
Stories of Impact | Human Flourishing, Compassion & Connection
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- 141
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- Letzte Folge
- 3. Nov. 2026
Über den Podcast
What helps human flourishing take root when people face loneliness, conflict, uncertainty, or change? And what can compassion, cooperation, and human connection teach us about living well together? Stories of Impact explores the science of human flourishing through conversations with researchers, thinkers, and people whose experiences bring that science to life. We often look for answers to human wellbeing in personal happiness alone, yet flourishing also depends on our relationships, communities, and the ways we care for one another. We may also turn to inspiring stories without understanding what research can tell us about why hope, kindness, and cooperation matter. This podcast brings those approaches together, connecting real human experiences with research on human flourishing. Join writer Tavia Gilbert and journalist Richard Sergay as they travel the world and explore how people build compassion, practice mindfulness, find purpose, and strengthen human connection. Through stories of resilience, altruism, positive psychology, spirituality, and evidence-based hope, the show examines what supports human flourishing in everyday life and across communities. The conversations also sometimes reach beyond the human world, exploring diverse intelligences and what other forms of life and intelligence might teach us about cooperation, connection, and flourishing. From cooperation during crises to the role of spiritual practices in belonging, each episode offers another perspective on the science of human flourishing. Discover stories that make human flourishing more than an abstract idea—and invite us to rethink how we understand ourselves, one another, and the wider living world. Popular Episode Topics Include: Human Flourishing, Science of Human Flourishing, Compassion Science, Human Connection, Cooperation, Altruism, Positive Psychology, Wellbeing Science, Evidence-Based Hope, Mindfulness, Spirituality, Science and Spirituality, Prosocial Behavior, Purpose and Meaning, Resilience Research, Empathy Research, Global Wellbeing, Community Belonging
Folgen 141
Ethical Fashion: The Hidden Human Cost of the Clothes We Wear | Robert Handfield & MD Rejaul Hasan
What is the hidden human cost of ethical fashion? Explore how clothing supply chains affect garment workers, human rights, and human flourishing. Every time we buy clothing, we participate in a global supply …
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What is the hidden human cost of ethical fashion? Explore how clothing supply chains affect garment workers, human rights, and human flourishing.
Every time we buy clothing, we participate in a global supply chain. But how much do we really know about the people who make what we wear?
In this episode of Stories of Impact, Dr. Robert Handfield and Dr. MD Rejaul Hasan of North Carolina State University explain why ethical fashion requires more than environmental sustainability. It also demands safe workplaces, fair treatment, and respect for the human rights of garment workers.
Drawing on decades of supply chain research and firsthand experience in apparel manufacturing, they examine the conditions behind global clothing production, including child labor, forced labor, unsafe factories, and the 2013 Rana Plaza disaster in Bangladesh.
The researchers also introduce their proposed Ethical Apparel Index, a project designed to make information about factory working conditions more accessible to consumers and investors. They explain how greater transparency could help people make informed decisions, hold brands accountable, and support better treatment of workers.
At its heart, this conversation is about human flourishing: how our everyday choices connect us to people around the world, and why dignity, safety, and opportunity should matter at every stage of the supply chain.
Chapters:
- Global supply chains and human rights (2:48)
- Introducing the Ethical Apparel Index (7:10)
- The countries and workers behind our apparel (8:08)
- How transparency can change buying decisions (26:41)
- What ethical fashion means for human flourishing (28:29)
Dr. Robert Handfield — Bank of America Professor of Supply Chain Management at North Carolina State University, with approximately 35 years of experience studying supply chains.
Dr. MD Rejaul Hasan — Textile engineer and researcher working on the Ethical Apparel Index at North Carolina State University's Poole College of Management. His research draws on experience in the garment manufacturing industry.
- Read the transcript of this episode
- Catch the video edition of this episode here: The Ethical Apparel Index
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- Comments, questions and suggestions [email protected]
Stories of Impact explores the art and science of human flourishing through conversations about wellbeing, hope, compassion, altruism, mindfulness, spirituality, positive psychology, and human connection. Presented by journalist Richard Sergay and writer-producer Tavia Gilbert, the podcast brings together research, personal stories, and conversations with experts to explore how individuals and communities can flourish.
Mary Robinson: Why Climate Justice Is Central to Human Flourishing
Stories of Impact brings back some of our favorite conversations this season. In the next two episodes, we dive into the climate crisis. Today, we hear from Mary Robinson, former president of Ireland and …
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Stories of Impact brings back some of our favorite conversations this season. In the next two episodes, we dive into the climate crisis. Today, we hear from Mary Robinson, former president of Ireland and tireless advocate for climate justice. She explains why we must include everyone — young people, indigenous groups, women, the natural world — when we talk about the future of our planet.
Learn more:
- Mary Robinson
- The Elders
- Mary Robinson Foundation – Climate Justice
- Climate Justice: Hope, Resilience, and the Fight for a Sustainable Future
- More about Constance Okollet
- "East Biloxi loses an icon. She shared MS Coast climate issues across the world."
- Subscribe to Stories of Impact wherever you listen to podcasts
- More about this episode
- Read the transcript of this episode
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- Comments, questions and suggestions [email protected]
- Supported by Templeton World Charity Foundation
Dr. Berry Billingsley: Big Questions That Change How We Learn
Stories of Impact brings back some of our favorite conversations this season. Today, we revisit an episode from last season, where we heard from Dr. Berry Billingsley, an education researcher in Swansea in the …
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Stories of Impact brings back some of our favorite conversations this season. Today, we revisit an episode from last season, where we heard from Dr. Berry Billingsley, an education researcher in Swansea in the UK. Frustrated by the lack of questions in her science class, she began a quest to encourage students to think, about themselves, life, and the universe.
Read the transcript of this episode Catch the video edition of this episode here: Big Questions in Classrooms
Subscribe to Stories of Impact wherever you listen to podcasts Find us on Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky, and YouTube Share your comments, questions and suggestions at [email protected] Supported by Templeton World Charity Foundation
Freddy Mutanguha: Forgiveness & Reconciliation in Post-Genocide Rwanda
Stories of Impact brings back some of our favorite conversations this season. In our last episode, we visited Medellín, Colombia. Today, we travel to Rwanda, a country that was ravaged by the genocide against …
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Stories of Impact brings back some of our favorite conversations this season. In our last episode, we visited Medellín, Colombia. Today, we travel to Rwanda, a country that was ravaged by the genocide against the Tutsis in 1990, for a story about how a path to forgiveness and piece is possible even after the worst of tragedies.
Today's episode offers a powerful example of courage, peace, and forgiveness. Our story looks back thirty years, to one of the most violent periods in modern history — the genocide against the Tutsi — and to the resilience and wisdom of the Rwandan spirit and heart.
On April 6, 1994, beautiful Rwanda, known as the Land of a Thousand Hills, became a hell on Earth. Between April and July 1994, hundreds of thousands of Rwandans were slaughtered in a horrifying frenzy of state-sponsored terror.
Freddy Mutanguha, an ethnic Tutsi, was just eighteen years old when the genocide began. Today, Freddy shares the story of his unimaginable losses, the miracle of his survival, and his life's work nurturing peace, forgiveness, and reconciliation in his country and across the world. A warning: this episode includes descriptions of murders – it's a difficult listen, but an important one.
- Read the transcript of this episode
- Learn more about the Kigali Genocide Memorial and the Aegis Trust
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- Share your comments, questions and suggestions at [email protected]
• • Supported by Templeton World Charity Foundation
Judith Jamison: How Movement Can Express the Soul
Stories of Impact brings back some of our favorite conversations this season. Our expert today is not a researcher, but a former world-class dancer: Judith Jamison. Judith sadly passed away in 2024, but when we …
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Stories of Impact brings back some of our favorite conversations this season. Our expert today is not a researcher, but a former world-class dancer: Judith Jamison. Judith sadly passed away in 2024, but when we spoke with her in 2021, she shared the incredible story of revered Black dancer Alvin Ailey and what she's learned from a life spent in the arts.
Learn more:
- Judith Jamison
- Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
- Alvin Ailey
- Video: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater performing Revelations
- Subscribe to Stories of Impact wherever you listen to podcasts
- More about this episode
- Read the transcript of this episode
Dr. Santiago Tobón – From Gangs to Growth: Fighting for the Future of Medellín's Teens
Stories of Impact brings back some of our favorite conversations this season. This time, we travel to Medellín, Colombia, to meet Dr. Santiago Tobón. He has dedicated his life to understanding the structures …
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Stories of Impact brings back some of our favorite conversations this season. This time, we travel to Medellín, Colombia, to meet Dr. Santiago Tobón. He has dedicated his life to understanding the structures and societal role of Medellín's criminal gangs, why teenagers want to join them, and how to help them see that a lawful life can be prosperous, too.
- Read the transcript of this episode
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- Share your comments, questions and suggestions at [email protected]
- Supported by Templeton World Charity Foundation
Dr. David Sloan Wilson: What Makes Human Cooperation Possible
Stories of Impact brings back some of our favorite conversations this season. Today we revisit an episode from our first season, aired during the Covid-19 pandemic. Dr. David Sloan Wilson is a biological …
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Stories of Impact brings back some of our favorite conversations this season. Today we revisit an episode from our first season, aired during the Covid-19 pandemic. Dr. David Sloan Wilson is a biological sciences researcher at Binghamton University, and he explains what actually makes teamwork dream work, how cultures engender or discourage cooperation, and how to get people from different backgrounds to cooperate during times of crisis.
Learn more about David Sloan Wilson and the Evolution Institute.
Mentioned in this episode:
- Elinor Ostrom
- Michelle Gelfand's Tight and Loose Cultures
- Robert Putnuam's Bowling Alone
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- More about this episode
- Read the transcript of this episode
- Keep up with the podcast series at storiesofimpact.org
- See the full Stories of Impact video series
- Comments, questions and suggestions [email protected]
- Supported by the Templeton World Charity Foundation
Dr. Emiliana Simon-Thomas: What Can Heal Widespread Loneliness
Stories of Impact brings back some of our favorite conversations this season. In our last episode, we heard about the positive effects of coming together and sharing a meal. But for millions of Americans, that …
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Stories of Impact brings back some of our favorite conversations this season. In our last episode, we heard about the positive effects of coming together and sharing a meal. But for millions of Americans, that rarely happens. In fact, some 20 million people in the US today say they don't have any friends. So how do we solve this loneliness epidemic? Today, we revisit a conversation with Dr. Emiliana Simon-Thomas, who studies just that.
Dr. Emiliana Simon-Thomas is the Science Director at UC Berkeley's Greater Good Science Center, which tracks cutting edge research studies that focus on how important our relationships, our tendency towards generosity and cooperation, and our sense of mattering or contribution to our communities are to our health and wellbeing over the course of our lives. She wants to understand the science of loneliness.
- Read the transcript of this episode
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- Share your comments, questions and suggestions at [email protected]
- Supported by Templeton World Charity Foundation
Dr. Adam Cohen, Aliza Kline and Dr. Arielle Levites: Gathering at the Table for Connection and Belonging
Today we're back in conversation with Dr. Adam Cohen, social psychologist and psychologist of religion at Arizona State University, who shares another research project that explores the way religious ritual …
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Today we're back in conversation with Dr. Adam Cohen, social psychologist and psychologist of religion at Arizona State University, who shares another research project that explores the way religious ritual connects participants more deeply not only with faith, but with community — this time, not through the practice of abstaining from food, but from breaking bread together.
Dr. Arielle Levites, Managing Director of the Collaborative for Applied Studies in Jewish Education and a Research Assistant Professor in the Graduate School of Education and Human Development at George Washington University had the same idea — that observing Shabbat wasn't just a nice idea, it was a practice with measurable impact.
So the team designed a study, enlisting the participation of Aliza Kline, founding President and then-CEO of OneTable, an organization designed to help young Jews develop independence and confidence in observing the ritual of Shabbat dinner in their homes. The question they wanted to answer? Does Shabbat dinner as a spiritual practice increase social connectedness?
Read the transcript of this episode Learn more about the research Subscribe to Stories of Impact wherever you listen to podcasts Find us on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube Share your comments, questions and suggestions at [email protected] Supported by Templeton World Charity Foundation
Dr. Athena Aktipis: How Cooperation Emerges in Crisis
In today's episode we speak to Athena Aktipis, co-director of the Human Generosity Project, about the current results of her study of cooperation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Professor Aktipis discusses the …
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In today's episode we speak to Athena Aktipis, co-director of the Human Generosity Project, about the current results of her study of cooperation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Professor Aktipis discusses the insights both past and current research offer about the extent and the limits of human generosity during catastrophic events.
This is the third episode in a special, five-part Covid-19 conversation series.
Learn more about Athena Aktipis and The Human Generosity Project
Mentioned in this episode:
A Paradise Built in Hell by Rebecca Solnit
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- Read the transcript of this episode
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- Comments, questions and suggestions [email protected]
- Supported by the Templeton World Charity Foundation
Dr. Erez Yoeli: What Inspires Altruism in Uncertain Times?
In today's episode, host Richard Sergay speaks with Erez Yoeli, director of the Applied Cooperation Team at MIT's Sloan School of Management, about how to motivate people to cooperate and behave altruistically …
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In today's episode, host Richard Sergay speaks with Erez Yoeli, director of the Applied Cooperation Team at MIT's Sloan School of Management, about how to motivate people to cooperate and behave altruistically during a pandemic. Dr. Yoeli discusses how we can harness the power of reputation to encourage prosocial behavior, and suggests ways to make the message of altruism appeal to everyone in a time when people are receiving conflicting messages about what is right.
This is the second episode in a special, five-part Covid-19 conversation series.
Learn more about Erez Yoeli
Mentioned in this episode:
- Matthew Rabin
- Robert Boyd
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- More about this episode
- Read the transcript of this episode
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- Comments, questions and suggestions [email protected]
- Supported by the Templeton World Charity Foundation
Dr. Joseph Bulbulia: How Spirituality & Belonging Shape Crisis Response
In this episode, we hear from Joseph Bulbulia, professor at the University of Auckland and the MacLaurin Goodfellow Chair in Theological and Religious Studies. Professor Bulbulia discusses how religious …
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In this episode, we hear from Joseph Bulbulia, professor at the University of Auckland and the MacLaurin Goodfellow Chair in Theological and Religious Studies. Professor Bulbulia discusses how religious interaction, worship, and teaching come together in different ways to facilitate group cooperation, and what we can learn from that to support us during the pandemic.
Learn more about Joseph Bulbulia.
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- More about this episode
- Read the transcript of this episode
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- Comments, questions and suggestions [email protected]
- Supported by the Templeton World Charity Foundation
Dr. Barbara Fredrickson: How Positivity Strengthens Us in Crisis
The first episode of the Stories of Impact podcast special, five-part Covid-19 conversation series features Dr. Barbara Fredrickson, director of the Positive Emotions and Psychophysiology Lab at the University …
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The first episode of the Stories of Impact podcast special, five-part Covid-19 conversation series features Dr. Barbara Fredrickson, director of the Positive Emotions and Psychophysiology Lab at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Host Richard Sergay speaks with Dr. Fredrickson about why her work in positive psychology is more relevant than ever during the Covid-19 pandemic. Dr. Fredrickson offers tips on how to nurture our positive emotions and resilience amid the stress and anxiety we are all experiencing, as well as how to foster strong social connections going forward post-Covid.
Learn more about Dr. Barbara Fredrickson and the PEP Lab
- Subscribe to Stories of Impact wherever you listen to podcasts.
- More about this episode
- Read the transcript of this episode
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- Comments, questions and suggestions [email protected]
- Supported by Templeton World Charity Foundation
Dr. David O'Brien: Protecting Democracy in the Digital Age
Today's conversation is with David O'Brien, Assistant Research Director at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University. Prof. O'Brien talks to Richard about how we as citizens can …
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Today's conversation is with David O'Brien, Assistant Research Director at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University. Prof. O'Brien talks to Richard about how we as citizens can bring our democratic values to bear on social media platforms; the role privacy plays online in allowing democracy and democratic citizenship to flourish; and more.
More about David O'Brien and the Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society
Mentioned in this episode:
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- More about this episode
- Read the transcript of this episode
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- Comments, questions and suggestions [email protected]
- Supported by Templeton World Charity Foundation
Dr. Packer, Dr. Van Bavel, Dr. Han, Evan Mawarire, Uriel Epshein & Joshua Fryday: What Fuels Political Division Part 2
In today's episode, we consider what writers, researchers, and scholars say we can learn from the history of polarization in other countries and learn about some of their potential solutions for polarization …
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In today's episode, we consider what writers, researchers, and scholars say we can learn from the history of polarization in other countries and learn about some of their potential solutions for polarization.
Today's episode features researchers Jay J. Van Bavel and Dominic J. Packer, co-authors of The Power of Us: Harnessing Our Shared Identities to Improve Performance, Increase Cooperation, and Promote Social Harmony. We also hear from Dr. Hahrie Han, Professor of Political Science and the Director of the SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University; Uriel Epshtein, Executive Director of the Renew Democracy Initiative; Joshua Fryday, Chief Service Officer for the State of California with California Volunteers; and Evan Mawarire, a Zimbabwean clergyman who founded #ThisFlag Citizen's Movement.
- Read the transcript of this episode
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- Share your comments, questions and suggestions at [email protected]
- Supported by Templeton World Charity Foundation
Dr. Packer, Dr. Van Bavel, Dr. Han, Alison Taylor, Uriel Epshein, & Joshua Fryday: What Fuels Political Division Part 1
This episode defines polarization and explores its causes and effects. Next, we consider what we can learn from the history of polarization in other countries and share the antidotes to polarization that …
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This episode defines polarization and explores its causes and effects. Next, we consider what we can learn from the history of polarization in other countries and share the antidotes to polarization that research has uncovered. Finally, we explain why it's important to make a long-term investment in polarization research.
Today's episode features researchers Jay J. Van Bavel and Dominic J. Packer, co-authors of The Power of Us: Harnessing Our Shared Identities to Improve Performance, Increase Cooperation, and Promote Social Harmony. We also hear from Alison Taylor, Executive Director at Ethical Systems, a research collaborative affiliated with NYU; Dr. Hahrie Han, Professor of Political Science and the Director of the SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University; Uriel Epshtein, Executive Director of the Renew Democracy Initiative; and Joshua Fryday, Chief Service Officer for the State of California with California Volunteers.
- Read the transcript of this episode
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Dr. Sean Westwood: What Polarization Reveals About Democracy and the Human Spirit
Stories of Impact brings back some of our favorite conversations this season. Today, we continue our series about how citizens can understand and heal polarization, with a conversation with Dr. Sean Westwood …
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Stories of Impact brings back some of our favorite conversations this season. Today, we continue our series about how citizens can understand and heal polarization, with a conversation with Dr. Sean Westwood. Dr. Westwood studies American politics and how partisan conflict manifests in the United States, its consequences and its origins.
Read the transcript of this episode Learn more about the research Subscribe to Stories of Impact wherever you listen to podcasts Find us on Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky, and YouTube Share your comments, questions and suggestions at [email protected] Supported by Templeton World Charity Foundation
What Polarization Teaches us About Harm and Human Understanding
We're back this episode for our second timely interview focusing on political polarization, wrapping up in conversation with Dr. Kurt Gray, professor of moral psychology and neuroscience at UNC Chapel Hill, and …
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We're back this episode for our second timely interview focusing on political polarization, wrapping up in conversation with Dr. Kurt Gray, professor of moral psychology and neuroscience at UNC Chapel Hill, and the director of the Deepest Beliefs Lab in the Center for the Science of Moral Understanding. Moral psychology is the descriptive understanding of our moral judgments, or concern with not just how people should make moral decisions, but how they actually do. Why does this matter?
In Dr. Gray's words: "To understand our contentious and divided political moments where people are unwilling to discuss politics across the aisle or entertain even that the other side is a reasonable human being in the way that you feel about yourself and your own side.
We do disagree already when it comes to politics. But where does this political disagreement come from? …Once you get that, then you can understand where this political animosity comes from. But it's really a question of moral disagreement. And for that you need to understand our moral psychology."
Read the transcript of this episode Subscribe to Stories of Impact wherever you listen to podcasts Find us on Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky, and YouTube Share your comments, questions and suggestions at [email protected] Supported by Templeton World Charity Foundation
The Global Flourishing Study: What the Data Reveals About Well-Being Across the World
Our intention on the Stories of Impact Podcast, whether flora, fauna, homo sapiens, or otherwise, the variety of subjects we've featured across 120+ episodes has underscored our commitment to people's progress …
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Our intention on the Stories of Impact Podcast, whether flora, fauna, homo sapiens, or otherwise, the variety of subjects we've featured across 120+ episodes has underscored our commitment to people's progress and well-being. (It's certainly enriched our wellbeing to tell each story!)
But is well-being the same as flourishing, or does one lead to the other? How do we know what flourishing is? What do people actually need to flourish? Times are tough; IS anyone actually flourishing?
To answer those questions, we're turning today to two international researchers who are leading a ground-breaking study on human flourishing: Dr. Tyler VanderWeele, John L. Loeb and Francis Lehman Loeb professor of epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and Dr. Byron Johnson, director of The Institute for Studies of Religion and a distinguished professor of the social sciences at Baylor University.
- Read the transcript of this episode
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- Share your comments, questions and suggestions at [email protected]
- Supported by Templeton World Charity Foundation
Dr. Joshua Plotnik: Inside The Elephant Mind
When Joshua Plotnik was a kid, he wanted to become a veterinarian and day dreamed of a future caring for animals large and small. By the time he got to college, he eagerly worked with every type of vet he could …
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When Joshua Plotnik was a kid, he wanted to become a veterinarian and day dreamed of a future caring for animals large and small. By the time he got to college, he eagerly worked with every type of vet he could think of, from small animal vets to large animal horse veterinarians. On a summer break from his undergraduate studies at Cornell University, he interned as a zookeeper at the Central Park Zoo, and a mentor there encouraged him to reach out to the internationally-acclaimed primatologist Dr. Franz de Waal, known for his research on cooperation in primates. When the young student approached Dr. de Waal to ask if he might take him on as a PhD candidate, Dr. de Waal extended an invitation — the chance of a lifetime. Dr. Plotnik started researching chimpanzee behavior — where a lot of psychology researchers land, he says.
But Dr. Plotnik's interests soon expanded to question how those similarities evolve across these different species, if it's not due to a common ancestor?
With that fascination driving his work, Dr. Plotnik soon asked Dr. de Waal for his support setting up a field site where he could immerse himself in researching the behavioral flexibility of one the largest animals he'd worked with yet: Elephants. And so, for the last two decades, Dr. Plotnik's research has focused on wild and captive elephants primarily located in Thailand. Now an associate professor of psychology and the director of the Comparative Cognition for Conservation Lab at Hunter College, City University of New York, he's currently wrapping up a years-long study about elephant intelligence.
- Read the transcript of this episode
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- Share your comments, questions and suggestions at [email protected]
- Supported by Templeton World Charity Foundation
Dr. Colin Allen, Dr. Erica Cartmill, and Dr. Heidi Lyn: Animal Joy and the Science of Connection
Are animals capable of feeling joy? How do we know? What is joy? Dr. Erica Cartmill wants to find out. She's the Indiana University professor of cognitive science, animal behavior, and anthropology that …
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Are animals capable of feeling joy? How do we know? What is joy? Dr. Erica Cartmill wants to find out. She's the Indiana University professor of cognitive science, animal behavior, and anthropology that long-time listeners to Stories of Impact will recognize from conversations we've had in the past about her studies of diverse intelligences and humor in apes. Today, we'll learn about one of her latest collaborative projects — a first of its kind multidisciplinary study: Joyful by Nature, on the evolution and the function of joy in animals. She's joined in conversation by Dr. Colin Allen, Professor of Philosophy at University of California Santa Barbara and Dr. Heidi Lyn, Joan M. Sinnott Professor in Psychology and Marine Sciences at the University of South Alabama. This team of expert researchers shares why it's both timely and important to move the science of animal emotion forward.
- Read the transcript of this episode
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- Share your comments, questions and suggestions at [email protected]
- Supported by Templeton World Charity Foundation
Remembering Dr. Jane Goodall: The Wild Fight for Our Planet
In remembrance of Jane Goodall (4/3/34 - 10/1/25), we're bringing back our conversation featuring her life and legacy. Luminary Dr. Jane Goodall for decades made significant contributions to not only the …
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In remembrance of Jane Goodall (4/3/34 - 10/1/25), we're bringing back our conversation featuring her life and legacy. Luminary Dr. Jane Goodall for decades made significant contributions to not only the scientific world, but arguably, to the entire planet.
When 26-year-old British-born Jane Goodall began field studies of primates in Tanzania in July 1960, she was the first researcher to observe chimpanzees in the wild, and she remains the world's foremost expert on chimpanzees. Her rigorous and creative approach quickly gained the attention of the National Geographic Society, which awarded her first grant, and has passionately championed her work in the decades since. Despite never getting a college degree, Dr. Goodall was accepted at Cambridge University, earned her PhD in ethology in 1966, and spent decades in the Gombe Stream National Park studying chimpanzee communities, eventually becoming the only human to ever be accepted into a chimpanzee society.
In her 90 years, Dr. Goodall was a legendary conservationist, galvanizing educator, UN Messenger of Peace, and an inspiring writer and public speaker. Her curiosity, empathy, wisdom, protective heart, and unshakeable hope reflect the best of humanity, and even though her conversation was short, you'll hear all of those exemplary characteristics embodied in her voice and story.
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- Share your comments, questions and suggestions at [email protected]
- Supported by Templeton World Charity Foundation
Dr. Alison Gopnik: Why Care Is the Heart of Human Flourishing
"If you ask most people what's the most morally profound, significant, meaningful thing in your life, they'll say something about the way that they have been taking care of children or parents or friends, or …
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"If you ask most people what's the most morally profound, significant, meaningful thing in your life, they'll say something about the way that they have been taking care of children or parents or friends, or people who are ill, or spouses. There's something very distinctive about it. It's just intrinsic to the human condition is that we're going to be babies, we're going to be ill, we're going to be old. That just comes with the territory of being human, and care seems to be a way of allowing us as a community, as a species to negotiate these kinds of transitions, to make the transitions work."
Dr. Alison Gopnik is a professor of philosophy and psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, and a leading researcher on caregiving. Today, we explore her international research project designed to "think about the way that we care for other people."
Read the transcript of this episode Subscribe to Stories of Impact wherever you listen to podcasts Find us on Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky, and YouTube Share your comments, questions and suggestions at [email protected] Supported by Templeton World Charity Foundation
Dr. Bahar Köymen on How Children Learn to Think Together
The world today is grappling with enormous challenges: how will we allow artificial intelligence to impact society? How hot will we let the planet get? How do we stop the conflicts making life for so many so …
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The world today is grappling with enormous challenges: how will we allow artificial intelligence to impact society? How hot will we let the planet get? How do we stop the conflicts making life for so many so painful? We are not powerless. These are decisions that humans are capable of making, though no one person can solve such existential questions on their own. To solve the world's problems, to take care of each other and create a better future, we have to decide to work with each other to do it.
Dr. Bahar Köymen, senior lecturer of psychology, communication and human neuroscience at the University of Manchester, studies the emergence and development of human reasoning. As a developmental psychologist, to better understand how humans develop collective reasoning, Dr. Köymen is taking an unusual approach: studying children.
Read the transcript of this episode Subscribe to Stories of Impact wherever you listen to podcasts Find us on Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky, and YouTube Share your comments, questions and suggestions at [email protected] Supported by Templeton World Charity Foundation
Nicole Bruskewitz and Henry May on Transforming Education Through Character
When Coschool founder and CEO Henry May began his career as a teacher, he learned that his job was not just about enriching the mind, but the soul and spirit of a student as well. He saw that part of excellence …
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When Coschool founder and CEO Henry May began his career as a teacher, he learned that his job was not just about enriching the mind, but the soul and spirit of a student as well. He saw that part of excellence in education was helping school communities thrive despite painful circumstances. Nicole Bruskewitz, Coschool's Director of Education, was also a problem solver who'd questioned inequality and education access since childhood. When May and Bruskewitz were introduced to the pioneering work of Dr. Marvin Berkowitz, they thought that his unique educational model could be particularly transformative across their adopted home country of Colombia's entire public educational system. They dreamed of reaching hundreds of schools and entire cities across Colombia — and beyond, educating, promoting character development, and helping heal collective trauma. Hear about the impact of their work in today's episode.
Read the transcript of this episodeSubscribe to Stories of Impact wherever you listen to podcastsFind us on Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky, and YouTube Share your comments, questions and suggestions at [email protected] Supported by Templeton World Charity Foundation
Dr. Glen Moriarty & Dr. Sarah Schnitker: Gratitude, AI, and the Gift Economy
In the societies in which most of us live, our capitalist economic systems run on transactions—on individual sales of goods and services. But are you aware that there are other infrastructures of support and …
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In the societies in which most of us live, our capitalist economic systems run on transactions—on individual sales of goods and services. But are you aware that there are other infrastructures of support and help that meet our need for information, connection, even love? We live with gift economies that already enrich our lives. We start our story with professional disruptor, clinical psychologist and entrepreneur Dr. Glen Moriarty, founder of one of the most innovative, free global mental health systems on the planet—a community called Seven Cups, where over 570,000 trained volunteer listeners provide emotional support to users in 189 countries in 140 languages. Dr. Moriarty and his research partner, Dr. Sarah Schnitker, professor of psychology and neuroscience, principal investigator of the Science of Virtues Lab, and director of the Baylor Research and Growth in Human Thriving Science Center at Baylor University in Waco, Texas are turning assumptions upside down about the systems in which we connect, heal, and thrive in the modern digital age.
Read the transcript of this episode Subscribe to Stories of Impact wherever you listen to podcasts Find us on Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky, and YouTube Share your comments, questions and suggestions at [email protected] Supported by Templeton World Charity Foundation
Dr. Elizabeth Dowling & Dr. Richard Lerner: Transforming Community Futures Through a School of Love
Today's episode is full of beauty, hope, healing, community, and connection. In fact, it might be one of the most feel-good, good news stories we've ever gotten to tell. Meet Dr. Richard Lerner and Dr …
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Today's episode is full of beauty, hope, healing, community, and connection. In fact, it might be one of the most feel-good, good news stories we've ever gotten to tell. Meet Dr. Richard Lerner and Dr. Elizabeth Dowling, Director and Deputy Director of the Institute for Applied Research and Youth Development at Tufts University. Like many great teachers, they can tell you to look for people who care about kids like that in school — and one school in particular: Thanda, named after the Zulu word for love. Together, these researchers are highlighting the unique curriculum and culture of Thanda, one of the most thriving and successful schools they've ever encountered. Today we learn all about this remarkable school, located in rural South Africa, which is run by some of the perhaps most irrationally caring educators on the planet.
Read the transcript of this episode Subscribe to Stories of Impact wherever you listen to podcasts Find us on Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky, and YouTube Share your comments, questions and suggestions at [email protected] Supported by Templeton World Charity Foundation
Kurt Shaw and Rita da Silva: Brazilian Resistance and Renewal Through Playing Together
Over the last five years, we've explored stories with countless scientists whose thoughtful research reveals the way they're answering big questions and solving big problems. We've shared conversations about …
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Over the last five years, we've explored stories with countless scientists whose thoughtful research reveals the way they're answering big questions and solving big problems. We've shared conversations about studies done in labs and out in the field. Well, today's field is Brazil. The labs are crowded city streets and verdant jungles. And the big question? What happens when you stop fearing and fighting against diversity, and start exploring and embracing difference? The researchers we learn from today, anthropologists Kurt Shaw and Rita da Silva, have found their answers through play — in music, drumming, dance, martial arts, food, ritual, and shared experiences in Brazilian wise, but marginalized, communities.
Read the transcript of this episode Subscribe to Stories of Impact wherever you listen to podcasts Find us on Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky, and YouTube Share your comments, questions and suggestions at [email protected] Supported by Templeton World Charity Foundation
Dr. Eugene Ohu: Inspiring Empathy in Nigeria's Next Generation Leaders
Today, we're excited to bring you a hopeful and constructive perspective on modern technology — a story about gamified tech that's positively transformative. Dr. Eugene Ohu is a native Nigerian who grew up in …
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Today, we're excited to bring you a hopeful and constructive perspective on modern technology — a story about gamified tech that's positively transformative.
Dr. Eugene Ohu is a native Nigerian who grew up in this complex nation observing painful divisions, stereotyping between the ethnic groups, and deep discrimination. He wondered, is it possible to have a united Nigeria?
Dr. Ohu wanted to do something radical to help his country unite. He wanted to ensure that the next generation of Nigerian leaders would be compassionate, tolerant, and empathetic toward all citizens, no matter their ethnic identity. He especially wanted Nigerian school children to embrace love and unity. So what was his answer? Virtual reality.
Read the transcript of this episode Subscribe to Stories of Impact wherever you listen to podcasts Find us on Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky, and YouTube Share your comments, questions and suggestions at [email protected] Supported by Templeton World Charity Foundation
Embracing Diverse Worldviews in the Classroom
Last week we introduced you to Dr. Berry Billingsley, in a conversation about her work studying Big Questions in Religious and Science Education, and her efforts to support multidisciplinary classrooms. This …
Shownotes
Last week we introduced you to Dr. Berry Billingsley, in a conversation about her work studying Big Questions in Religious and Science Education, and her efforts to support multidisciplinary classrooms.
This week we're back with the second part of that episode, exploring another Big Questions in the Classroom initiative, in conversation with seven educators who are advancing Dr. Billingsley's work through a collaborative research project called Religion and Worldviews. Together, these research leaders are not only introducing innovative ideas into traditional curriculum, but they're educating the educators in how to teach them.
Why does the classroom need a refresh? Let's discover together! Our guests include educators Dr. Michael Reiss, Dr. Trevor Cooling, Stephen Pett, Sarah Lane Cawte, Gillian Georgiou, Marianne Cutler, and Katie Gooch.
Read the transcript of this episode Subscribe to Stories of Impact wherever you listen to podcasts Find us on Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky, and YouTube Share your comments, questions and suggestions at [email protected] Supported by Templeton World Charity Foundation
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