The Decision-Making Studio Podcast

This is a discussion that encompasses technology, health, innovation, the future, and of course risk and uncertainty. It raises a number of fascinating and challenging questions around personal freedom and public protection. Today, we’re talking transhumanism. My guest is Michele Battle-Fisher. Michele was my guest on episode 20. She is a respected systems theorist, bioethicist and futurist. Michele is an adjunct professor at Wright State University in Ohio, USA.  She is also a co-producer of an upcoming documentary called “Transhuman”. If that rings a bell, it might be because I had Ford Fisher, the documentary’s other co-producer on episode 36 of All Things Risk. If you listened to that episode, you know that transhumanism is the belief or theory that through technology, we can evolve beyond our mental and physical limitations. It includes things like biohacking, genetic engineering and life extension. It is exciting, but also raises a number of questions and uncertainties. We explore these in this episode. For instance, if someone wants to hack their body, why should anyone interfere? As you’ll hear, it can get complicated. Michele and I discuss: Transhumanism and personal freedoms; Whether or not these technologies should be regulated, and the constraints that might create for innovation; Unexpected consequences, risks and uncertainties associated with transhumanism; For instance what happens if the body rejects some of the changes to which it may be subjected?; Transhumanism and inequality; "Dark networks" and black market transhumanism; Loads more! Show notes: Michele’s webpage: mbattlefisher.com She has a page dedicated to both the documentary as well as to her book Application of Systems Thinking to Health Policy and Public Health Ethics which is a 2016 Doody’s core title, selected as “essential” to medical knowledge. Michele on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MBattlefisher Michele on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mbattlefisher/ Amazon author page: amazon.com/author/michelebattlefisher Transhuman (working Title) webpage: Http://www.transhumandocumentary.com Transhuman Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1813912155554321 Commentaries on transhumanism written by Michele: 1. https://impactethics.ca/2017/05/26/radical-technology-bodyhacking-medicine/amp/ 2.http://hipporeads.com/transhumanism-tech-entropy-and-fighting-for-a-future/ Episode 20 with Michele Episode 36 with Ford Fisher ________ My July 24 evening talk My July 28 breakfast talk  Subscribe and/or leave a rating and review on: iTunes: http://apple.co/1PjLmKh Subscribe on Stitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/all-things-risk/the-all-things-risk-podcast Subscribe on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/ben-cattaneo   _________

When I started the All Things Risk podcast, I very deliberately stayed away from discussing the risk management profession (which is also my day-to-day profession). This is because I wanted the show to make risk and uncertainty concepts available to everyone. I didn’t want to make a podcast by risk professionals, for risk professionals. Risk isn’t something to be the sole domain of a small group of people with their own jargon and technical language. Risk is all around each and every one of us. As my signature sign-off goes, “risk is life”. Having said that, there is huge value in discussing the professional practice of risk management – both in terms of understanding some of the ways in which risk people think, as well as observing some of the pitfalls of the profession. This is a discussion that has relevance in our lives and our societies. However, it requires the right risk professional to have it. This is why my guest on this episode is Alex Sidorenko. Alex is the founder and CEO of The Risk Academy. He is a Russian-born Australian who currently lives in Spain. Alex is an extraordinary guy who, as any excellent risk professional does, thinks and acts counter-intuitively. His insights on how to think about risk and where the risk profession needs to go are profound and have parallels in many other domains. Our conversation is wide-ranging and I am sure you will enjoy it. We cover: Alex’s background, including moving back to Russia from Australia and applying risk management within the Russian context (and getting some great feedback); Decision-making in large and small organisations; Cognitive biases and how to overcome them; Where the risk profession needs to go – and parallels with other fields; Managing risk in our personal lives   Show notes: The Risk Academy: https://www.risk-academy.ru/en/ Alex on Twitter Alex on Linkedin On YouTube Article: “Why are People So Afraid of Sharks?” Thinking Fast, Thinking Slow  ________  Did you like what you heard? Subscribe to the All Things Risk podcast, leave a rating or review, and share it on social media: Subscribe and/or leave a rating and review on: iTunes: http://apple.co/1PjLmKh Subscribe on Stitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/all-things-risk/the-all-things-risk-podcast Subscribe on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/ben-cattaneo  

