Better Known

Shari Dunn discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known. Shari Dunn is a polymath, an accomplished journalist, and a former attorney, news anchor, CEO, and university professor. She is an American Leadership Forum Fellow and has been awarded the prestigious Executive of the Year Award in 2018, the 2019 Women of Influence Award (Portland Business Journal), the Associated Press Award for Best Spot News, and the Wisconsin Broadcasting Association Award for Best Morning News Show. Her work has been cited in the Wall Street Journal and quoted in TIME and Fast Company among others. Shari is also a sought-after speaker. She holds a BA in philosophy from Marquette University and a JD from Northwestern Pritzker School of Law. Her new book is Qualified, which is available at https://thesharidunn.com/. Reconstruction’s impact on our past and our present https://time.com/5562869/reconstruction-history/ The myth of merit https://thereader.mitpress.mit.edu/the-myth-of-meritocracy-runs-deep-in-american-history/ That Imposter Syndrome is a misidentification https://hbr.org/2021/02/stop-telling-women-they-have-imposter-syndrome What Competency Checking means https://fortune.com/2024/08/23/kamala-harris-competency-check-black-women-careers-elections-politics/ That the pipeline (of Black and other candidates of color in the workplace) is blocked, not broken or empty https://sharidunn.substack.com/p/election-2024-competency-checking Why “color blindness” in the workplace, health and society doesn’t work https://hbr.org/2017/09/colorblind-diversity-efforts-dont-work This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

Imran Mahmood discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known. Imran Mahmood is a criminal defence barrister with over thirty years’ experience. His debut novel You Don’t Know Me was longlisted for both the Theakston Crime Novel of the Year and the CWA Gold Dagger in 2017, and selected by Simon Mayo as a BBC Radio 2 Book Club choice in the same year. It was then adapted into a four-part BBC crime drama, airing on a prime-time BBC One slot in 2021, before being released internationally on Netflix the following year and becoming one of the platform’s most streamed shows. His second novel, I Know What I Saw (2022) was named a Sunday Times Crime Novel of the Month and reached No. 2 on the Audible charts. Mahmood has written three screenplays and is a regular contributor to the Red Hot Chilli Writers podcast. His new novel is Finding Sophie, which is available at https://www.waterstones.com/book/finding-sophie/imran-mahmood/9781526647566 Sentencing for Crimes https://www.sentencingacademy.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Mandatory-Minimum-Sentences-Explainer.pdf The Deep and Lasting Power of Books https://medium.com/@ariszavitsanos/the-enduring-power-of-literature-why-it-matters-now-more-than-ever-42900c18e7b The Quran https://www.nybooks.com/online/2017/02/09/crafting-the-koran/ Manipulation by Politicians and Social Media Algorithms https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2021-01-13-social-media-manipulation-political-actors-industrial-scale-problem-oxford-report Mycorrhizal Networks https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mycorrhizal_network Turritopsis dohrnii https://thebiologist.rsb.org.uk/biologist-features/everlasting-life-the-immortal-jellyfish This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

Dani Heywood-Lonsdale discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known. Dani Heywood-Lonsdale is a writer with family roots in Hawaii and the Philippines. She holds a Doctorate in Education and teaches English Literature in Oxfordshire, having previously taught in Florence and London over the past decade. Before pursuing a career in academia, she worked for a nonprofit in New York City and studied social policy and development at LSE. The Portrait Artist is her first novel, and is available at https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/portrait-artist-9781526669988/. Adoration of the Magi by Leonardo da Vinci in the Uffizi museum, Florence An unfinished masterpiece. Da Vinci was commissioned by the monks of San Donato in Scopeto in 1481, but he left for Milan the following year leaving it unfinished. Ristorante Academia. In Piazza San Marco: quiet, unassuming, unpretentious, DELICIOUS authentic food. The kindest, friendliest staff; every friend I have sent raves about it. The dark, sad and beautiful origins of the original Peter Pan text by JM Barrie James Barrie lived in his brother David’s shadow until he was 6. In 1867, David died in a skating accident, age 14; Barrie forever tried to cheer his devastated mother—who eventually found comfort in the idea that David would remain a boy forever. Wired to Create by Scott Barry Kaufman ‘Offers a glimpse inside the “messy minds” of highly creative people. Molokai hot bread. A secret delicacy on the tiny island of Molokai, Hawaii: A rival between cinnamon-sugar hot bread and strawberry-cream cheese hot bread. Archimede ceramic shop in Ortygia, Sicily In a deceptive location (right by the cathedral and seemingly touristy), this shop has the most exquisite works of art. This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

