Today, I have the pleasure of speaking with Casper Ter Kuile, author of The Power of Ritual and co-host of the award-winning podcast Harry Potter and the Sacred Text. 

A Ministry Innovation Fellow at Harvard Divinity School, Casper is also the co-founder of startup Sacred Design Lab, a research and design consultancy working to create a culture of belonging and becoming.

In today’s conversation we explore how we might engage in practices that bring us a deeper sense of depth, connection and meaning, and how we might revisit the art and power of ritual through a modern lens.

51. Culture, Community & The Power Of Rituals / Casper Ter Kuile

Today I have the pleasure of speaking with author, art therapist and  Jungian analyst, Mary-Jayne Rust, who lectures and facilitates workshops on Ecopsychology. 

Having worked in a men’s prison in the 1980s, and at the Women’s Therapy Centre in London during the early years of feminist psychotherapy, she has developed a rich and varied understanding of how culture shapes our internal worlds.

In this conversation we talk about culture, breakdown and rites of passage, and how we might better understand and transform not only how we relate with ourselves, but also with the greater web of life.

52. Ecopsychology, Meaning & The Journey Of Transformation / Mary-Jayne Rust

Today I have the pleasure of speaking with Austin Whitman, CEO of Climate Neutral, and a thought-leader well-versed in the world of corporate carbon responsibility. 

Having served as Vice President of Climate Change Capital, and Vice President of M.J. Bradley & Associates, two leaders in climate-focused investing and asset management, in 2019, Austin started Climate Neutral, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit aiming to accelerate the decarbonization of global emissions through their achievable certification framework. 

By using this framework to certify brands who measure their carbon footprint, offset it with verified offsets, and create future reduction strategies, Climate Neutral aim to turn consumer purchases into funding for climate solutions, and empower brands and consumers to take voluntary action against climate change.

This was an eye-opening conversation for me, in which Austin really lifted the lid on how we might practically and proactively move towards a net zero carbon world, and I hope you find it as inspiring and useful as I did.

56. Carbon Capture, Consumerism & How To Get To Net Zero / Austin Whitman

Today I speak with Sharath Jeevan, an author and speaker who helps organisations and individuals to re-ignite inner-drive and solve deep motivational challenges. 

Recognised as one of the UK’s ten leading social entrepreneurs in 2019, Sharath’s work has been featured in The New York Times, The Economist, CNN, National Public Radio and The Times of India, and he has served on the High Level Steering Group of the Education Commission, the pre-eminent global think-tank founded by former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

His forthcoming book, Intrinsic: A manifesto to reignite our inner drive, explores how we can harness ground-breaking research to solve what he describes as our motivational crisis, so as to better create the lives we want. 

In this conversation we navigate everything from motivation and meaning to purpose, autonomy and mastery, and I’m excited to share his insights with you here.

57. Purpose, Motivation & How To Reignite Our Inner Drive / Sharath Jeevan

This episode I speak with Dr Tom Chatfield, a best-selling author and philosopher of technology, whose new book, How to Think, explores the habits and practices that are fundamental to clear thinking and effective study.

From the ethics of AI, and tech in deep time, to the philosophy of fake news and what it means to think well, Tom’s work explores how we might improve our experiences and understanding of ourselves, of one another and of technology. 

His non-fiction books exploring digital culture, including How To Thrive in the Digital Age (Pan Macmillan) and Live This Book! (Penguin), have appeared in over thirty languages, and his critical thinking textbooks and online courses, developed in partnership with SAGE Publishing, are used in schools and universities across the world.

I’ve had the pleasure of sharing several stages over the years with Tom, and with each event, I’ve come away feeling inspired and awed at his ability both to understand and to vividly convey the complex and nuanced ways in which we might more richly engage with the world.

58. Intelligent Openness, Critical Thinking & The Power Of Pausing / Dr Tom Chatfield

Today I speak with Carl Miller, co-rounder and Research Director of the Centre for the Analysis of Social Media at Demos, the UK’s first think tank institute dedicated to studying the digital world. 

From ‘Fake news’, digital democracy and information warfare, to cybercrime, Internet governance and automated decision-making, Carl’s work explores how social media and technology is changing society, and his research aims to shed light upon how we might make better, more informed choices towards a more democratic society.

His debut book, The Death of the Gods: The New Global Power Grab was published in 2018 by Penguin RandomHouse, and won the 2019 Transmission Prize. He presents programmes for the BBC's flagship technology show, Click and has written for Wired, New Scientist, the Sunday Times, the Telegraph and the Guardian. 

He’s a writer and thinker who’s work I greatly admire, and it was a pleasure and privilege speaking with him today.

60. Digital Democracy, Information Warfare & Societal Resilience / Carl Miller

In the final episode of the season, I speak with Professor Manfred Spitzer - a German psychiatrist, psychologist and neuroscientist, whose research and talks have been translated the world over.

Medical Director of the Psychiatric University Hospital in Ulm, Germany, Professor Spitzer is also the founder of the Transfer Center for Neurosciences and Learning, and has worked at Heidelberg, Harvard, and the University of Oregon. 

In this conversation, we discuss everything from the perils of digitalising classrooms and reliance on our devices, to the exciting new interventions science might offer us as to how we build resilience from the lessons we have learned.

61. Morbus Google, Mental Health & The Digitalisation Of Classrooms / Prof. Manfred Spitzer

Today, I have the pleasure of speaking with Barbara Kellerman – the Founding Executive Director of the Harvard Kennedy School’s Center for Public Leadership, and a member of the Kennedy School faculty for over twenty years.

A world-leading authority on the subject of leadership, Barbara has held professorships at Fordham, Tufts, Fairleigh Dickinson, George Washington, Uppsala, Dartmouth, and the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, and she is the cofounder of the International Leadership Association (ILA).

Having received the Wilbur M. McFeeley award by the National Management Association for her pioneering work on leadership and followership, as well as the Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Leadership Association, Barbara has spoken to audiences all around the world, and has appeared on media outlets including CBS, NBC, PBS, CNN, NPR, MSNBC, Reuters, and the BBC.

Alongside articles for the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Boston Globe, the Los Angeles Times, and the Harvard Business Review, Barbara has authored many books including Leadership: Essential Selections on Power, Authority, and Influence (2010);  Professionalizing Leadership (2018), and Leaders Who Lust: Power, Money, Sex, Success, Legitimacy, Legacy (co-authored with Todd Pittinsky). Her new book, The Enablers: How Team Trump Flunked the Pandemic and Failed America, is now out.

Recorded on 19th January 2021.

65. Leadership, Followership & The Power Of Context / Barbara Kellerman

In this conversation, I speak with Stephanie M. H. Moore, a Lecturer of Business Law and Ethics at Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business, whose areas of interest and expertise include business ethics, conflict resolution, critical thinking, advocacy, contracts, and legal writing.

A Registered Domestic Relations Mediator, Stephanie graduated first in her class from Indiana University’s Robert H. McKinney School of Law, and she also holds degrees in English and Telecommunications from Indiana University.

Prior to joining the Kelley School, Stephanie served for four years as a Federal Law Clerk for the Honorable Monroe G. McKay, United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. Professor Moore also worked in advertising, sales, marketing, and at Indiana University’s Office of Student Conduct, and she has served on the board of several local nonprofits and as an Indiana University Title IX Hearing Panel Officer.

Stephanie has taught Advanced Legal Writing for Indiana University’s Maurer School of Law and frequently serves as a case competition judge, panelist, and facilitator.

This episode is sponsored by Pleo, whose event, "Forward", I will be hosting on 9th December 2021. Join me and grab your free ticket here: www.pleo.io/en/forward

Recorded on 20th January 2021.

73. Diversity, Inclusion & Meaningful Work / Stephanie MH Moore

Today I speak with another friend of the podcast, Perry Timms – an international and 2x TEDx speaker, advisor and award-winning writer on the future of work, HR and learning.

Founder of PTHR, a micro consulting venture in its 9th year of operation with the ambition to shape, ‘Better Business for a Better World’, Perry’s work in progressive thinking in HR and the workplace of the future, was recognised by his inclusion on HR Magazine’s HR’s Most Influential Thinkers List for 2017, where he also placed 5th most influential in 2018.

The author of two books, Perry’s first volume, Transformational HR, was an Amazon.com Top 30 HR seller shortly after its release, and, due to popular demand and the effects of the pandemic, the 2nd, revised edition came out earlier this year to wide acclaim. His second book, The Energised Workplace, explores Human Energy & Organisation Design, and it was published in April 2020.

Perry serves as Adjunct Faculty at Ashridge Executive Education and Hult International Business School, and is a visiting fellow at Sheffield Hallam University. He is also the world’s only WorldBlu-certified Freedom at Work Consultant and Coach, and he currently leads the London Chapter of ResponsiveOrg.

Recorded on 21st December 2020.

74. Values, Culture & The Future Of HR / Perry Timms

In this conversation, I speak with Jeremy Dalton, the Head of XR at PwC UK, and author of Reality Check: How Immersive Technologies Can Transform Your Business. Jeremy’s work aims to help clients understand, quantify, and implement the benefits of virtual reality and augmented reality, a set of technologies sometimes collectively referred to as XR, immersive technologies or spatial computing.

Alongside his fascinating book on the subject, Jeremy has given talks all over the world on the future of XR and his work has been featured in newspapers, radio and online through The Financial Times, the BBC, and many more.

As part of his mission to educate, connect and inspire, he has worked with the World Economic Forum on XR initiatives and currently sits on the advisory board of Immerse UK, a UK government supported cross-sector network for businesses, research groups and educational organisations that are engaged with immersive technologies.

Recorded on 15th January 2021.

79. Virtual Reality, Technology & Emotional Connection / Jeremy Dalton

Tara Lemméy does invention – really big invention. From US National Security to large scale entertainment systems. From drones and autonomous technologies to internet protocols.

Ask her what she’s working on and it’s probably a secret. She partners with some of the most innovative CEOs and companies in the world.

What’s not a secret, is that you can find her at LENS Ventures making startups, patenting technologies and telling very funny stories.

Recorded on 4th February 2021.

84. Technology, Humanity & Becoming Our Most Possible / Tara Lemméy

In this first episode of the new season, I have the pleasure of speaking with Indy Johar, the founding Director of 00 and Dark Matter Labs. An architect by training, Indy is a Senior Innovation Associate with the Young Foundation and a visiting Professor at the University of Sheffield. 

Having co-founded the Impact Hub Birmingham and Open Systems Lab, he was a member of the RSA’s Inclusive Growth Commission and is one of the leading voices in the world of system change, the future of urban infrastructure finance, outcome-based investment, and the future of governance. 

Whether you’re interested in how our societies might transition and respond to climate breakdown, or you’re curious about understanding the interconnected ways in which we could foster systemic change, this conversation offers an exploration of both past and present, and what steps we might take to create a more democratic, distributed and sustainable future.

Recorded on 3rd March 2022.

85. Interdependence, Transition & Agency In An Age Of Volatility / Indy Johar

In today’s conversation, I have the treat of speaking with Anthea Lawson - a campaigner and writer, whose powerful book, The Entangled Activist is essential reading for anyone interested in how we might change the world in a more meaningful, integrative way. Having trained and worked as a reporter at The Times, and studied history at Cambridge, her work as an activist has seen Anthea campaign to shut down tax havens, control the arms trade and prevent banks from facilitating corruption and environmental devastation. While working at Global Witness, a human rights and environmental organisation, Anthea also launched a campaign that succeeded in changing the rules on secret company ownership, resulting in new laws being passed in dozens of countries around the world. 

She’s a rare gem whose rich experience, brilliant mind and grounded presence make for an inspiring and refreshing guide to the hardest challenges we face. I came across Anthea’s work through the renegade economist, Della Duncan, to whom I am grateful for the introduction - and I have to say that while I don’t consider myself an activist per se, this book is one of the most deeply affecting, empowering and illuminating that I have read in a long while. 

From mapping out the self-righteous, saviour-complex dynamics that arise from our unmet needs, to challenging the extractivist, power-over patterns inherited from our colonial pasts, The Entangled Activist reveals how we can end up re-creating the very problems we seek to fix - and how we might rise to the challenge differently.

Recorded on 9th February 2022.

86. Entanglement, Activism & Working With The Shadow / Anthea Lawson

In this conversation, I speak with the brilliant Rob Hopkins - cofounder of the Transition Network and Transition Town Totnes, and author of several wonderful books: From What Is to What If? (one of my personal favourites), The Power of Just Doing Stuff, The Transition Handbook, and The Transition Companion. 

Voted one of the Independent's top 100 environmentalists in 2012, and named among Nesta and the Observer's list of Britain's 50 New Radicals, Rob has appeared on BBC Radio 4's Four Thought and A Good Read, and was featured in the French film phenomenon Demain and its sequel Après Demain. An Ashoka Fellow, Rob has spoken at TEDGlobal and three TEDx events, and holds a doctorate degree from the University of Plymouth and two honorary doctorates from the University of the West of England and the University of Namur. 

A keen gardener, Rob is a founder of New Lion Brewery in Totnes, and a director of Totnes Community Development Society, the group behind Atmos Totnes, an ambitious, community-led development project. He’s also an artist whose beautiful lino prints you can check out at robhopkins.net, and his podcast, From What If to What Next is really worth a listen if you’re looking for inspiration as to how we can unleash our collective imaginations to create a more resilient world.

Recorded on 28th January 2022.

87. Storytelling, Longing And Unleashing The Creative Imagination / Rob Hopkins

Today I speak with Dr. Ruth Gotian - author of the recently published book, The Success Factor, a fascinating read that explores how we might understand and learn from the mindset and skill set of peak performers, from Nobel Prize winners and astronauts to Olympic champions and political change-makers. 

The Chief Learning Officer and Assistant Professor of Education in Anesthesiology, and former Assistant Dean of Mentoring and Executive Director of the Mentoring Academy at Weill Cornell Medicine, Ruth has made her name in management thinking and was hailed by the journal Nature and Columbia University as an expert in mentorship and leadership development. 

Selected as one of 30 people worldwide to be named to the Thinkers50 Radar List in 2021, Ruth was also a semi-finalist for the Forbes 50 Over 50 list, and recently won the Thinkers50 Distinguished Achievement, Radar Award given to a “thinker with the potential to change the world of theory and practice”. 

A regular contributor to Forbes, Psychology Today and Harvard Business Review, Ruth’s work has been widely published in academic journals, and her take on what pro-social success can look like in a rapidly changing world is what drew me to speak with her on the show today.

Recorded 9th February 2022.

88. Leadership, Motivation & Reimagining Success / Ruth Gotian

In this conversation, I speak with Indra Adnan - an author, psycho-social therapist and political entrepreneur, and a global consultant on soft power. The Founder and Co-initiator (together with Pat Kane) of “The Alternative UK political platform”, Indra has been writing, consulting, network-building and event-organising on the themes of future politics, conflict transformation, the role of the arts and integral thinking, for the past 20 years.

The Co-Lead in Bounce Beyond, a social enterprise network doing transformative work to cohere and connect the next global economies, Indra is also the author of the fascinating book, The Politics of Waking Up: Power & Possibility In The Fractal Age.

She has consulted to the World Economic Forum, NATO and a variety of governments, and she runs community collaboratories around the UK, building Citizen Action Networks (CANs) to reconnect people to cosmo-local eco-systems of solutions that are available. Central to her vision of an Alternative politics is the interdependency of the complex individual, the community and the planet: I, We, World - which is just one of the many themes we’ll be exploring in our conversation today.

Recorded on 13th April 2022.

89. I, We & The World: On Community, Agency & Power / Indra Adnan

Today I have the pleasure of speaking with Yanniek Schoonhoven, a regenerative farmer, co-founder of the Regeneration Academy, coordinator of the Re-Generation Festival, and trainer for the regenerative agriculture research program in Murcia, Southern Spain.

Holding a master degree in Environmental Sciences, Yanniek has worked with farmers throughout Southern Spain for several years as part of Commonland and AlVelAl, two projects that aim to initiate, catalyse and enable large-scale and long-term restoration initiatives. 

With a shared mission to transform degraded landscapes into thriving ecosystems and communities, these projects take a practical, holistic approach to developing viable solutions based on social and ecological needs, science and entrepreneurship. 

The folks at Commonland have been working tirelessly since 2013 to build a universal proof of concept that brings farmers, landowners, entrepreneurs, communities, nature organisations and legislators together to create real returns on investment per hectare. Called 4 Returns, this framework is capable of initiating, organising and following through on large-scale and long-term restoration initiatives that integrate ecology, land use and business - a framework we’ll be exploring in greater depth a bit later.

I’m really delighted to be having this particular conversation today, not least because I’ve seen the work they’re doing on the farm, and experienced their passion, determination and open-heartedness first-hand. I’m also excited to be sharing this with you, because it offers a practical example of the transformation we can achieve, at a large scale, when we’re able to envision a different, more regenerative path forward, and work collaboratively with others to make it happen.

Recorded on 5th May 2022.

91. Fertile Ground: Regenerative Agriculture, Restoration & Reciprocity / Yanniek Schoonhoven

In this final episode of the season, I speak with Tracey Follows - a futurist and author of The Future of You: Can Your Identity Survive 21st-Century Technology? 

The CEO of Futuremade, a futures consultancy advising global brands and applying  foresight to boost business, Tracey has appeared on BBC Business Matters, Radio 4, Talk Radio, and on the Megyn Kelly show in the US. A contributor to the FT, Guardian, and the Daily Mail, she has her own contributor column in Forbes, and hosts The Future of You podcast. 

Tracey has spoken at UN HQ, keynoted at events such as the Financial Times Tech Live and Think With Google, and spoken alongside Silicon Valley CEOs at the FT's Global Boardroom, as well as UK Government and Parliamentarians at Think Digital Identity, delivering her Tedx at the UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office. 

She has covered topics as diverse as the future of luxury, retail, media, cities, gender, work, defense, justice, entertainment, and AI ethics, decoding what future trends mean for businesses, brands and organisations.

Recorded on 9th June 2022.

94. Dreaming Possible Futures: Identity, Neurotechnology & Sovereignty Of The Self / Tracey Follows

Today, I speak with Emmy-nominated filmmaker, social scientist and eco-doula, Lindsay Branham. The Founder of Novo, an incubator for art that inspires human connection in imaginative ways, Lindsay leverages media to meaningfully address ecological and human rights abuses, and also leads and facilitates contemplative spirituality retreats to deepen personal and collective transformation. She is committed to intersectional equity and justice.

Lindsay's film-based interventions are designed to accompany people living in the midst of violence to build on their inherent resilience. These have focused on peacefully dismantling the Lord’s Resistance Army from within, facilitating the reintegration of former child soldiers, preventing recruitment into violent extremist groups, reducing elephant poaching, improving psychological flourishing and challenging the root causes of bonded labour. Her partners in these media-based interventions include Search for Common Ground, The Freedom Fund, Invisible Children and Google.With an MPhil in Social Psychology from the University of Cambridge, Lindsay also studied trauma and mental health at Harvard Medical School and journalism at the University of Southern California.

Her current focus is on the perceptual experience of the human-nature relationship, a “sensuous terrain” of deep relationality as a PhD candidate in psychology at the University of Cambridge where she is a Cambridge Trust scholar . She is also writing a book that chronicles the intersection of health and climate change. Much of Lindsay’s ethos stems from her experience with contemplative practice from the perennial philosophies spanning decades.

She is a graduate of the Sati Center for Buddhist Studies eco-chaplaincy program and is currently a retreat facilitator at Synthesis in the Netherlands. A Kathryn Davis Fellow for Peace, Lindsay was named the inaugural Envision social good fellow by the Independent Film Project and the United Nations, and she has been published by CNN, the BBC and The New York Times. Her research investigating the link between media and behaviour change has been published by Harvard Humanitarian Initiative and in academic journals.

Recorded on 14th Oct 2022.

97. Empathy, Collaborative Storytelling & Reconciliation / Lindsay Branham

In today’s episode, I speak with Cain Blythe – CEO of Credit Nature, and Managing Director of Ecosulis, an organization that specializes in habitat restoration, particularly through the adoption of natural regeneration techniques, rewilding and the use of technology in conservation.

Qualified as a Chartered Environmentalist, and a full member of the Chartered Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment and the Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management, Cain has over 20 years of experience specialising in nature recovery and habitat restoration. 

In 2020, he published the brilliant book, Rewilding: The Radical New Science Of Ecological Recovery, which he wrote in partnership with Paul Jepson, one of the UK’s leading conservationists.

Cain’s work not only focuses on the natural world – central to his approach is the endeavour to deliver solutions that ensure attractive and healthy places for people, and which also provide havens for wildlife. 

He has presented to a variety of audiences on biodiversity-related subjects across the UK and Europe, and he’s currently involved in innovation around biodiversity monitoring, measurement and automation, as well as rewilding, blockchain and landscape-scale habitat restoration.

His company, CreditNature, focuses on mobilising high impact nature positive investments by offering a suite of green fintech products and services that have been developed using cutting-edge technologies and techniques.

Recorded on 18th Nov 2022.

99. Rewilding, Regeneration & Ecosystem Recovery / Cain Blythe

In 2015, sisters Ruby and Christabel Reed started organising events to explore the interconnections between ecology, community, spirituality and wellbeing. They understood the ecological emergency and mental health crisis to be inherently connected and wanted to learn about ways of being that could create happier, healthier and more just cultures. 

This unfolding project became Advaya, a systems change initiative that organises around the principles of radical regeneration and joyful revolution. Since its inception, it has become a global platform for transformative education, which has organised over 200 events that promote everything from regenerative narratives, embodiment, daily practice, small scale agriculture and degrowth, to local economies, ecosystem restoration, public awakening and embedded ecological awareness. 

In 2020 Christabel, Ruby and Cara Delevingne founded EcoResolution, an educational platform that aims to empower and inspire meaningful action in the face of ecological breakdown through education and a big-picture approach to change by platforming the inspiring and imaginative ways we can create cultures of liberation and ecological harmony. 

In 2021 Ruby and Christabel created Initiative Earth, a charity that empowers and enables individuals and communities to take action to support environmental restoration and regeneration. They will be launching earthed.co later this year.

I first met Ruby and Christabel at a one-week introductory course in regenerative agriculture run by the wonderful folks at La Junquera in Murcia, Southern Spain, and I had the pleasure of curating a panel for their stage at the Medicine Festival earlier this year. They’re a powerful duo, and I’ve really been looking forward to sharing this conversation with you.

Recorded on 28th October 2022.

104. The Great Regeneration: On Stories, Systems & Self / Ruby Reed & Christabel Reed

For the first episode of the season, I have the pleasure of interviewing Alexa Firmenich - an investor, consultant and facilitator on the climate crisis, whose life’s work centres on dissolving the boundaries that divide human beings from other forms of life, and enabling nature to express its fullest creativity.

Focused on developing strategies that repair our planet’s ecologies, Alexa’s work experience spans from political science and leadership development to corporate sustainability analysis, journalism, eco-cultural projects in emerging markets, land-based conservation initiatives and climate communication.

She is currently co-director of SEED, a new initiative housed inside the Crowther Lab at ETH Zurich, that is creating the world’s first biodiversity measure that accounts for all scales of life’s complexity at a genetic, species and ecosystem level.

Having co-founded the animist investment studio, Ground Effect, to direct capital on behalf of other species and back ventures that maximize planetary generativity, her current areas of investment and research include regenerative agriculture, soil health, food systems, earth jurisprudence, ecosystem restoration, ecological pedagogy, new ownership models, biodiversity, and scientific research that illuminates life’s relational processes. 

As an author, poet, photographer and wilderness guide, she brings people into direct contact with the living world. In her role as an Associate at Leaders’ Quest and through the company she founded, Atlas Unbound, she develops and leads multi-day immersive learning journeys for global corporations and decision-makers, principally into “nature”. These journeys embody her thesis that we learn most rapidly and durably through direct experience, and that visceral connection is a remedy to our systemic alienation from the living world. 

As a means to inspire a greater number of people in their climate/restoration trajectory, she started the podcast Lifeworlds. The show is an intimate dialogue with our planet’s ecologies where she explores the mindsets, skills and actions needed to partner with other forms of life. Her guests are farmers, lawyers, scientists, investors, indigenous scholars, artists, and many others, who have all learned to be in close relationship with the lifeworlds of other species.

Recorded on 9th February 2023.

105. On Valuing Nature: Biocomplexity, Belonging & Animist Investment / Alexa Firmenich

In today’s conversation, I speak with Veronica Stanwell - a multidisciplinary healing and creative arts practitioner who weaves soma, psyche, ceremony and song into intimate gatherings for connection, healing and growth.

Driven by a longing for a collective shift towards nature-awe, eco-imagination and rekindled interconnectedness, Veronica is the founder of Rooted Healing, an organization that helps heal and connect inner and outer landscapes through transformational gatherings in nature, cross-cultural wisdom exchange, and somatic and transpersonal workshops.

Offering legal and unique ceremonial Psilocybin retreats in the Netherlands, ancestral immersions in her homeland of Wales and many other gatherings that re-indigenise and re-root people back into the land, Veronica’s mission is to cultivate the kind of profound belonging that ends habits and systems of harm and instils an embodied remembrance of what it means to be creative, human and alive.

As part of a growing collection of resources and projects, Veronica also hosts the wonderful Rooted Healing podcast, which explores how we can heal, re-imagine and co-create a thriving world.

With an MSc in Consciousness, Spirituality and Transpersonal Psychology with the Alef Trust, Veronica’s animist embrace of life permeates her explorations into expanded states of consciousness, both within indigenous traditions of the Americas, and her own personal enquiries into Europe’s native ways.

Drawing upon a background in professional theatre that continues to guide her work, Veronica’s approach is one that carries deep reverence for the power of story, music, expression, catharsis and playfulness. As a movement teacher with roots in dance, yoga and somatics, she is currently developing a modality based on animistic ideas, that invokes playful enquiry into the inspirited interdependent body-mind.

