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Can we be friends when we disagree about politics? In this episode, I’m joined by Roger Berkowitz, Professor of Politics, Philosophy, and Human Rights at Bard College and Founder and Academic Director of its Hannah Arendt Center to discuss his new book, A World We Share: Hannah Arendt and the Power of Friendship in a Broken World. We explore friendship, fanaticism for truth, and what Arendt’s life and thought can teach us about sharing a world with people whose views differ from our own.

Which values sustain a free society? And what responsibility do we each have to uphold them? In this episode, I’m joined by Sherman Tylawsky, founder of the George Washington Institute, to explore civic values, political division, patriotism and the responsibilities that accompany freedom.

Artificial intelligence is transforming how organisations make decisions.But what happens when those decisions drift away from the values they were meant to uphold?In this episode, I’m joined by Christine Haskell, PhD, to explore the phenomenon of values drift – the gradual divergence from stated values – how AI can accelerate that drift, and what leaders can do to prevent it.We discuss practical strategies for sustaining values alignment, the virtues leaders need under pressure, the governance systems that prevent drift, and why consistent values alignment requires both systems and good intentions.

What does it mean for a nation to wrestle with God? That struggle, as Ilan Stavans suggests, might be America’s most enduring pastime. In this episode, I’m joined by Ilan Stavans to explore America’s wrestle with God at both collective and individual levels, following the release of his new book, A Nation Wrestles with God: American Prophets, Philosophers, and Firebrands. We discuss the ideas, individuals, and tensions that have shaped America’s religious identity – and what they reveal about the nation’s values.

We’re living through an honesty crisis. Advances in technology have made dishonesty more appealing than ever before – and less likely for the dishonest to get caught. This crisis has far-reaching implications for individuals, institutions, and society as a whole. In this episode, I discuss the true meaning of honesty and its central role in a well functioning society with Christian Miller, author of the newly published book, The Honesty Crisis: Preserving Our Most Treasured Virtue in an Increasingly Dishonest World.

After years of research, Mark Friedman concluded that much of what he thought he knew about “authentic” Judaism was incorrect. He argues that Judaism is far closer to classical liberalism than many might assume — and that the idea that traditional Jewish values are inherently at odds with liberal values is fundamentally flawed. In this episode, we explore the Torah’s liberal values, the role of scripture as an anchor and guide in modern life, and much more. For more on Mark’s work, see his new book, Come Now Let Us Reason Together: Uncovering the Torah’s Liberal Values.

Jim Ferrell had already introduced the work of Martin Buber to millions of people through his books and keynote talks before realising he had been missing something fundamental about Buber’s insight. That realisation took Jim deeper into the world of relation – our fundamental connectedness – and ultimately led to a new leadership paradigm that’s presented in his recently published book, You and We: A Relational Rethinking of Work, Life, and Leadership. In this empowering conversation, we explore what it means to grow relationally and why meaningful change happens as we change the space between us.

What if many of the emotions we regularly feel are actually counterfeits?In this episode, I’m joined by Curtis Morley to explore the concept of counterfeit emotions – and why authenticity is essential for meaningful personal growth.We discuss the difference between being nice and being kind, why peace may be the only emotion that cannot be counterfeited, and how it’s possible to experience both joy and pain at the same time. Drawing on Viktor Frankl’s insight that our final freedom is the ability to choose our attitude, we explore why choosing growth over misery matters – especially when life hurts.We also examine the distinction between sobriety and recovery, why emotional intelligence is the single strongest predictor of success in life and business, and why learning to love yourself is not a selfish indulgence, but a necessity for service.A powerful conversation on emotional intelligence, authenticity, and personal growth.

Workplace stress and uncertainty don’t just affect performance — they reshape how the brain functions. In this conversation, Dr Lynda Shaw explores neuroscience in the workplace, clarifying common myths, the difference between neuroscience and psychology, and what leaders can do to help people thrive under pressure.

From running a marathon at 14 to winning awards in bodybuilding and powerlifting as an adult, Nathaniel Hancock has dedicated his life to continuous improvement. Now in middle-age, he identifies as someone who rages against the dying of the light. In this episode, we discuss Nathaniel's journey so far – his role models, his setbacks, and how he overcomes the victim mentality.

The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in 1914 is often seen as the spark that ignited World War I – and it was pivotal in transforming the way that states use and protect against assassination. In his recently published book, Death to Order: A Modern History of Assassination, Simon Ball, Professor of International History and Politics at the University of Leeds, tells that story. In this episode, we discuss Simon’s work on assassination, as well as the implications for liberal democracy as state security expands to protect an ever-growing circle of elites.

General Electric was once America’s most admired company. Today, it stands as a cautionary tale. In this episode, I’m joined by William Cohan, bestselling author of Power Failure: The Rise and Fall of General Electric, which was praised as “monumental” by The Economist and “a tour de force” by the Financial Times. We explore GE’s dominance in its heyday, Jack Welch’s rise and legacy, the company’s decline under Jeff Immelt, and enduring lessons for today’s leaders.

Who was Plato? Why are we still talking about him over two-thousand years after his death? What warnings did he give us about the vulnerabilities of democracy? What impact do individuals' values have on a democracy? And, in short, why does Plato matter now? In this episode, Angie Hobbs, Professor emerita of the Public Understanding of Philosophy at the University of Sheffield and author of the new book Why Plato Matters Now, answers these questions and more.

Nietzsche's declaration that "God is dead" in The Gay Science was more tragic than triumphal. The philosopher was acutely aware of the existential vacuum that would be created by the decline of religion in the west and sought to find a solution. His solution came in the form of what he called the superman (übermensch) who would create new values to replace the old law tables of Judeo-Christian religion. In this episode, Dr Martin Ruehl of Cambridge University returns to discuss the meaning of Nietzsche's superman in both theory and practice, looking at Nietzsche's work through the prism of history, ideology, and religion. *Correction & Clarification: At the end of the episode, I referred to Nietzsche’s “ultimate man” when I meant “monumental man,” as discussed in Untimely Meditations. It is my view that Christ fits Nietzsche’s criteria for the monumental man, though Nietzsche himself never explicitly made this connection.

In this episode, psycho-linguistic expert and UK Managing Director of Inspirational Group, Felicity Wingrove, talks through some of the fundamentals of how to be understood how you intend to be understood for better personal and business outcomes. Do you want to improve your communication skills to be better understood? If so, this episode is for you.