In this short inbetweenisode, I discuss how to use the power of “maybe” to set meaningful objectives, and then what how to approach risks to those objectives. I bring a powerful analogy from the world of cycling into the mix. Show notes: Chris Boardman: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Boardman Chris Boardman 1994 Tour de France Prologue Time Trial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjJ60Kx2j8I Haute Route: www.hauteroute.org  PEST / PESTLE analysis: http://pestleanalysis.com/pest-analysis/ When do we have risk?  ______ Subscribe and/or leave a rating and review on: iTunes: http://apple.co/1PjLmKh Subscribe on Stitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/all-things-risk/the-all-things-risk-podcast Subscribe on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/ben-cattaneo

  Did you know that in the 18th, 19th and early 20th Centuries there were some extraordinary women explorers? You might be forgiven for not knowing this. However is out to change all of that. Meet Jacki Hill-Murphy. Jacki is an explorer, teacher, film-maker and author. Jacki has recreated and written about the journeys of early female explorers like: Isabel Godin, the first known woman to travel the length of the Amazon; Mary Kingsley, who climbed Mount Cameroon in 1885; Isabella Bird who journeyed over the Digar Pass in 1890; Kate Marsden, the extraordinary adventuress who travelled by horse and sledge across Siberia (and also the subject of Jacki’s forthcoming book The Extraordinary Tale of Kate Marsden) There is loads of interesting stuff to these women – from their motivations for their journeys, the role they had in their societies, to the contributions they made. Jacki is the perfect person to tell their tales. In this wonderful conversation we cover: Jacki’s background, including her love of travel and an amazing year-long pan-African trip she took in 1988; The inspiration to recreate the journeys of these Adventuresses; Stories from Jacki’s travels to the Amazon, Siberia, the Himalayas, and more; The historical context within which these women carried out their journeys; The fascinating Kate Marsden who is the subject of Jacki’s forthcoming book; Travel and the unknown Loads more! Show notes: Jacki’s website Jacki on Twitter: https://twitter.com/jackihillmurphy Jacki’s book Adventuresses: Rediscovering Daring Voyages Into the Unknown Isabel Godin Mary Kingsley Isabella Bird Kate Marsden Feature on Jacki in The Daily Telegraph: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/life/meet-the-woman-retracing-the-steps-of-our-forgotten-female-explo/ Launch event for Jacki’s new book: The Extraordinary Tale of Kate Marsden Colonel John Blashford Snell Gerald Durrell Thor Heyerdahl’s Kon-Tiki: Across the Pacific in a Raft _______ Subscribe and/or leave a rating and review on: iTunes: http://apple.co/1PjLmKh Subscribe on Stitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/all-things-risk/the-all-things-risk-podcast Subscribe on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/ben-cattaneo

How do we move from a “death economy”, characterised by short-termism and environmental degradation, to a “life economy”? We tackle this question on this week’s episode, and after listening to it, you will understand how it fits into the arc of my guest. That arc goes from being in the Peach Corps, to becoming an “Economic Hit Man”, through to expertise in shamanism and indigenous wisdom.   I am delighted to bring a wonderful conversation with New York Times best-selling author, former economist and “economic hit man” John Perkins. John's 2004 book Confessions of An Economic Hit Man spent 73 weeks on the New York Times best-seller list (it has recently been updated to create New Confessions of an Economic Hit Man). The term “economic hit man” is what John uses to describe his work in the 1970s and early 1980s with developing countries. It’s a system based on creating indebtedness and dependency (and as you will hear, with potentially devastating consequences with those who don’t participate). It is firmly rooted in the “death economy” and as you will also hear, it is still prominent today, only in different forms. As you will also hear, John is out to change things. We have a fascinating conversation that covers: John’s time in the Peace Corps and how that shaped his world view; Being an economic hit man, including working with two former clients and friends who refused this “assistance” on offer; Big business and international development; The death economy and the life economy; Sustainability; Indigenous wisdom and shamanism; How love and compassion is the future of business – and how we can help make that happen Loads more! Show Notes:   John’s website: http://johnperkins.org/ John on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/johnperkinsauthor/ John on Twitter: https://twitter.com/economic_hitman John on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnperkinsauthor DreamChange:  https://www.dreamchange.org/ The Love Summit: https://www.dreamchange.org/the-love-summit/ Confessions of an Economic Hit Man: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2159.Confessions_of_an_Economic_Hit_Man New Confessions of an Economic Hit Man: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26593431-the-new-confessions-of-an-economic-hit-man All of John’s books: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1452.John_Perkins?from_search=true Omar Torrijos: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omar_Torrijos Jaime Roldós Aguilera: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaime_Rold%C3%B3s_Aguilera __________ Did you like what you heard? Subscribe to the All Things Risk podcast, leave a rating or review, and share it on social media: Subscribe and/or leave a rating and review on: iTunes: http://apple.co/1PjLmKh Subscribe on Stitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/all-things-risk/the-all-things-risk-podcast Subscribe on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/ben-cattaneo

What are the odds that a skinny teenager from Latvia goes on to become a world-class fitness model? What are the odds that that same kid goes on to develop his own fitness methodology and to help others achieve and exceed their health and fitness objectives? Meet Ru Wikmann. Ru is a London-based fitness expert, personal trainer, WBFF pro fitness model, and body transformation coach. As you will hear, Ru adds philosophy and mindfulness to his approach to fitness. He is also lots of fun and we get into a wide range of topics in this episode including: Growing up in Latvia and moving to the UK; Transforming from a skinny kid to a pro fitness model; His philosophies on fitness and health, and making changes that will stick; Taking risk and risk-taking; Knowing your purpose; Ru’s fitness app Fitswap; Meditation and mindfulness; Language and culture; Lots more! Show notes: Ru’s website Ru on:         Twitter Facebook YouTube Linkedin         Instagram  Fitswap The Shredded Brainiac podcast Binaural beats Binaural Beats apps “What are the functions of various brain waves” in Scientific American  __________________ In London on June 13? Come and hear my LDN Talks @ Night organised by Funzing! Did you like what you heard? Subscribe to the All Things Risk podcast, leave a rating or review, and share it on social media: Subscribe and/or leave a rating and review on: iTunes: http://apple.co/1PjLmKh Subscribe on Stitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/all-things-risk/the-all-things-risk-podcast Subscribe on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/ben-cattaneo

Somewhat coincidentally with this week’s episode, I came across this article written by the late Alex Tizon, a Pullitzer prize winning journalist entitled “My Family’s Slave”. In it, Tizon describes how his parents effectively kept a woman against her will to cook, clean and take care of his family. This falls squarely under the modern definition of slavery. This week, we delve into the topic of human trafficking and modern slavery. It is a topic that is sobering but important. It also mind-boggling to learn that that are some 25-30 million slaves currently in the world. My guest is Nancy Hartwell. Nancy is an American author, translator and playwright. She has written three books on human trafficking. Nancy first became fascinated and horrified with this topic several years ago whilst she was living in Cameroon (Nancy lived there for fourteen years and has worked and travelled extensively across the globe). This was prompted when an acquaintance of hers, a German woman in her early twenties, mysteriously disappeared. It was later revealed that she was sold into the sex trade in the Persian Gulf. Since then, Nancy has been collecting stories on human trafficking which she eventually turned into three books – two fiction and one non-fiction. She has also examined the various aspects of human trafficking in the modern world. In this conversation, we discuss: What human trafficking is; The scale and scope of the problem; The different forms of human trafficking and modern slavery; Why governments are not doing enough; Ways in which we can help combat the problem; How to protect our children and loved ones from human trafficking Show notes: Nancy's website: www.nancyhartwell.com  Nancy's ecourse on human trafficking: http://www.nancyhartwell.com/ecourse.html  Nancy on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nancy.hartwell.71  Nancy on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancy-hartwell-2806318/  Nancy's books on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Nancy-Hartwell-Enonchong/e/B00J20KGAI/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_3?qid=1495408466&sr=8-3  The Madeleine McCann case: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappearance_of_Madeleine_McCann  US State Dept. Report on Trafficking in Persons 2016 - https://www.state.gov/j/tip/rls/tiprpt/2016/  "15 Ways You Can Fight Human Trafficking" on the US State Dept website - https://www.state.gov/j/tip/id/help/  "My Family's Slave" by Alex Tizon - https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2017/06/lolas-story/524490/  The CNN Freedom Project Report on Mauritania: http://thecnnfreedomproject.blogs.cnn.com/category/mauritania-slaverys-last-stronghold/  _______________ Did you like what you heard? Subscribe to the All Things Risk podcast, leave a rating or review, and share it on social media: Subscribe and/or leave a rating and review on: iTunes: http://apple.co/1PjLmKh Subscribe on Stitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/all-things-risk/the-all-things-risk-podcast Subscribe on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/ben-cattaneo