Kathleen deLaski discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known. Kathleen deLaski is an education and workforce designer, as well as a futurist. She founded the Education Design Lab in 2013 to help colleges begin the journey to reimagine higher education toward the future of work. Her non-profit has helped 1200 colleges, orgs and economic regions design shorter, more affordable pathways for learners to achieve their economic goals. She spends time as a senior advisor to the Project on Workforce at Harvard University and teaches human-centered design and higher ed reform as an adjunct professor in the Honors College at George Mason University. In a previous career, Kathleen spent twenty years as a TV and then a digital journalist, including time as ABC News White House correspondent. Followed by a political appointment as the first female Pentagon spokesperson. Her new book is Who Needs College Any More?, available at https://www.whoneedscollegeanymore.org/. Only 38% of Americans have a 4 year college degree, yet American education and hiring system is really only set up to help this minority succeed. The “College for all” movement of the last several decades is basically dead and that may not be a bad thing White people, generally, are best positioned to skip the college degree. A lot of the focus and debate is on elite colleges, which is odd, because they provide 2% of the college “seats” in America We are in a period of the great skills shakeup in history, which has upended hiring and will continue to do so. AI is both “the race track” for fixing or democratizing the hiring system, but also could be the nemesis for entry level workers. This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

Ivan selects five conversations from previous Better Known episodes, including discussions with Henry Hemming, Brooke Allen, Mark William Jones, AJ Jacob and Meg Rosoff. Eric Maschwitz https://spartacus-educational.com/SPYmaschwitz.htm The correspondence between Thomas Jefferson and John Adams https://nationalhumanitiescenter.org/pds/livingrev/religion/text3/adamsjeffersoncor.pdf Rommel in 1942 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sportpalast_speech The World Jigsaw Championships https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/articles/cj9j24v7ejmo High Wind in Jamaica https://patricktreardon.com/book-review-a-high-wind-in-jamaica-or-the-innocent-voyage-by-richard-hughes/ This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

Jeff Sebo discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known. Jeff Sebo is Associate Professor of Environmental Studies, Affiliated Professor of Bioethics, Medical Ethics, Philosophy, and Law, Director of the Center for Environmental and Animal Protection, Director of the Center for Mind, Ethics, and Policy, and Co-Director of the Wild Animal Welfare Program at New York University. His research focuses on animal minds, ethics, and policy; AI minds, ethics, and policy; and global health and climate ethics and policy. He is the author of The Moral Circle and Saving Animals, Saving Ourselves and co-author of Chimpanzee Rights and Food, Animals, and the Environment. He is also a board member at Minding Animals International, an advisory board member at the Insect Welfare Research Society, and a senior affiliate at the Institute for Law & AI. In 2024 Vox included him on its Future Perfect 50 list of "thinkers, innovators, and changemakers who are working to make the future a better place." There is a realistic possibility of sentience in all vertebrates and many invertebrates, including insects. There will be a realistic possibility of sentience in advanced AI systems within the next decade as well. We have the ability (and the responsibility) to consider welfare risks for all potentially sentient beings in decisions that affect them. Industrial animal agriculture is bad for humans, nonhumans, and the environment at the same time. Fortunately, we can replace it. Rapid AI development creates risks for humans, nonhumans, and the environment at the same time. Fortunately, we can slow it down. Human-caused global changes affect wild animals too. Fortunately, we can build a safer infrastructure for humans and animals alike. This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

Diana McCaulay discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known. Diana McCaulay is a Jamaican environmental activist and the award-winning author of five novels. Winner of the Gold Musgrave Medal, Jamaica’s highest award for lifetime achievement across the arts and sciences; twice Winner of the Commonwealth Short Story Prize for the Caribbean region (in 2022 and in 2012), she has also been shortlisted for the IMPAC Dublin Award, among other nominations, and is the winner of the Watson, Little 50 Prize for unrepresented writers aged 50+. Her new novel is A House For Miss Pauline, available at https://www.dialoguebooks.co.uk/titles/diana-mccaulay/a-house-for-miss-pauline/9780349704265/. What a healthy coral reef looks like https://simonmustoe.blog/what-does-healthy-coral-reef-look-like/ The Legacies of British Slave ownership project https://www.ucl.ac.uk/lbs/ The Taino artefacts in the British Museum https://www.artoftheancestors.com/blog/taino-arts-british-museum That the Caribbean is not just a playground for tourists ht tps://www.tiharasmith.com/blogs/behind-the-brand/the-caribbean Jamaica's south coast https://www.visitjamaica.com/listing/treasure-beach/474/ How long ago scientists warned of the impacts of putting greenhouse gases in the atmosphere https://www.rigb.org/explore-science/explore/blog/who-discovered-greenhouse-effect This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

For this week’s episode, enjoy some of the highlights of Better Known over the years, featuring excerpts from Ivan’s interviews with Jonathan Sayer, Kate Mosse, Jon Glover, Geoff Dyer, Alice Loxton, Anand Menon, Helen Lewis and Ben Schott Jonathan Sayer on Le Coq clowning https://sites.google.com/education.nsw.gov.au/jacqueslecoq/jacques-lecoq/overview-of-his-approach-to-acting Kate Mosse on how there are more statues in Edinburgh to animals than to women https://inews.co.uk/news/uk/campaign-seeks-change-fact-edinburgh-statues-animals-women-58867 Jon Glover on Maggie and Ted https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2021/jun/29/maggie-ted-review-two-tory-prime-ministers-one-long-spat Geoff Dyer on Calabash literature festival in Jamaica https://www.vogue.com/article/calabash-literary-festival-in-jamaica-is-the-islands-best-kept-secret Alice Loxton on The French House, Soho https://www.timeout.com/london/bars-and-pubs/french-house Anand Menon on The Middle https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/03/21/the-middles-realpolitik Helen Lewis on the Modesty Blaise novels https://www.theguardian.com/books/2004/sep/19/crimebooks.features Ben Schott on Polari https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polari This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

Adam Howorth discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known. Adam Howorth was born in Stamford, Lincolnshire and grew up in rural Northamptonshire. After moving to London to work in the music industry, he later contributed to The Times and Billboard before joining Apple, where he worked for 18 years. Adam lives near the river in Southwest London, with his wife and two daughters. His new novel is Fallen Feathers, which is available at https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/fallen-feathers-adam-howorth/7735635?ean=9781836280088. Hemingway’s Boat https://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/jan/08/ernest-hemingway-boat-hendrickson-review Good manners https://www.headspace.com/articles/the-importance-of-good-manners Life is about perspective https://medium.com/picturethis/life-is-all-about-perspective-4b8cebb6ced4 How to tie your laces https://www.nike.com/gb/a/how-to-tie-shoelaces Chip with an 8 iron not a wedge https://golf.com/instruction/nick-faldo-pros-cut-strokes-answers/ Chateau La Faviere 2018 https://www.majestic.co.uk/wines/ch-la-favieres-61200 This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

Nilanjana Dasgupta discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known. Nilanjana Dasgupta is provost professor of psychology and inaugural director of the Institute of Diversity Sciences at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She is the author of many articles; the winner of the Hidden Bias Research Prize from the Kapor Foundation; and the recipient of multiple U.S. government research grants. Her work has been featured in the New York Times and other major outlets. Her new book is Change the Wallpaper. Diversity training doesn’t change people’s behavior nor the organizations in which they work. Do you know we spend 8 billion dollars on diversity training each year? Only a few DEI trainings are grounded in science; most are not. Our behaviour is shaped by situational forces more often than our personal beliefs. What do I mean by situational forces? They include the opinions of our colleagues, peers, and bosses. The roles we occupy and the role-based norms and expectations of how we should act. The path to culture change is not individual heroes. In fact, individuals acting alone are powerless. But individuals acting together with intention are powerful movers of cultures. Talent is made, not born. Did you know that young Einstein early in life was pretty average? He struggled in school as a child. He didn’t get admission into his college of choice the first time but got in after a second attempt. Playing for change: A global music project turned movement turned non-profit organization for social good that connects the world through music. The idea came from the belief that music has the power to break down boundaries and connect people across the world. Travel in Kerala, India. A mixture of cultures, religions, ethnic groups, food, weather, landscapes, showing co-existence and contrasts. On the west coast of India, jutting out into the Arabian Sea. This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm