Beauty At Work

Alan Moore is a craftsman of beautiful business. He is a business innovator, author, and global speaker whose life’s work centers on one simple but radical idea: beauty is not a luxury in business, but a necessity.He has designed everything from books to organizations, working across six continents with artists, entrepreneurs, and leadership teams. He has advised companies including PayPal, Microsoft, and Interface, taught at institutions such as MIT, INSEAD, and the Sloan School of Management, and helped guide some of the world’s most innovative enterprises.He is the author of four books, including No Straight Lines: Making Sense of Our Nonlinear World and Do Design: Why Beauty Is Key to Everything. His work has been featured in outlets such as the BBC, The Guardian, Stanford Social Innovation Review, and The Huffington Post.In this first part of our conversation, we discuss:1. Beauty as a sense of homecoming to self, family, and the natural world2. Why beauty is felt in the body, not just understood in the mind3. Beauty as something soulful, universal, and deeply human4. Living and working through the transition from analog to digital culture5. Innovation as seeing latent potential and unmet human needs6. The idea of beauty as the “ultimate metric” for decision-making7. How beauty challenges dominant ideas of success, value, and the good lifeTo learn more about Alan’s work, you can find him at:https://thebeautifuldesignproject.com/ Books and resources mentioned:No Straight Lines: Making Sense of Our Nonlinear World (by Alan Moore)Do Design: Why Beauty Is Key to Everything (by Alan Moore)This season of the podcast is sponsored by Templeton Religion Trust.Support the show

Lisa Z. Lindahl is an award-winning inventor, artist, author, and entrepreneur best known for transforming women’s sports with her 1977 invention of the first sports bra, the Jogbra. As CEO of JBI Inc. from 1977–1992, she helped shape a global industry, earning ten patents and seeing her invention archived at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History and even displayed at The Metropolitan Museum of Art as a “revolutionary piece of women’s undergarments.”In 1999, she co-founded Bellisse and co-invented the Compressure Comfort® Bra, a breakthrough medical garment now supporting breast cancer survivors worldwide. She has been inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame (2022), received a U.S. Congressional Commendation, and has long served as an advocate for women’s health, most notably through her leadership roles at the Epilepsy Foundation of America.She is the author of Beauty as Action (2017), her philosophical guide to practicing “True Beauty,” and the acclaimed memoir Unleash the Girls (2019).In this second part of our conversation, we talk about:True beauty is harmony rather than glamourThe problem of living in a culture rooted in fear, competition, and accumulation“Practicing beauty” works through simple, everyday disciplinesLisa’s 16 practices of beautyThe three-legged stool of truth, beauty, and justiceTo learn more about Lisa’s work, visit:https://www.lisalindahl.com/ https://beautyinaction.com/ Links Mentioned:Beauty as Action by Lisa Z. LindahlUnleash the Girls (Lisa’s memoir on inventing the sports bra)This season of the podcast is sponsored by Templeton Religion Trust.Support the show

Lisa Z. Lindahl is an award-winning inventor, artist, author, and entrepreneur best known for transforming women’s sports with her 1977 invention of the first sports bra, the Jogbra. As CEO of JBI Inc. from 1977–1992, she helped shape a global industry, earning ten patents and seeing her invention archived at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History and even displayed at The Metropolitan Museum of Art as a “revolutionary piece of women’s undergarments.”In 1999, she co-founded Bellisse and co-invented the Compressure Comfort® Bra, a breakthrough medical garment now supporting breast cancer survivors worldwide. She has been inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame (2022), received a U.S. Congressional Commendation, and has long served as an advocate for women’s health, most notably through her leadership roles at the Epilepsy Foundation of America.She is the author of Beauty as Action (2017), her philosophical guide to practicing “True Beauty,” and the acclaimed memoir Unleash the Girls (2019).In this first part of our conversation, we talked about:Lisa’s earliest encounters with beauty, from frozen rivers to childhood moments of oneness with natureThe story behind the first Jogbra prototype and why sewing “stretch on stretch” is its own artWhy the need for the sports bra was far greater than she ever imaginedThe surprising moment when she realized that “beauty is what really matters.”What she means by true beauty and why she believes it is eternalTo learn more about Lisa’s work, visit:https://www.lisalindahl.com/ https://beautyinaction.com/ Links Mentioned:Beauty as Action by Lisa Z. LindahlUnleash the Girls (Lisa’s memoir on inventing the sports bra)This season of the podcast is sponsored by Templeton Religion Trust.Support the show

