How To Academy Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Robert Macfarlane Meets Elif Shafak – Rivers of Life Sep 30, 2025

Show notes

From the Thames to the Tigris, the Ure to the Euphrates, rivers have flowed through the history of humanity, shaping our civilisations and sustaining our species. Robert Macfarlane and Elif Shafak illuminate the life-giving force of rivers, the stories they have inspired, and explore the crucial question of how humans can coexist with the natural world on which our survival depends.

From the Epic of Gilgamesh to the gods of old, from the ancient Euphrates to the Thames of today, from lost rivers buried deep beneath our feet to the revival of nature on our own doorsteps, Elif and Robert reveal the intricate tapestry woven from human and natural history, and the resilience of nature, memory, and storytelling. On the cusp of today's chaos, in a world balanced between hope and despair, Elif and Robert reveal how we can fight against apathy, insist upon hope, and protect the natural world around us for generations and stories to come.

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Corinne Low - What Data Can Tell Us About Women's Lives Sep 26, 2025

Show notes

Drawing on the economist’s toolkit, she reframes “happiness” as utility, shows how to maximize it under constraints, and treats fertility as “reproductive capital” to be timed and invested thoughtfully. She shifts the spotlight from women “leaning in” to men leveling up at home, and from vibes to data: track time, surface invisible labor, and use BATNA thinking to set walk-away points at work and in relationships.

In an age of burnout and performative perfection, Low offers practical moves: pay yourself first with leisure, set boundaries (not just flexibility), negotiate through win-win framing, interview partners like co-CEOs, and ignore the social-media mirage that distorts what you value. The result is economics reimagined as a compassionate daily practice—not to impress a boss, but to align with your own utility function and live better.

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Mark Kermode – The Stories of Movie Music Sep 23, 2025

Show notes

Drawing on everything from Dougal and the Blue Cat to Angel Heart, from Walter Murch’s “pickle jar” of sound to Tarantino-style needle drops, Kermode turns listening into a way of seeing: treat scores as storytelling, not wallpaper; hear nostalgia without depending on it; notice how rooms, acoustics, and “vibrations” change performances; and understand why live accompaniment can transform a film in the moment. Along the way: Ken Russell’s emotional maximalism, Under the Skin’s alien minimalism, American Graffiti’s jukebox world-building, and the strange alchemy that turns cues into cinema.

In an age of playlists and temp tracks, Kermode offers practical tools: the “trust Neil Brand” rule for live scoring (watch the film, watch each other), left-hand “semaphore” for staying in key, the needle-drop test (does the song deepen the scene or just decorate it?), room-tuning for performance energy, analogical listening (let pop, jazz, and electronics cross-pollinate), and permission to change your mind as the years—and the mixes—change. The result is criticism reimagined as a compassionate daily practice: not to win arguments about taste, but to listen better, feel more, and love movies more deeply.

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Kate Wilson - The Spycops Files Sep 19, 2025

Show notes

In 2003, British police infiltrated a group of idealistic young environmental activists, forming sexual relationships and spying without warrant on hundreds of innocent civilians. Among these young activists was Kate Wilson, who developed an intimate relationship with Mark. Unbeknownst to her, Mark was a fictional persona created by the Metropolitan Police to spy on her. After this shocking discovery, Kate Wilson fought back, and now she joins us to tell her story.

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Jay Heinrichs - How Classical Rhetoric Can Change Your Life Sep 16, 2025

Show notes

Drawing on Aristotle’s playbook, he shows how to turn rhetoric inward: treat the “soul” as your better self, shift from past/present blame to future-tense choices, separate needs from appetites, and tune out the social “white noise” of feeds, trends, and bucket lists that distort motivation.

In an age of distraction and burnout, Heinrichs offers practical tools: the “lure and ramp” for easing into new behaviors, kairos (timing) and chaos as opportunity, analogical thinking, rhythmic mantras (paeans) to quiet negative self-talk, and strategic hyperbole, throwing beyond, to set energizing goals. The result is rhetoric reimagined as a compassionate daily practice, not for winning arguments, but for aligning with your best self and living better.

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Philip Hoare - The Revolutionary Genius of William Blake Sep 12, 2025

Show notes

A journey of both past and future, of the natural world and metaphysical realms, Philip Hoare guides us through a dreamscape slipping through time and space with the unpredictable guide of William Blake. From William's visions of angels to his radical approach to artistic creation, from his anarchic and seditious writing to the enchanting and democratic force of his art, from his belief in the holiness of every living creature to his staunch opposition to slavery, William Blake was an artistic genius far ahead of his time. And as Philip reveals, William had always known that he would not find appreciation among his contemporaries who thought him mad. In this whirlwind conversation, Philip illuminates this incredible mind and its enduring cultural legacy.

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Dr Jenna Macciochi - The Game-Changing Science of Lifetime Health Sep 09, 2025

Show notes

Immunologist Jenna Macciochi reveals the “wellness system” linking body and brain, urging us to focus on healthspan as well as lifespan. She explains “immune age,” inflammaging, and the body’s cycle of inflammation and repair, showing how stress, mind, and lifestyle choices—from sleep and movement to diet—shape immunity.

Amid chronic stress, isolation, and processed diets, Macciochi offers evidence-based habits: meditation, community, smart nutrition, and supplementation. She recasts immunity as a lifelong practice aimed not just at living longer, but living better.

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Marina Warner - Reimagining Sanctuary for a World in Crisis Sep 05, 2025

Show notes

Granted to mythical kings and fugitives alike, enshrined by gods and by communal, human consent, an ancient right since classical times, sanctuary has been a haven, a place of refuge and freedom from harm. It was a sacrilege to lay hands on a sanctuary-seeker: sanctuary was sacred.

But in our modern times, with growing crises in displacement, war, and xenophobia, could a revived practice of sanctuary offer refuge and a home for those who seek it? Award-winning novelist, historian, and mythographer Marina Warner contemplates the ancient roots of sanctuary, breathing new life into its imaginative and creative potential. From the stories of Oedipus to the apocrypha of the Holy Family, from sanctuaries made from relics to sanctuaries made from words, Marina joins us to renew this ancient right in the hopes of creating a more humane and hospitable world.

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Emily Kasriel - The Art of Deep Listening Sep 02, 2025

Show notes

Distracted by our own agenda, we so often hear without understanding, impatiently waiting for our turn to speak. Journalist Emily Kasriel joins us to show how shifting from surface-level exchanges to deep listening can enrich our relationships with both others and ourselves. From restoring agency through listening, to how deep listening can create a safe environment to explore deeper vulnerabilities, to how we can use deep listening to diffuse conflict, Emily guide us, step by step, through the art of deep listening and how we can embrace it in our daily life.

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Caitlin Moran Meets Alex James - Cocaine, Crash Diets and the Return of Blur (Summer Repeat) Aug 26, 2025

Show notes

One winter’s night, Alex James received an unexpected call. Blur had been invited to play their biggest gig ever: Wembley Stadium. The only trouble was, he and his bandmates hadn’t spoken to – or even shouted at – each other for years. And he now had five children, an out-of-control menagerie of cats, and a sprawling farm to run. This is the story of what happened next.

Taking us behind the scenes of a raucous, rollercoaster year, Alex tells Times journalist and bestselling author Caitlin Moran how the band made a surprise – and emotional – return, recording an acclaimed album and playing sold-out shows around the world, from Colchester to Colombia and beyond.

Plus: how he went on a crash diet to fit back into his ‘Britpop Trousers,’ a chastening encounter with the President of Columbia, and the magical story behind She's So High.

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