The Giving What We Can Podcast

In this episode, Luke Freeman interviews Sean Mayberry, the CEO of StrongMinds, a non-profit organization that provides group talk therapy to people in low-income countries to improve mental health. Sean shares his background, including his journey from working as a diplomat to founding StrongMinds, and his experiences with depression. He also explains the importance of mental health and the problem of depression across Africa, where over 66 million women suffer from depression but only 15% have access to care. Since 2013, they've treated nearly 175,000 women in Uganda and Zambia. Sean highlights the impact of depression on families, the need for effective interventions, StrongMinds plans for growth and more.

CHAPTERS:

00:00 - Introduction to Sean and his journey to founds StrongMinds

03:48 - Why focus on depression?

07:57 - The scale of mental illness in low and middle income countries (LMICs)

10:12 - What causes depression in LMICs?

12:25 - StrongMinds treatment model and how it works

15:16 - The diagnostic scale PHQ-9

18:15 - How do you remove bias from measurement?

20:10 - The indirect benefits of treating depression

21:58 - Why has StrongMinds focused on treating women?

23:35 - Comparisons to cash transfers by Happier Lives Institute

25:50 - How Sean's experience in HIV/AIDS informs StrongMinds program delivery

27:48 - Why is mental health still overlooked?

30:06 - Scaling funding and reaching more donors

31:42 - The biggest challenges implementing effective mental health interventions globally

33:17 - Lessons learned in adapting to different demographics

34:50 - How is the team structured

36:25 - Why is group talk therapy rate in places like Australia and the US?

40:33 - What are Sean's proudest moments with StrongMinds?

42:30 - Elevator pitch and closing comments

CREDITS:

Production: Grace Adams

Video editor: Marco Shimabukuro

Interviewer: Luke Freeman

Guest: Sean Mayberry

We are thrilled to have interviewed Emma Hurst MP of the Animal Justice Party who is an animal advocate with a background in psychology. Emma shared with us some of the most successful animal welfare policies that she has seen implemented, as well as strategies for policy selection and why momentum is so important when campaigning for change. She also spoke about the importance of learning from other countries, exporting successful policies overseas, and the progress that is being made on animal welfare globally. Finally, Emma discussed the role of philanthropy in animal welfare, the importance of individual advocacy, and how to gain broader political support for animal protection issues.

CHAPTERS:

00:00 Introduction

04:22 Successful animal welfare policies

06:13 Policy selection strategies

07:30 Why momentum is important

08:30 Learning from overseas

09:38 Exporting success overseas

10:54 Worldwide progress in animal welfare

13:06 Cellular agriculture policy

14:48 Proudest achievements of AJP

16:43 Psychology and messaging

17:52 Role of philanthropy in animal welfare

18:57 Individual advocacy

20:20 Enforcement of cruelty laws

22:37 Gaining broader political support

24:10 Coordination of campaigns

26:34 Anger fatigue

27:56 Being hopeful

29:37 Getting involved

CREDITS:

Production: Grace Adams

Editor: Marco Shimabukuro

Interviewer: Luke Freeman

Guest: Emma Hurst

We were lucky to be joined by Rob Wiblin, Director of Research at 80,000 Hours as well as the host of the 80,000 Hours Podcast with Rob Wiblin back in the middle of last year. In this interview, we hear about what 80,000 Hours does and how to find an impactful career. Rob also discusses how laziness was a key factor in creating the 80,000 Hours Podcast and why people might benefit from thinking less about the social impact of their work.

To listen to the 80,000 Hours Podcast with Rob Wiblin visit: https://80000hours.org/podcast/

Check out 80,000 Hours: https://80000hours.org/

CHAPTERS:

00:00 - Introduction with Luke and Grace

04:09 - Who is Rob?

05:15 - What does 80,000 Hours do?

07:32 - What factors should people think about when trying to find a career with positive impact?

10:40 - Some examples of existential risks (nuclear war, pandemics, bio-weapons)

14:05 - The difference between catastrophic risks and existential risks

16:00 - What are some ways people can address these risks?

19:18 - How can people from all types of careers help address these risks?

20:45 - Problem and career profiles

22:20 - How did Rob end up hosting the 80,000 Hours Podcast?

26:51 - The early days of 80,000 Hours and the growth of effective altruism

32:42 - Moral cluelessness 33:56 - Combatting overwhelm with fun and finding sustainable motivation

37:55 - Rob's final thoughts

CREDITS:

Production: Grace Adams

Editor: Marco Shimabukuro

Interviewer: Luke Freeman

Guest: Rob Wiblin 

Enjoy this fascinating interview where Rob Mather talks through how he started the Against Malaria Foundation (AMF), how it operates today and how malaria could be eradicated.

Rob is truly an engaging speaker and this interview is well worth listening to in full.

To learn more about AMF:

https://www.againstmalaria.com/

https://www.givingwhatwecan.org/charities/against-malaria-foundation

CHAPTERS:

00:00 - Introduction with Luke and Grace

02:18 - Introduction to AMF and backstory including Swim for Terri

20:40 - How Rob got 1 million people swimming for malaria prevention and transition to AMF

42:20 - AMF's funding sources

48:05 - How does AMF do monitoring and evaluation?

1:02:00 - How do bednets compare to chemoprevention, gene drives and other existing and upcoming malaria prevention strategies?

1:14:56 - What would Rob do next if malaria was eradicated?

CREDITS:

Production: Grace Adams

Editor: Marco Shimabukuro

Interviewer: Luke Freeman

Guest: Rob Mather

We interviewed Rebecca Herbst earlier in the year about financial independence, improving financial literacy and effective giving. Rebecca is an early retiree and now spends her time working on her project to improve financial literacy, Yield & Spread, where 100% of the profits go to charity via The Life You Can Save. Rebecca is also on the board of directors for EA Salt Lake City.

Yield & Spread: https://yieldandspread.wixsite.com/personal-finance/course-experience

EA Salt Lake City: https://www.effectivealtruismslc.org/

CHAPTERS:

00:00 - Introduction and how Rebecca retired early and discovered effective giving

03:51 - How Rebecca feels about retiring early

05:01 - All about Rebecca's financial education project: Yield & Spread

07:27 - Some commonalities between effective altruism and financial independence

10:42 - What are some common mistakes people make with money?

14:48 - What should people be spending more money on?

15:44 - Different ways to think about managing money

21:30 - How Luke thinks about budgeting

26:49 - How much financial advice is universal

28:39 - Rebecca top financial tips related to giving

33:30 - Rebecca's thoughts on ethical consumption and ESG investing

41:06 - Resources on finance

44:08 - What can listeners do next?

CREDITS:

Production: Grace Adams

Editor: Marco Shimabukuro

Interviewer: Luke Freeman

Guest: Rebecca Herbst

Member Geoffrey Martin-Noble shares how the Giving What We Can pledge inspired him to concrete action, and why he feels that donating to effective charities (even if you aren't sure how to choose between them) is more impactful than continuing to search for the "perfect" moral framework.

✍️ Take a giving pledge: https://givingwhatwecan.org/pledge

💕 Giving recommendations: https://givingwhatwecan.org/best-charities

🤑. 'How Rich Am I?' calculator: https://howrichami.givingwhatwecan.org

🤓. Recommended books, videos, podcasts: https://givingwhatwecan.org/resources

🙋‍♂️ Get involved: https://givingwhatwecan.org/get-involved

BE OUR FRIEND:

🌍 Our website / blog: https://www.givingwhatwecan.org/

📸 Instagram: https://instagram.com/giving_what_we_can

🐦 Twitter: https://twitter.com/givingwhatwecan

👍 Facebook: https://facebook.com/givingwhatwecan

🤳 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@givingwhatwecan

Member Sam Robinson discusses how he became interested in effective giving, his approach to donating, and how it feels to give.

✍️ Take a giving pledge: https://givingwhatwecan.org/pledge

💕 Giving recommendations: https://givingwhatwecan.org/best-charities

🤑. 'How Rich Am I?' calculator: https://howrichami.givingwhatwecan.org

🤓. Recommended books, videos, podcasts: https://givingwhatwecan.org/resources

🙋‍♂️ Get involved: https://givingwhatwecan.org/get-involved

BE OUR FRIEND:

🌍 Our website / blog - https://www.givingwhatwecan.org/

📸 Instagram - https://instagram.com/giving_what_we_can

🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/givingwhatwecan

👍 Facebook - https://facebook.com/givingwhatwecan

🤳 TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@givingwhatwecan

We are thrilled to have interviewed Lily Odarno, Clean Air Task Force's Director of Energy and Climate Innovation Program, Africa.

Lily shared some fascinating insights about the work of Clean Air Task Force, the specific work they are undertaking across Africa, the intersection of growth and climate mitigation, the need for localised clean energy solutions and much more. This was one of our favourite interviews recorded this year and is not to be missed.

Let us know what you learnt from this interview in the comments! (Also let us know what you think of the new introduction style, and whether we should keep it!)

Learn more about Clean Air Task Force: https://www.catf.us/

Donate to Clean Air Task Force: https://www.givingwhatwecan.org/charities/clean-air-task-force

CHAPTERS:

00:00 - Opening chat between Luke and Grace

03:05 - Introduction to Lily and Clean Air Task Force

04:39 - The role of developing economies in climate change mitigation

07:44 - Clear Air Task Force's work across the African continent

10:49 - Climate change projections for Africa are mismatched with desire for growth

11:31 - Technologies that Clean Air Task Force is interested in

13:38 - Why is there a focus on a narrow range of tech, as well as reduced consumption?

16:04 - Funding sources influence policy

17:35 - Technology development within African countries

20:01 - Kenya as an example of renewable energy development

22:59 - How does CATF operate day to day?

26:03 - Specific challenges the African continent faces when it comes to decarbonisation

29:35 - What happens if we don't get it right?

34:24 - What is the role of philanthropy in climate change?

37:52 - Is Lily optimistic about change?

41:06 - Takeaways for the audience

CREDITS:

Production: Grace Adams

Editor: Marco Shimabukuro

Interviewer: Luke Freeman

Guest: Lily Odarno

OUR RESOURCES:

✍️ Take a giving pledge: https://givingwhatwecan.org/pledge

💕 Giving recommendations: https://givingwhatwecan.org/best-charities

🤑 'How Rich Am I?' calculator: https://howrichami.givingwhatwecan.org

🤓 Recommended books, videos, podcasts: https://givingwhatwecan.org/resources

🙋‍♂️ Get involved: https://givingwhatwecan.org/get-involved

Member Jo Duyvestyn discusses how she learned about Giving What We Can, what motivates her to donate 10% of her income to effective charities, and how much she enjoys being part of a community of people who share her values.

OUR RESOURCES:

✍️ Take a giving pledge: https://givingwhatwecan.org/pledge

💕 Giving recommendations: https://givingwhatwecan.org/best-charities

🤑. 'How Rich Am I?' calculator: https://howrichami.givingwhatwecan.org

🤓. Recommended books, videos, podcasts: https://givingwhatwecan.org/resources

🙋‍♂️ Get involved: https://givingwhatwecan.org/get-involved

BE OUR FRIEND:

🌍 Our website / blog - https://www.givingwhatwecan.org/

📸 Instagram - https://instagram.com/giving_what_we_can

🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/givingwhatwecan

👍 Facebook - https://facebook.com/givingwhatwecan

🤳 TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@givingwhatwecan