If you read the major biographies of George Orwell you would be hard-pressed to know that his wife Eileen shaped his life and writing in profoundly significant ways: from saving his life in the Spanish civil war to seeding the ideas for Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four. The award-winning author of Stasiland Anna Funder has uncovered Eileen's story in full and joins us on the podcast to share her insights into the character and times of Eric Blair and his tempestuous first marriage. Learn mor...
Jun 11, 2024•50 min
One of Australia's leading authors, Richard Flanagan won the Booker for The Narrow Road to the Deep North, a novel informed by his father's experiences as a slave labourer in the second world war. He returns to that subject in his new book Question 7, a profound and powerful book that contemplates love and death, resilience and tragedy, and how the world shapes fiction and fiction shapes the world in turn. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jun 07, 2024•48 min
A decade ago, living in a city and feeling exhausted and empty, Craig Foster decided to return to his birthplace—the Cape of Good Hope—and dive into the great African Sea forest each day. His daily oceanic adventures not only helped him “rewild”, but helped him come to see his own “amphibious soul” as a powerful metaphor for the human condition. Now, in conversation with his close friend Kate Humble, he shares his insights into the wonder of the natural world. From understanding diverse species ...
Jun 05, 2024•1 hr 13 min
Who and what are supercommunicators? They’re the people who can steer a conversation to a successful conclusion. They are able to talk about difficult topics without giving offence. They know how to make others feel at ease and share what they think. They’re brilliant facilitators and decision-guiders. How do they do it? In this podcast Pulitzer Prize winning author of The Power of Habit, Charles Duhigg unravels the secrets of the supercommunicators, unpacking the different types of everyday con...
May 31, 2024•1 hr 13 min
An iconoclast unafraid to speak truth to power, George Monbiot has been fighting for a better future for our planet for decades. In this episode, he joins comedian and podcaster Nish Kumar to share his insights into the ideology that preys on every aspect of our lives – neoliberalism. Revealing how the network of neoliberalism 'kicks down and kisses up', George shows us how this fringe philosophy was adopted by wealthy elites and came to dominate our society and our economy. But nothing is inevi...
May 28, 2024•1 hr 28 min
How do we build authentic relationships with others and with ourselves when we feel like we're walking on eggshells so much of the time? In our deeply divided world, Africa joins actor and activist Jameela Jamil to share a new vision of authenticity, a third perspective in our highly polarised society. Bravery meets liberation; honesty meets openness; listening meets self-expression: Africa reveals how we can connect deeply with one another when we move beyond the confines of self-censorship and...
May 23, 2024•1 hr 18 min
What do we do when 'we are given too many lemons to make into lemonade'? Zen Buddhist teacher and international bestseller Haemin Sunim joins us with lessons from his new book, When Things Don't Go Your Way, to show us how we can find happiness even when life seems to overwhelm us, and reveal how inner peace is always within reach. From how to fall asleep with greater ease to how to transcend jealousy, from reconnecting with our friends to reconnecting with ourselves, Haemin illuminates practica...
May 21, 2024•44 min
After spending decades as a leader in tech, Mo Gawdat turned his brilliant mind towards human flourishing, and showed how we can grow from our lives' darkest moments. After the tragic death of his son Ali, Mo authored international bestseller Solve for Happy in honour of his son, and shared a formula for happiness that can be learned and adopted by all. Now he returns with Unstressable, co-authored with stress management expert Alice Law, and together they joins us for a moving conversation on m...
May 17, 2024•1 hr 18 min
In this spirited and candid episode, the incisive LBC presenter and bestselling author James O'Brien addresses the state of the nation. In conversation with political journalist Ian Dunt, James maps the UK's hidden webs of power and shares his candid reflections on the bruisers of British politics. It's an unmissable conversation for anyone who wants to understand how we got here - and discover why a nation on its knees is not in fact a foregone conclusion. Learn more about your ad choices. Visi...
