Polarised

Dr Ella Gilbert introduces a new podcast from Unboxed. This series of short audio Sparks has been created from talks recorded during Unboxed - a UK-wide festival of creativity that brought together Arts, Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEAM).Each Spark contains at least one take-away idea that you can apply to your own thinking, whatever your approach or discipline.The collection contains messages across Arts and Sciences, of positivity, community and how by unboxing our thinking we can imagine and effect progress against some of the biggest challenges we are facing together. Sparks are shared in partnership with the RSA. Throughout 2022, UNBOXED worked with the RSA to deliver a global exploration research project called ‘Collective Futures’, examining the power of collaboration between people from different backgrounds, perspectives and areas of expertise; uncovering ways that collective imagination can help us build better futures for people, places and planet.Disclaimer: The Sparks are made fr

In this farewell episode of Bridges to the Future, Matthew meets with food writer and restaurateur Henry Dimbleby to explore our complex relationship with food and how it shapes our lives, from childhood memories and family traditions to the ways we cook, eat, and share meals with others. Henry Dimbleby is the co-founder of LEON, and the Director of The Sustainable Restaurant Association, which runs some of London's most successful street food markets. His work with DEFRA culminated in the National Food Strategy – a policy proposal widely praised by industry wide figures such as Yotam Ottolenghi and Sir Partha Dasgupta. In 2013 he co-authored The School Food Plan, which set out actions to transform what children eat in schools and how they learn about food.A Tempo & Talker production for the RSA. In this time of global change, strong communities and initiatives that bring people together are more invaluable than ever before. The RSA Fellowship is a global network of problem solvers. We invite you to join

In this thought-provoking interview series from the RSA, Matthew Taylor, puts a range of leading thinkers on the spot - from writers to business leaders, politicians to journalists - by asking for big ideas to help build effective bridges to our new future. Anthropologist and author, Adam Kuper, explores the intricate relationship between museums and the societies that they represent.Adam joins Matthew to discuss the ways in which museums have become cultural battlegrounds for debates about power, identity, and representation. They explore the ethical dilemmas that arise when museums display the cultural artefacts of others, and how these objects can both inform and misinform our understanding of history.Adam Kuper was most recently Centennial Professor of Anthropology at the London School of Economics and a visiting professor at Boston University. A Fellow of the British Academy and a recipient of the Huxley Medal of the Royal Anthropological Institute, Kuper has appeared many times on BBC TV and radio and h

In this thought-provoking interview series from the RSA, Matthew Taylor, puts a range of leading thinkers on the spot - from writers to business leaders, politicians to journalists - by asking for big ideas to help build effective bridges to our new future. Installed without you even noticing, once on your phone it can record your calls, copy your messages, steal your photos - even secretly film you. But what exactly is 'Pegasus', and is it really a threat to our democracy and our human rights? Matthew is joined by investigative journalists Laurent Richard and Sandrine Rigaud to find out more.  Laurent Richard is the founder and director of Forbidden Stories, a consortium of journalists that was awarded the 2019 European Press Prize and the 2021 George Polk award for its work continuing the investigations of threatened reporters.Sandrine Rigaud is an award-winning investigative journalist, and the editor-in-chief of Forbidden Stories.A Tempo & Talker production for the RSA. In this time of global change,

In this thought-provoking interview series from the RSA, Matthew Taylor, puts a range of leading thinkers on the spot - from writers to business leaders, politicians to journalists - by asking for big ideas to help build effective bridges to our new future. McKinsey & Co is one of the biggest names in the global consulting business. Established in 1926, it employs 30,000 people, has offices in more than 130 locations and earns billions of dollars in fees. But what exactly does the company do? And how much power does it have in shaping the way corporations and governments are run? Matthew is joined by two New York Times investigative reporters, Walt Bogdanich and Michael Forsythe, whose latest book, When McKinsey Comes to Town, shines a spotlight on the influential firm. Walt Bogdanich is an investigative reporter for The New YorkTimes. He has been awarded three Pulitzer Prizes for his investigative journalism. He previously produced stories for “60 Minutes,” ABC News and TheWall Street Journal in New York

In this series we’ve heard from key thinkers on what they are doing to nurture regenerative systems – locally, regionally and globally – and to create thriving futures for all life on this planet. In this final episode of the series, Josie and Daniel are joined by Paul Hawken, one of the environmental movement’s leading voices, to hear his perspectives on why now is the time for collaborative action and how we can all be part of the re-generation.Paul Hawken is a pioneering architect of corporate reform with respect to ecological practices. He is a well-respected author, economist, and activist, and the Founder of Project Drawdown, a non-profit dedicated to researching when and how global warming can be reversed. He has written eight best-selling books, including the hugely influential The Ecology of Commerce. His most recent book is Regeneration: Ending the Climate Crisis in One Generation.Explore links and resources, and find out more at  https://www.thersa.org/oceania/regeneration-rising-podcast  Join the

In this thought-provoking interview series from the RSA, Matthew Taylor, puts a range of leading thinkers on the spot - from writers to business leaders, politicians to journalists - by asking for big ideas to help build effective bridges to our new future. In the wake of the crisis of 2008, austerity measures were implemented across the western world to stop financial catastrophe. But what impact have these long-lasting and controversial polices had on workers and communities?  Clara E. Mattei, an assistant professor of economics, believes they have been devastating, and that there's an ulterior motive for governments to implement such damaging policies. Clara joins Matthews to explain why and reveal what she believes are austerity's dark intellectual origins.Clara E. Mattei is assistant professor of economics at the New School for Social Research in New York City. Her latest book is 'The Capital Order: How Economists Invented Austerity and Paved the Way to Fascism'. A Tempo & Talker production for the R

In this special  series, we explore how regenerative practice is helping people in place collectively re-design their communities, cities and economies and create a thriving home for all on our planet. In this sixth episode, Josie and Daniel discuss the importance of place with two leading voices in regenerative development -- Pamela Mang and Jenny Andersson. We are living through a period of seemingly insurmountable challenges – from the climate crisis to global disparities of health and wealth. How can we grapple with such complex and wicked problems – collectively or as individuals? Regenerative development practitioners Pamela Mang and Jenny Andersson argue that to do so we must start in our own homes – with the places and spaces around us.  Pamela Mang is the founder of Regenesis Group with 30 years’ consulting experience with businesses, governmental agencies and community groups specializing in living systems thinking and educational and human development processes. She is a faculty member for The Rege

In this thought-provoking interview series from the RSA, Matthew Taylor, puts a range of leading thinkers on the spot - from writers to business leaders, politicians to journalists - by asking for big ideas to help build effective bridges to our new future. Adrian Chiles once put away 100 units of alcohol a week. The recommended amount is 14. But Adrian never considered himself an alcoholic, just someone who enjoyed drinking a bit too much. But after a warning from his doctor, and now well in to his 50s, Adrian decided it was time to address his relationship with the booze. But he didn't want to stop drinking entirely. Instead, he decided to embark on a journey to become a 'good' drinker, one who can enjoy alcohol in moderation. The writer and broadcaster joins Matthew to reveal how it changed who he is and the way he lives his life. Adrian Chiles is a writer, journalist and broadcaster. His new book is The Good Drinker. A Tempo & Talker production for the RSA. In this time of global change, strong commun

In this special “Bridges to the Future” series, we explore how regenerative practice is helping people in place collectively re-design their communities, cities and economies and create a thriving home for all on our planet. In this fifth episode, Josie and Daniel discuss the role companies can play in shaping our future with John Elkington and Louise Kjellerup Roper from Volans Ventures.The last decade has seen a shift in the discussion around corporate social responsibility and the role businesses can play in tackling the world’s challenges. In this episode, we ask our guests, John Elkington and Louise Kjellerup Roper whether the businesses of today are doing enough to build a better tomorrow and what a regenerative approach to business could look like.  John Elkington is a world authority on corporate responsibility and sustainable capitalism. His book Cannibals with Forks in 1997 popularised his ‘Triple Bottom Line’ concept, and laid the foundations for sustainable business strategy. His 20th book was pub