Recorded on 22nd February 2023.

106. Ceremony, Song & Belonging: On Rekindling Relationship In A Frantic World / Veronica Stanwell

Today I have the pleasure of being in conversation with a very special guest. Mac Macartney is many things, but perhaps chief among them, he is a storyteller, a writer and a change-maker. 

Oriented towards cultivating a more just, peaceful, and regenerative future, and mentored by indigenous people over many years, Mac has acquired profound and original insights into the questions preoccupying many contemporary leaders today. Seeking to inspire the emergence of the leader in each of us, the kind of leader who will take courageous action for a better world, Mac’s work seeks to Champion A New Story of Sustainability and reconnection so that together we may walk a path that supports the flourishing of all life. 

An international speaker and author of two wonderful books - Finding Earth, Finding Soul: The Invisible Path to Authentic Leadership and The Children's Fire: Heart song of a people , Mac is the founder of Embercombe, a beautiful 50 acre rewilding estate on the edge of Dartmoor, that offers courses, programmes and experiences designed to reconnect us with ourselves, with community and with the wild nature that exists within and beyond each of us. 

Described as a place to breathe, to reconsider, to regenerate and to relearn, I had the precious opportunity to spend a week at Embercombe on a course they call “The Journey”, at the start of this year, in the crisp, cold month of January. It was a profound, moving and rejuvenating experience incandescent with connection, beauty and the magic of stories told and re-told to help us find our place in a changing world. 

I can only say that if you’re yearning for a deeper sense of purpose and connection with nature and with the vibrance and preciousness of your life, this course is a real gem, facilitated with skill and soul and compassion, and I heartily recommend it.

Recorded on 28th February 2023.

107. Rekindling The Children’s Fire: Story, Sustainability & Sacred Stewardship / Mac Macartney

In today’s conversation, I speak with Dr. Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic – an author and international authority in psychological profiling, talent management, leadership development, and people analytics. The Chief Talent Scientist at Manpower Group and CEO at Hogan Assessment Systems, Tomas is also the co-founder of Deeper Signals and Meta Profiling.

Having published 10 books and over 150 scientific papers on the psychology of talent, leadership, innovation and AI, Tomas is a Professor of Business Psychology at both University College London, and Columbia University. His most recent book, I, Human: AI, Automation, and the Quest to Reclaim What Makes Us Unique, explores the impacts of artificial intelligence on how we work, rest and play, and his previous book, Why Do So Many Incompetent Men Become Leaders?: (And How to Fix It), examines why it is so easy for incompetent men to become leaders, and why is it so hard for competent people - especially competent women - to advance.

He has previously held academic positions at New York University and the London School of Economics, and he has lectured at Harvard Business School, Stanford Business School, London Business School, Johns Hopkins, IMD, and INSEAD, among many more. His global academic contributions, paired with his creation of science-based tools to improve performance prediction in organisations, make him one of the most prolific social scientists of his generation.

Recorded on 21st March 2023.

108. Narcissism, Automation & Intoxication: Navigating The Perilous Age Of AI / Dr Chamorro-Premuzic

In this conversation, I speak with Tugba Kirhan, a breathwork and embodiment practitioner I had the joy of meeting during my time at Embercombe earlier this year.

Passionate about nurturing a culture of personal growth and bringing joy into our everyday lives, Tugba is a project manager, facilitator and coach who has worked in the charity and humanitarian sectors in the UK and overseas, dealing with issues such as international development and women & youth empowerment.

After experiencing Embercombe’s program, The Journey, first-hand as a participant back in 2018, Tugba’s relationship with the land and Embercombe’s ethos has deepened, and she now facilitates on various different courses. She has also led fundraising campaigns and coordinated events including Mac Macartney’s Kith and Kin residentials. 

Named after the tree of life, Tugba is a native of rural Anatolia (Turkey), where East meets West, and this quality of bridging is present in the many ways in which she works to weave together a sense of kinship between and within humans, and with all forms of life.  

Recorded on 23rd March 2023.

109. Embodiment, Breathwork & The Journey Towards Homecoming / Tugba Kirhan

Today I speak with Matt Celuszak, Founder of Element Human, a customer understanding platform that uses AI to measure and make sense of the drivers of human behaviour.

Having spent the last decade working alongside top experts in technology and psychology to build machine learning that recognises body language using webcams, Matt works at the intersection of people and technology, pioneering a new class of Human Data that enables tech, AI and its users to be more emotionally aware and empathetic. 

With clients including the BBC, Amazon, Whalar and Omnicom, Element Human helps organisations measure the conscious (behavioural) and subconscious (emotions) drivers of human behaviour within their ecosystems, using everyday devices paired with advanced intelligence to better understand key stakeholders, improve their experience, and drive more socially sustainable business.

While I am now behavioural science adviser to his company, I first met Matt many years ago when he was starting out, and alongside his desire to transform the media landscape, his interest in applying technology to help create meaningful change across critical issues in education, healthcare, mental health, and children's well-being is something I really appreciate, especially in an industry that is not without its challenges.

From exploring human centred design and our understanding of emotions, to unpacking the shortfalls and benefits of machine learning in human data and the impact of regulation and privacy when building artificial intelligence systems, Matt’s areas of expertise touch on many of the themes I’m looking to explore in this season, and I’m excited to share this conversation with you.

Recorded on 31st March 2023.

110. Working With AI: Collaboration, Creativity & Command / Matt Celuszak

In today’s conversation, I speak with Elena Sinel, a multi-award winning social entrepreneur whose mission is to inspire young people across the world to engage in Artificial Intelligence for Impact. A sought-after AI ethicist, policy adviser and keynote speaker, Elena is trusted by global brands and governments to deliver messages that inspire young people and individuals to build responsible AI.

Committed to inspiring young people to make a change in their community, country, and economy through passion, agility, teamwork, and expert support, Teens in AI, an initiative that Elena founded, is designed to give young people early exposure to AI that is being developed and deployed for social good. Launched at the AI for Good Global Summit at the UN in 2018, Teens In AI aims to empower the next generation of ethical AI researchers, entrepreneurs and leaders who will shape the world of tomorrow. 

Prior to this work, Elena spent over 10 years traveling, volunteering and working in Central Asia (where she grew up), as well as the Balkans, Ethiopia and Bangladesh, where she worked with NGOs and the British Council, developing education, entrepreneurship and mentorship programmes for women and young people. Upon returning to the UK as a single mother of two, Elena was shocked at the state of secondary school education across the UK with its “factory” style learning model and was inspired to launch a pioneering educational social impact enterprise, providing young people across the globe with opportunities to interact with leading experts in technology to create solutions that solve real-life, world problems.

Recorded on 17th April 2023.

111. The Darker Side Of AI: Risk, Regulation & Responsibility / Elena Sinel

Today I have the pleasure of speaking with a dear friend of mine, Carl de Jager. Carl is an extraordinary artist who was born and raised in South Africa, and has since spent many years living in the UK, Spain and Australia, all of which are places he calls home. 

Having first met Carl at Barcelona Academy of Art, his passion for the creative process has been an ongoing source of inspiration to me, and his captivating paintings communicate a deep interest in our perception of reality. Growing up in South Africa, having lived the ‘doublethink’ indoctrination of politics and religion, Carl carries a profound sense of disillusionment: At a fundamental level he expresses that he cannot trust the reality that is presented to him by his environment.

His story is a rich and fascinating one. In 2015, Carl left a successful career in software development in Melbourne to study classical drawing and painting at what was then the nascent Barcelona Academy of Art. After graduating he continued on as a resident artist, and was then invited to stay as a teacher and program coordinator. 

In early 2020 as the pandemic was unfolding, he returned to Australia to exhibit his works and train in traditional (and some non-traditional) printmaking techniques, before returning to Barcelona where he is now based. Whether in print or paint, Carl’s art deals with his subjective experience of life and draws upon a deep symbolic canon, from existentialism and eastern philosophy to metaphysics and psychology. 

When words fail, it is this symbolism and abstraction to which Carl turns, to provide a language that can both understand and convey complex feelings and emotions to which, I would say, we can all relate.

Recorded on 18th April 2023.

112. Mysticism, Muses & Machines: On Being An Artist In The Time Of AI: Carl De Jager

In today’s conversation, I speak with Camila Moreno, an environmental researcher, author and activist, who has worked extensively on land reform, deforestation, GMOs, agribusiness, and biodiversity issues. A leading climate-policy expert and critical voice on neoliberal climate policies and “green capitalism”, Camila’s main area of study has been the interface between reasoning on climate change and the greening of capitalism. 

A researcher at the Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro, Camila has been following the climate negotiations since 2008, and in 2016 she authored a book titled Carbon Metrics and the New Colonial (2016), exploring these themes and more.

The former coordinator of the Heinrich Böll Foundation, in the Brazil office, Camila has been accompanying the United Nation’s Convention on Biological Diversity since 2006, and the Climate Convention since 2008. She is a working group member of Political Ecology of the Latin American Council of Social Sciences and the International Council of Red for a Latin America Transgenic Free (RALLT), and she served with the organizations Terra de Direitos (Land’s Rights) and Amigos da Terra (Earth’s Friends) as a researcher and activist.

Recorded on 29th April 2023.

113. On The Perils Of Decarbonisation, Digitisation & Financialisation / Camila Moreno

In this final episode of the season, I speak with Paddy Le Flufy. For the past 8 years, Paddy has been focussing on understanding how we can redesign our societal systems to avert the unfolding environmental catastrophe and improve our quality of life. 

He is now beginning to publish what he has learned, starting with a book, Building Tomorrow: Averting Environmental Crisis With a New Economic System, which was published in March 2023. Throughout the next twelve months, he will be following this book with a series of essays on various aspects of positive societal transformation, which you’ll be able to find over at his substack.

Before this chapter, Paddy had a somewhat different life. He first earned a degree in mathematics at Cambridge University and qualified as an accountant at KPMG in London. Then he spent years living something of a double life. He worked as a finance specialist in London for six months at a time, but used his money to live in remote places, alongside people whose lives were drastically different from his own.

He has travelled with economic migrants, been taught to fish by rural Mozambicans, and lived with Hadza hunter-gatherers. He spent two months living with an indigenous tribe in the Amazon rainforest, then won a Royal Geographical Society Award to spend an entire year being taught by traditional wisdom-keepers from another jungle culture.

In 2015, Paddy paused his travels to concentrate on how we can improve our own society - and in doing so, improve the lives of the billions of people currently affected by the dominant global systems.

Recorded on 4th May 2023.

114. Building Tomorrow: Averting Environmental Crisis With a New Economic System / Paddy Le Flufy

What does philosophy, decision-making and citizenship have to do with data, biases and populism? Tech philosopher and author, Dr Tom Chatfield, takes us on a fascinating exploration of our approaches to life and technology, and examines how the paths we choose may make the difference between surviving and thriving as a species.

Join in the conversation #hivepodcast, and find out more at www.nathalienahai.com/the-hive-podcast/

13.07.18 9. Populism, Progress & Perception / Dr Tom Chatfield

In this final episode of the series, I talk with sex tech founder, Stephanie Alys, about the changing landscape of sex tech… Join us as we discuss how a focus on sensuality and pleasure is helping to re-orient the industry, and redefining some of the ways in which we seek out and experience our sexual selves.

Join in the conversation #hivepodcast, and find out more at www.nathalienahai.com/the-hive-podcast/

20.07.18 10. Sensuality, Sex Tech & Pleasure / Stephanie Alys

For the first episode of season 2, I talk with Dr. Sharon Blackie - an award-winning writer, psychologist and mythologist, whose work sits at the intersection of psychology, mythology and ecology. 

In this captivating conversation, we explore the mythic imagination, the reclaiming of indigenous Western spiritual traditions, and the relevance of our native myths, fairy tales and folk traditions to the personal, social and environmental problems we face today.

Join in the conversation #hivepodcast, and find out more at www.nathalienahai.com/the-hive-podcast/

11. Storytelling & The Mythic Imagination / Dr Sharon Blackie

This episode, I have the pleasure of speaking with David Holmgren, an internationally renowned environmental designer, ecological educator and author, best known as one of the co-originators of the permaculture concept with Bill Mollison.

We discuss the science and heritage of the permaculture model, what sustainability really means on the larger scale, and how we can enjoy a richer, more meaningful life through radically changing the way in which we relate to, and draw resources from, the earth.

Join in the conversation #hivepodcast, and find out more at www.nathalienahai.com/the-hive-podcast/

15. Permaculture, Sustainability & The Art Of Frugal Hedonism / David Holmgren

Today’s guest, Professor Ben Garrod, is an evolutionary biologist, author, broadcaster and primate conservationist, who has worked alongside Dr Jane Goodall and Sir David Attenborough to ignite a love of the natural world in a wide audience, young and old. 

In this episode we explore bio-anthropology, the existence of rituals among non-human primates, our fractured identity with the natural world, and why we need to fall in love with the earth if we are to save it.

Join in the conversation #hivepodcast, and find out more at www.nathalienahai.com/the-hive-podcast/

16. Bio Anthropology, Evolution & Falling In Love With The Natural World - Professor Ben Garrod

In this episode, I’m delighted to be talking with Kate Pincott, a designer, curator, and co-founder of Nafisi Studio, a British-Persian duo safeguarding traditional handcrafted joinery in Horsham, England.

I first met Kate several years ago in London, while she was working as a product designer at Facebook and curating an international talk series, “This Happened”, which explored the making process within interaction design. 

It’s only very recently when I received a curious email, marked “Into the woods” that our paths crossed again, and I realised her story may resonate with the longing many of us have to rewild ourselves and reconnect with our natural home.

Join in the conversation #hivepodcast, and find out more at www.nathalienahai.com/the-hive-podcast/

17. From Facebook to Forests, a Tale of Rewilding / Kate Pincott

So, for the first of these episodes, I wanted to dive into the big questions and thought who better to invite back on the show, than my beloved friend, the wonderful author and psychotherapist, Dr Aaron Balick.

In this opening conversation, Aaron and I explore some of the layers of human response to crises beyond our control - from how we deal with uncertainty, to ways in which to cope with the anxiety such unpredictable situations can provoke. 

We touch on grief, loss and manic defence, and discuss how our capacity to relate to our state of mind from a place of awareness (rather than identification) can stand us in good stead when coping with unexpected and complex life events.

Join in the conversation #hivepodcast, and find out more at www.nathalienahai.com/the-hive-podcast/

31. Re-orienting Consciousness In Times Of Crisis / Dr Aaron Balick

This episode, I talk with Carl Miller, the Research Director of the Centre for the Analysis of Social Media (CASM) at Demos, the first UK think tank institute dedicated to studying the digital world. 

We explore how digital tools are being harnessed during this time of physical distancing - from their potential impact on our social and business lives, to their implications for personal privacy and human rights.

We also talk about what we can do to reduce the spread of misinformation (and why our parents seem to be particularly susceptible), and the principles we could apply to engage with social media and news in a supportive way that benefits (rather than undermines) our mental and emotional health.

Join in the conversation #hivepodcast, and find out more at www.nathalienahai.com/the-hive-podcast/

32. Life Online: Digital Tools, Privacy And The New Normal / Carl Miller

Welcome to Nathalie Nahai In Conversation (formerly The Hive Podcast), the series that enquires into our relationship with one another, with technology and the natural world.

Join me, Nathalie Nahai, as we dive into the complex and challenging questions of our time, and explore how some of the greatest minds are forging new and exciting paths forward.

For more resources and information about the show, please visit nathalienahai.com/in-conversation

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