How To Academy Podcast

In 2026 the Seven Deadly Sins have become a bit of harmless fun, more associated with ice creams and videogame villains than the immortal soul. But in the medieval world, the Sins were a guide to the human mind, offering insight into the deepest questions of life, meaning, and happiness. Medievalist Peter Jones has uncovered their origins and significance and joins us on the podcast to show how these very old ideas can still show us who we are in the modern world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Daniel Levitin returns to How To Academy to explore how music can transform our health and wellbeing—repairing our bodies, calming our minds, and healing our deepest psychological wounds. By uncovering the cutting-edge neuroscience behind how rhythm and melody strengthen memory, reduce pain, and provide emotional equilibrium, Daniel will offer a compelling new vision for the future of music as medicine. Join us for a joyful celebration of one of humanity’s oldest and most powerful forms of healing—and why we all need more of it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Heavy-handed censorship is unnecessary when one can manipulate people to censor themselves… From the birth of 'the strategic bias', to weaponizing liberal norms against liberal democracy, the populist right has found a way to exercise an effective and socially acceptable type of silencing and manipulation. Instead of banning stories, they spread flows of disinformation, which take hours and days to debunk. Instead of silencing, they shout louder. Instead of blue-pencilling, they employ fake users, bots, and outrageous smear campaigns to dominate the conversation. As we find ourselves in a time of democratic decay all over the world, with relentless attempts to undermine truth and facts and unprecedented technological tools to spread disinformation and incite violence, journalist and activist Ayala Panievsky joins us to argue that brave journalism is needed now more than ever. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As a boy, Oren Harman set up his own bedroom "laboratory" to uncover the caterpillar's transformation into a butterfly. But these marvellous creatures are far from alone in radically transforming: it is thought that 75% of animal life undergoes a form of metamorphosis. The story of how and why is one that has puzzled some of the most remarkable minds in history, from Aristotle onwards; in his new book Metamorphosis, Oren tells their story. He joins us on this episode of the podcast to reveal more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Between a quarter and a fifth of young people in the UK now suffer from a mental disorder. One in four adults are prescribed psychiatric medication. These figures reveal an extraordinary expansion in the language and labelling of mental health — but they tell us little about the lived experience of those seeking help, or about what it truly means to heal. In this episode of the podcast, Dr Gavin Francis will explore the tangled history of psychiatry and our evolving understanding of the mind. From mood disorders and trauma to anxiety and addiction, he will examine the plethora of forces which shape these conditions. Join Gavin as he turns how we imagine mental health on its head, inviting us to see the mind not as fragile, but as resilient — a dynamic, adaptive system best approached not with rigid labels and protocols, but with curiosity, kindness, humility, and hope. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

C. Thi Nguyen considers games of all kinds to be an art form, no less beautiful than cinema, literature, or music: but the qualities that make games aesthetically valuable are very different to those we associate with other media. In this episode of the podcast, he reveals how games create meaning -- and what happens when we apply the logic of game design to real life, in the form of scoring systems that dictate what is and is not good and valuable. Join us and find out how we can begin to reclaim nuance and personal choice from corporations, governments, and bureaucracies gameifying our world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Guardian journalist and lifelong Nintendo superfan Keza MacDonald is the author of a new history of that reveals how the company's unique culture transformed a Kyoto playing card manufacturer into one of the most loved organisations in the history of popular entertainment. Whether you know the names of every Pokemon or are simply fascinated by how a major corporation can consistently innovate, delight, and enthral millions of adults and children across the world, this conversation is an unmissable guide to the story of a company unafraid to buck trends, resist market forces, and subvert everyone's expectations in the pursuit of excellence. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In a world transformed beyond recognition, the neural systems that once kept our ancestors alive now leave us overwhelmed, distracted, and dissatisfied. We battle loneliness, anxiety, and stress. We chase status, validation, and impossible standards—then blame ourselves when we fall short. Drawing on cutting-edge neuroscience and clinical cases, evolutionary neuroscientist and practising neurologist Dr Paul Goldsmith will reveal how many of our struggles are not personal failures. Our restlessness, our cravings, our competitive impulses—even our burnout—all follow an ancient logic. But we are not powerless. By decoding the neuroscience behind our everyday difficulties, Paul will offer a new way to work with, rather than against, our ancient wiring to build calmer, healthier, and more connected lives. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Feeling seen, needed, and valued isn't just a nice-to-have—it's essential for our wellbeing and society's future. When people feel they truly matter, everything changes—productivity soars, relationships deepen, and communities strengthen. As AI erases jobs that once gave people a sense of identity and purpose, and many feel isolated, burnout, and disconnected, we now face a crisis of mattering. In this episode of the podcast, award-winning journalist and writer Jennifer Breheny Wallace will provide a revolutionary framework for rebuilding the connections that make life meaningful. Through stories of individuals who have discovered the power of mattering, Jennifer will show us that the antidote to our modern crisis of disconnection isn't to turn inward, but to recognize how much we matter to each other. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Priestess, witch, daughter of a brutal king: Medea is the greatest tragic heroine of the classical world. But, as Sunday Times bestselling writer Natalie Haynes reveals, Medea can be so much more than that too. Joining her longtime friend Robin Ince, she reveals her own journey that led her towards classical mythology, and invites modern-day dwellers to revisit the mythical past anew. From the extraordinary characters of classical heroines such as Medea, Pandora, and Medusa, to how classical myths continue to resonate with the human condition today, Natalie takes us on an epic journey of our own to reimagine the myths we thought we knew. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How much do you know about your body? How much does your body know about you? The most acclaimed choreographer of our age, Sir Wayne McGregor’s trailblazing innovations have radically defined dance in the modern era. And over the past three decades, he has discovered that our intelligence lies not only in our brains, but in our bodies too. Physical intelligence is instinctive, pre-verbal, and continually upgrades itself. Mastering it will allow us all to release the knots in our physical and emotional selves, leaving us free to experience new forms of creativity and connection. In this episode of the podcast, Wayne will draw on his research and practice with elite performers, athletes, cognitive neuroscientists, and anthropologists to show how we can all become more physically fluent. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When we spoke to Petra Costa last, her film Apocalypse in The Tropics had just been released on Netflix. The film, which leaves us in the aftermath of January 8th 2023 and the storming of the Brazilian Congress by hundreds of protestors demonstrating against the re-election of Lula De Silva and defeat of Jair Bolsanaro, explores the relationship between evangelical Christianity and the Far Right. Much has happened in the intervening months. Bolsonaro is now behind bars; convicted for inciting the attempted coup, and the film's protagonist, televangelist Pastor Silas Malafaia has also been implicated, cited in a Federal report investigating the events. The film itself played a direct role in the legal proceedings leading to Bolsonaro's arrest. Now, Petra joins us again, in conversation with Hannah MacInnes, to reflect on these events, on the current state of Brazilian Democracy, and on the unique power of film to change the conversation and move the dial where politics often fails. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It’s not just what you feed your brain that matters—it’s who. From your morning coffee order, to weaving through commuters on the train, sitting through work meetings, riding in a packed lift, heading to the pub with colleagues, or relaxing on the sofa with family, every day is filled with social interactions that nurture and support your brain's health. Whether mundane or extraordinary, they make up your brain’s 'social diet', which influences your wellbeing, shapes your experience, and can even lengthen your life. Yet in an age of increasing social isolation, many of us are at risk of losing these vital connections. In this episode of the podcast, Ben Rein will offer a reappraisal of companionship, exploring how social bonds influence our physical and emotional health. He will also share practical, evidence-based strategies for building a more connected, fulfilling life, and for making our daily interactions feel energising rather than exhausting. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A riotious comic novel of ideas, Seven tells the story of an unnamed philosopher plunged into the strange world of Theodoros Apostalakis: dentist, poet, pursuer of lost things, and obsessive player of 'Seven', a revered board game whose champions struggle to hold onto what is most valuable in human life in the face of Artificial Intelligence. Blending academic satire, travel writing, farce, and philosophy into a singular, intoxicating brew, Seven is a literary novel that stretches the boundaries of the form and cannot be adequately explained in a bilateral podcast interview with the author: nevertheless, we attempt to do so in this episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Whether you’re a fraudster, a cartel boss, a corrupt politician, a kleptocrat or a terrorist mastermind, your options to move and hide your money are more secure and more impenetrable than they have ever been. There has never been a better time to be a criminal. Meanwhile, innocent people are wrongly being frozen out of banking services across the world. Something needs to change. All efforts at legislation, diplomacy, prosecution and compliance have been a complete flop. Investigative journalist Oliver Bullough takes us on a perspective-altering adventure through the flipside of the global economy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How does art affect our brains and bodies, down to our very DNA? Psychobiologist Daisy Fancourt reveals the extraordinary effect of art on our health, and what we can do to make the most of art’s life-changing power. From how music synchronises our movement to how storytelling enhances our emotional intelligence, Daisy illuminates this under-appreciated pillar of health, and shares practical and meaningful ways to incorporate art into our daily and social lives. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Where do the things we buy actually come from? And how did they become the products on our store shelves, the food in our pantries, and the familiar items in our homes? Cambridge Professor and expert in manufacturing and innovation Tim Minshall guides us down the intricate journeys within the world of manufacturing, revealing how everyday items find their way across the world to reach us. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Global sensation Rutger Bregman joins George Monbiot to show how small groups of committed individuals changed the course of history – and how you can, too. The average full-time worker will spend 80,000 hours at their job: are you making the most of them? Do you truly believe in what you do, day in day out?Every day we’re bombarded with methods, mantras, life hacks and coaching sessions that promise us mindfulness, prosperity and wellness. We read countless self-help books to unlock the seven habits, twelve rules or one big secret to living a long and happy life, while time and talent remain some of our most squandered resources. Internationally bestselling author Rutger Bregman returns to How To Academy to show us that with the will to make the world a wildly better place – it is possible to be both idealistic and successful, and to change the world along the way. Looking to the great change-makers of history, he will uncover the qualities that made them so persuasive, influential and effective, and show how we, too, can lend our talents to the biggest challenges of our time, from climate change to gross inequality to the next pandemic. We can do more than be on the right side of history: we can make history itself. This is not a self-help talk. It won’t make your life easier – but it should make it more meaningful. The question is: what will you do with it? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of the podcast, Amy Jeffs reveals the spellbinding world behind Old Songs, her exploration of traditional British ballads and the stories that have carried human fears, desires, and wonder across centuries. From the historical role of ballads in everyday life, to their modern afterlives in literature, music, and live performance, Amy shows us why these old songs still resonate so strongly today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With so many conflicting headlines out there, it’s tough to sort fact from fiction when it comes to climate change and the solutions we need for a cleaner future. The first piece of good news is that data scientist Hannah Ritchie is here with answers, and the steps we need to take now. Using simple, clear data, she joins us to tackle questions such as, ‘Is it too late?’, ‘Won’t we run out of minerals?’ and ‘Are we too polarised?’. The second piece of good news: the truth is way more hopeful than you might think. We’re at a critical moment for our planet, and getting the facts straight is step one. But even more crucial is feeling hopeful about what we can do next. The third piece of good news? We already have many of the solutions we need to create a more sustainable planet for future generations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It’s the ‘Do you have five minutes?’ message from your boss. The ‘We need to chat’ from a loved one. Those spiralling thoughts at 3 a.m. and the buzz of yet another breaking news alert. The potential coming waves of AI, climate change and unstable governments. For most of us, uncertainty is paralyzing, but isn’t going anywhere. The world – and our lives – will continue to change, at great pace and in unexpected ways. In this episode of the podcast, join author of the international bestseller and ‘modern life-bible’ Be More Pirate, Sam Conniff, and neuroscience consultant Katherine Templar-Lewis for a pioneering, evidence-based guide to transforming uncertainty into growth and opportunity. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Far from being distant and peripheral, organised crime shapes our everyday lives, from the materials used to construct our homes to the illicit funds that quietly circulate through financial institutions. Global security expert Mark Galeotti reveals the dark heart of the underworld, how states and criminal networks are far more interconnected than most people realise, and how understanding these entanglements is essential for making sense of how societies function, collapse, and rebuild. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

100 years on from Schrödinger’s equation, we’re on the cusp of the second Quantum revolution. Everything is about to change again – but how? Theoretical physicist, cosmologist, and astrobiologist Paul Davies investigates quantum theory's extraordinary predictive power and the debates that continue to surround the field, diving into the very nature of quantum reality and the beginnings of the universe. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Bestselling novelist Rebecca F. Kuang returns to How To Academy in conversation with Hannah MacInnes to dive into her new novel, Katabasis, inviting us on a journey to the underworld and back. From the literal and metaphorical meanings of descending to hell, to the question of eternity, to the imaginative expanse of Rebecca's literary vision in an age where freedom of expression is under threat, Rebecca illuminates the art of her craft and imagination with humour, warmth, and deeply personal contemplation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When Andrew Jarecki and Charlotte Kaufman went into an Alabama state prison to film a revival meeting, they discover that the prisoners wanted to talk to them off-camera and share their stories; after Andrew and Charlotte left, the incarcerated men were able to use contraband mobile phones to reveal the hidden realities of prison life. Their stories included the horrifying death of prisoner Stephen Davis at the hands of guard, and a labour strike coordinated across the prisons (that is beginning again at the time of recording). This deeply harrowing and impactful film reveals a secret world most of us dare never to think about: in the UK, it's available to stream now on Sky. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Do you avoid conflict? Do you tend to take the blame? Do you take care of others at the expense of yourself? Do you live in a state of hypervigilance? Fawning can appear in a plethora of different ways, it can be visible or invisible; it can manifest in our relationships to sex or money, or in the tendency to 'people-please'. But one thing remains constant: it is about finding safety in an unsafe world, often at our own expense. Fawning expert and clinical psychologist Dr Ingrid Clayton shines a light on this under-represented but crucial piece of the trauma puzzle, bringing clarity and support. Drawing on twenty years of clinical psychology work, as well as a lifetime of insight as a recovering fawner herself, she shares tools to find meaningful, reciprocal connections – and finally be ourselves. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Widely heralded as the most provocative Norwegian writer since Ibsen and simply ‘one of the finest writers alive’ by the New York Times, Karl Ove Knausgaard’s five-part autobiographical novel sequence My Struggle sent him into the stratosphere of literary fame, inspiring a wave of imitators that continues to this day and cementing his place as an outspoken giant of contemporary literature. A long-time resident in London, Karl Ove now turns his attention to the capital for the first time in The School of Night, transporting us back to 1980s Deptford and into the psyche of Kristian Hadeland, a deliciously loathsome young Norwegian willing to do anything for art and for fame. Joining us for an exclusive conversation with the author of Boy Parts, Eliza Clark, Karl Ove will take us on an unforgettable journey into the darkness of the human psyche and explore the Faustian pacts we make for artistic glory. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A boy scout from smalltown America known for his sincere, folksy charm. A chain-smoking maverick dedicated to the pursuit of the Art Life. A womaniser with a female skewing fanbase. A Hollywood outsider who was also a mainstream celebrity. Who was the real David Lynch, and why did his bizarre, avant garde art films - from Eraserhead to Inland Empire - gain him recognition and love far beyond any of his contemporaries? The cultural critic John Higgs returns to the podcast to unpick the meaning of the adjective "Lynchian" and make sense of a man whose work is nothing less than a cultural phenomenon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of the podcast neuroscientist Nicholas Wright reveals how, whether we like it or not, the brain is wired for conflict – in the office or on the battlefield. Blending insights from cutting-edge research with stories from across history, Nicholas joins war correspondent David Patrikarakos to explore the past, present, and future of warfare and reveal the truth about why we fight, lose and win wars. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices