How To Academy Podcast

When we spoke to Petra Costa last, her film Apocalypse in The Tropics had just been released on Netflix. The film, which leaves us in the aftermath of January 8th 2023 and the storming of the Brazilian Congress by hundreds of protestors demonstrating against the re-election of Lula De Silva and defeat of Jair Bolsanaro, explores the relationship between evangelical Christianity and the Far Right. 

Much has happened in the intervening months. Bolsonaro is now behind bars; convicted for inciting the attempted coup, and the film's protagonist, televangelist Pastor Silas Malafaia has also been implicated, cited in a Federal report investigating the events. The film itself played a direct role in the legal proceedings leading to Bolsonaro's arrest. Now, Petra joins us again, in conversation with Hannah MacInnes, to reflect on these events, on the current state of Brazilian Democracy, and on the unique power of film to change the conversation and move the dial where politics often fails.

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It’s not just what you feed your brain that matters—it’s who. From your morning coffee order, to weaving through commuters on the train, sitting through work meetings, riding in a packed lift, heading to the pub with colleagues, or relaxing on the sofa with family, every day is filled with social interactions that nurture and support your brain's health. Whether mundane or extraordinary, they make up your brain’s 'social diet', which influences your wellbeing, shapes your experience, and can even lengthen your life. Yet in an age of increasing social isolation, many of us are at risk of losing these vital connections.

In this episode of the podcast, Ben Rein will offer a reappraisal of companionship, exploring how social bonds influence our physical and emotional health. He will also share practical, evidence-based strategies for building a more connected, fulfilling life, and for making our daily interactions feel energising rather than exhausting. 

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A riotious comic novel of ideas, Seven tells the story of an unnamed philosopher plunged into the strange world of Theodoros Apostalakis: dentist, poet, pursuer of lost things, and obsessive player of 'Seven', a revered board game whose champions struggle to hold onto what is most valuable in human life in the face of Artificial Intelligence. Blending academic satire, travel writing, farce, and philosophy into a singular, intoxicating brew, Seven is a literary novel that stretches the boundaries of the form and cannot be adequately explained in a bilateral podcast interview with the author: nevertheless, we attempt to do so in this episode.

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Whether you’re a fraudster, a cartel boss, a corrupt politician, a kleptocrat or a terrorist mastermind, your options to move and hide your money are more secure and more impenetrable than they have ever been. There has never been a better time to be a criminal. Meanwhile, innocent people are wrongly being frozen out of banking services across the world. Something needs to change. All efforts at legislation, diplomacy, prosecution and compliance have been a complete flop. Investigative journalist Oliver Bullough takes us on a perspective-altering adventure through the flipside of the global economy.

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How does art affect our brains and bodies, down to our very DNA? Psychobiologist Daisy Fancourt reveals the extraordinary effect of art on our health, and what we can do to make the most of art’s life-changing power. From how music synchronises our movement to how storytelling enhances our emotional intelligence, Daisy illuminates this under-appreciated pillar of health, and shares practical and meaningful ways to incorporate art into our daily and social lives.

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Where do the things we buy actually come from? And how did they become the products on our store shelves, the food in our pantries, and the familiar items in our homes? Cambridge Professor and expert in manufacturing and innovation Tim Minshall guides us down the intricate journeys within the world of manufacturing, revealing how everyday items find their way across the world to reach us.

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Global sensation Rutger Bregman joins George Monbiot to show how small groups of committed individuals changed the course of history – and how you can, too.

The average full-time worker will spend 80,000 hours at their job: are you making the most of them? Do you truly believe in what you do, day in day out?Every day we’re bombarded with methods, mantras, life hacks and coaching sessions that promise us mindfulness, prosperity and wellness. We read countless self-help books to unlock the seven habits, twelve rules or one big secret to living a long and happy life, while time and talent remain some of our most squandered resources. Internationally bestselling author Rutger Bregman returns to How To Academy to show us that with the will to make the world a wildly better place – it is possible to be both idealistic and successful, and to change the world along the way. Looking to the great change-makers of history, he will uncover the qualities that made them so persuasive, influential and effective, and show how we, too, can lend our talents to the biggest challenges of our time, from climate change to gross inequality to the next pandemic. We can do more than be on the right side of history: we can make history itself. This is not a self-help talk. It won’t make your life easier – but it should make it more meaningful. The question is: what will you do with it?

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In this episode of the podcast, Amy Jeffs reveals the spellbinding world behind Old Songs, her exploration of traditional British ballads and the stories that have carried human fears, desires, and wonder across centuries. From the historical role of ballads in everyday life, to their modern afterlives in literature, music, and live performance, Amy shows us why these old songs still resonate so strongly today.

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With so many conflicting headlines out there, it’s tough to sort fact from fiction when it comes to climate change and the solutions we need for a cleaner future. The first piece of good news is that data scientist Hannah Ritchie is here with answers, and the steps we need to take now. Using simple, clear data, she joins us to tackle questions such as, ‘Is it too late?’, ‘Won’t we run out of minerals?’ and ‘Are we too polarised?’. The second piece of good news: the truth is way more hopeful than you might think. We’re at a critical moment for our planet, and getting the facts straight is step one. But even more crucial is feeling hopeful about what we can do next. The third piece of good news? We already have many of the solutions we need to create a more sustainable planet for future generations.

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It’s the ‘Do you have five minutes?’ message from your boss. The ‘We need to chat’ from a loved one. Those spiralling thoughts at 3 a.m. and the buzz of yet another breaking news alert. The potential coming waves of AI, climate change and unstable governments. For most of us, uncertainty is paralyzing, but isn’t going anywhere. The world – and our lives – will continue to change, at great pace and in unexpected ways. In this episode of the podcast, join author of the international bestseller and ‘modern life-bible’ Be More Pirate, Sam Conniff, and neuroscience consultant Katherine Templar-Lewis for a pioneering, evidence-based guide to  transforming uncertainty into growth and opportunity.

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