Dear Sacred Podcast listeners, We are growing and we need your help! Whether you're a long-time listener or a new follower, we would love to hear your thoughts and feedback on the podcast. Take the survey here👇 https://biblesociety.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0V8qbAgA8S3MIw6 A massive thank you for being here from Elizabeth and The Sacred Team 🌿🤍
Join Elizabeth Oldfield and her housemates as they dive into their unconventional living arrangement, where two couples share a home in a close-knit, intentional community. In this episode, we explore the motivations behind choosing such a radically interconnected lifestyle and the profound impact it has on combating loneliness, pride and fostering connection. We discuss the challenges and rewards of prioritising communal needs over personal comfort, and how this journey has unlocked a deeper se...
In this episode, Elizabeth Oldfield interviewed Tim Dixon about the limitations of politics in creating change, the tragic death of friend Jo Cox, and the importance of addressing the issue of polarisation and division in politics. Tim Dixon is a social entrepreneur and the co-founder of More in Common, an organisation, in the US, UK, Germany and France, that is working to unite our increasing polarised and fragmented societies. 🎙️ Follow The Sacred: linktr.ee/sacredpodcast 📖 Follow Elizabeth ...
Elizabeth Oldfield speaks to Lakwena Maciver about processing emotions, navigating comparison and using her artwork to speak powerful messages to herself and wider culture. Lakwena is a London-based artist who combines colour and bold text to inspire joy and the gentle subversion of cultural messaging. Her work has been shown internationally with brands such as H&M, Fiorucci & Mini, and at institutions including the Tate Modern, Somerset House, and the Rotterdam Kunsthal. 🎙️ Follow The ...
Peter Hitchens, Conservative journalist and author, is interviewed by host of The Sacred podcast, Elizabeth Oldfield. In this episode, we spoke about Peter's finding and losing faith in socialism, the role of journalism in forming our opinions, and his unexpected encounter with God. 🎙️ Follow The Sacred: linktr.ee/sacredpodcast 📖 Follow Elizabeth Oldfield: www.elizabetholdfield.com/ 💡 Produced by the Theos Think Tank: www.theosthinktank.co.uk/ ✨ Find out more about Peter's work: https://hitch...
Caroline Lucas, British Politician and former leader of the Green Party is interviewed by host of The Sacred podcast, Elizabeth Oldfield. In this episode, Caroline talks about the formation of an MP, the challenges of the political system, the role of imagination and spirituality in tackling the climate crisis, and how we can reimagine a different story about England. 🎙️ Follow The Sacred: linktr.ee/sacredpodcast 📖 Follow Elizabeth Oldfield: www.elizabetholdfield.com/ 💡 Produced by the Theos ...
Dacher Keltner is interviewed by Elizabeth Oldfield about counter-cultural upbringings, individualism awe, and the benefits of connecting to something bigger than yourself. Dacher is a Professor of Psychology and a leading Emotion Scientist. He hosts a podcast and has written the book 'Awe', calling us to cultivate lives that are guided by the powerful force of awe. 🎙️ Follow The Sacred: linktr.ee/sacredpodcast 📖 Follow Elizabeth Oldfield: www.elizabetholdfield.com/ 💡 Produced by the Theos Th...
Luke is a Music Journalist, Co-Founder of The Quietus and Writer of 'Out of the Woods', a memoir about sexuality, shame and the lure of the trees. 🎙️ Follow The Sacred: linktr.ee/sacredpodcast 📖 Follow Elizabeth Oldfield: www.elizabetholdfield.com/ 💡 Produced by the Theos Think Tank: www.theosthinktank.co.uk/ ✨ Find out more about Luke's work: https://twitter.com/LukeTurnerEsq
In this episode, Gretchen speaks about her love of children's literature, why St Therese of Lisieux is her spiritual teacher, and why we might need a seminary for accidental gurus. 🎙️ Follow The Sacred: linktr.ee/sacredpodcast 📖 Follow Elizabeth Oldfield: www.elizabetholdfield.com/ 💡 Produced by the Theos Think Tank: www.theosthinktank.co.uk/ ✨ Find out more about Gretchen's work: https://gretchenrubin.com/
Elizabeth Oldfield, writer and host of The Sacred podcast, alongside The Sacred producer Daniel Turner introduce a brand new series of The Sacred. Themed around her latest book ‘Fully Alive’, Elizabeth speaks about finding steadiness in our turbulent times, community and the desperate need for a rebranding of the word ‘sin’. She also discusses her hopes and fears for the release of her book. 🎙️ Follow The Sacred: www.linktr.ee/sacredpodcast 📖 Follow Elizabeth Oldfield: www.elizabetholdfield.co...
