How To Academy Podcast

Filmmaker Petra Costa - Democracy on a Knife-edge

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

Stanford's Ben Rein – The Neuroscience of Social Connection

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

Award-winning Novelist Joanna Kavenna - How to Play a Game Without Rules

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

Investigative Journalist Oliver Bullough - How the Money Launderers Won

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

Psychobiologist Daisy Fancourt – How the Arts Can Transform Your Health

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