The World Needs Magic

Patricia is an Executive Board member, Global Chief Marketing and Digital Officer at Bayer Consumer Health /NED – so we talked about leadership with her. Particularly her own style of leadership. We asked Patricia: If you had a magic wand, what would you change?

“I’d make sure all children enjoy a childhood. One where they don’t worry about food, school, friends, playing, getting dirty. I think we could solve half the world's problems by allowing children to be children. We’d create better leaders...”

Elisabeth is founder and CEO of Rock Your Life! They're one of Germany’s largest mentoring networks dedicated to fostering positive social change . RYL's mission is to empower young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. Elisabeth believes that change starts with individuals. She’s committed to uncovering people’s true potential. 

We talked to Elisabeth about the power of connection, staying curious and bringing unlikely people together.

Satish Kumar is a former monk, a peace and environmental activist, and co-founder of Schumacher College - a place for ecological and and social change. Satish once walked 8,000 miles to meet Martin Luther King.

He talks with Rubens about cultivating a different society – one where peoples’ hearts are as educated as their minds. And the transformation of the self needed to achieve this.

This podcast was recorded in October 2020 during our webinar chat with Satish. To see other guests, past and future, visit: https://abracademy.com/theworldneedsmagic

Kevin Braddock is a writer, storyteller and mental health advocate. His book, Everything Begins With Asking For Help, is a must for anyone wanting to deepen their understanding of mental health.

This episode celebrates World Mental Health Day 2020. Together with Kevin, we talk about the best magic in the world - the magic of the human mind! We explore why it's so hard to ask for help and how to make it easier. Kevin provides coping strategies and making a game out of getting better.

This podcast was recorded in October 2020 during our webinar chat with Kevin. To see other guests, past and future, visit: https://abracademy.com/theworldneedsmagic

Tim Leberecht is a magical human indeed. He's an author, entrepreneur and visionary. He is co-founder and co-CEO of The Business Romantic Society; co-founder and curator of the House of Beautiful Business - a global think tank / community. Their annual gathering brings together eclectic leaders and change makers. Their mission? To humanise business in an age of machines. Ta-da!

Tim talks beauty, romance and magic in the workplace 💥

This podcast was recorded in August 2020 during our webinar chat with Tim. To see other guests, past and future, visit: https://abracademy.com/theworldneedsmagic

Geoff McDonald is an advocate, campaigner and consultant for all things mental health. He's passionate about addressing the stigma of mental ill-health at work. Until his own experience of mental ill-health, he was Global VP of Human Resources at Unilever. He's now involved with Minds at Work - a movement for mental wellbeing at work.

Geoff talks about how to initiate conversations on mental health at work. And the challenges of breaking the stigma down. This episode is incredibly moving as Geoff shares some very personal moments.

This podcast was recorded in June 2020 during our webinar chat with Geoff. To see other guests, past and future, visit: https://abracademy.com/theworldneedsmagic

Liam Forde wants to make organisations more human. He believes that high performing culture, game changing innovation and winning strategies are unlocked by organisations that balance people, profit, potential, performance and planet.

Rubens and Liam talked about professional burnout and what matters most for people, and organisations.

This podcast was recorded in May 2020 during our webinar chat with Liam. To see other guests, past and future, visit: https://abracademy.com/theworldneedsmagic

Sarah Gregersen is Program Director and Learning Designer at the Stockholm Resilience Centre. She also runs a company called Genius of Life. Inspired by solutions that nature has evolved over 3.8 billion years, they bring sustainability strategies to life.

Sarah talks about a circular economy and how nature can - and should! - inspire us. Leaders and organisations should learn, lead, and act with the wisdom of nature.

This podcast was recorded in June 2020 during our webinar chat with Sarah. To see other guests, past and future, visit: https://abracademy.com/theworldneedsmagic

Dr Matt Pritchard is an actual Doctor of Wonder! He's a scientist and magician fascinated by the elusive feeling we call wonder.

What is it? How is it related to curiosity? How do we cultivate it? How can it help us cope with 2020 and the pandemic? How can we bring more wonder to the workplace? So many questions for Matt to answer!

Matt curates a blog - Words on Wonder - where he talks to a diverse array of people about science, magic and wonder. Read his interview with Rubens from earlier this year. Last year Matt spoke at TEDxBrum and was featured in the Huffington Post. He's also a member of the Magic Circle.

This podcast was recorded in May 2020 during our webinar chat with Matt. To see other guests, past and future, visit: https://abracademy.com/theworldneedsmagic

Long time Abracademy friend and collaborator, Gustav Kuhn is a Reader in Psychology at Goldsmiths, University of London. He is also president of the Science of Magic Association (SOMA) and a member of the Experimental Psychology Society (EPS), and the Magic Circle (MMC).  As well as all that, he is director of Magic Lab - a magic research lab, literally!

Gustav delves into the world of magic and how it can further our understanding of human cognition. We contemplate free will, perception and consciousness.

This podcast was recorded in April 2020 during our webinar chat with Gustav. To see other past and future guests, visit: https://abracademy.com/theworldneedsmagic