I have been travelling to Delhi on a regular basis since I was a child. In the last 25 years or so I have gone almost yearly, sometimes even more often. During that time I have personally seen the city go through enormous transformation, some of it welcome but a lot of it disturbing. It was for these reasons I was fascinated when the book “Capital: A Portrait of 21st Century Delhi” was released in 2014.

https://youtu.be/UKDfKJ44szk

In this podcast I have the privilege of interviewing Rana about his book and the changes that Delhi has experienced and is continuing to go through.

Rana is a globally acclaimed author:

“Rana Dasgupta is the most unexpected and original Indian writer of his generation.” (Salman Rushdie)

“An astonishing tour de force by a major writer at the peak of his powers.” (William Dalrymple)

“Lyrical and haunting.” (International New York Times)

What is unique about the book is how Rana weaves together the history of Delhi with conversations with such a variety of people. In many ways it is quite a bleak book showing how greed and rampant materialism is tearing away at the heart of society. But it is a story that needs to be told, not least because, as Rana assets, ‘Delhi is a prophecy of the world we may well find ourselves living in the coming years’.

Do join us as we discuss:

The 2015 edition the book has been renamed “Capital: The Eruption of Delhi”.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in the book are those of the author. Also the language and stories used in parts of the book some may find disturbing and offensive. 

You also might be interested in:

The Power of Connecting with Your Past (for a lighter feel-good video and discussion of the impact of globalisation in India and Pakistan)

A Long Way Home (how technology re-united a family)

The Power of Human Connection

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Joanna Swinney is a remarkable young lady. She is a writer, speaker and editor. She is married to Shawn, an associate vicar and is the mother of two young girls.

She also has a life-long battle with depression. 

Jo is author of the book “Through The Dark Woods: A Young Woman’s Journey Out of Depression.”

On this podcast I interview Jo about her life and the lessons she has learnt and is learning about the dreaded D word.

Jo is refreshingly frank and honest about her life. Quoting from James Jones (previously Bishop of Liverpool 1998-2013) in the foreword to the book:

“Jo is fun, she’s serious, she’s open yet protective of her own identity, she’s an adventurer but doesn’t forget where the safe places are, like a strong swimmer always with an eye on the beach. She writes engagingly and takes you to places that are familiar to every human being. Herein lies the importance of her story. Depressive feelings, as well as moments of elation, are the emotions of being alive and form the experience of us all, and clinical depression affects one in five of us. All of us will in our lifetime either experience depression or be intimately affected by someone who is depressed. This honest testimony of a young woman will help you identify and name these episodes and to know with a little more wisdom how to be and what to do when they happen.”

So do come and join us as we explore some answers on to how to combat depression in our lives. We are looking at:

What depression can personally feel like

The importance of the right support and relationships

The tragedy of suicide

Specific survival ideas and tips that really do make a difference

A spiritual perspective to depression

For all this and much more do listen to the podcast!

Also it would be great if you felt able to rate the programme on iTunes as well as pass it on to those who you think would benefit from listening.

If you would like to understand this subject more, please see the following previous blog posts:

Is the rate of depression actually increasing or not?

Lincoln: How depression moulded a great leader

Did Churchill’s depression make him a great war-time leader?

Facing up to depression

Why I am working on becoming a happier person

9 Reasons why you could be feeling down. Particularly #4

Could your lifestyle be what is getting you down?

What are the forms of Major Depressive Disorder?

Rick Warren and the secret anguish of Major Depressive Disorder

Why has there been a 400% increase in the prescribing of antidepressants?

I had a black dog

The search for joy

The transcript of the podcast is here..

You can order Jo’s book below. Her website is here.

Stressed out? Exhausted? Overwhelmed? You are certainly not alone in feeling like that at times. No matter where you go or who you talk to the subject of feeling stressed will often quickly come up.

Do come and join my co-host Andrew Horton and I as we explore some answers on to how to cope with stress in our lives. We are looking at:

– How the word stress itself is both a confusing and ambiguous term.

– Some myths or lies we tell ourselves when it comes to stress

–  5 factors that can help us cope better with stress in our lives.

For all this and much more do listen to the podcast!

The transcript of this episode can be found here.

Also it would be great if you felt able to rate the programme on iTunes as well as pass it on to those who you think would benefit from listening.

If you would like to understand this subject more, please see the following previous blog posts:

How Do I Cope With Stress In My Life Part 1

How Do I Cope With Stress In My Life Part 2

How Do I Cope With Stress In My Life Part 3

How Do I Cope With Stress In My Life Part 4

How Do I Cope With Stress In My Life Part 5

Success! We are all looking for it in some way or other. How do we make sense of success in an increasingly challenging and complex world?

Do come and join my co-host Andrew Horton and I as we explore:

– cultural ideas of success

– linking success to excellence and fulfilment

– why success is first an inside job

– distinguishing between process and outcome goals

– timeless measures of success

– success as “having those who know me the best, love and respect me the most, and finishing well.”

– how my friend Bunty’s sudden death in 2014 has affected my understanding of success.

– the top 5 regrets of the dying

For all this and much more do listen to the podcast!

The transcript of this episode can be found here.

Also it would be great if you felt able to rate the programme on iTunes as well as pass it on to those who you think would benefit from listening.

If you would like to understand this subject more, please see the following previous blog posts:

How Would You Define Success? Part 1

How Would You Define Success? Part 2

How Would You Define Success? Part 3

What Are The Ingredients For Lasting Success In Your Life And Career? Part 1

What Are The Ingredients For lasting Success In Your Life And Career? Part 2

The word wisdom appears not to be used that much in our modern 21st century world. Don’t let that fool you.

As we find ourselves surrounded by exponentially increasing choice and change, the need for wisdom has never been greater.

Wherever you go and wherever you look we need wisdom. Be that on a personal level or with our family and friends or at work, we all need wisdom. Societies and governments need wisdom.

In this episode my co-host Andrew Horton and I explore  answers to the following questions:

What do we mean by the word wisdom and what can we practically do to make ourselves wiser?

How does information overload make wisdom harder to find?

What is the relationship between emotional intelligence and wisdom?

What are the 4 components of emotional intelligence?

What are some 3,000 year old tweets of wisdom?

How can the fear of God have anything to do with wisdom?

How can boldness and humility co-exist?

For all this and much more do listen to the podcast!

The transcript of this episode can be found here.

Also it would be great if you felt able to rate the programme on iTunes as well as pass it on to those who you think would benefit from listening.

If you would like to understand this subject more, please see the following previous blog posts:

Wisdom and Emotional Intelligence Part 1 and Part 2

Wisdom, emotional intelligence and an appropriate godly fear

Wonder-filled bold humility Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3.

What questions and thoughts does this discussion on wisdom raise in your mind?