In this thought-provoking interview series from the RSA, Matthew Taylor, puts a range of leading thinkers on the spot - from writers to business leaders, politicians to journalists - by asking for big ideas to help build effective bridges to our new future. In this special festive edition, Matthew selects his favourite conversations from 2021.Highlights include: Oliver Bullough exposes Britain’s major role in the world of corruption; Phil Tinline on why collective political nightmares can shape political horizons; Hannah Rose Woods, author of ‘Rule Nostalgia, on why yesterday’s events take a grip on today’s ambitions; Christine Emba explores how masculine attitudes to sex have shaped women’s expectations; and Sharon Blackie reveals why older woman are often the most powerful drivers of change in the world.More about the guests from this year's episode:Sharon Blackie is an award-winning writer, psychologist and mythologist. Her books, courses, lectures and workshops are focused on the development of the mythic

In this special series, we explore how regenerative practice is helping people in place collectively re-design their communities, cities and economies and create a thriving home for all on our planet. In this fourth episode, Josie and Daniel explore new models for structuring our economies with radical economists Kate Raworth and John Fullerton.The words economy and ecology have the same root in Ancient Greek – oikos, meaning home. In an era marked by climate breakdown and profound social challenges, what is our economy telling us about our home? And what is our home, planet Earth, telling us about our economy? In this episode, we discuss the rise of regenerative economics with guests Kate Raworth and John Fullerton. Kate Raworth is a renegade economist focused on making economics fit for 21st century realities.  Her internationally acclaimed framework of Doughnut Economics has been widely influential amongst sustainable development thinkers, progressive businesses and political activists. Her Doughnut Econom

In this thought-provoking interview series from the RSA, Matthew Taylor, puts a range of leading thinkers on the spot - from writers to business leaders, politicians to journalists - by asking for big ideas to help build effective bridges to our new future. Pulitzer Prize-winning physician, biologist, and author, Siddhartha Mukherjee, joins Matthew to discuss the importance of the body’s smallest structural and functional unit: the cell. He explains why the cell is so important when it comes to understanding the human body, medical science - and the story of life itself. Siddhartha Mukherjee is an associate professor of medicine at Columbia University and a cancer physician and researcher. A Rhodes scholar, he graduated from Stanford University, University of Oxford, and Harvard Medical School. He is the author of numerous bestselling books, including 'The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer', winner of the 2011 Pulitzer Prize in general nonfiction and 'The Laws of Medicine' and , The Gene: An Inti

ReGeneration RisingIn this special series, we explore how regenerative practice is helping people in place collectively re-design their communities, cities and economies and create a thriving home for all on our planet. In this third episode, Josie and Daniel discuss regenerative cities with urban designers, Michael Pawlyn and Sarah Ichioka, authors of the book Flourish: Design Paradigms for our Planetary Emergency.  From our cities, to our homes, to our public buildings, the spaces we inhabit determine how we live our lives and interact with the world around us. But what if our built environment is actually fueling our destructive lifestyles and furthering our disconnection with the living world? How can regenerative principles help us design buildings and communities that put life – all life – at the centre, and respond to our needs in the 21st century.  It’s precisely these challenges that urban designers, Michael Pawlyn and Sarah Ichioka address in their new book, Flourish: Design Paradigms for our Planet

In this thought-provoking interview series from the RSA, Matthew Taylor, puts a range of leading thinkers on the spot - from writers to business leaders, politicians to journalists - by asking for big ideas to help build effective bridges to our new future. Hashi Mohamed is a barrister and broadcaster based in London. A contributor to the Guardian, The Times and Prospect he also presented Adventures in Social Mobility (April 2017) and Macpherson: What Happened Next (2019). In his debut book People Like Us, Hashi explores what his own experience can tell us about social mobility in Britain today. His latest book is, 'A Home of One's Own'. A Tempo & Talker production for the RSA. In this time of global change, strong communities and initiatives that bring people together are more invaluable than ever before. The RSA Fellowship is a global network of problem solvers. We invite you to join our community today to stay connected, inspired and motivated in the months ahead. You can learn more about the Fellowshi