John C. Havens has spent years at the heart of the global conversation on AI ethics. As the Founding Executive Director of the IEEE Global Initiative on Ethics of Autonomous and Intelligent Systems, he led the creation of Ethically Aligned Design, a document that went on to influence the United Nations, OECD, IBM, and dozens of organizations shaping the future of AI. He also helped build the IEEE 7000 Standards Series, now one of the largest bodies of international standards on AI and society.Today, John serves as the Global Staff Director for the IEEE Planet Positive 2030 Program, guiding efforts that prioritize both ecological and human flourishing in technological design. But his perspective on AI doesn’t begin with policy or engineering; it starts with love, vulnerability, and the deep spiritual questions that have shaped his life.Previously, John was an EVP of Social Media at Porter Novelli and was a professional actor for over 15 years.  John has written for Mashable and The Guardian and is author of the books, Heartificial Intelligence: Embracing Our Humanity To Maximize Machines, Hacking Happiness: Why Your Personal Data Counts and How Tracking it Can Change the World, and Tactical Transparency: How Leaders Can Leverage Social Media to Maximize Value and Build their Brand.  John is also an expert with AI and Faith. In this second part of our conversation, we talk about:The core of reality as loveDangers of ignoring griefWhy values must be integrated into AI systems from the very beginningHow generative AI entered classrooms and workplaces without care, consent, or loveThe seductive danger of simulated relationshipsThe role of faith communities in an automated societyJohn’s GAP framework: gratitude, altruism, and purposeRisks of using AI in religious settingsHow genuine community embodies the kind of love and dignity that technology must never replaceTo learn more about John’s work:IEEE Planet Positive 2030 Program – https://sagroups.ieee.org/planetpositive IEEE 7000 Standards Series – https://standards.ieee.org Books and resources mentioned:Heartificial Intelligence: Embracing Our Humanity to Maximize Machines (John Havens)Hacking Happiness: Why Your Personal Data Counts and How Tracking it Can Change the World (John Havens)The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight for a Human Future at the New Frontier of Power (Shoshana Zuboff)Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other (Sherry Turkle)This season of the podcast is sponsored by Templeton Religion Trust.Support the show

John C. Havens has spent years at the heart of the global conversation on AI ethics. As the Founding Executive Director of the IEEE Global Initiative on Ethics of Autonomous and Intelligent Systems, he led the creation of Ethically Aligned Design, a document that went on to influence the United Nations, OECD, IBM, and dozens of organizations shaping the future of AI. He also helped build the IEEE 7000 Standards Series, now one of the largest bodies of international standards on AI and society.Today, John serves as the Global Staff Director for the IEEE Planet Positive 2030 Program, guiding efforts that prioritize both ecological and human flourishing in technological design. But his perspective on AI doesn’t begin with policy or engineering; it starts with love, vulnerability, and the deep spiritual questions that have shaped his life.Previously, John was an EVP of Social Media at Porter Novelli and was a professional actor for over 15 years.  John has written for Mashable and The Guardian and is author of the books, Heartificial Intelligence: Embracing Our Humanity To Maximize Machines, Hacking Happiness: Why Your Personal Data Counts and How Tracking it Can Change the World, and Tactical Transparency: How Leaders Can Leverage Social Media to Maximize Value and Build their Brand.  John is also an expert with AI and Faith. In this first part of our conversation, we discuss:How love reframes “weakness” in both human life and AI ethicsThe impact of generative AI on creativity, intellectual property, and the erosion of human craftsmanshipThe dangers of anthropomorphism in AI designWays AI systems undermine our capacity for conscious choiceHow the surveillance economy and advertising systems shape our habits and decisionsPositive psychology matters for designing technology that supports well-beingWhat dreams, virtual reality, the spatial web, data, and spiritual life have in commonTo learn more about John’s work:IEEE Planet Positive 2030 Program – https://sagroups.ieee.org/planetpositive IEEE 7000 Standards Series – https://standards.ieee.org Books and resources mentioned:Heartificial Intelligence: Embracing Our Humanity to Maximize Machines (John Havens)Hacking Happiness: Why Your Personal Data Counts and How Tracking it Can Change the World (John Havens)The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight for a Human Future at the New Frontier of Power (Shoshana Zuboff)Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other (Sherry Turkle)This season of the podcast is sponsored by Templeton Religion Trust.Support the show

In Episode 3 of this season, we explore the evolving landscape of spiritual innovation, what it means to design meaningful spiritual life in a rapidly changing world, with guests Casper Ter Kuile and Angie Thurston from Sacred Design Lab, a nonprofit dedicated to nurturing the future of spiritual life.Casper Ter Kuile shares insight and inspiration on the future of community, ritual, and spirituality. He is the author of The Power of Ritual and co-founder of Sacred Design Lab. He also co-created the hit podcast Harry Potter and the Sacred Text, co-founded Nearness, and co-authored the influential paper How We Gather.Angie Thurston is Co-Founder and Executive Director of Sacred Design Lab. She has worked with hundreds of innovative leaders, finding new ways to address spiritual longings amid religious change. Angie has co-written eight widely read reports on the evolving landscape of community and spiritual life, including How We Gather.In this second part of our conversation, we talk about:What makes spiritual innovation succeed: how to meet innovators’ practical, relational, and spiritual needsHow projects endure, and what sustainable models beyond individual founders and short-term funding might look likeCommon pitfalls such as ethical lapses, burnout, and the challenge of translating sacred traditions responsiblyGen Z’s openness to religion and search for meaning, purpose, and belongingThe new Spiritual Innovation Hub and a call for cross-sector collaboration and shared wisdomTo learn more about Casper and Angie’s work, you can find them at: https://www.sacred.design Books and resources mentioned:The Power of Ritual (by Casper Ter Kuile)How We Gather (by Casper Ter Kuile & Angie Thurston)Harry Potter and the Sacred Text (podcast)Illuminating Spiritual Innovation (report by Sacred Design Lab)This season of the podcast is sponsored by Templeton Religion Trust.Support the show

In Episode 3 of this season, we explore the evolving landscape of spiritual innovation, what it means to design meaningful spiritual life in a rapidly changing world, with guests Casper Ter Kuile and Angie Thurston from Sacred Design Lab, a nonprofit dedicated to nurturing the future of spiritual life.Casper Ter Kuile shares insight and inspiration on the future of community, ritual, and spirituality. He is the author of The Power of Ritual and co-founder of Sacred Design Lab. He also co-created the hit podcast Harry Potter and the Sacred Text, co-founded Nearness, and co-authored the influential paper How We Gather.Angie Thurston is Co-Founder and Executive Director of Sacred Design Lab. She has worked with hundreds of innovative leaders, finding new ways to address spiritual longings amid religious change. Angie has co-written eight widely read reports on the evolving landscape of community and spiritual life, including How We Gather.In this first part of our conversation, we discuss:The origins of Sacred Design Lab and its missionWhat “spiritual innovation” means and how it appears across traditionsThe story behind Harry Potter and the Sacred Text and how reading can become a spiritual practiceWhat it means to design for risk in ritual and liturgyWhy the term “spiritual innovation” can be both inspiring and controversialReal stories of spiritual innovators around the world: Buddhist monks leading meditation in the metaverse to Muslim leaders blending theology with psychologyTo learn more about Casper and Angie’s work, you can find them at: https://www.sacred.design Books and resources mentioned:The Power of Ritual (by Casper Ter Kuile)How We Gather (by Casper Ter Kuile & Angie Thurston)Harry Potter and the Sacred Text (podcast)Illuminating Spiritual Innovation (report by Sacred Design Lab)This season of the podcast is sponsored by Templeton Religion Trust.Support the show

In Episode 2 of this season, we explore the evolution of beauty (especially in birds) and the beauty of innovation, with guest Matt Ridley.Matt Ridley's books have sold over a million copies, been translated into 31 languages and won several awards. His books include The Red Queen, Genome, The Rational Optimist, The Evolution of Everything, How Innovation Works, and Viral: the search for the origin of covid-19 (co-authored with Alina Chan). His latest book is Birds, Sex, and Beauty.He served the House of Lords between 2013 and 2021 and served on the science and technology select committee and the artificial intelligence select committee.He was founding chairman of the International Centre for Life in Newcastle. He created the Mind and Matter column in the Wall Street Journal in 2010 and was a columnist for the Times 2013-2018. He is a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and of the Academy of Medical Sciences, and a foreign honorary member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He lives in Northumberland.In this episode, we talk about:The myth of “disruptive innovation” and the overlooked beauty of incremental progressThe real relationship between basic science and technologyWhy Ridley still calls himself a “rational optimist”Why freedom, not brilliance, is the secret sauce of innovationHow universities and industry can collaborate to keep creativity aliveTo learn more about Matt’s work, you can find him at: https://www.mattridley.co.uk/ Books and resources mentioned:Birds, Sex and Beauty (by Matt Ridley) How Innovation Works (by Matt Ridley)The Rational Optimist (by Matt Ridley)The Mating Mind (by Geoffrey Miller)The Descent of Man (by Charles Darwin)The Genetical Theory of Natural Selection (by Ronald Fisher)Survival of the Prettiest: The Science of Beauty (by Nancy Etcoff)The Rational Optimist Society – rationaloptimistsociety.com This season of the podcast is sponsored by Templeton Religion Trust.Support the show

In Episode 2 of this season, we explore the evolution of beauty (especially in birds) and the beauty of innovation, with guest Matt Ridley.Matt Ridley's books have sold over a million copies, been translated into 31 languages and won several awards. His books include The Red Queen, Genome, The Rational Optimist and The Evolution of Everything. His book on “How Innovation Works” was published in 2020, and "Viral: the search for the origin of covid-19", co-authored with Alina Chan, was published in 2021.He served the House of Lords between 2013 and 2021 and served on the science and technology select committee and the artificial intelligence select committee.He was founding chairman of the International Centre for Life in Newcastle. He created the Mind and Matter column in the Wall Street Journal in 2010 and was a columnist for the Times 2013-2018. He is a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and of the Academy of Medical Sciences, and a foreign honorary member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.He lives in Northumberland.In this episode, we talk about:How Ridley’s childhood fascination with birds led him to study evolutionThe courtship rituals of black grouse and the surprising role of female choiceHow Ronald Fisher’s “sexy sons” hypothesis changed everythingWhat bowerbirds can teach us about aesthetics and artSexual selection as a driver of creativity, humor, and the human brainTo learn more about Matt’s work, you can find him at: https://www.mattridley.co.uk/ Books and resources mentioned:Birds, Sex and Beauty (by Matt Ridley) How Innovation Works (by Matt Ridley)The Rational Optimist (by Matt Ridley)The Mating Mind (by Geoffrey Miller)The Descent of Man (by Charles Darwin)The Genetical Theory of Natural Selection (by Ronald Fisher)Survival of the Prettiest: The Science of Beauty (by Nancy Etcoff)The Rational Optimist Society – rationaloptimistsociety.com This season of the podcast is sponsored by Templeton Religion Trust.Support the show

This is part 2 of my conversation with Dr. Michael Muthukrishna. What really drives human progress? What is innovation, and why is innovation not just a feature of modern society but a law of life? How do energy, cooperation, and culture shape the way we create new ideas?These are ideal questions with which to launch our new podcast season on the beauty and burdens of innovation, and I can’t think of anyone better suited to address them than my guest today.Dr. Michael Muthukrishna is joint Professor of Economic Psychology at the London School of Economics and Professor of Psychology at NYU (from January 2026). At LSE, he is also Affiliate of the Data Science Institute and STICERD Developmental Economics Group. Michael is co-founder and Technical Director of The Database of Religious History (religiondatabase.org), founder of the LSE Culturalytik project (culturalytik.com), London School of Artificial Intelligence (lsai.org.uk), and Center for Human Progress (humanprogress.center), Research Lead of Cities, Culture, and Technology at the African School of Economics’ Africa Urban Lab (aul.city), and Scientific Advisor at the AI startup Electric Twin (electrictwin.com). Michael's research applies an evolutionary framework to understand human cooperation, tackling key topics, including: the barriers to cooperation, particularly how different mechanisms of cooperation (such as family ties versus impartial institutions) can potentially undermine each other; the impact of cultural differences on psychology and behavior; the processes of social learning; and how these learning processes drive innovation and cultural change. His research and interviews have appeared in outlets including CNN, BBC, The Wall Street Journal, The Economist, Scientific American, PBS, Vice, Newsweek, Time, New York Magazine, Nature News, Science News, The Times, The Telegraph, and The Guardian. Michael’s research is informed by his educational background in engineering and psychology, with graduate training in evolutionary biology, economics, and statistics, and his personal background living in Sri Lanka, Botswana, Papua New Guinea, Australia, Canada, United States, and United Kingdom. He is the author of A Theory of Everyone: The new science of who we are, how we got here, and where we’re going (MIT Press / Basic Books).In this episode, we talk about:1. The compass model and the adjacent possible zone2. How to solve the paradox of diversity3. Three ingredients of evolution: Variation, transmission, selection4. The promise and pitfalls of AI - The Second Enlightenment5. The promise of AI to create abundance6. The relationship between innovation and religionTo learn more about Michael’s work, you can find him at: https://www.michael.muthukrishna.com/ Links Mentioned:A Theory of Everyone by Michael Muthukrishna - https://www.atheoryofeveryone.com/ This season of the podcast is sponsored by Templeton Religion TrustSupport the show