Aspen Ideas to Go

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How Personal and National Crises are Linked May 07, 2019

Show notes

How are the tools we use to solve personal crises related to national problems? Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jared Diamond says the ways we deal with problems like divorce, the death of a loved one, a serious health problem, or financial troubles, can be used to effectively deal with crises in countries. In his newly-released book, "Upheaval: Turning Points for Nations in Crisis," Diamond examines problems in seven countries, including the United States. How can America succeed at solving problems like political polarization and socio-economic inequality using tools from a crisis therapist? Diamond is also the author of "Guns, Germs, and Steel," along with other books. He’s a professor of geography at UCLA.

Show Notes: Email your comments to aspenideastogo@gmail.com. The views and opinions of the speakers in the podcast do not necessarily reflect those of the Aspen Institute.

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The Gratifying and Complicated Language of Friendship May 01, 2019

Show notes

The way friends talk to one another can either bring them closer or create distance. When it comes to women’s friendships, author Deborah Tannen says women talk more often (than men), at greater length, and about more personal topics. Men’s friendships tend to be more focused around activity. Either way, friendships between women, men, and women and men can be gratifying…and complicated. Tannen talks about the patterns of communication and miscommunication that affect friendships at different stages of our lives. She’s the author of "You’re the Only One I Can Tell: Inside the Language of Women’s Friendships", "You Just Don’t Understand: Women and Men in Conversation", and many other books. Tannen is also a linguistics professor at Georgetown University.

Show Notes: Email your comments to aspenideastogo@gmail.com. The views and opinions of the speakers in the podcast do not necessarily reflect those of the Aspen Institute.

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Millennials and Motivation (Rebroadcast) Apr 23, 2019

Show notes

Millennials shoulder a lot of stereotypes. They’re called entitled and in need of instant gratification. They’re not committed to their work and expect a work-life balance at their very first job. Do these labels actually define them? Are they really any different than the generations before them? In this lighthearted and informative conversation, organizational psychologist Adam Grant and inspirational teacher Simon Sinek sit down with Katie Couric. Couric is an award-winning journalist. They explore what motivates millennials at work and how the digital world is impacting their productivity. This episode originally dropped on August 1, 2017.

Show Notes: Email your comments to aspenideastogo@gmail.com. The views and opinions of the speakers in the podcast do not necessarily reflect those of the Aspen Institute.

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The Menace of Climate Change Apr 17, 2019

Show notes

Mary Robinson’s book, Climate Justice, records the stories of people experiencing effects from climate change first-hand. They’re not staying silent. From Malawi to Mongolia, people are waging a battle for climate justice, many of them women from poor communities. Robinson, the former president of Ireland and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, believes climate change is one of the most pressing humanitarian issues of our time. She speaks with Peggy Clark, executive director of the Aspen Global Innovators Group. Thilmeeza Hussain, former deputy ambassador to the UN from the Maldives joins part of the conversation to address how her nation is dealing with rising seas.

Show Notes Listen to Our Common Future: Mary Robinson and Rachel Kyte from The Bridge from the Aspen Institute. Email your comments to aspenideastogo@gmail.com. The views and opinions of the speakers in the podcast do not necessarily reflect those of the Aspen Institute.

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Reversing Extinction and Re-Wilding the World Apr 09, 2019

Show notes

What if we could turn back time and reverse extinction? Famed writer, biologist, and environmentalist Stewart Brand is attempting this with an organization he co-founded. Revive and Restore is building a tool kit for genetic restoration that would allow the rebirth of species, like the woolly mammoth. Brand says the absence of these animals has left a gap and reviving them will re-enrich the entire conservation world. There are other reasons to bring back certain species, like enhancing genetic diversity. But what about the ethical questions surrounding such a pursuit? Brand speaks with Flora Lichtman, science writer and host of Gimlet Media’s “Every Little Thing” podcast.

Show Notes Listen to Saving the High Seas, a podcast episode from Aspen Insight featuring marine biologist Sylvia Earle. Passes to the Festival are still available. Register today! Email your comments to aspenideastogo@gmail.com. The views and opinions of the speakers in the podcast do not necessarily reflect those of the Aspen Institute.

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Finding Happiness at Every Stage of Life Apr 02, 2019

Show notes

Economists who have researched happiness over a lifetime find it starts to decline after adolescence and noticeably dips when people enter middle age. How can we avoid the middle age blues and feel purposeful later in life? Arthur Brooks, behavioral economist and American Enterprise Institute president, uses eastern and western philosophies, classical music, and the latest research to give usable advice on how to be joyful throughout life’s different stages. It’s inescapable that we’ll grow older, so how can we develop new strengths as our life journey progresses?

Show Notes At the Aspen Ideas Festival in June, Arthur Brooks will talk about his new book, Love Your Enemies: How Decent People Can Save America from Our Culture of Contempt. Passes to the Festival are still available. Register today! Email your comments to aspenideastogo@gmail.com. The views and opinions of the speakers in the podcast do not necessarily reflect those of the Aspen Institute.

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Trump's Close Relationship with Fox News Mar 26, 2019

Show notes

A recent blockbuster article by journalist Jane Mayer examines close ties between the White House and Fox News. The piece, published in The New Yorker, spurred the Democratic National Committee to choose not to allow Fox to hold any of its presidential debates. In this broad conversation, Mayer touches on the Fox News article, another piece on Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, and her book Dark Money. She speaks with Carolyne Heldman, former president of Aspen Public Radio.

Show Notes Register for the Aspen Ideas Festival, and learn more about it. Listen to our episode, The Underground Railroad, featuring author Colson Whitehead. Email your comments to aspenideastogo@gmail.com. The views and opinions of the speakers in the podcast do not necessarily reflect those of the Aspen Institute.

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Escaping Hate Mar 19, 2019

Show notes

Christian Picciolini went to his first white supremacist skinhead meeting at age 14. A lonely and bullied child, he was quickly swept into the movement and eventually became a leader. In this candid conversation, he speaks with journalist Matt Thompson about why he decided to leave the skinhead movement and turn his life around. Picciolini now helps people disengage from hate groups through an organization he leads, Free Radicals Project. Picciolini is the author of White American Youth: My Descent into America’s Most Violent Hate Movement. His interviewer, Matt Thompson, is executive editor of The Atlantic.

Show Notes Listen to the episode Ellen Johnson Sirleaf: When Women Lead from The Bridge. Follow Aspen Ideas to Go on Twitter and Facebook. Email your comments to aspenideastogo@gmail.com. The views and opinions of the speakers in the podcast do not necessarily reflect those of the Aspen Institute.

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Democracy Dies in Darkness: A Conversation with Marty Baron Mar 12, 2019

Show notes

The truth is under assault in America, according to Marty Baron, executive editor of The Washington Post. By labeling the press as the opposition party and calling into questions facts, President Trump is subverting the role of free and independent news, says Baron. Baron talks with Brian Stelter, host of CNN’s “Reliable Sources,” about how his journalists are operating in a fake news atmosphere where people doubt the truth. He describes how newsrooms need to change — incorporate more transparency and diversify staff — to earn back trust. Finally, he goes into what it’s like working with Post owner Jeff Bezos.

Show Notes Listen to Technology Is Changing How We Trust from Aspen Ideas to Go. Register for the 2019 Aspen Ideas Festival. Follow Aspen Ideas to Go on Twitter and Facebook. Email your comments to aspenideastogo@gmail.com. The views and opinions of the speakers in the podcast do not necessarily reflect those of the Aspen Institute.

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Confronting Life's Toughest Challenges Mar 06, 2019

Show notes

Kate Bowler and Elaine Pagels both teach religion, write about religion, and have experienced immense hardships. In this frank and funny conversation, they explore why people still seek ancient religious teachings in our modern age. In moving and relatable moments, they explain how they overcome loss, illness, and isolation. Pagels is the author of The Gnostic Gospels and Why Religion?: A Personal Story. Bowler is the author of Blessed: A History of the American Prosperity Gospel and Everything Happens for a Reason (and other lies I’ve loved). They speak with Gina Murdock, a writer, yoga teacher, and community organizer.

Show Notes Listen to How to Save a Democracy in Decline on Aspen Insight. Follow Aspen Ideas to Go on Twitter and Facebook. Email your comments to aspenideastogo@gmail.com. The views and opinions of the speakers in the podcast do not necessarily reflect those of the Aspen Institute.

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