This series of The Sacred Elizabeth spoke with eight fascinating individuals about their core values, and how the messages, philosophies and experiences from their childhood shaped them into the people they are today. She spoke with Greg Wise, Clementine Morrigan, Chris Packham, Katherine May, Freddie Sayers, Elizabeth Alker, Sunder Katwala and Jonathan Haidt. In this reflection episode, Elizabeth takes a look back at all these conversations and dwells on a couple key threads that were prominent...
Jonathan Haidt is a social psychologist, author and professor at New York University Stern School of Business. He is the author of a number of highly influential books including The Happiness Hypothesis (2006), The Righteous Mind (2012), The Coddling of the American Mind (2018), and The Anxious Generation (2024). Jonathan spoke about the importance of truth, his atheism, experiences of using psychedelics, and why he thinks we are over protecting children in the physical world and under protectin...
Sunder Katwala is the Director of the think tank, British Future. who have worked on issues such as immigration and identity. He was formerly General Secretary of the Fabian Society, and before that, he was a journalist and a leader writer for The Observer. Sunder spoke about growing up Irish Catholic, why he's broadly optimistic about the trajectory around race and identity in the UK, and why football is so central to who he is. You can buy Sunder's book How to be a Patriot here: https://www.am...
Elizabeth Alker is a BBC Radio 3 presenter, and previously spent several years working at BBC Radio 6 Music. Elizabeth spoke about growing up with parents who fostered, the role of faith in her life, fairness as a sacred value and her reflections on being northern. Read the full transcript here: https://www.theosthinktank.co.uk/comment/2024/03/13/elizabeth-alker-on-fairness-foster-care-and-accent-stigma ***** The Sacred is a podcast produced by the think tank Theos. Be sure to connect with us be...
Freddie Sayers is Editor-in-Chief of UnHerd and host of the podcast UnHerd with Freddie Sayers. He was the former Editor-in-Chief of YouGov and founder of Politics Home. Freddie spoke about his sacred value of beauty, his unconventional path into political journalism, why he began to question some of the underlying logic and culture of liberalism, his outspoken criticism of lockdown policy's during COVID-19, and how he navigates being unorthodox and questioning without descending into tribalism....
Katherine May is the author of multiple books, both fiction and memoir, including the much celebrated Wintering and The Electricity of Every Living Thing. She most recently authored the book Enchantment: Reawakening Wonder in an Exhausted Age, and is the host of the very popular podcast How We Live Now. Katherine spoke about seasons of life, finding wonder in the everyday, class, autism, the weirdness of becoming a 'person of wisdom' to many and how to avoid becoming an internet guru. ** You can...
Chris Packham is a naturalist, nature photographer and TV Presenter best known for his 40 years of work in television on programmes such as CBBC's The Really Wild Show and the BBC's Springwatch. Chris spoke about his childhood, and the challenges of growing up with undiagnosed autism, the influence punk had, and has, on him, and experiences of religious diversity in the home. Find out more about Chris' work by visiting his website here: https://www.chrispackham.co.uk/ Read the full transcript he...
*Content Note* This episode briefly touches on early chapters of Clementine's life where she was sexually abused as a minor. Listener caution, especially if listening with young children around, is advised. Clementine Morrigan is a writer and podcaster known for her active challenging of cancel culture from a leftist perspective. After her own cancellation in 2020 she began the Fucking Cancelled podcast with Jay Lesoleil, which looks to critique cancel culture, identitarianism, and 'social justi...
Greg Wise is an actor and film producer best known for his roles in Sense and Sensibility and The Crown. In 2018 he published Not That Kind Of Love, a memoir co-written with his sister Clare about the process of her dying and him taking care of her. He is also known for standing next to his wife, Emma Thompson on the red carpet. Greg spoke about his love for rock climbing and solitude in nature, the role actors play in our common life, and what he learnt about death after caring for his sister. ...
Elizabeth Oldfield is joined by producer Daniel Turner to answer questions sent in by listeners of the show. Thank you to Hannah Clifton, John Ablett, John Ranford, Jess Reid, AJ Bremner, Paul Mitchell, Marc Czerwinski, Anne Weinhold, Rishi Vaidya and Emily Rajeh for sending in your questions. Special thanks Leanne Sedin for writing and producing the song Gather which you can listen to here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GWbq2ZIl2E You can follow the rest of Leanne's work here: https://www.le...
This series of The Sacred Elizabeth spoke with nine fascinating individuals about their core values, and how the messages, philosophies and experiences from their childhood shaped them into the people they are today. She spoke with Cole Arthur Riley, Thordis Elva, James Marriott, Tomiwa Owolade, Anne McElvoy, Tea Uglow, Iain McGilchrist and John Vervaeke. In this reflection episode, Elizabeth takes a look back at all these conversations and dwells on a couple key threads that were prominent thro...
John Vervaeke is professor of Psychology and Cognitive Science at the University of Toronto. He is also the host of the popular YouTube channel ( @johnvervaeke ) where he explores what he has coined the #meaningcrisis. John spoke about his upbringing in a fundamentalist Christian home and what he has learned from that experience after time in therapy, relationships and the nature of reality, and the rehoming of spiritual practises outside of "legacy religions". Find out more about John's work he...
Iain McGilchrist is a globally acclaimed psychiatrist and writer author of groundbreaking books ‘The Master And His Emissary’ and ‘The Matter With Things’. Iain spoke with Elizabeth about the varying exposures he had to religion in his childhood, how he went from being an English academic to psychiatry, and the effect left-hemispheric dominant thinking has had on our society. Find out more about Iain's work here: https://channelmcgilchrist.com/ ***** The Sacred is a podcast produced by the think...
Tea Uglow is the former Creative Director for Google's Creative Labs in Sydney and one of Deloitte's #OUT50 LGBTI+ Leaders for 2018. They are also the author of the books 'A Curiosity of Doubts' and 'Loud and Proud: LGBTQ+ Speeches that Empower and Inspire'. Tea spoke about their childhood, prior to transitioning, and the difficulties of growing up during Margaret Thatcher's Section 28 legislation in the UK. They also spoke about the influence of technology in our lives, the power it has to shap...
Anne McElvoy is a journalist and broadcaster, and host of the BBC Radio 4 series 'Across the Red Line'. Her career has seen her writing and presenting for numerous outlets including Politico, The Economist, The Spectator and The Evening Standard. Anne spoke about her childhood growing up going to a Catholic comprehensive school, her journey in the world of journalism, why she's increasingly concerned about the way we have public debates and what she's trying to do about that. Listen to Across Th...
Tomiwa Owolade is a journalist and critic, and writer of the highly acclaimed book 'This is Not America: Why Black Lives in Britain Matter'. Tomiwa spoke about his upbringing and moving from Nigeria to Britain as a boy, why we should approach racism differently in the UK to America, and why he doesn't like being seen solely through the lens of race. You can get a copy of This is Not America here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/This-Not-America-Britain-Matter/dp/1838956212 Read the full transcript here...
James Marriott is a columnist and book/podcast critic for The Times. His columns cross a variety of topics from culture to ideas and observations of our society. James spoke about his deep reverence for literature, the objectives of critics, and the role of nihilism in shaping who he is today. Read the full transcript here: https://www.theosthinktank.co.uk/comment/2023/10/04/james-marriott-on-literature-and-the-art-of-review You can read more from James in his column, here: https://www.thetimes....
*EPISODE DISCLAIMER* This episode was recorded before brand allegations emerged. It feels very timely but also potentially a difficult time for us to be releasing it. In the end, we wanted to leave as is because Thordis and her story is about more than sexual violence, and because the topic of sexual violence itself is about more than one person and their story. But we're also very aware there are a lot of complex and conflicting thoughts following the allegations emerging. So as ever please do ...
This episode takes place live at the Greenbelt Festival, and in it Elizabeth Oldfield speaks to writer, Cole Arthur Riley. Cole Arthur Riley is a writer and the creator of the very successful social media account, Black Liturgies - "a space where Black words of dignity, lament, rage, and rest, are curated and integrated with a liberating spirituality". She is also the author of the NYT bestseller, This Here Flesh: Spirituality, Liberation, and the Stories that Make Us. Cole spoke about her child...
This series of The Sacred Elizabeth spoke with nine fascinating individuals about their core values, and how the messages, philosophies and experiences from their childhood shaped them into the people they are today. She spoke with Abi Morgan, Dougald Hine, Audrey Assad, Patrick Deneen, Inaya Folarin Iman, Wes Streeting MP, Martin Shaw, Felix Marquardt and Satish Kumar. In this reflection episode, Elizabeth takes a look back at all these conversations and dwells on a couple key threads that were...