May 14, 2024•1 hr 21 min
Erudite and comic, ironic and profound, philosopher Slavoj Žižek has travelled into territory where few of us dare to tread – and at 75 he shows no signs of becoming less provocative. In this very special birthday podcast, he shares his life story and intellectual journey with broadcaster and journalist Ash Sarkar. A one-of-a-kind glimpse into the makings of the man widely known as ‘the most dangerous philosopher in the West’. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
May 10, 2024•1 hr 18 min
In a world fixated on the conventional notion of success – marked by relentless hustle, sacrificing wellbeing and missing out on cherished moments with loved ones in the pursuit of fame and material possessions – Robin Sharma offers a life-changing new philosophy and methodology for enjoying an honestly rich life: one filled with personal power, authenticity, fulfilling work and a beautiful lifestyle that will cause you to feel like real fortune has finally smiled on you. Learn more about your a...
May 07, 2024•1 hr 17 min
George the Poet knows better than anybody the importance of understanding your surroundings. Born to Ugandan parents on the St Raphael’s Estate in Neasden, north-west London, George Mpanga has always been aware of his community. It was both his teacher and his inspiration – giving him the language, the experiences, and the skills to become the person he is today. In this episode George joins former Guardian columnist Professor Gary Younge to unveil the power dynamics that shape our world, sheddi...
May 03, 2024•1 hr 13 min
With the majority of today's youths in the UK having more than a 50% change of living past 90, the key question becomes: how do we live well for longer? How can our health span match our growing life span? From healthy habits to the larger role which societies must play in shifting approaches to ageing and health, economist and longevity expert Andrew Scott explores the systemic impact, and potential, of our lengthening lives. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Apr 30, 2024•44 min
The moon is more than a source of majesty and wonder; it has profoundly shaped the course of life on planet Earth. Children know the moon is a source of majesty and wonder; adults easily forget it. Journalist Rebecca Boyle never has. A science journalist specialising in space and astrophysics, she joins Aimee Morris to share the cultural history of the moon and, as Nasa prepares to return to the moon for the first time in more than fifty years, look to the future of this dazzling other world. Le...
Apr 26, 2024•38 min
The very real consequences of climate change are taking a toll on our humanity from the inside out: and climate anxiety is just the tip of the iceberg. From the psychiatric risks of climate stress on unborn babies, to the growing danger of neurotoxic algal blooms and brain-eating amoebas, neuroscientist and award-winning journalist Clayton Page Aldern joins Dr Xand van Tulleken to explore the harrowing effects of the climate crisis on our physical and neurological wellbeing. Learn more about you...
Apr 24, 2024•1 hr 7 min
After 15 years of treating clients as a psychotherapist, Emma Reed Turrell has observed one recurring factor that plagues her patients: blind spots. These are gaps in our awareness that, if we let them go unchallenged, can calcify over time, cloud our judgement and affect our relationships by creating misconceptions like: ‘my needs aren’t important’ or ‘I can’t trust anyone but myself’. In this podcast episode, in conversation with Kate Moyle, Emma shows us how to break these cycles in our minds...
Apr 19, 2024•1 hr 6 min
Christiana Figueres' podcast Outrage + Optimism is essential listening for anyone who wants to understand the complexity of the climate situation. This podcast is a preview of their mini-series, Our Story of Nature. In Episode 1 of the three-part series, Christiana Figueres, Isabel Cavelier Adarve and guests delve deep into the roots of humanity’s separation from nature. They explore moments where cracks may have appeared and widened, including the advent of farming and a particular interpretati...
Apr 17, 2024•1 hr 12 min
Philip Ball returns to the How To Academy Podcast to share the extraordinary revelations of contemporary science and make us think again about what we think we know about how life works. Illuminating what we now know about structures as small as RNA and forces as vast as evolution, to show how both the minuscule and the massive have shaped the world we know. Probing ever-pertinent questions around individual agency, purpose, and whether we can deduce meaning from the cosmos itself, Philip invite...
Apr 12, 2024•1 hr 8 min
Gary Stevenson was the youngest trader in the whole city, and became the most profitable one too at his bank after betting against the economy. But what happens when you bet on millions becoming poorer and poorer - and, as the economy starts slipping off a precipice, your own sanity starts slipping with it? Gary Stevenson joins Sam Knight to explore the underbelly of Canary Wharf, revealing a world fuelled by an insatiable zeal for money, and illuminating that there just might be a way out. Lear...
Apr 09, 2024•1 hr 14 min
We think we know what it was like to rule – and be ruled – in the Ancient Roman world. We think we know that Roman values and ideas formed the cornerstone of Western civilisation. We are wrong. In this special episode of the How To Academy podcast Cambridge’s Mary Beard and Oxford’s Josephine Quinn transport us back to the ancient world and reveal thrilling new histories of the Roman Empire and the origins of the West. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Apr 05, 2024•1 hr 17 min
Over twenty-five years, neuroscientist Charan Ranganath has studied the flawed, incomplete and purposefully inaccurate nature of memory to find that our brains haven’t evolved to keep a comprehensive record of events, but to extract the information needed to guide our futures. In this episode he shines new light on the influence of memory on how we learn, heal and make decisions. By examining the role that attention, intention, imagination and emotion play in the storing of memories, Prof Rangan...
Apr 02, 2024•1 hr 20 min
Dr Christopher Palmer advocates a metabolic approach to mental health, focussing on the the things we put in our body as the key to how they function. Sharing insights into the generational legacy of sweeteners on mental health, alongside some of the dietary approaches that can shift our metabolic wellbeing, this conversation with Mindhealth360 founder and editor Kirkland Newman pairs cutting-edge science with practical advice and strategies to help people reclaim their mental health. Learn more...
Mar 26, 2024•1 hr 22 min
A household name in the climate movement, Costa Rican diplomat Christiana Figueres was Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change from 2010-2016 and led the negotiation of the Paris Accords. Ten years on from the Accords, Christiana continues her fight for our planet and our shared future. In this episode she joins former CEO of Unilever (2009-2019) Paul Polman, himself a major figure for the climate movement, to present a bold and utterly necessary call-to-...
Mar 22, 2024•1 hr 2 min
What if, by exploding our illusion of control, we can make better decisions and live happy, fulfilling lives? Offering an entirely new perspective, myth-shattering social scientist Brian Klaas explores how our world really works, driven by strange interactions and random events. Unpicking our neat and tidy storybook version of events to reveal a reality far wilder and more fascinating than we have dared to consider, Professor Brian Klaas shows us in this episode the bewildering truth that but fo...
Mar 20, 2024•1 hr 17 min
We get used to dirty air, people grow to accept authoritarianism, take foolish risks, and we are more liable to believe misinformation than ever before. Too much of a good thing might be bad news after all. Rituals and habituation cause acclimatization and indifference. So how do we keep life interesting? Exciting events, relationships, stimulating jobs and breathtaking works of art lose their sparkle after time. People stop noticing what is wonderful and they also stop noticing what is terrible...
Mar 15, 2024•1 hr 7 min
Philosophy Tom Chatfield loves technology and the humanities with equal passion, and has spent a lifetime thinking about our relationship to the devices we shape and that in turn shape us. Neither a luddite nor a utopian, he seeks to tell a new and more nuaunced story about the role of technology in our evolution and in our present. Should we be frightened of the rise of AI and the extermination of desirable jobs? Are Silicon Valley stories like the Singularity legitimate possibilities for our f...
Mar 12, 2024•37 min
The author of the New York Times bestseller Such a Fun Age returns with a tale of campus politics, desire, and bad behaviour. How much of yourself are you willing to trade to get what you want? Unfolding in a University of Arkansas dormitory, Kiley Reid's new novel Come and Get It is a smart, stylish and scathing investigation of our money-obssessed society. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Mar 08, 2024•33 min
Neurologist and professor Richard Restak has dedicated his life to the science of brain health. Now he returns to How To Academy to share more ways to strengthen our memory and prevent the onset of Alzheimer's. From memory tricks to new friendships, learn how to protect your memory, while making life more vivid along the way. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Mar 05, 2024•1 hr 4 min
Kelly Link is the author of ludicrously acclaimed genre-defying short story collections including Magic For Beginners and the Pulitzer nominated Get in Trouble. Now, after almost three decades at the top of her game, she's written a novel: The Book of Love. It's very funny, smart, and already certain to be one of the books of the year for both literary and genre critics. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Mar 01, 2024•36 min
Multitasking is a myth. Flow states don’t equate to enlightenment. An emotionally engaged boss is best for business. In this podcast, Harvard psychologist, global bestselling author and former New York Times writer debunks the myths we’ve been told about the workplace, with practical examples of how to train your mind to focus. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Feb 23, 2024•1 hr 5 min
