History helps us understand how the world came to be the way it is today, which is why children should learn about the past - a conversation I had with Stolen History: The Truth About the British Empire and How it Shaped Us author Sathnam Sanghera on the "How To Be Books Podcast". By learning about the past, we can better understand the present and make informed decisions about the future.

Please hit subscribe to hear the whole series on life skills and social change! It should be short and sweet. I look forward to journeying with you through this maze of hacks.

Other amazing guests who took part:

• Darren Weale, PR based in Kent, and a history lover.
• Parenting teenagers expert and psychologist Angela Karanja.
• Shriya Boppana is an Indian American beauty pageant titleholder, activist, author, and on-air personality. She is best known for being Miss India America 2020. Her anti-sex trafficking advocacy work has been featured on ABC as a ‘Future Leader of America,’ Fox 5 as a ‘Voice for the Voiceless,’ and Flaunt Magazine as a ‘New Generation Beauty Pageant Champion.’

Other books/articles looked at:

• Dr. Ibram X. Kendi and Nic Stone: How to Be a (Young) Antiracist

Protest is an invaluable way to speak truth to power, which is why we spoke to award-winning poet Salena Godden on the "How To Be Books Podcast", who wrote Pessimism is for Lightweights: 13 Pieces of Courage and Resistance.

Please hit subscribe to hear the whole series on life skills and social change! It should be short and sweet. I look forward to journeying with you through this maze of hacks.

Other amazing guests who took part:

• Puneet Singh is the founder of ssstart, an organization working towards a more inclusive and accessible society for people with disabilities. His life is an intersection of poverty, domestic violence, and multiple disabilities.

Other books/articles looked at:

• Danny Schechter: Occupy: Dissecting Occupy Wall Street

If you want to improve your health and well-being, it is important to know what we should eat, which is why we spoke to Food for Life author Professor Tim Spector OBE on the the "How To Be Books Podcast".

Please hit subscribe to hear the whole series on life skills and social change! It should be short and sweet. I look forward to journeying with you through this maze of hacks.

Other amazing guests who took part:

• Yanira Puy, executive business woman, speaker, and certified wellness coach.
• Shahada Karim, ayurvedic nutritionist and movement therapist.
• Hortense Julienne, founder of Miss Nang Treats and charity trustee.
• Kim Kulp, registered dietitian, speaker and gut health expert.
• Lisann Valentin, actor, author and intuitive coach.
• Patricia Kolesa, registered dietician.
• Abigail Ireland, founder of leadership and training consultancy called Understanding Performance.

Other books/articles looked at:

• Michael Pollan: In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto

Freedom is important because it allows us to live our lives as we see fit, an aspect that Nobel Peace Prize-winning author Dr Shirin Ebadi talks about in her book Until We Are Free on the "How To Be Books Podcast".

Please hit subscribe to hear the whole series on life skills and social change! It should be short and sweet. I look forward to journeying with you through this maze of hacks.

Other books/articles looked at:

• Akbar Ganji: The Road to Democracy in Iran

Housing precarity refers to the condition of being vulnerable to housing insecurity or instability, which is why we spoke to All The Houses I've Ever Lived In author Kieran Yates on why shelter is important on the "How To Be Books Podcast".

Please hit subscribe to hear the whole series on life skills and social change! It should be short and sweet. I look forward to journeying with you through this maze of hacks.

Other amazing guests who took part:

• Irene Abbou is an ICF certified coach trained in the Gottman Method for couples' therapy and double certified in positive psychology.
• Dr. Jack Drescher, psychoanalyst and past president of the Group for the Advancement of Psychiatry. He is Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Columbia University, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons and a Faculty Member at Columbia’s Division of Gender, Sexuality, and Health.

Other books/articles looked at:

• Matthew Desmond: Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City

The representation of LGBTQ+ community in media, politics, and other areas of society can have both positive and negative impacts, which is why I spoke to Gender Euphoria author and editor Laura Kate Dale on the "How To Be Books Podcast" in a bid to understand the importance of joy.

Please hit subscribe to hear the whole series on life skills and social change! It should be short and sweet. I look forward to journeying with you through this maze of hacks.

Other amazing guests who took part:

• Bela Gaytan is a queer, neurodivergent, disabled Latina instructional designer, IDEA practitioner with NASA, agency owner, speaker, and advocate with multiple disabilities.
• Cassie Brooks is an accomplished author of empowering children's picture books like "Sticks and Stones" and "I See the Moon and the Moon Sees Me."
• Chelsea Winstead who identifies as a lesbian, is also the co-founder of HerHQ, a former US Airforce Reserve Officer and a successful entrepreneur.
• Dr Anjali Ferguson is a culturally responsive licensed psychologist, children's book author, podcast host, and widely sourced expert on treating racial and social trauma and its mental health effects on children and families.

Other books/articles looked at:

• Ben Pechey: The Book of Non-Binary Joy: Embracing the Power of You
• Amrou Al-Kadhi: Life as a Unicorn: A Journey from Shame to Pride and Everything in Between

There are many challenges of motherhood that are not always widely discussed or acknowledged in society. As a result we spoke to Don't Forget To Scream author Marianne Levy about her experiences on the "How To Be Books Podcast". So why don't we hear about the challenges of motherhood?

Please hit subscribe to hear the whole series on life skills and social change! It should be short and sweet. I look forward to journeying with you through this maze of hacks.

Other amazing guests who took part:

• Serene Gato is a Birth Doula and HypnoBirthing Educator.
• Founder of Black and Beech Stacey Grant-Canham.

Other books/articles looked at:

• Candice Brathwaite: I Am Not Your Baby Mother

Welcome to "How To Be...", guiding you through life's tricky topics and skills by reading through the best books out there. It is the last episode of the season and we're looking at reflecting at the beginning of the new year through journaling. Journaling is one of the cheapest forms of self-care. It can help you make sense of how you're feeling about a certain person or situation that is troubling or inspiring you. The process of writing down your thoughts as honestly and with as little judgment as possible allows for self-discovery. So how do we journal and stick to it?

I spoke to editor, creative-writing coach, and Journaling for Dummies author Amber Lea Starfire on getting started on journaling and maintaining a habit, as well as other experts' books to see if their advice can help all of us. Please hit subscribe to hear the whole series on life skills and social change! It should be short and sweet. I look forward to journeying with you through this maze of hacks.

Welcome to "How To Be...", guiding you through life's tricky topics and skills by reading through the best books out there. Growth is a natural part of human evolution, and the desire of most people is to expand in awareness as well as achievement. As a human being we grow through distress, boredom and a need to solve the issues that we are facing. You may want to take matters into your own hands and do what is needed in order to reach your highest potential. So how do we reach our superhuman potential?

I spoke to international speaker and author of Unashamedly Superhuman Jim Steele on going beyond our abilities and potential, as well as other experts' books to see if their advice can help all of us. Please hit subscribe to hear the whole series on life skills and social change! It should be short and sweet. I look forward to journeying with you through this maze of hacks.

Welcome to "How To Be...", guiding you through life's tricky topics and skills by reading through the best books out there. Imagine a task you must do today which you are really dreading. Now imagine putting it off until tomorrow. Feel that surge of relief and pleasure? Research shows that in habitual behaviour there is a surge of dopamine-related pleasure in the reward system of the brain when an individual even thinks about the habitual act. So how do we manage procrastination?

I spoke to psychologist and the bestselling author of The Now Habit Dr Neil Fiore on dealing with procrastination, as well as other experts' books to see if their advice can help all of us. Please hit subscribe to hear the whole series on life skills and social change! It should be short and sweet. I look forward to journeying with you through this maze of hacks.