one of our conversation we talk to Sir Trevor about what his childhood taught him and how an aspirational family environment prepared him for an extraordinary career. Part two of our conversation is out on Thursday 2...

Mar 25, 202429 minSeason 3Ep. 17

Compilation 1 - Pieces of Wisdom

As part of season three, this is a special compilation episode featuring guests from season one and two. In the last couple of years we have had many inspiring conversations with people including Richard Curtis, the late George Alagiah, Amber Rudd, Sian Williams, David Baddiel and many more. You can listen to all of these episodes on our website - www.desperatelyseekingwisdom.com - or whereever you get your podcasts. But to give you a taste of these conversations, we’ve compiled a collection of ...

Mar 21, 202430 minSeason 3Ep. 16

Robi Damelin

Robi Damelin is a peace activist based in Israel. She's a leading voice in The Parents Circle - a grassroots Israeli-Palestinian organisation, made up of over 600 families who’ve all lost family members in the conflict and campaign for a non-violent response. Robi’s life was changed forever when her beloved son David was killed by a Palestinian sniper, twenty years ago. Her response was to reject violence and the idea of revenge and work for peace, something she's done ever since. In this conver...

Mar 18, 202447 minSeason 3Ep. 15

The Return of Matt Forde - Part 2

On Desperately Seeking Wisdom this week, we’re doing something we haven’t done before – speaking to a guest who has already been on the podcast, the comedian Matt Forde. We recorded Matt's first chat on the series less than a year ago and when we did Matt was about to get married. But soon after the happy day, he was diagnosed with cancer - a spine tumour that required major surgery towards the end of 2023. A few months on, Matt wanted to share how he coped with his cancer and the agonising pain...

Mar 14, 202434 minSeason 3Ep. 14

The Return of Matt Forde - Part 1

On Desperately Seeking Wisdom this week, we’re doing something we haven’t done before; speaking to a guest who has already been on the podcast, the comedian Matt Forde. We recorded Matt's first chat on the series less than a year ago and when we did Matt was about to get married. But soon after the happy day, he was diagnosed with cancer - a spine tumour that required major surgery towards the end of 2023. That's why this week we're talking to Matt to see how he's getting on. As you’ll hear, the...

Mar 11, 202429 minSeason 3Ep. 13

James Cracknell - Part 2

James Cracknell is a double Olympic Gold medallist, adventurer, and now Parliamentary candidate. In part two of our conversation, we discuss the horrific cycling accident that James suffered which changed his life forever - how he coped with it and what he's learnt from it. We also discuss his constant desire to tackle new challenges and what that says about who he is. This episode was produced by Red Bicycle.

Mar 07, 202422 minSeason 3Ep. 12

James Cracknell - Part 1

James Cracknell is a double Olympic Gold medallist, adventurer, and now Parliamentary candidate. He’s faced some extraordinary highs and devastating lows – including being left brain-damaged after being hit by a truck travelling at 65mph. In part one of our conversation, we discuss how how he bounced back from the agony of having to miss his first Olympics due to illness and was able to use that pain to propel him to win gold four years later. We also talk about his extraordinary determination a...

Mar 04, 202432 minSeason 3Ep. 11

Clive Myrie - Part 2

This is part two of our conversation with Clive Myrie, one of the most recognisable and versatile broadcasters in the UK. He’s equally at home reporting from a warzone as he is in the studio, grilling contestants on Mastermind or presenting BBC News at Ten. In this part, Clive talks about what he's learnt through his life as a journalist, reporting on some of the most extreme global stories of recent times. Clive also reflects on how he views death as he gets older and answering that all importa...

Feb 29, 202427 minSeason 3Ep. 10

Clive Myrie - Part 1

Clive Myrie is one of the most recognisable and versatile broadcasters in the UK. He’s equally at home reporting from a warzone as he is in the studio, grilling contestants on Mastermind or presenting BBC News at Ten. In part one of this wide-ranging conversation, he talks about the wisdom behind the title of his bestselling book, 'Everything is Everything'. It means things are more likely to be well if you have a more positive attitude. He also talks about his experiences of racism and why it s...

Feb 26, 202444 minSeason 3Ep. 9

Rory Bremner - Part 2

Rory Bremner is one of the country's leading comedians and impressionists. He's been making the nation laugh since the 1980s, often by taking a satirical look at the people in power. Rory’s career has seen him write and star in iconic shows like Spitting Image , Whose Line Is It Anyway and Mock the Week , as well as his long-running series Bremner, Bird and Fortune . This is part two of our conversation during which we talk about what Rory has learned about himself through relationships, being a...

Feb 22, 202442 minSeason 3Ep. 8

Rory Bremner - Part 1

Rory Bremner is one of the country's leading comedians and impressionists. He's been making the nation laugh since the 1980s, often by taking a sideways look at the people in power. Rory’s career has seen him write and star in iconic shows like Spitting Image , Whose Line Is It Anyway and Mock the Week , as well as his long-running series Bremner, Bird and Fortune . This is part one of our conversation, during which we talk about many things including his childhood and the impact of losing his f...

Feb 19, 202433 minSeason 3Ep. 7

James Graham - Part 2

James Graham is an exceptionally talented playwright and screenwriter. His critically acclaimed plays and scripts – including Ink, Sherwood, Brexit: the Uncivil War, and Dear England, have captured the imagination of critics and audiences. He often takes pivotal moments in our history to show how and why we’ve ended up where we are now. In an open and frank conversation, James talks about how therapy helped him with workaholism and avoidance issues as well as the nation's state of mind. This is ...

Feb 15, 202444 minSeason 3Ep. 6

James Graham - Part 1

James Graham is an exceptionally talented playwright and screenwriter. His critically acclaimed plays and scripts – including Ink, Sherwood, Brexit: the Uncivil War, and Dear England, have captured the imagination of critics and audiences. He often takes pivotal moments in our history to show how and why we’ve ended up where we are now. In this part, James talks about how he believes story-telling is important for individuals and society as a whole and why he thinks telling both sides of a story...

Feb 12, 202432 minSeason 3Ep. 5

Emily Maitlis - Part 2

Emily Maitlis is one of the most well-known and successful broadcast journalists in Britain. She’s covered the biggest stories of our times – and interviewed some of the most famous and powerful people, including Bill Clinton, Donald Trump, Russell Brand and Prince Andrew. More recently she’s become one of the lead presenters of the highly rated podcast, The News Agents. In this part we find out how challenging people sometimes requires bravery and empathy – and what she learned from the sickeni...

Feb 08, 202427 minSeason 3Ep. 4

Emily Maitlis - Part 1

Emily Maitlis is one of the most well-known and successful broadcast journalists in Britain. She’s covered the biggest stories of our times – and interviewed some of the most famous and powerful people, including Bill Clinton, Donald Trump, Russell Brand and Prince Andrew. More recently she’s become one of the lead presenters of the highly rated podcast, The News Agents. During our conversation in this part, we discuss Emily's choldhood, how she became a journalist and how it feels to have witne...

Feb 05, 202433 minSeason 3Ep. 3

Rory Stewart - Part 2

Rory Stewart is a man of many talents. He’s been a politician, diplomat, professor, explorer and now a highly-successful podcaster.In this conversation we talk about his highs and lows, and the shame he felt at his mistakes – one so bad he considered suicide. He also gives his verdicts on the many Prime Ministers he’s worked with, explains why he’s so disillusioned with modern politics, and what we might do to make it better. This episode was produced by Red Bicycle.

Feb 01, 202433 minSeason 3Ep. 2

Rory Stewart - Part 1

Rory Stewart is a man of many talents. He’s been a politician, diplomat, professor, explorer and now a highly-successful podcaster. In this conversation we talk about his highs and lows, and the shame he felt at his mistakes – one so bad he considered suicide. He also gives his verdicts on the many Prime Ministers he’s worked with, explains why he’s so disillusioned with modern politics, and what we might do to make it better. This is part one of our conversation first released on 29th January 2...

Jan 29, 202430 minSeason 3Ep. 1

Desperately Seeking Wisdom - Season Three Trailer

After years working 24/7 at the top of media and government, Craig Oliver realised he wasn’t happy. He wanted to discover the secrets of a more fulfilled life. That’s what his podcast, Desperately Seeking Wisdom, is all about. In season three, he's sitting down for intimate chats with thought-provoking guests like Rory Stewart, Emily Maitlis and James Graham …to share the wisdom they gained from the toughest times of their lives. Season three launches on the 29th January and you'll be able to li...

Jan 22, 202430 sec

Matt Forde

Matt Forde is one of our funniest comedians – carving out a niche for himself as a sharp satirist and brilliant mimic of the likes of Boris Johnson and Keir Starmer. What’s really interesting about him is the humanity he brings to his podcast, The Political Party, where he treats politicians as fully-rounded and complex individuals who deserve our understanding. He speaks brilliantly about how life in a broken family and on free school meals helped shape his approach to life.

Apr 30, 202350 min

Michael Singer

Michael Singer has taught me so much. His New York Times bestselling books such as The Untethered Soul, are manuals on how to look at and experience life. He teaches how to radically shift our perspective on what it means to be alive – and how to accept both the past and the world we live in. There’s so much to learn from him...

Apr 23, 202347 min

Jacqui Smith

Jacqui Smith scaled the heights of British politics when she became the first female Home Secretary. It all came crashing down during the expenses scandal, when – among other things – it emerged her husband had claimed for pornographic movies. She’s since rebuilt her life as a broadcaster and political commentator. Jacqui is fascinating, open and honest about the experience of feeling her whole world was crumbling around her and what it taught her.

Apr 16, 202347 min

Professor Azza Karam

Professor Azza Karam is the Secretary General of Religions for Peace – a body set up to find a common purpose in the world’s great religions. She grew up in a loving, but restrictive Muslim family, where a strong mother thought she was helping her by limiting her achievements. I was fascinated by how she has come to terms with her past, her faith and her strong belief in our need for spiritual nourishment and expression.

Apr 09, 202351 min

Sir Simon Baron-Cohen

Sir Simon Baron-Cohen is a leading clinical psychologist and expert in autism. He has written a number of popular science books exploring subjects ranging from empathy (and the lack of it) to understanding how the neurodivergent mind works. He believes terms like “good” and “evil” don’t help us see how and why people operate as they do - and it’s in this area where much of his wisdom is to be found.

Apr 02, 202353 min

Jack Davenport

Jack Davenport is one of our best and most recognisable actors. His credits include: The Pirates of Caribbean, The Talented Mr Ripley, This Life and most recently, Ten Percent. He talks freely about staying centred while acting in a major production, what it was like growing up with film stars dropping in, and why he refuses to have anything to do with social media.

Mar 26, 202349 min

David Baddiel

David Baddiel has been at the top of comedy for many years – often using stories about his complex family for his hilarious, but sometimes painful material. He’s also a celebrated writer, having a huge impact with his children’s books and the polemic, Jews Don’t Count. His most recent book, The God Desire (published on April 13th, 2023), explains why although he yearns for there to be a God, he can’t bring himself to believe in one. David has fascinating insights throughout our wide-ranging conv...

Mar 20, 202358 min
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