How To Academy Podcast

C. Thi Nguyen considers games of all kinds to be an art form, no less beautiful than cinema, literature, or music: but the qualities that make games aesthetically valuable are very different to those we associate with other media. In this episode of the podcast, he reveals how games create meaning -- and what happens when we apply the logic of game design to real life, in the form of scoring systems that dictate what is and is not good and valuable. Join us and find out how we can begin to reclaim nuance and personal choice from corporations, governments, and bureaucracies gameifying our world.

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Guardian journalist and lifelong Nintendo superfan Keza MacDonald is the author of a new history of that reveals how the company's unique culture transformed a Kyoto playing card manufacturer into one of the most loved organisations in the history of popular entertainment. Whether you know the names of every Pokemon or are simply fascinated by how a major corporation can consistently innovate, delight, and enthral millions of adults and children across the world, this conversation is an unmissable guide to the story of a company unafraid to buck trends, resist market forces, and subvert everyone's expectations in the pursuit of excellence.

 
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In a world transformed beyond recognition, the neural systems that once kept our ancestors alive now leave us overwhelmed, distracted, and dissatisfied. We battle loneliness, anxiety, and stress. We chase status, validation, and impossible standards—then blame ourselves when we fall short. Drawing on cutting-edge neuroscience and clinical cases, evolutionary neuroscientist and practising neurologist Dr Paul Goldsmith will reveal how many of our struggles are not personal failures. Our restlessness, our cravings, our competitive impulses—even our burnout—all follow an ancient logic. But we are not powerless. By decoding the neuroscience behind our everyday difficulties, Paul will offer a new way to work with, rather than against, our ancient wiring to build calmer, healthier, and more connected lives.
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Feeling seen, needed, and valued isn't just a nice-to-have—it's essential for our wellbeing and society's future. When people feel they truly matter, everything changes—productivity soars, relationships deepen, and communities strengthen. As AI erases jobs that once gave people a sense of identity and purpose, and many feel isolated, burnout, and disconnected, we now face a crisis of mattering. In this episode of the podcast, award-winning journalist and writer Jennifer Breheny Wallace will provide a revolutionary framework for rebuilding the connections that make life meaningful. Through stories of individuals who have discovered the power of mattering, Jennifer will show us that the antidote to our modern crisis of disconnection isn't to turn inward, but to recognize how much we matter to each other.
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Priestess, witch, daughter of a brutal king: Medea is the greatest tragic heroine of the classical world. But, as Sunday Times bestselling writer Natalie Haynes reveals, Medea can be so much more than that too. Joining her longtime friend Robin Ince, she reveals her own journey that led her towards classical mythology, and invites modern-day dwellers to revisit the mythical past anew.  From the extraordinary characters of classical heroines such as Medea, Pandora, and Medusa, to how classical myths continue to resonate with the human condition today, Natalie takes us on an epic journey of our own to reimagine the myths we thought we knew.
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