Building personal resilience involves taking care of both body and mind. To help do this, many people are increasingly turning to “alternative medicine” as Western medicine seems inadequately equipped to deal with disease prevention and optimal performance. At the same time, the world of alternative therapies is fraught with confusing information and dishonest practitioners. This is why Dr. Kathy Gruver’s work is so valuable. Kathy is my guest in this week’s episode. She is someone who can bridge the gap between Western medicine and alternative therapies. Kath is a health expert, author, television host and speaker. Kathy has for many years focused on the mind-body connection and alternative medicine.  Kathy is the author of a book called The Alternative Medicine Cabinet and is the host of a television show of the same name. Kathy is also an expert on stress management. While this is a bit of a shorter episode because Kathy had a limited time window, we still covered loads of great stuff including: Health and the core components of health; Alternative medicine and how it can be viewed as a complement to Western medicine; Stress how to manage it; How to make changes that stick; How to spot potentially bogus alternative therapies; Nutrition; Risk-taking Show Notes: Kathy’s website - http://www.kathygruver.com/ http://www.thealternativemedicinecabinet.com/ Kathy on Twitter - https://twitter.com/KLGruver Kathy on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/DrKathyGruver4health/ Kathy on Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathygruver/ Kathy’s author page on Amazon Kathy on Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kathy_Gruver  http://www.webmd.com/ ___________ Did you like what you heard? Subscribe to the All Things Risk podcast, leave a rating or review, and share it on social media: Subscribe and/or leave a rating and review on: iTunes: http://apple.co/1PjLmKh Subscribe on Stitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/all-things-risk/the-all-things-risk-podcast Subscribe on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/ben-cattaneo

From the Stoics to Shakespeare, from Gandhi to Nelson Mandela - wisdom is something that seems to transcend societies and cultures. We might hear that a certain person is “wise” or even “wise beyond their years”. What exactly does this mean? Can we zero in on the essence of wisdom and learn to become wiser?  Can doing so help us manage life’s uncertainties? Can it make us happier? Meet Charles Cassidy. Charles researches and promotes “evidence-based wisdom”. As Charles puts it, “psychologists are finding that societies do share an agreed understanding and conception of wisdom”. Through his site (www.evidencebasedwisdom.com), Charles takes the emerging research in this fascinating field, and “translates” it so that we can use it. Based in London, Charles joined me on the All Things Risk podcast for a wonderful conversation that covered: What wisdom is; Wisdom and decision-making; Wisdom and “convincing” others who many disagree with us; Compassion and being generous; What the key components of wisdom are; Wisdom and uncertainty management; Does more experience equate to more wisdom?; Can wisdom be measured?; Wisdom, meditation and mindfulness; Short-term practices that can make us wiser “in the moment”; Is wisdom a state or a trait?; We have Artificial Intelligence (AI), can we have Artificial Wisdom (AW)?; Can becoming wiser make us happier? And more Show notes:  Evidence-based wisdom:             Website             On Twitter             On Facebook             On YouTube Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History – The Destroyer of Worlds The Wisdom Scorecard – Test your wisdom level How to have better political arguments – TED talk by Robert Willer Negotiating the Impossible by Deepak Malhotra Moral Tribes by Joshua Greene Influence by Robert Cialdini Give and Take by Robert Grant Future Babble by Dan Gardner The Hedonic Treadmill The Serenity Prayer The Stag Hunt and Nash Equilibrium The Righteous Mind by Jonathan Haidt Igor Grossmann Deep Mind Technologies ___________ Did you like what you heard? Subscribe to the All Things Risk podcast, leave a rating or review, and share it on social media: Subscribe and/or leave a rating and review on: iTunes: http://apple.co/1PjLmKh Subscribe on Stitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/all-things-risk/the-all-things-risk-podcast Subscribe on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/ben-cattaneo