Sarah Brown talks to inspiring people in new Better Angels podcast series

What makes certain people stand out from the crowd? What inspires them to make a difference and help others?

And what can we learn from the passion and commitment that helps them create real change in the world?

Global campaigner and author Sarah Brown seeks the answers to those and other searching questions in a new podcast series called Better Angels.

The president of the children’s charity Theirworld talks openly to politicians, entertainers, activists and world leaders about their inspiration, their hopes and their dreams at a time of enormous international upheaval.

The first half-hour podcast includes two people who have campaigned tirelessly for children’s rights – former South African First Lady Graça Machel and Nobel Peace Prize winner Kailash Satyarthi. Each episode also features one of A World at School’s Global Youth Ambassadors, our network of young advocates.

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If you want to get the podcast each week you can subscribe and get every new episode delivered directly to your phone, tablet or computer. You’ll also be able to access full-length interviews with some of the podcast interviewees too.

There are different ways to subscribe. If you have iTunes or another podcast player on your device, search for “Better Angels” in the player on your phone, table or computer and when you’ve found the series, hit subscribe.

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Alternatively, if you have a podcast player that subscribes via RSS, you can click the RSS icon on any episode or use this link to get a full feed of all the episodes

Sarah said: “Throughout my life I have always been intrigued by what makes people take a stand or do something different.

“Now I hope to share some of those experiences. I would love others to learn from these inspirational people and their better angels and begin to figure out new ways for everyone to have the chance to have enough to eat and to be safe, to access the means to learn and to work but most of all to have hope, opportunity and a brighter future.

“We all have a ‘better angel’. Some get to show theirs on a global stage, others in their local community. They all matter. We can all make a difference.”

Future interviewees include entertainer James Corden and Late Late Show Executive Producer Ben Winston, lifestyle blogger Katherine Schwarzenegger, comedians Sarah Millican and Stuart Goldsmith, Head of the White Helmets in Syria Raed Al Saleh, and former Prime Minister of Australia Julia Gillard.

These are details of the first three podcasts.

Episode 1 – Better Angels and Inspiration  

Hear about the special people who’ve inspired others to do good. Featuring Kailash Satyarthi, world-renowned economist Larry Summers and Graça Machel, widow of Nelson Mandela. Plus a short extract from a Wangari Mathaai speech, courtesy of Botanic Gardens Conservation International.

Episode 2 – Finding your voice (part one)

This episode is for anyone who feels they have something important to say but are nervous about saying it. How do you get heard and how do you find your platform? Featuring comedian David Baddiel, former British Ambassador to Lebanon Tom Fletcher and two sisters running top Turkish businesses, Hanzade Doğan Boyner and Vuslat Doğan Sabanci.

Episode 3 – How do activists begin?

What actually makes us act? How do we move from identifying a problem to trying to fix it? And what are the best ways to take action? This episode looks at the nuts and bolts of how to start campaigning and making a positive difference. If a 13-year-old can do it, so can you

The origin of the phrase “better angels” is unknown but was used most famously by Abraham Lincoln during a speech in 1861.

More recently, The Better Angels Of Our Nature was a highly-acclaimed 2011 book by Canadian author and psychologist Steven Pinker which concludes that – despite the world facing so much conflict and chaos –  human nature HAS radically changed for the better across the centuries.

Sarah said: “If we are to find our better angels in ourselves, we need to search, to listen, to absorb and to take up our own actions and collaborations. What better way to start than by learning from others?”

If you want to get in touch with us about Better Angels, please email [email protected]. We’d love to hear your feedback. If you’re enjoying the podcast, do share your review on iTunes and use #BetterAngels to discuss the series on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Thank you to the People’s Postcode Lottery for use of their Edinburgh studio