What Could Go Right?

Latest Episodes:

Are We Wasting Our Talent? with Rutger Bregman Aug 06, 2025

Show notes

Are we measuring success all wrong? Rutger Bregman seems to think so. Zachary and Emma welcome Rutger, a Dutch historian and journalist, and author of Moral Ambition: Stop Wasting Your Talent and Start Making a Difference. The founder of the School for Moral Ambition, Rutger challenges society’s flawed definition of success, stresses supportive and ambitious communities, and suggests how we can make a truly global impact. He highlights his own struggles with work-life balance and his pursuit of enthusiasm over exhaustion.

What Could Go Right? is produced by The Progress Network and The Podglomerate.

For transcripts, to join the newsletter, and for more information, visit: theprogressnetwork.org

Watch the podcast on YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/theprogressnetwork

⁠⁠⁠And follow us on X, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok: @progressntwrk

The Progress Report: Japan’s Tsunami Tech Saves Lives Aug 01, 2025

Show notes

On this week's Progress Report, Zachary and Emma dive into some optimistic stories you may have missed during your doomscrolling. From tsunami-stopping tech in Japan to social media-powered rescue missions in Ghana and the groundbreaking frontiers of male birth control, this isn’t your usual ocean of depressing news.

What Could Go Right? is produced by The Progress Network and The Podglomerate.

For transcripts, to join the newsletter, and for more information, visit: theprogressnetwork.org

Watch the podcast on YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/theprogressnetwork⁠⁠⁠

And follow us on X, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok: @progressntwrk

Does the Deficit Even Matter? with Stephanie Kelton Jul 30, 2025

Show notes

Is everything you know about government spending upside down? Zachary and Emma welcome trailblazing economist and author Stephanie Kelton, champion of Modern Monetary Theory (MMT), to challenge the way we think about deficits, inflation, and what really matters for America’s financial future. Stephanie warns about the real dangers behind rising wealth inequality, explores the impact of Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill, and highlights countries that have rewritten their economic playbooks.

What Could Go Right? is produced by The Progress Network and The Podglomerate.
For transcripts, to join the newsletter, and for more information, visit: theprogressnetwork.org
Watch the podcast on YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/theprogressnetwork⁠⁠⁠
And follow us on X, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok: @progressntwrk

Education Where the Internet Can't Reach with Laura Hosman Jul 23, 2025

Show notes

Zachary Karabell and Emma Varvaloucas shine a light on a powerful form of providing education. This week, they’re joined by Laura Hosman of Arizona State University, creator of SolarSPELL, an offline, solar-powered digital library making education possible where internet access doesn't exist. Discover how SolarSPELL is transforming classrooms from remote Pacific islands to refugee camps in Syria, empowering teachers, and closing the digital divide with nothing but sunlight and ingenuity. They discuss bridging educational gaps, building digital literacy, and proving that when it comes to global progress, there’s plenty that can still go right.

What Could Go Right? is produced by The Progress Network and The Podglomerate.

For transcripts, to join the newsletter, and for more information, visit: theprogressnetwork.org

Watch the podcast on YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/theprogressnetwork⁠⁠⁠

And follow us on X, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok: @progressntwrk

The Progress Report: $16 Billion for Childcare and the World's First Climate Visa Jul 18, 2025

Show notes

This week on The Progress Report, Zachary and Emma bring your antidote to the daily doom and gloom, from surprising political wins and innovative scientific breakthroughs to heartwarming stories that often go overlooked. The FDA's latest help for dog lovers, Australia’s bold climate visa for Tuvaluans, and an unexpected bipartisan win for families are all covered here.

A Historian’s Look Into America’s Future with Garrett Graff Jul 16, 2025

Show notes

What can Americans look forward to despite today's lack of trust in the government? Zachary and Emma welcome Garrett Graff, journalist, historian, and author of several books, including Pulitzer finalist Watergate: A New History. He also hosts the Long Shadow podcast, which covers topics from 9/11 to American far right extremists. Garrett discusses the power of telling history through the emotion of first-person experiences, the challenges of social media misinformation and government conspiracies, and hope for younger generations of Americans in addressing gun violence and other national issues.

What Could Go Right? is produced by The Progress Network and The Podglomerate.

For transcripts, to join the newsletter, and for more information, visit: theprogressnetwork.org

Watch the podcast on YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/theprogressnetwork⁠⁠⁠

And follow us on X, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok: @progressntwrk

The Progress Report: Clean Up on Aisle Everest Jul 11, 2025

Show notes

On this week’s episode of The Progress Report, Zachary and Emma dig up the good news buried beneath the usual headlines, celebrating Costa Rica’s leap into high-income status and the upward mobility of Cape Verde and Samoa, marveling at Paris’s historic $1.4 billion effort to make the Seine swimmable again for local residents, highlighting a Supreme Court decision that keeps crucial phone and internet subsidies alive for rural and low-income Americans, and exploring how drones are helping clear decades of trash from Mount Everest. Plus! They share a listener’s inspiring idea to end every conversation with a piece of good news.

What Makes Societies Thrive? with Johan Norberg Jul 09, 2025

Show notes

What made history’s golden ages thrive? Zachary and Emma speak with Johan Norberg, historian, documentary filmmaker, and author of Peak Human: What We Can Learn from the Rise and Fall of Golden Ages. Johan discusses what special societal qualities produced golden ages across history, as well as why these civilizations declined, what we can learn from their setbacks, and why the cyclical nature of history should bring optimism in today’s world. Johan also explores recent political developments in his native Sweden.

What Could Go Right? is produced by The Progress Network and The Podglomerate.

For transcripts, to join the newsletter, and for more information, visit: theprogressnetwork.org

Watch the podcast on YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/theprogressnetwork⁠⁠⁠

And follow us on X, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok: @progressntwrk

The Progress Report: A Robot Saved My Heart Jul 04, 2025

Show notes

This week on The Progress Report, Zachary and Emma bring more uplifting headlines you won’t find in your usual news feed. America’s prison population is dropping fast, thanks to a dramatic decrease in youth incarceration. The first fully robotic heart transplant in the U.S. marks a giant leap for medical innovation, eliminating the need for open-chest surgery and speeding up recovery for patients. Nepal is quietly staging an electric vehicle revolution, with 70% of new cars now electric and nearly universal access to the power grid.

What Could Go Right? is produced by The Progress Network and The Podglomerate.

For transcripts, to join the newsletter, and for more information, visit: theprogressnetwork.org

Watch the podcast on YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/theprogressnetwork⁠⁠⁠

And follow us on X, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok: @progressntwrk

Climate Change's Agriculture Problem with Michael Grunwald Jul 02, 2025

Show notes

Can we feed the world without destroying it? Zachary and Emma speak with Michael Grunwald, award-winning journalist and author known for his work on the environment and national politics. He is currently a senior writer for Politico Magazine and author of We Are Eating the Earth: The Race to Fix Our Food System and Save Our Climate. Michael discusses ways to farm using fewer acres of land, the improvements in plant-based products, and technology innovations including gene-edited crops and lab-grown meat. He points to recent growth in energy with solar panels and electric cars, hoping that farming could have a similar revolution.

What Could Go Right? is produced by The Progress Network and The Podglomerate.

For transcripts, to join the newsletter, and for more information, visit: theprogressnetwork.org

Watch the podcast on YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/theprogressnetwork⁠⁠⁠

And follow us on X, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok: @progressntwrk

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected