How It Ticks: The Swiss Culture, Business & Life Podcast

James Blake Wiener, a historian, writer, and Co-Founder of the World History Encyclopedia, joins How It Ticks to explore remarkable Swiss stories throughout history. His research illuminates global history through unique cross-cultural exchanges and individual narratives.

This is Part 3 of our special 5-part series, focusing on Albert Gallatin: A Swiss Founding Father. We delve into the life and profound influence of this Swiss-born statesman who played a pivotal role in early American politics, serving alongside figures like Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin.

Expect to learn about Albert Gallatin's Swiss origins and his path to becoming a key figure in American history, including his contributions as Treasury Secretary and diplomat. We discuss how his unique background may have influenced his political philosophy and his lasting legacy in shaping the young United States.

Read the original article by James Blake Wiener here:https://blog.nationalmuseum.ch/en/2021/01/albert-gallatin-a-swiss-founding-father/

Listen to the full 5-Part Series:

⁠Part 1: The Swiss on the Titanic⁠

⁠Part 2: The Swiss on the Lusitania ⁠⁠

⁠⁠Part 4: Johann Ludwig Burckhardt: An Intrepid Swiss Explorer⁠⁠

⁠⁠Part 5: The Ticinese and the Australian Gold Rush⁠⁠

Connect with James Blake Wiener:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jameswiener/

Connect with How It Ticks:Website: https://howitticks.ch/contact-page/Full Transcript: https://howitticks.ch/podcast/swiss-stories-james-blake/

James Blake Wiener, a historian and writer, and a Co-Founder of the World History Encyclopedia, joins me to discuss Swiss stories throughout history. His work explores various aspects of global history, often highlighting cross-cultural exchanges and the narratives of individuals.

Expect to learn about the experiences of Swiss passengers on the Titanic and the Lusitania, the role of Albert Gallatin as a Swiss-born figure in American history, the expeditions of Swiss explorer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt, and the experiences of Ticinese migrants during the Australian Gold Rush. This conversation highlights how Swiss individuals engaged with significant global events across different periods and locations.

This is Part 2 of a 5 part series covering The Lusitania and the fate of it's Swiss passengers. The original article written by James can be found here:

https://blog.nationalmuseum.ch/en/2024/05/the-sinking-of-the-lusitania-and-the-fate-of-its-swiss-passengers/

Listen to the full 5-Part Series:

Part 1: The Swiss on the Titanic

⁠Part 3: Albert Gallatin: A Swiss Founding Father⁠

⁠Part 4: Johann Ludwig Burckhardt: An Intrepid Swiss Explorer⁠

⁠Part 5: The Ticinese and the Australian Gold Rush⁠

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to the Lusitania Story

00:00:55 What Was the Lusitania?

00:06:05 The Lusitania as a War Target and German-American Ties

00:09:50 The Swiss on Board and a Survivor's Story

00:15:30 Germany's Response to the Sinking

00:17:30 Why It's Hard to Blame Just One Side

Connect with James Blake Wiener:

LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jameswiener/

https://blog.nationalmuseum.ch/en/author/james-wiener/

Connect with How It Ticks:

Website: https://howitticks.ch/contact-page/

Full Transcript: https://howitticks.ch/podcast/swiss-stories-james-blake/

James Blake Wiener, a historian, writer, and Co-Founder of the World History Encyclopedia, joins How It Ticks to explore remarkable Swiss stories throughout history. His research illuminates global history through unique cross-cultural exchanges and individual narratives.

This is Part 1 of our special 5-part series, focusing specifically on The Swiss on the Titanic. We delve into the little-known stories of Swiss passengers aboard the ill-fated ship, uncovering their backgrounds, their hopes, and the tragic circumstances they faced.

Expect to learn about the personal experiences of Swiss individuals linked to the Titanic disaster, how their stories fit into the broader narrative of Swiss history and global events, and the historical context of maritime travel in that era. This conversation highlights how Swiss individuals engaged with significant global events.

Read the original article by James Blake Wiener

here:https://blog.nationalmuseum.ch/en/2024/04/swiss-on-the-titanic/

Listen to the full 5-Part Series:

Part 2: The Swiss on the Lusitania

Part 3: Albert Gallatin: A Swiss Founding Father

Part 4: Johann Ludwig Burckhardt: An Intrepid Swiss Explorer

Part 5: The Ticinese and the Australian Gold Rush

Chapters:

00:00 Meet James Blake Wiener

04:45 Swiss People on the Titanic

09:40 Why Swiss People Sailed on the Titanic

15:45 The Good Reputation of Swiss Workers

16:30 Personal Stories and How They Were Found

Connect with James Blake Wiener:

LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jameswiener/

https://blog.nationalmuseum.ch/en/author/james-wiener/

Connect with How It Ticks:

Website: https://howitticks.ch/contact-page/

Full Transcript: https://howitticks.ch/podcast/swiss-stories-james-blake/

Kathrin Altwegg, astrophysicist and professor emerita at the University of Bern, joins me to discuss Switzerland’s surprising role in global space science. As the head of the ROSINA project—one of the key instruments aboard the European Space Agency’s Rosetta mission—Kathrin played a central role in helping humanity land on a comet for the first time.

Expect to learn how Switzerland became a respected contributor to space exploration despite not having a national space agency, what the Rosetta mission revealed about the early solar system, and why the discovery of amino acids on comet 67P was such a scientific milestone. Kathrin also shares her reflections on leading a decades-long mission, the challenges of space engineering, and what she hopes future generations will discover among the stars.

CONTACT KATHRIN

https://space.unibe.ch/research/groups/rosina/index_eng.html

CONTACT MIKE

https://howitticks.ch/contact-page/

TRANSCRIPT

https://howitticks.ch/podcast/switzerland-space-science-kathrin-altwegg/

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 How Kathrin accidentally entered space science through job logistics

04:00 Switzerland’s early involvement in space missions and Apollo 11

07:00 Why precision engineering made Switzerland a valuable ESA partner

09:00 Women in STEM and leadership during the Rosetta mission

12:00 Building, testing, and launching an instrument to orbit a comet

18:00 What comets reveal about the early solar system and the origins of life

26:00 How Rosetta was steered, calibrated, and kept on track from Earth

38:00 Discovering organic molecules and why glycine was such a big deal

Jakob Tanner, professor emeritus of modern history at the University of Zurich, joins me to explore Switzerland’s role in World War II and what it really meant to be a “neutral” country surrounded by Nazi-occupied Europe.

Expect to learn what daily life looked like for Swiss citizens during the war, how the country balanced fear of invasion with domestic stability, and why the Reduit strategy focused on retreating into the Alps. Jakob also breaks down Switzerland’s trade and financial ties with Nazi Germany, including gold transfers and the country’s role as a safe haven for German assets.

If you’re curious about Swiss wartime diplomacy, military preparedness, or the controversies that followed, this conversation offers rare historical insight.

CONTACT JAKOB

https://www.hist.uzh.ch/de/fachbereiche/neuzeit/emeritiert/tanner.html

CONTACT MIKE

https://howitticks.ch/contact-page/

TRANSCRIPT

https://howitticks.ch/podcast/switzerland-ww2-history-jakob-tanner/

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 Refugee policies and Switzerland’s stance toward Jewish asylum seekers

06:00 The limits of direct democracy and why women didn’t get the vote until 1971

12:00 German invasion plans: Operation Tannenbaum and strategic miscalculations

18:00 Would the Reduit defense plan have worked? What was actually built?

24:00 Cultural and agricultural resistance within Switzerland during wartime

30:00 Post-war relations with Germany and the long road to historical reflection

Jakob Tanner, professor emeritus of modern history at the University of Zurich, joins me to explore Switzerland’s role in World War II and what it really meant to be a “neutral” country surrounded by Nazi-occupied Europe.

Expect to learn what daily life looked like for Swiss citizens during the war, how the country balanced fear of invasion with domestic stability, and why the Reduit strategy focused on retreating into the Alps. Jakob also breaks down Switzerland’s trade and financial ties with Nazi Germany, including gold transfers and the country’s role as a safe haven for German assets.

If you’re curious about Swiss wartime diplomacy, military preparedness, or the controversies that followed, this conversation offers rare historical insight.

CONTACT JAKOB

https://www.hist.uzh.ch/de/fachbereiche/neuzeit/emeritiert/tanner.html

CONTACT MIKE

https://howitticks.ch/contact-page/

TRANSCRIPT

https://howitticks.ch/podcast/switzerland-ww2-history-jakob-tanner/

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 Switzerland’s unique position in 1942 and how neutrality shaped daily life

04:00 Economic dependence, rationing, and internal efforts to maintain stability

08:00 Public morale, spiritual defense, and fear of German invasion

13:00 The Reduit strategy: preparing to retreat into the Alps

17:00 Trade and economic ties with Nazi Germany: exports, raw materials, and political complexity

25:00 Gold transactions, banking secrecy, and the Swiss role in storing Nazi assets

Nora Markwalder, former prosecutor and professor of criminal law and criminology at the University of St. Gallen, joins me to unpack how Switzerland’s criminal justice system really works. Drawing on her deep experience across criminal procedure, white-collar crime, and criminology, Nora explains what happens from the moment a crime is investigated all the way to sentencing.

Expect to learn how Switzerland’s justice system compares to countries like France, Germany, and the U.S., why rehabilitation is prioritized over punishment, and how the controversial juvenile justice framework operates. Nora also discusses what life is like inside Swiss prisons, how criminal records affect future employment, and the ways Switzerland handles international and immigration-related legal cases. If you’re curious about Swiss law, justice philosophy, or crime trends, this conversation is packed with insights.

CONTACT Nora

linkedin.com/in/nora-markwalder-4277765b

CONTACT MIKE

https://howitticks.ch/contact-page/

TRANSCRIPT

https://howitticks.ch/podcast/justice-in-switzerland/

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 Foreigners in the Swiss justice system: are they treated differently?

04:00 How the juvenile justice system works—and why 18 is a hard cutoff

10:00 Trends in Swiss crime rates and the legacy of Zurich’s heroin epidemic

18:00 The role of victims in Swiss criminal cases and the limits of restorative justice

24:00 Political influence on Swiss criminal law through public votes

30:00 What Nora would change about the justice system + the impact of AI on legal work

Nora Markwalder, former prosecutor and professor of criminal law and criminology at the University of St. Gallen, joins me to unpack how Switzerland’s criminal justice system really works. Drawing on her deep experience across criminal procedure, white-collar crime, and criminology, Nora explains what happens from the moment a crime is investigated all the way to sentencing.

Expect to learn how Switzerland’s justice system compares to countries like France, Germany, and the U.S., why rehabilitation is prioritized over punishment, and how the controversial juvenile justice framework operates. Nora also discusses what life is like inside Swiss prisons, how criminal records affect future employment, and the ways Switzerland handles international and immigration-related legal cases. If you’re curious about Swiss law, justice philosophy, or crime trends, this conversation is packed with insights.

CONTACT NORA

linkedin.com/in/nora-markwalder-4277765b

CONTACT MIKE

https://howitticks.ch/contact-page/

TRANSCRIPT

https://howitticks.ch/podcast/justice-in-switzerland/

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 Why Nora chose criminal law and her journey from prosecution to academia

03:00 How the Swiss criminal justice process works: investigation to sentencing

07:30 Key differences between Swiss and common law systems

12:00 Why incarceration is rare in Switzerland and how monetary penalties work

16:00 How rehabilitation is prioritized over punishment

24:00 What prison life looks like in Switzerland and different levels of prison security

Patricia Schafer, a Swiss political scientist, civic educator, and militia politician who’s built her career around understanding and participating in the country’s political system joins me to unpack the inner workings of Swiss democracy.

Expect to learn what makes Switzerland’s political system so unique, why it allows citizens to vote on nearly everything, and how that shapes the country’s culture and governance. We explore how the Federal Council operates without a central head of state, how political and cultural diversity is kept thanks to a gentleman’s agreement, and what it means to work in politics while maintaining another full-time job. Patricia also reflects on why it took so long for women to gain voting rights, and the current debates around expanding civic participation.

CONTACT PATRICIA

Patricia Schafer | Linkedin

CONTACT MIKE

https://howitticks.ch/contact-page/

TRANSCRIPT

https://howitticks.ch/podcast/patricia-schafer-direct-democracy/

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 Introduction to Patricia Schafer and Swiss Politics

02:01 Understanding Direct Democracy

07:48 The Role of Public Votes and Elected Officials

18:38 Swiss Federal Council Explained

25:05 The Unique Militia System in Swiss Politics

30:09 Challenges and Future of Swiss Democracy

37:19 Civic Participation and Voting Rights

42:55 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Alex Mari, a personal branding expert, digital marketing strategist, and university lecturer, joins me to explore how professionals can build and reshape their personal brand—especially later in their careers. With a background spanning academia, startups, and corporate leadership, Alex now helps individuals and organisations understand the growing importance of visibility, consistency, and authenticity in today’s professional world.

Expect to learn what personal branding really means, why it’s more relevant than ever—even for those in traditional jobs—and how to build a reputation that reflects more than just your job title. We discuss how to reposition yourself after a decade or more in one field, how to manage a brand that covers multiple interests (like side projects or podcasts), and whether social media is a necessary part of the process. Alex also shares his thoughts on how culture and geography shape branding expectations and why many people hesitate to start at all.

This is part 2 of a 2-part conversation

CONTACT ALEX

linkedin.com/in/alexmari

CONTACT MIKE

https://howitticks.ch/contact-page/

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 Building a personal brand that lasts across different jobs05:30 Why having a career portfolio is becoming the new normal12:00 Managing multiple interests—how to balance passion and purpose18:00 Can showcasing your personal brand hurt your career prospects?25:00 The importance of reflection, purpose, and finding your “why”31:00 How to start building your brand when you don’t know where to begin