

How To Academy Podcast
How To Academy
How To Academy is London's home of big thinking. From Nobel laureates to Pulitzer Prize winners, we invite the world’s most influential voices to share new ideas for changing ourselves, our communities, and the world. Our biweekly podcast is your chance to hear in-depth from the most exciting thinkers in global culture.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Aug 17, 2020 • 45min
Clive Woodward – How to Win
Sir Clive Woodward has spent a lifetime in high-performance environments, from the rugby field to the boardroom. He gave broadcaster Matthew Stadlen a masterclass in achieving peak performance. After leading the England Rugby team to victory in the 2003 World Cup, delivering Olympic glory in 2012 as Director of Sport at Team GB, and going on to help some of the world’s biggest brands and businesses deliver peak performance, there are few if any men better qualified to teach the skills of leadership than Sir Clive Woodward. In this conversation with broadcaster and journalist Matthew Stadlen, Sir Clive distils the essence of his philosophy of leadership. Drawing on his unique perspective of the events of the 2019 Rugby World Cup, Sir Clive blends analysis, insight and anecdote to reveal how to lead the culture of a winning team – in any environment. Every individual position in rugby requires a unique set of skills, knowledge and expertise that collectively form a balanced team; the same is true in any successful business or organisation. From 1 to 15, the former England and British and Irish Lions coach identifies the key attributes and uses these defining traits to explain his collaborative 'Teamship' leadership style. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Aug 10, 2020 • 57min
Kiley Reid – Such a Fun Age
Such a Fun Age is the literary sensation of the season, making the bestseller lists on both sides of the Atlantic following overwhelming critical acclaim. Its 32 year old author Kiley Reid ‘bites into the zeitgeist then spits it out with gusto' (Stylist), offering a piercing and emphatic take on the way we live now. Exploring the intersection of money, class and race with candour, empathy and satirical insight, as well as the politics of privilege, the complicated reality of being a grown-up, and what it means to make someone family, the book announces Reid as a formidable talent and astute commentator on the values and mores of 21st century America. Alix Chamberlain is a woman who gets what she wants and has made a living showing other women how to do the same. So she is shocked when her babysitter, Emira Tucker, is confronted while watching the Chamberlains’ toddler one night. Seeing a young black woman out late with a white child, a security guard at their local high-end supermarket accuses Emira of kidnapping two-year old Briar. A small crowd gathers, a bystander films everything, and Emira is furious and humiliated. Alix resolves to make it right. Emira herself is aimless, broke and wary of Alix’s desire to help. At twenty-five, she has no idea what to do with her life. When the video of Emira unearths someone from Alix’s past, both women find themselves on a crash course that will upend all they think they know about themselves, and each other. Don’t miss chance to meet a new voice of a generation in this week's How To Academy Podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Aug 3, 2020 • 1h 17min
Owen O’Kane - How to Manage Anxiety and Stress
Psychotherapist and bestselling author Owen O’Kane was the NHS Clinical Lead for Mental Health. He joined us to explore evidence-based techniques for developing a healthier perspective. It is not necessary to sit on waiting lists and spend thousands of pounds to benefit from the insights of psychotherapy. Many of the tools from therapies including CBT, mindfulness and interpersonal therapy can be taught and practised simply and immediately. As one of the most experienced and senior therapists in the industry, Owen O’Kane is able to distil advice into concrete, jargon-free, step-by-step guide to steer you away from harmful patterns of thought and behaviour. In his Sunday Times bestseller Ten To Zen, and its sequel Ten Times Happier, he has developed a concrete plan to help you let go of what’s holding you back and move toward health and happiness. Owen grew up in Northern Ireland during The Troubles, experiencing first-hand the anxiety that the conflict caused. As a Catholic, he struggled with his sexuality and even tried to cure himself at Lourdes before coming to terms with it. His understanding of the mental anguishes we face stems both from his first-hand experience and his decades of practice as a therapist. In this challenging time, he spoke to broadcaster and journalist Matthew Stadlen to reveal what we can each do to alleviate our troubled minds. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jul 27, 2020 • 1h 9min
Madeleine Albright – Hell and Other Destinations
Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright may be the most widely admired diplomat of our age; a tireless public servant whose new memoir Hell and Other Destinations is not only a record of living through history – but making it. In 2001, when Madeleine Albright was leaving office as America’s first female Secretary of State, interviewers asked her how she wished to be remembered. “I don’t want to be remembered,” she answered. “I am still here and have much more I intend to do. As difficult as it might seem, I want every stage of my life to be more exciting than the last.” In that time of transition, the former Secretary considered the possibilities: she could write, teach, travel, give speeches, start a business, fight for democracy, help to empower women, campaign for favoured political candidates, spend more time with her grandchildren. Instead of choosing one or two, she decided to do it all. For nearly twenty years, Albright has been in constant motion, navigating half a dozen professions, clashing with presidents and prime ministers, learning every day. Since leaving the State Department, she has blazed her own trail—and given voice to millions who yearn for respect, regardless of gender, background, or age. In this podcast with Hannah MacInnes, we see this remarkable figure at her bluntest, funniest, most intimate, and most serious. With stories from her life and work, and reflections upon Trump, the pandemic, and the tribulations of the 21st century, this is an unmissable chance to hear from one of the world’s most admired and respected public figures. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jul 20, 2020 • 42min
Rahul Jandial – How To Rewire Your Brain
It’s time to turn the tide against mental decline. Learn how to make your mind fitter, healthier and stronger using the insights of cutting-edge neuroscience in this week's podcast. Dr. Rahul Jandial is one of the world’s most eminent experts in the study and improvement of brain function. An award-winning, dual-trained neuroscientist and neurosurgeon, the author of ten books and a former faculty member at both Harvard and Stanford, Dr. Jandial is also a broadcaster and science communicator dubbed "world's most dashing neurosurgeon" (Variety). For years Dr Rahul Jandial, a neurosurgeon and neuroscientist, has transformed the lives of his neurosurgery patients by putting them through 'brain rehab', his specially developed boot camp for restoring brain function. In this eye-opening interview with Hannah MacInnes, he uses his expertise to show how healthy people can rewire their brains to work in a higher gear. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jul 14, 2020 • 40min
Richard Eyre - How to Make a Play
The acclaimed director of stage and screen joins Matthew Stadlen for a masterclass in making theatre. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jun 29, 2020 • 1h 1min
Glennon Doyle – How to Find Yourself
‘Glennon shows us the clearest meaning of “To thine own self be true”. It’s as if she reached into her heart, captured the raw emotions there and translated them into words that anyone who’s ever known pain or shame – in other words, every human on the planet – can relate to.’ – Oprah Winfrey There is a voice of longing inside each woman. We strive to be good: good partners, daughters, mothers, employees, and friends. We hope all this striving will make us feel alive. Instead, it leaves us feeling weary, stuck, and overwhelmed. We look at our lives and wonder: Wasn't it all supposed to be more beautiful than this? Live from the US, Glennon Doyle joined the How To Academy to show us that another way is possible. The #1 New York Times bestselling author and humanitarian NGO founder is an inspiration to millions across the globe -- but for many years, she, like the rest of the us, denied her own discontent. In this talk, she’ll tell the story of how she quit living up to the world’s expectations of her and learn to be free. In this conversation with Hannah MacInnes, she describes how each of us can begin to trust ourselves enough to set boundaries, make peace with our bodies, honour our anger and heartbreak, and unleash our truest, wildest instincts.. It’s time to quit pleasing -- and start living. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jun 22, 2020 • 1h 10min
Martin Wolf – The World After the Pandemic
Revered by politicians, financiers and his fellow economists alike, the FT’s Martin Wolf may be the world’s most influential economic commentator. Matthew Stadlen seeks his insights. Admired across the political spectrum for his level-head, independence and lack of dogmatism, Martin Wolf is far more than an astute analyst of global economic affairs. Through his columns in the Financial Times, books and documentaries, he is an opinion-maker deeply respected by business and political leaders, whose principled advocacy of the public interest inspires policy decisions across the anglophone world and far beyond. Now, as the world economy collapses, he joins the How To Academy in conversation with How To Academy Podcast host Matthew Stadlen. The world after 2020 will be very different from the world we left. But how? Will the pandemic lead to the greatest upheaval in the social contract since the second world war, the end of globalisation, the beginning of the Asian century? Will it lead to tax rises, inflation, further austerity? Tune in and discover what the world’s preeminent financial journalist thinks about the world to come. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jun 17, 2020 • 37min
Max Brooks - How To Survive a Global Catastrophe
This week's podcast guest Max Brooks is the bestselling author of the zombie apocalypse cult classic World War Z, for which he also wrote the screenplay for the Hollywood adaptation with Brad Pitt. He is the son of Hollywood legends Anne Bancroft and Mel Brooks – Max and Mel recently went viral with their #DontBeASpreader video which has had 16.1M views to date. As well as a bestselling author, Max is also a renowned global disaster preparation expert and works alongside the US government, the Atlantic Council (US global leadership and engagement in partnership with allies and partners) and lectures at West Point Military Academy on disaster preparedness. He has written for the New York Times, Washington Post and beyond on everything from coronavirus and biowarfare to the form the real zombie apocalypse will come in. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jun 8, 2020 • 46min
L. David Marquet – Leadership is Language
'David Marquet is the kind of leader who comes around only once in a generation... His ideas and lessons are invaluable' – Simon Sinek Few of us realize that our language in the workplace inhibits creative problem-solving and escalates uncertainty and stress. In both high-pressure situations and everyday scenarios, in each meeting and email, we have the opportunity to empower our colleagues by using the right words. David Marquet is a man who understands first-hand the power of words to make change happen. As commander of the nuclear-powered, fast-attack submarine USS Santa Fe, he transformed the worst-performing submarine in the fleet to the best. Now he applies the same skills to businesses as an expert in leadership. In this conversation with LBC Presenter Matthew Stadlen, Marquet shows managers and leaders how to enable their team through communication. He outlines a set of principles and tools that help leaders inspire their people to take responsibility and address challenges without waiting to be told what to do, highlighting how small changes in language can lead to dramatic changes in a team's success and happiness. Praise for L. David Marquet: 'I don't know of a finer model of this kind of empowering leadership than Captain Marquet. And in the pages that follow you will find a model for your pathway'’ Stephen R. Covey, author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People 'To say I'm a fan of David Marquet would be an understatement... I'm a fully fledged groupie. He is the kind of leader who comes around only once a generation. He is the kind of leader who doesn't just know how to lead, he knows how to build leaders. His ideas and lessons are invaluable to anyone who wants to build an organization that will outlive them'’ Simon Sinek, optimist and author of Start with Why Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices


