Dame Mary Beard is one of Britain’s best known classicists. She’s Cambridge Emerita Professor and Fellow of Newnham College, Cambridge. She’s a trustee of the British Museum and classics editor of the TLS, where for 20 years she has been writin

Entrepreneur and philanthropist Sir Ken Olisa on the thrill of the entrepreneurial life

Dec 2nd, 2022 52m 27s

Sir Ken Olisa is an entrepreneur, philanthropist and Lord-Lieutenant of Greater London. After a career in tech, with IBM and then Wang Labs, Ken is now Founder and Chairman of Restoration Partners, a boutique technology merchant bank. He has ch

Judge and novelist Nicola Williams on ambition and the joy of justice

Nov 25th, 2022 55m 38s

Nicola Williams is a judge, ombudsman and novelist. Called to the bar in 1985, she has been a part-time Crown Court Judge since 2009. She has been Commissioner at the Independent Police Complaints Commission, Complaints Commissioner for the Cay

Motivational expert Sharath Jeevan OBE on how to reignite your inner drive

Nov 18th, 2022 51m 53s

Sharath Jeevan is one of the world’s leading experts on motivation. After starting off in strategy consulting, Sharath started Ebay’s charity arm and then Teaching Leaders, an organisation that helps school leaders raise life chances for the mo

Coach and coach trainer Colin Brett on "useful conversations" and our hunger for meaning

Nov 11th, 2022 58m

One of Britain’s leading coaches and coach trainers, Colin Brett has been described as a "gentle bulldozer". He has worked as a Transactional Analyst and a counsellor as well as an executive coach, helping individuals, leaders and teams flouris

Dance consultant Theresa Beattie OBE on the importance of curiosity, mastery - and cheek

Nov 4th, 2022 53m 15s

Theresa Beattie started her career at Sadler’s Wells and has worked as a curator at Southbank Centre, Dance Umbrella, and the Royal Opera House. She was Director of Artist Development at The Place for a decade and has done several stints at Art

Award-winning poet Joelle Taylor on the life-changing power of words

Oct 28th, 2022 54m 19s

Joelle Taylor is an award-winning poet, playwright and author. A former UK slam champion, Joelle founded SLAMbassadors, the UK’s youth slam championships in 2001 and was its Artistic Director and National Coach until 2018. She’s host and and co

Internationally renowned cellist Steven Isserlis on the power of doing what you love

Oct 21st, 2022 52m 22s

Steven Isserlis is an internationally renowned cellist and music educator. He appears regularly with the world’s leading orchestras, devises chamber music programmes and performs around the world as a soloist. He has won many awards for his wor

Winner of the Global Teacher Prize Andria Zafirakou on the transformative power of art

Oct 14th, 2022 54m 55s

Andria Zafirakou is an art and textiles teacher and member of the leadership team at Alperton Community School in Brent. In 2018 she was awarded the Global Teacher Prize, out of more than 37,000 entries. She used the million-dollar prize money

Social entrepreneur and local councillor Josh Babarinde on how to make change happen

Oct 7th, 2022 55m 56s

Josh Babarinde is an award-winning social entrepreneur, Liberal Democrat councillor and parliamentary candidate for Eastbourne. A former youth justice worker, Josh founded Cracked It, a smartphone repair service staffed by young ex-offenders wh

Palliative care consultant and bestselling writer Kathryn Mannix on the power of listening

Sep 30th, 2022 57m 5s

Kathryn Mannix started her medical career in cancer care before working as a palliative care consultant in hospices, hospitals and patients’ homes. She started the UK’s first CBT clinic for palliative care patients and now teaches communication

Writer and former Twitter VP Bruce Daisley on fortitude, laughter - and crisps

Sep 23rd, 2022 54m 59s

Bruce Daisley is a writer, consultant, expert in workplace culture and host of the chart-topping podcast Eat Sleep Work Repeat. A former European Vice-President for Twitter, he’s the bestselling author of The Joy of Work and, now, of Fortitude:

Consultant and author Gabriella Braun on uncovering the hidden truths at work

Feb 11th, 2022 50m 47s

Gabriella Braun is the Director of Working Well, a specialist consultancy firm that uses psychoanalytic and systemic thinking to help leaders and teams understand the hidden truths of their behaviour at work. She has worked with organisations r

Bestselling writer Daniel Pink on the infinite 'to do' list and the power of regret

Feb 4th, 2022 53m 6s

Daniel Pink is the author of the New York Times bestsellers Drive, To Sell is Human and When. His books have sold millions of copies, have been translated into 42 languages and won multiple awards. His new book, The Power of Regret, draws on re

Gaverne Bennett, teacher, social worker and timeline creator on curiosity and confidence

Jan 28th, 2022 44m 11s

Gaverne Bennett is a teacher, social worker and creator of timelines. Born and brought up in the East End of London, he has taught at a number of local schools and has worked with students with special educational needs and to help children in

Julie Bindel, journalist, author and 'rock star' of feminism on the joy of campaigning

Jan 21st, 2022 54m 25s

Julie Bindel is a journalist, broadcaster, campaigner and, according to The Times, rock star of feminism. For 40 years, she has campaigned to end violence towards women and children. She is co-founder of Justice for Women and her books include

Joe Hildebrand, a Managing Director at Accenture on culture change and joy

Jan 14th, 2022 54m 38s

Joe Hildebrand is Managing Director, European Leadership & Culture Lead at Accenture. He has held senior leadership positions at BT, has been a management consultant at Accenture and Deloitte and was a Managing Director at ?WhatIf! Innovation b

Bestselling writer Johann Hari on finding flow and how to get your focus back

Jan 7th, 2022 59m 50s

Johann Hari is the internationally bestselling author of Chasing the Scream and Lost Connections. His books have appeared in 38 languages and his TED talks on addiction and depression have been viewed more than 80 million times. Chasing the Scr

Boardroom superstar Margaret Casely-Hayford on good governance and getting things done

Dec 17th, 2021 56m 37s

Margaret Casely-Hayford is a lawyer, businesswoman and boardroom superstar. Margaret was the first Black female partner of a City law firm and then Company Secretary of John Lewis before taking on a portfolio of boardroom roles. She’s currently

Anne Alexander, senior political producer of Good Morning Britain, on resilience, curiosity and parties

Dec 10th, 2021 54m 46s

Anne Alexander is senior political producer for ITV’s flagship programme, Good Morning Britain. Anne has been a political reporter for the BBC’s Daily Politics and political editor of the Yorkshire Evening Post. She’s one of the most highly res

Social historian Jan Lucassen on the history of vocation and our need for recognition

Dec 3rd, 2021 48m 12s

Jan Lucassen is one of the world’s top experts on the history of work. His recent book The Story of Work is the first truly global history of work, from the age of the hunter-gatherer to the present day. Jan Lucassen is Emeritus Professor at th

Theatre critic and author Arifa Akbar on the power of instinct and deadlines

Nov 26th, 2021 58m 45s

Arifa Akbar is chief theatre critic of The Guardian and author of Consumed, which has just been shortlisted for the Costa Biography Award. Arifa has been arts correspondent and literary editor of The Independent. She has written for newspapers

Mathematician Christina Pagel on juggling jobs and the challenge of clear communication in a pandemic

Nov 19th, 2021 52m 8s

Christina Pagel is a mathematician and Professor of Operational Research at University College, London. The first female director of the Clinical Operational Research Unit at UCL and an honorary researcher at Great Ormond Street Hospital, she h

Entrepreneur Chris Barez-Brown on having fun at work - and what to do if you hate it

Nov 12th, 2021 49m 31s

Chris Barez-Brown is an entrepreneur, author and founder of Upping Your Elvis, a business that aims to help people find more energy and fun at work. He has worked with companies ranging from Coca-Cola to Citibank and Nike. His books include How

FT editor-at-large Gillian Tett on "anthro vision", money and power

Nov 5th, 2021 50m 32s

Gillian Tett is a bestselling writer, journalist and chairman of the US editorial board at the Financial Times. She has a PhD in social anthropology and it’s this anthropological perspective that has played such a key part in her award-winning