In this special series, we explore how regenerative practice is helping people in place collectively re-design their communities, cities and economies and create a thriving home for all on our planet. In this second episode, Josie and Daniel are joined by Dr Anne Poelina, Co-Chair of Indigenous Studies at the University of Notre Dame and a Nyikina Warrwa Indigenous woman from the Kimberley Region of Western Australia. Regeneration is often positioned as a recent development in sustainable practice, but the principles that underpin this approach – connecting with place and living in harmony with natural systems – have been woven through cultures and wisdom traditions since the dawn of human history. In this episode, Josie and Daniel yarn with Dr Anne Poelina, a Nyikina Warrwa Traditional Owner and guardian of the Mardoowarra, Lower Fitzroy River in the Kimberley region of Western Australia.Dr Anne Poelina is Co-Chair of Indigenous Studies and Senior Research Fellow at the Nulungu Institute, University of Notre

In this thought-provoking interview series from the RSA, Matthew Taylor, puts a range of leading thinkers on the spot - from writers to business leaders, politicians to journalists - by asking for big ideas to help build effective bridges to our new future. Games developer and writer, Adrian Hon, believes creeping gamification in our workplace, our schools, even our government, is increasingly being used as a way to profit from and coerce us. Adrian joins Matthew to explain why, in a tech-driven world, we often have no choice but to play - and why losing can incur heavy penalties. Adrian Hon is the CEO and founder of Six to Start, co-creator of the world’s most successful smartphone fitness game, Zombies, Run! Other games Adrian has designed, like We Tell Stories, have won awards including Best of Show at SXSW and been displayed at MOMA and the Design Museum. Adrian's latest books is, 'You've Been Played: How Corporations, Governments and Schools Use Games to Control Us All'. A Tempo & Talker production f

In this special series, we explore how regenerative practice is helping people collectively re-design their communities, cities and economies to create a thriving home for all on our planet. In this first episode, co-hosts Josie Warden and Daniel Christian Wahl discuss what it means to think and act regeneratively.Every second of every day, our cells are fed, nourished, and regenerated by the living systems around us -- and our presence, in turn, enables other species to thrive. But our current way of living is interfering with these vital processes and undermining the very systems that enable life on this planet. As communities around the world grapple with the devastating consequences of a climate emergency and converging social and economic crises, there is growing consensus that our current way of thinking will not bring about the change we need in the time we have. We urgently need to rethink who we are as a species and our role on this planet. We need a new collective story for humanity – one that recog

In this thought-provoking interview series from the RSA, Matthew Taylor, puts a range of leading thinkers on the spot - from writers to business leaders, politicians to journalists - by asking for big ideas to help build effective bridges to our new future. Matthew meets with Will Butler-Adams, the CEO of Brompton Bicycles, originally a small British company that has grown to become one of the biggest cycling brand names in the world.Will discusses the challenge of producing intricate folding bikes at scale, why passion is key to his success and why he's convinced that bikes can help solve global problems and improve our lives. Will Butler-Adams is a chartered engineer and CEO of Brompton Bicycle Limited. He was appointed OBE in the 2015 New Year Honours, featured in multiple publications including the Financial Times, and delivered talks forGoogle and PwC. His latest book is, The Brompton: Engineering for Change (with Dan Davies). A Tempo & Talker production for the RSA. In this time of global change, st

In this thought-provoking interview series from the RSA, Matthew Taylor, puts a range of leading thinkers on the spot - from writers to business leaders, politicians to journalists - by asking for big ideas to help build effective bridges to our new future. In her latest book, 'Hagitude', Sharon Blackie shares her personal story alongside potent female figures from history to offer a rich vision of how we can grow into a more connected and creative second half of life. She joins Matthew to talk maturity, menopause and myth - and why all women at a certain stage in their life should embrace their 'inner hag'.  Sharon Blackie is an award-winning writer, psychologist and mythologist. Her books, courses, lectures and workshops are focused on the development of the mythic imagination, and on the relevance of myth, fairy tales and folk traditions to the personal, cultural and environmental problems we face today. Her latest book is, 'Hagitude: Reimagining the Second Half of Life'. A Tempo & Talker production fo