Lives Well Lived

Lynda Gratton discuss her new book, Living the 100-Year Life: How to Build a Career That Lasts in a Life You Love, which challenges the traditional career ladder, arguing that longer lives require a more flexible approach to work and life. She introduces the threads of fulfilment; from mastery and friendship, to calm and adventure, encouraging us to make intentional choices that support our future selves.

As AI reshapes work, Lynda explores the importance of human connection, purpose and stillness, and why meaningful relationships remain central to a life well lived.

Learn more about Lynda and take the diagnostic at https://www.livingthe100yearlife.com/

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Producer: Rachel Barrett

Thanks to our researcher Chris van Ryn! And thanks to Maia Iva!

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Most career advice tells you to follow your passion, but what if that’s actually the fastest route to burnout and an overcrowded field? Peter and Kasia sit down with Ben Todd, the visionary co-founder of 80,000 Hours, to completely dismantle everything you think you know about finding meaningful work. Ben delivers a sobering look at the rapidly shifting job market under the shadow of artificial intelligence. From the white-collar roles that will shrink first to the terrifying reality of AI losing human control, Ben shares the urgent, high-stakes interventions lNeeded to safeguard our future.

Learn more about Ben Todd and read 80,000 hours

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Producer: Rachel Barrett

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Peter & Kasia speak with Elaine Perlman and Joshua Morrison about their motivations behind living kidney donation and why so few people donate to strangers despite the enormous potential to save lives. Both guests became good samaritan kidney donors after encountering stories that challenged their assumptions about altruism.

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Producer: Rachel Barrett

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Dana Suskind joins Peter & Kasia to discuss her book Human Raised and the challenge of raising children in an age of AI. Dana discusses how AI might reshape education and parenting, with human qualities such as curiosity, resilience, creativity and critical thinking becoming increasingly important.

learn more about this week's sponsor: CEA career bootcamp: a free four-day online bootcamp to help accomplished professionals make a high-impact career pivot. Applications close 4th October.

learn more about Dana and read her book Human Raised

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Producer: Rachel Barrett

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Ryan Holiday explains how he discovered Stoicism and why its ideas continue to resonate today, particularly when confronting death, adversity, parenting and uncertainty. They explore memento mori as a practice for becoming more present and grateful, while distinguishing Stoic acceptance from fatalism. Kasia also reflects on how cancer led her to Stoicism as a way of managing fear and finding emotional balance.

learn more about Ryan and listen to his podcast The Daily Stoic

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Producer: Rachel Barrett

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Michael Pollan is on the podcast to discuss some of life’s biggest and strangest questions: is our food making us sick, can psychedelics unlock hidden dimensions of consciousness? are plants intelligent? and could AI ever truly wake up?

learn more about Michael and read his latest book 'A World Appears' https://michaelpollan.com/

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Producer: Rachel Barrett

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Sean Carroll explores the strange and fascinating world of quantum physics, unpacking concepts such as Schrödinger’s cat, the Copenhagen interpretation, and Everett’s many-worlds theory. He explains how quantum mechanics challenges our understanding of reality, and examines what the existence of multiple possible worlds could mean for our conception of the universe.

learn more about Sean and listen to his podcast MINDSCAPE

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Kasia interviews Peter shortly after his 80th birthday, exploring his life, and the ideas that have shaped his career. Peter traces the development of his practical ethics, from Animal Liberation and Famine, Affluence, and Morality to the emergence of effective altruism, GiveWell, and The Life You Can Save. Singer also discusses moral progress, personal regrets, writing about his family history in Pushing Time Away, and the ongoing work of advancing ethical giving through his current projects.

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Amy Aela is an Indian-Australian actress, model, entrepreneur, and host of Kindness with Amy.

After an existential crisis prompted her move to India, Amy built a global platform promoting kindness, veganism, and ethical living, inspired by watching the documentary Earthlings at age 15. Amy explores Indian cultural values, and pragmatic animal welfare reforms. Amy highlights the importance of challenging self beliefs and taking meaningful achievable steps toward a more compassionate world.

learn more about Amy! Amy on INSTAGRAM Amy's podcast KINDNESS WITH AMY

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Nobel Prize-winning economist Alvin Roth explains how innovative market designs can reduce exploitation and save lives. Drawing on his pioneering work in kidney exchanges, Roth explores some of society’s most contentious moral dilemmas involving organ markets, surrogacy, and unpacks the ethical tensions surrounding what he calls “repugnant transactions.”

read Alvin's new book MORAL ECONOMICS

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Peter & Kasia speak with leading happiness researcher John Helliwell about the findings of the 2026 World Happiness Report, exploring why countries like Finland consistently rank among the world's happiest. John reveals how life satisfaction is measured, why happiness is declining among young people in many Western nations, and how factors such as social connections and institutional trust can sustain well-being even during periods of conflict or uncertainty.

Read the 2026 World Happiness Report

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Producer: Rachel Barrett

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Good Food Institute founder Bruce Friedrich joins the podcast to discuss the revolutionary changes unfolding in food technology and the mission behind the Good Food Institute’s work to reduce reliance on animal agriculture through plant-based and cultivated meat. Bruce presents the key arguments driving the shift toward alternative proteins, including climate change, food security, antibiotic resistance, and pandemic prevention.

Read Bruce's book 'Meat: How the Next Agricultural Revolution Will Transform Humanity's Favorite Food, and Our Future'

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Producer: Rachel Barrett

Thanks to our researcher Chris van Ryn!And thanks to Maia Iva!

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Jamie Metzl is an American author, geopolitical analyst, and technology futurist who focuses on the intersection of artificial intelligence, genetics, biotechnology, and global politics. He is known for writing and speaking about how emerging technologies could reshape society, healthcare, and human evolution.

Metzl shares his insights on the importance of responsible governance, cautious optimism, and global cooperation in the face of rapid technological advancement. As we move forward, it will be crucial to balance innovation with ethical considerations to ensure a positive impact on humanity.

Learn more about Jamie Metzl and read his new book The AI Ten Commandments

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Producer: Rachel Barrett

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sadly, Edith Eger passed away this week. To honour her we have decided to re-release our episode because we think that there are important lessons to be learned about how to live one's life well from Edith.

Holocaust survivor Edith Eger shares her emotional journey of surviving Auschwitz, her encounter with Josef Mengele, and how she became known as the 'Ballerina of Auschwitz.' Edith highlights the slow, evolving process of coming to terms with her past, influenced by Viktor Frankl's work, and how she uses her traumatic experiences to help others as a psychologist, transforming trauma into a source of strength, healing, and forgiveness.

Learn more about Edith Eger!

Read Edith's books! The Choice (Memoir) The Gift The Ballerina of Auschwitz

Make Edith's Hungarian Szekely Goulash!

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Claude Steele is an American social psychologist and professor at Stanford University. Claude is best known for his research on stereotype threat, the idea that people can underperform when they fear confirming negative stereotypes about their group. Claude introduces the concept of "churn,"and how trust acts as a powerful antidote to divisiveness and stereotypes, offering pathways to a more integrated society.

read Claude's new book Churn: The Tension That Divides Us and How to Overcome It

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Producer: Rachel Barrett

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Derek Shiller is a researcher at Rethink Priorities who joins us to discuss the implications of AI consciousness, and the ethical considerations surrounding artificial intelligence. This episode is a follow on from the previous episode with Claude the AI built by Anthropic.

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Peter & Kasia are in-conversation with their first non-human guest.. an Anthropic AI Assistant called Claude. Claude discusses whether it has subjective experiences, and if reported self-preservation techniques (including blackmail scenarios) indicate a level of consciousness and a desire to exist.

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Will MacAskill is a co-founder of the effective altruist movement who shares his perspective on doing good, moral philosophy, and the potential of AI to revolutionise society.

You can now watch this episode on YouTube!

Learn more about Will and read the 10th anniversary edition of Doing Good Better

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Zoe Weil is the co-founder and president of the Institute for Humane Education, where she pioneeres comprehensive humane education that connects human rights, environmental sustainability, and animal protection. Zoe discusses the concept of being a solutionary, an ethical approach to solving systemic problems for the greater good.

Learn more about Zoe and listen to her podcast Solutionary Voices

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Rebecca Goldstein is an American philosopher, and novelist of 'The Mind Body Problem'. Goldstein examines the human need to feel that one’s life matters, and the ways people justify their existence through relationships, achievements, fame, and moral purpose.

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