Alex Evans interviews Dr. Scilla Elworthy, renowned peacebuilder and founder of the Oxford Research Group and Peace Direct. They discuss the power of dialogue in defusing nuclear tensions, the critical role of humility and listening in conflict mediation, the impact of trauma on world leaders, and the increasing influence of women in diplomacy. Dr. Elworthy shares lessons from her decades of peace work, offers practical advice on building empathy and resilience, and highlights the transformative potential of “inner work.” The conversation concludes with practical advice for individuals seeking to build peace.

Key topics

- The origins and impact of the Oxford Research Group’s nuclear dialogues
- The role of trust-building, silence, and listening in conflict resolution
- How humiliation, contempt, and trauma drive conflict
- The rising influence and unique approach of women in peace and diplomacy
- Meditation and contemplative practices in facilitating dialogue
- The necessity of inner personal work for effective external peacebuilding
- Personal stories of inspiration and hope in peace work
- Practical advice: stopping, breathing, and listening, in order to foster peace

People

Dr. Scilla Elworthy is a peace activist, founder of the Oxford Research Group and Peace Direct, author and has been nominated three times for the Nobel Peace Prize. Scilla pioneered effective dialogue between nuclear weapons policy-makers and their critics through the Oxford Research Group, which she founded in 1982.

In 2002 she founded Peace Direct, to support and learn from local peace-builders in conflict zones. She has advised Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Sir Richard Branson on establishing The Elders, and in 2003 received the Niwano Peace Prize.

Today, Scilla focuses on developing The Mighty Heart, a course that equips people with ten practical skills for transforming conflict. The course helps break cycles of violence and supports paths toward dialogue and agreement.

Alex Evans is the founder and Executive Director of Larger Us. He’s also a Visiting Professor in Practice at Newcastle University’s School of Arts and Cultures, a Senior Fellow at New York University’s Center on International Cooperation, and the author of The Myth Gap: What Happens When Evidence and Arguments Aren’t Enough? (Penguin, 2017).

Alex is a former Campaign Director at Avaaz, where he ran campaigns on areas including Brexit and human rights. He’s also been a political adviser, including for two UK Secretaries of State for International Development and in the UN Secretary-General’s office, and as a consultant for organisations from Oxfam to the US National Intelligence Council.

Further Reading

The Business Plan for Peace by Scilla Elworthy

Making Terrorism History by Scilla Elworthy & Gabrielle Rifkind

Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) conflict data.

Writings and talks by Thich Nhat Hanh

Co-hosts Claire Brown and Alex Evans welcome former Green Party leader and MP Caroline Lucas. They discuss the evolution of green politics in Britain, and  can help shape a better future.

Key Topics:

- Caroline Lucas’s Journey. Her path to becoming the UK Green Party’s first MP.

- Green Party Now. The party’s growth under new leader Zack Polanski.

- Progressive Alliances & Electoral Reform. Proportional representation and how can progressive parties collaborate more effectively?

- English Identity Post-Brexit. Caroline discusses her new book, “Another England”. What does Englishness mean today?

- History, Empire & Education. Unpacking Britain’s colonial past.

- Religion & Politics. The risks of ceding these "mythic" spaces to the hard right.

- Democracy & Local Power. Radical devolution, participatory democracy, and grassroots innovation.

- Climate Action for All. Why “inclusive adaptation” matters.

People:

Caroline Lucas was the UK’s first Green Party Member of Parliament (between 2010 and 2024), and before that served as a Member of the European Parliament for 10 years.  She has also served as Leader and Co-Leader of the Green Party of England and Wales.  

She is passionate about the role of education and the arts in mobilising action on the climate and nature emergencies.  Caroline is Professor of Practice in Environmental Sustainability at the University of Sussex and Co-President of the European Movement.  Her latest book is Another England: How to Reclaim our National Story.

Alex Evans is the founder and Executive Director of Larger Us. He’s also a Visiting Professor in Practice at Newcastle University’s School of Arts and Cultures, a Senior Fellow at New York University’s Center on International Cooperation, and the author of "The Myth Gap: What Happens When Evidence and Arguments Aren’t Enough?" (Penguin, 2017). Alex is a former Campaign Director at Avaaz, where he ran campaigns on areas including Brexit. He’s also been a political adviser, including for two UK Secretaries of State for International Development and in the UN Secretary-General’s office.

Claire Brown

Claire has spent most of her career living and working in and with communities that have been disadvantaged by inequality. This includes time spent as a journalist reporting on the issues impacting former coal mining towns in Nottinghamshire and South Yorkshire; helping to design and find funding for programmes tackling problems like youth crime, homelessness and health inequality; and making it fun and easy for locals to cook and eat with refugees who are new to their area. Communication and proactive community engagement has always been at the core of her work, spanning journalism, education, charity and the arts.

Further Reading:

The Myth Gap by Alex Evans 

Another England by Caroline Lucas

Host Alex Evans is joined by David Steven, a senior fellow at the UN Foundation, senior fellow at NYU’s Center on International Cooperation, and Managing Director of River Path Associates. Longtime collaborators, Alex and David reflect on the "Long Crisis Scenarios" they developed during the pandemic and discuss how those ideas have fared five years on.

Key Topics:

  - David’s path to international work
  - Four key global risks: acute shocks, long-term stresses, deliberate disruption and folly, ignorance, neglect.
  - Layers of crisis unfolding at different speeds 
  - The Four Long Crisis Scenarios Revisited: “Rise of the Oligarchs”, “Big Mother, “Fragile, Resilient”, “Winning Ugly”
  - Reflections on risk, governance and international institutions
  - The United Nations and the future of multilateralism
  - Reasons to be hopeful

People:

David Steven is a seasoned analyst and consultant specialising in global governance, crisis management, and international cooperation. With experience advising the UN, World Bank, governments and more, David brings insight from decades working on global issues, policy papers, and scenario planning alongside Alex.

Alex Evans is the founder and Executive Director of Larger Us. He’s also a Visiting Professor in Practice at Newcastle University’s School of Arts and Cultures, a Senior Fellow at New York University’s Center on International Cooperation, and the author of "The Myth Gap: What Happens When Evidence and Arguments Aren’t Enough?" (Penguin, 2017). Alex is a former Campaign Director at Avaaz, where he ran campaigns on areas including Brexit. He’s also been a political adviser, including for two UK Secretaries of State for International Development and in the UN Secretary-General’s office.

Resources and Further Reading:

The Long Crisis Scenarios, Local Trust
Confronting the Long Crisis of Globalisation, Brookings Institution
Shooting the rapids: multilateralism and global risks, The Global Dashboard

Alex Evans speaks to Miriam Juan-Torres González, a leading expert on polarisation, democracy and belonging. They discuss the evolution of political polarisation since 2016, the rise of authoritarian populism and strategies for building bridges and defending democracy in turbulent times. Miriam shares insights from her research and real-world examples of successful civic campaigns, offering practical advice for anyone passionate about positive change.

Key Topics:

- Issue-based vs affective polarisation and the global landscape.
- The role of the political right and left in driving polarisation. When it can be a necessary strategy for justice.
- The importance of focusing on authoritarianism and democracy.
- The pitfalls of mainstream parties adopting far-right rhetoric. Alternative strategies for centrist governments.
- Relational organising, deep canvassing, and bridge-building.
- Do labels like “fascism” and “radical right” describe current political trends?
- The importance of electoral and grassroots strategies in defending democracy.
- A new vision of democracy.
- Integrating bridge-building with justice.

People:

Míriam Juan-Torres González is an expert on authoritarian populism, polarisation and human rights. She is Head of Research at OBI's Democracy & Belonging Forum at UC Berkeley, and formerly acted as advisor to Our Common Home and taught at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. She is the co-author of “Hidden Tribes: A Study of America’s Polarized Landscape” and the lead author of “Britain’s Choice: Common Ground and Division in 2020s Britain". She is also co-chair of the Board of the Belong Network. 

Alex Evans is the founder and Executive Director of Larger Us. He’s also a Visiting Professor in Practice at Newcastle University’s School of Arts and Cultures, a Senior Fellow at New York University’s Center on International Cooperation, and the author of "The Myth Gap: What Happens When Evidence and Arguments Aren’t Enough?" (Penguin, 2017). Alex is a former Campaign Director at Avaaz, where he ran campaigns on areas including Brexit. He’s also been a political adviser, including for two UK Secretaries of State for International Development and in the UN Secretary-General’s office.

Resources & Further Reading:

Chris Armitage’s blog on racism.
Corrine Fowler’s interview on the Larger Us podcast
Alex Evan's article on Radical Love and Depolarisation
Hidden Tribes (US) report
Britain’s Choice (UK) report
Research by Maria Stephan and Erica Chenoweth on nonviolent resistance
The Othering and Belonging Institute’s work on targeted universalism

Subscribe for more conversations on navigating turbulent times and building a brighter future. Music by Fogheart, with permis

Alex Evans welcomes Adam Kahane  - renowned facilitator, author, and expert in scenario planning and system transformation. Adam shares insights from his experience of scenario planning as part of peace processes in South Africa and Colombia, discusses the power of stories in shaping the future, and helps us discover practical habits which can create positive change in complex systems.

Key moments:

- Adam’s journey from Shell’s scenario team to global peace-building and system change
- The Mont Fleur scenarios: bringing together divided groups in South Africa to imagine possible futures
- The power of stories and metaphors in scenario planning
- Building trust in polarised environments
- The difference between normative (vision-driven) and analytical (possibility driven) scenario planning
- Lessons from both successful and disappointing scenario processes
- What makes system transformation possible: shared concerns, openness, and diversity of perspectives
- Everyday habits for transforming systems, including the metaphor of “finding cracks” in systems to enable change
- Adam’s perspective on hope and the importance of collective, persistent engagement

People:

Adam Kahane is a leading organiser, designer and facilitator, celebrated for facilitating the Mont Fleur scenarios in South Africa as the country was exiting its apartheid era. He has worked in more than fifty countries, in every part of the world, with executives and politicians, generals and guerrillas, community activists and United Nations officials and many more.

He is the author of several influential books, including “How to Work with People You Don’t Agree with or Like or Trust” and his latest, “Everyday Habits for Transforming Systems.” 

Alex Evans is the founder and Executive Director of Larger Us. He’s also a Visiting Professor in Practice at Newcastle University’s School of Arts and Cultures, a Senior Fellow at New York University’s Center on International Cooperation, and the author of The Myth Gap: What Happens When Evidence and Arguments Aren’t Enough? (Penguin, 2017).

Alex is a former Campaign Director at Avaaz, where he ran campaigns on areas including Brexit and human rights. He’s also been a political adviser, including for two UK Secretaries of State for International Development and in the UN Secretary-General’s office, and as a consultant for organisations from Oxfam to the US National Intelligence Council.

Resources & Links:

Adam’s books, including “Everyday Habits for Transforming Systems”, can be found here. 

More information about the Mont Fleur Scenarios can be found here.

Our music is "Cleanse the Corruption" by Fogheart, used with permission.

Thank you for listening and do subscribe for our next episodes.

Why do those of us in western societies find it so difficult to face the prospect of our deaths, or to grieve collectively for experiences of shared loss? How does unprocessed collective grief - for instance about the pandemic - show up politically? And might changes in how we think and feel about death make it easier for us to confront existential risks like climate breakdown?

Ivor Williams is an old friend of Larger Us’s (he co-wrote This Too Shall Pass, our report on collective grief written at the height of the pandemic), a healthcare designer working at the cutting edge of end-of-life care, and now founder of Mortals, an extraordinary small group journey into our attitudes to both death, and everything that happens before it.

Featuring:

Alex Evans is founder and director of Larger Us, writer of the Good Apocalypse Guide on Substack, Professor in Practice at Newcastle University, and author of The Myth Gap.

Elizabeth Oldfield is chair of Larger Us, host of The Sacred podcast, author of Fully Alive: Tending to the Soul in Turbulent Times, and was formerly director of Theos, the UK's leading think tank on religion in public life.

Ivor Williams is designer and founder of Mortals, a small group programme that explores questions around dying and living well. He has worked as an end-of-care designer with Imperial College and the NHS, is an end-of-life doula, and was co-creator of Cove, one of the first mental health apps to be recommended by the NHS.

What happens when an African American befriends members of the Ku Klux Klan? Our guest for this episode is Daryl Davis - a blues musician who's played with greats like Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis and BB King, and who's also persuaded more than 200 white supremacists to leave groups like the KKK. We talk to Daryl about how his extraordinary journey began, what drives him to do this work, and what the rest of us can learn from his approach.

Please be aware that this episode contains a description of a violent and racist incident and use of offensive racist language in that context.

Featuring:
Alex Evans is founder and director of Larger Us, writer of the Good Apocalypse Guideon Substack, Professor in Practice at Newcastle University, and author of The Myth Gap.

Elizabeth Oldfield is chair of Larger Us, host of The Sacred podcast, author of Fully Alive: Tending to the Soul in Turbulent Times, and was formerly director of Theos, the UK's leading think tank on religion in public life.

Dr Daryl Davis is an international recording artist and race relations expert. He has received numerous awards for his book Klan-Destine Relationships and his award-winning film documentary Accidental Courtesy. He is the first Black author to write a book on the Ku Klux Klan based upon in-person interviews and personal encounters.

Other resources:
The Larger Us programme

What does it mean to be 'fully alive' during turbulent times? Our guest for this episode - who'll also be joining us as one of our rotating cast of co-hosts - is Elizabeth Oldfield, the author of Fully Alive: Tending to the Soul in Turbulent Times and Chair of Larger Us's board. Liz talks about how connection and belonging are at the heart of what she writes about in her book, what it's like to live in an intentional community, and how we fill the 'religion shaped hole' in modern life.

Featuring:
Alex Evans is founder and director of Larger Us, writer of the Good Apocalypse Guide on Substack, Professor in Practice at Newcastle University, and author of The Myth Gap.

Claire Brown is head of development and impact at Larger Us, oversees the organisation's climate conversations project, and has previously worked on welcoming refugees to the UK and as a local journalist. 

Elizabeth Oldfield is chair of Larger Us, host of The Sacred podcast, author of Fully Alive: Tending to the Soul in Turbulent Times, and was formerly director of Theos, the UK's leading think tank on religion in public life.

Other resources:
Caleb Meakins TEDx - My 40 days - facing the fear of failure
Citizens by Jon Alexander
The Larger Us programme

Sound Effect by Shagor Miah from Pixabay

What do you do when you find yourself at the centre of a culture war? Our guest for this episode is Professor Corinne Fowler who became a target for ‘anti-woke’ journalists and politicians due to her work exploring the colonial histories of National Trust properties. Corinne’s approach - to positively engage with her attackers - yielded some surprising results and she shares what she’s learned about taking on the culture warriors. We also had a wide-ranging discussion about her fascinating new book, Our Island Stories. In it we join Corinne on a series of walks through the countryside during which she delves into the history of slavery, colonialism and empire that has shaped our green and pleasant land. We spoke about everything from her approach to research to the links between oppression and at home and abroad.

Our Island Stories is published by Penguin Books. 

Welcome to a new series of the Larger Us Podcast! This time we’re talking to Imran Ahmed, who is founder and CEO of the Center for Countering Digital Hate. We spoke to him in the immediate aftermath of the wave of far right riots that swept the UK in July after misinformation about the identity of the perpetrator of a mass stabbing targeting children spread rapidly and widely across social media.

Imran is an authority on the social and psychological impacts of digital platforms and the bad actors who exploit them, and he’s been a hugely influential voice in advising politicians around the world on policy and legislation to combat online hate and misinformation – so much so that Elon Musk sued the Center for Countering Digital Hate (and lost). For more about CCDH check out their website here, and you can find a recent Wired interview with Imran here.