Podcasts about Central Asia

Region of the Asian continent

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Best podcasts about Central Asia

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Latest podcast episodes about Central Asia

Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram Daily Podcast
Understanding the Secular Culture, Part 2

Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram Daily Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 1, 2026 25:00 Transcription Available


Are you struggling to keep up with the trending worldviews and pop culture beliefs shaping our culture? Guest teacher Aaron Pierce offers a roadmap to understanding the primary influences and philosophies of young people today. Learn how seeing the world through their eyes can help you build deeper, more authentic connections.ResourcesMessage NotesSpecial OffersConnect888-333-6003WebsiteChip Ingram AppInstagramFacebookYouTubePartner With UsDonate Online888-333-6003Resources Mentioned in TeachingNancy Pearcey - "Love Thy Body"Guest Speaker BioAaron Pierce is the International Mission Director of Steiger International, a rapidly-growing, worldwide mission organization that is called to reach and disciple the Global Youth Culture for Jesus. Steiger is active in over 100 cities around the world within the regions of Europe, Eurasia, Central Asia, the Middle East, East Asia, South America, Australasia, and North America.

History Tea Time
A History of Bubonic Plague | The Black Death & Quarantining with The Decameron

History Tea Time

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 1, 2026 31:29


“How many valiant men, how many fair ladies, how many sprightly youths, … breakfasted in the morning with their kinsfolk, comrades and friends, and that same night supped with their ancestors in the other world.” Giovanni Boccaccio, The Decameron Between 1346 and 1353 a horrifying pestilence burned across Central Asia, North Africa and Europe. The infected, covered in bubos and burning with fever, died in agony, with no family left to care for them or priest to pray for their souls. In some areas 50% of the population was wiped out, leaving whole villages deserted with no one to bury the dead. Those who were lucky enough to be healthy, and have the means to do so, escaped disease riddled cities for the fresh, miasma-free air of the countryside. In the midst of this horror, Florentine Giovanni Boccaccio, wrote his seminal work, The Decameron, about 10 young people who flee the plague for a lavish, sexy Tuscan Villa vacation and to hopefully not die. This medieval masterpiece has recently been turned into a darkly hilarious Netflix series, which further explores the class and gender dynamics of the 14th century in a way that anyone who recently lived through a world-wide pandemic can relate to. Today lets explore the history and science behind the Black death; the plague pandemics that came before and after it, and find out if this horrendous disease is still a risk today. Plus we'll find out what the Decameron has to say about life, love, sex, and surviving the plague in 1348 and today. Music: Danse Macabre by Camille Saint-Saëns, Public Domain, Performed by Kevin MacLeod Join me every Tuesday when I'm Spilling the Tea on History! Check out my Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/lindsayholiday Please consider supporting me at https://www.patreon.com/LindsayHoliday and help me make more fascinating episodes! Intro Music: Baroque Coffee House by Doug Maxwell #HistoryTeaTime #LindsayHoliday Please contact ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠advertising@airwavemedia.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ if you would like to advertise on this podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tough Girl Podcast
Helen Watson – Author of Tea and Grit and Cycling 15,000km Along the Silk Road from Scotland to China with Her Husband

Tough Girl Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 1, 2026 36:32


Helen Watson is a traveller, writer, and conservationist based in the Scottish Highlands. Born in Scotland and raised in Switzerland, she has always been drawn to adventures that are both physically and culturally challenging. In 2009, shortly after completing her PhD, Helen and her husband Ed set off on an extraordinary bicycle journey from Scotland to China. Over the course of a year, they cycled 15,000 kilometres across Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia, and China, following sections of the ancient Silk Road and relying on paper maps, curiosity, and the kindness of strangers. The journey took them through countries including Syria, Iran, and the Central Asian 'Stans', where they experienced incredible hospitality and forged meaningful connections with people from vastly different cultures and backgrounds. The trip would later inspire Helen's first book, Tea and Grit: A Bicycle Journey along the Silk Road, published in January 2026. In this episode, Helen shares the spark behind the adventure, the logistics of planning a long-distance cycle journey, and the realities of life on the road. We discuss what it means to become comfortable with discomfort, the privileges and challenges of travelling as a woman, and how her experiences in Syria took on a new significance in the years that followed during the refugee crisis. Helen also reflects on the importance of storytelling, why she felt compelled to write her book, and the lessons she has learned from a life shaped by travel, endurance, and human connection. Listen to this episode to hear about cycling 15,000km along the Silk Road, the generosity of people across cultures, and why stepping just outside your comfort zone can lead to the most transformative adventures. ***  New episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast drop every Tuesday at 7 AM (UK time)! Make sure to subscribe so you never miss the inspiring journeys and incredible stories of tough women pushing boundaries.  Do you want to support the Tough Girl Mission to increase the amount of female role models in the media in the world of adventure and physical challenges? Support via Patreon! Join me in making a difference by signing up here: www.patreon.com/toughgirlpodcast.  Your support makes a difference.  Thank you x *** Show notes Being based in the Scotland Highlands 2009/2010 - cycling from Scotland to China Being born in Scotland and moving to Switzerland at 5 years old Going to St. Andrews for University  Speaking; English, Swiss-German and German  Growing up in Switzerland and spending time in the outdoors Growing up with a lot of cultures  Wanting to take on this adventure and where the spark came from Being interested in long distance journeys Being inspired by Ffyona Campbell  Walking some long trails in New Zealand  Meeting her husband Ed at University  Wanting to do a longer trip after marriage  Heading off after she fished her PhD Studying genetics of the red deer in Scotland  Applying the lessons learned from studying for her PhD to planning the cycle ride Learning endurance from her PhD The logistics of getting visa's Not wanting to set a specific route in advance  Using paper maps and making route decisions as they went  Making some radical route decisions and deciding to go to Syria  Why it was one of the best decisions she's made (apart from marrying Ed!) The route - Scotland - Newcastle - Holland - Germany - France - Switzerland, Austria, Hungry, Serbia, Croatia, Albania, Greece, Syria, Turkey, Iran, the Stans…to China  Spending 2 months cycling around China The reality of what it was like being on the road Loving the experience most of the time! Meeting different people and experiencing hospitality in different countries Getting to the deeper levels of connection with people  Becoming comfortable with being uncomfortable in awkward social situations  The privilege of being a woman while travelling with her male partner  Getting to experience the best of both worlds What being a feminist means  The amazing women who are fighting against oppression around the world  Gender roles while travelling as a couple Having a love for writing  Keeping a journal to document the journey  Feeling depressed with what happened in Syria Doing volunteer work related to refugees  Wanting to tell the story of the people she met The Arab Spring and the refugee crises  Community Refugee Sponsorship The book being released in January 2026 - Tea and Grit: A Bicycle Journey along the Silk Road The point she wanted to make with the book Wanting to go on the same trip again  How to connect with Helen  Final words of advice and wisdom for other women who want to take on an adventure or challenge  Start with something that is a little bit outside your comfort zone and build up  Break it down     Social Media Website: www.helenwatsonwriting.com  Instagram: @helenwatsonwriter  The Book: Tea and Grit: A Bicycle Journey along the Silk Road  

Who Wear There by the Travel Brats
Where Do Solo Travelers Go… and Where Don't They?

Who Wear There by the Travel Brats

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 1, 2026 61:27


Guest: Clarissa CappellettiCompany: WeRoadEpisode Focus: Solo travel, destinations, travel confidence, safety, age, and finding connection on the road In This Episode What happens when someone who has visited 58 countries gives us the real talk on solo travel? We sit down with Clarissa Cappelletti, Regional Manager for English-speaking travel coordinators at WeRoad, to talk about where solo travelers should go, where they might want to wait, and why you shouldn't let fear — or a destination's reputation — decide your next adventure. Clarissa shares how she went from growing up in a tiny Swiss village to living in four countries and traveling the world, why she didn't start solo traveling until her late 20s, and how becoming the only single person in her friend group helped push her into traveling on her own. We Talk About: Growing up in an 87-person Swiss village How Clarissa caught the travel bug during a California road trip with her dad Living in Switzerland, Italy, the United States, and the UK Why London surprised her the most Traveling to 58 countries Why Colombia exceeded her expectations The Lost City Trek Why Nepal is one of her favorite destinations Italy's incredible history The best destinations for active travelers Why South Africa is underrated for adventure travel Switzerland vs. Latin America for travel costs The destination that challenged Clarissa the most: Japan Her favorite countries for food Why she could happily return to Colombia and Nepal Why "hidden gems" don't stay hidden for long How social media is changing tourism Her definition of solo travel: "Discovery" Why solo travel isn't necessarily lonely The importance of human connection while traveling How media can influence perceptions of travel safety Whether you're ever "too old" for solo travel The biggest solo-travel mistake people make Why first-time solo travelers should start small Why the Maldives isn't just for couples How language barriers can affect your first solo trip Why travelers shouldn't automatically write off Latin America Mongolia, Central Asia, Canada and New Zealand on Clarissa's bucket list And, of course… the infamous Jordan canyoning wig story! Clarissa's Travel Picks Unexpected favorites: Colombia & Nepal Best for history: Italy Best for mountain adventures: Nepal & Switzerland Underrated for active travel: South Africa Food favorites: Italy, Mexico, Peru, South Africa & Southeast Asia Places she'd happily revisit: Colombia & Nepal Top wishlist destinations: Central Asia, Mongolia, Canada, New Zealand & Patagonia Solo Travel Takeaways Start small. Your first solo trip doesn't have to be two weeks on another continent. Don't overthink it. There is no single perfect destination. Do your safety research. Know the areas, activities, and situations that require extra awareness. Don't let fear make the decision for you. Language matters. If you're new to solo travel, going somewhere where you can communicate easily may make your first trip less stressful. Don't assume a destination isn't for you. Couples' destination? Family destination? Bachelorette destination? Who cares. Go anyway. And most importantly: JUST TRIP IT. Favorite Quote From Clarissa "Solo travel in one word: discovery." And honestly, we couldn't have said it better. A Question For Our Travel Brats Would you take your first solo trip tomorrow if you knew you couldn't talk yourself out of it? Tell us where you'd go! Connect With The Travel Brats The Travel Brats are here to help you travel the world in a fun, smart, and unforgettable way. Follow along for travel guides, destination inspiration, travel tips, podcast episodes, deals, hot takes, and plenty of no-regrets travel.

Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram Daily Podcast
Understanding the Secular Culture, Part 1

Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram Daily Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 31, 2026 25:00 Transcription Available


There is an ongoing battle for the hearts and minds of the next generation, leaving many Bible-believing parents wondering how to effectively share the Truth. Guest teacher Aaron Pierce, from Steiger International, shares practical ways to engage your children and offers a message of hope for reaching today's youth with the Gospel.ResourcesMessage NotesSpecial OffersConnect888-333-6003WebsiteChip Ingram AppInstagramFacebookYouTubePartner With UsDonate Online888-333-6003Resources Mentioned in TeachingNancy Pearcey - "Love Thy Body"Guest Speaker BioAaron Pierce is the International Mission Director of Steiger International, a rapidly-growing, worldwide mission organization that is called to reach and disciple the Global Youth Culture for Jesus. Steiger is active in over 100 cities around the world within the regions of Europe, Eurasia, Central Asia, the Middle East, East Asia, South America, Australasia, and North America.

Russian Roulette
Russia's Classrooms Face Putin's Propaganda Machine

Russian Roulette

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 28, 2026 49:41


NOTE: This interview was conducted in Russian. The English audio was created with AI dubbing software and reviewed by native speakers of both languages for accuracy.  Maria Snegovaya sits down with Pavel Talankin –– a Russian schoolteacher who became an unlikely lens into the Russian propaganda machine. His documentary, Mr. Nobody Against Putin, captured two years of footage from inside a provincial Russian classroom as Putin's war transformed his students into instruments of the state. The film won the 2026 Oscar for Best Documentary. Talankin joins Russian Roulette to discuss what he witnessed, the process of making the film, and what his story reveals about the depths of propaganda in Russia's education system today.  Mentioned:  Mr. Nobody Against Putin | Documentary film directed by David Borenstein and Pavel Talankin  Feedback? Suggestions? Ideas to help us improve? Email us at erep@csis.org.  If you love Russian Roulette, let us know by subscribing and leaving a review wherever you get your podcasts.   Listen to our sister podcast, covering all things Europe through a Washington lens: CSIS Podcasts | The Eurofile 

Just Schools
Parental Joy: Grace Eckert

Just Schools

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 25, 2026 29:11


In this episode of JOY over Happiness, Dr. Jon Eckert talks with his daughter, Grace Eckert, an incoming Baylor freshman, about launching into adulthood and what she has learned along the way. On move-in day, Grace reflects on her own struggles with belonging, her time in Central Asia, and the experiences that have shaped how she sees herself and the world around her.Grace and Jon talk about the importance of getting outside of yourself, whether that's through serving others, traveling, suffering, or simply being willing to see life from a perspective beyond your own. They also discuss parenting, boundaries, faith, and what it takes to build meaningful community as you step into a new season of life.Mentioned:The Happiness Crisis by Jon EckertBrave New World by Aldous HuxleyConnect with us:Center for School Leadership at Baylor UniversityLinkedInBaylor MA in School Leadership

Free Man Beyond the Wall
The J. Otto Pohl ‘Stalin' Episodes

Free Man Beyond the Wall

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 21, 2026 112:13 Transcription Available


1 Hour and 52 MinutesPG-13Dr. J. Otto Pohl received his PhD in History from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. He has taught at the American University Iraq Sulaimani, University of Ghana, and American University of Central Asia. He is the author of Ethnic Cleansing in the USSR, 1937–1949 (Greenwood, 1999), The Stalinist Penal System (McFarland & Co., 1997), and The Years of Great Silence The Deportation, Special Settlement, and Mobilization into the Labor Army of Ethnic Germans in the USSR, 1941–1955 (Columbia University Press, 2022). His articles have appeared in, among other journals, The Russian Review, Journal of Genocide Research, Human Rights Review, and Studies in Ethnicity and Nationalism.This is a combination of two episodes:Episode 1062: Who Was the Most Persecuted Group Under the Soviet Regime? w/ J. Otto PohlEpisode 1166: An Overview of the Soviet Regime Pre- and Post-War w/ J. Otto PohlThe Years of Great SilenceDr. Pohl's SubstackDr. Pohl's PatreonDr. Pohl's TwitterPete and Thomas777 'At the Movies'Support Pete on His WebsitePete's PatreonPete's Substack Pete's SubscribestarPete's GUMROADPete's VenmoPete's Buy Me a CoffeePete on FacebookPete on TwitterBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-pete-quinones-show--6071361/support.

The CyberWire
The robots have gone bananas.

The CyberWire

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 20, 2026 31:25


Federal agencies warn of an active campaign targeting critical infrastructure. Citrix races to patch critical NetScaler flaws. More than 50,000 exposed Stripe API keys raise fraud concerns. Black Hat and DEF CON attendees are targeted in a new social engineering campaign. Atlassian, Splunk, and Cisco fix hundreds of vulnerabilities. A new Android banking trojan adds an unusual twist. A healthcare breach impacts 3.8 million people. SilkParasite expands cyberespionage in Central Asia. And CISA eyes a major overhaul of federal cyber software procurement. Our guest is Chris Wallis, founder and CEO of Intruder, on how AI agents killed the annual pentest and are reshaping exposure management. AI powered robots find bananas quite appealing.  Remember to leave us a 5-star rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Miss an episode? Sign-up for our daily intelligence roundup, Daily Briefing, and you'll never miss a beat. And be sure to follow CyberWire Daily on LinkedIn. CyberWire Guest On our Industry Voices segment, Intruder's Founder and CEO Chris Wallis joined Dave at Black Hat to discuss why the annual pentest Is dead and how AI agents are reshaping exposure management. If you enjoyed this conversation, be sure to check out the full interview here. Selected Reading NSA, FBI warns of hackers using AI-generated tools in attacks on critical infrastructure technology (The Record) Citrix urges admins to patch new NetScaler flaws as soon as possible (Bleeping Computer) 50,000 Stripe Secrets Leaked in Public Code (SecurityAffairs) Black Hat/DEF CON attendees targeted in malware scheme with Google Doc lure (SC World) Atlassian, Splunk Patch Dozens of Critical, High-Severity Vulnerabilities (SecurityWeek) Cisco Patches Critical Crosswork, Secure Workload Vulnerabilities (SecurityWeek) New Manic Android malware can exfiltrate data through nearby devices (Bleeping Computer) EHR Vendor Notifying 3.8 Million Patients of Data Theft Hack (GovInfo Security) SilkParasite: Tracking a China-Nexus APT Across Central Asia (Bitdefender) CISA contemplates whether to hire security software buying help (Washington Technology) I Saw the Future of AI in a Robot That Can Learn on the Spot (WIRED) Share your feedback. What do you think about CyberWire Daily? Please take a few minutes to share your thoughts with us by completing our brief listener survey. Thank you for helping us continue to improve our show.   Want to hear your company in the show? N2K CyberWire helps you reach the industry's most influential leaders and operators, while building visibility, authority, and connectivity across the cybersecurity community. Learn more at sponsor.thecyberwire.com. The CyberWire is a production of N2K Networks, your source for strategic workforce intelligence. © N2K Networks, Inc.

Pekingology
China's Struggle for Influence in Central Asia 

Pekingology

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 20, 2026 48:05


Founded in 2001 by China, Russia, and key Central Asian states, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) marks its 25th anniversary this year. With Chinese President Xi Jinping expected to attend the SCO Leaders' Summit in Kyrgyzstan later this month, the organization has become an increasingly important platform for advancing Beijing's vision of a multipolar international order as China's economic, political, and security influence across Central Asia continues to grow. In this episode of Pekingology, CSIS Senior Fellow Henrietta Levin is joined by Bradley Jardine, co-author of the new book, Backlash: China's Struggle for Influence in Central Asia. Henrietta and Bradley unpack China's goals for the upcoming SCO summit, as well as China's long history in Central Asia. They discuss Beijing's use of Silk Road narratives to frame its contemporary engagement with Central Asia, Chinese leaders' top priorities in the region - from border security, to energy resilience, to construction of an increasingly Sinocentric regional architecture - how Central Asian governments quietly manage tensions over repression in Xinjiang, and whether the "debt diplomacy" narrative holds up. They also explore the collision of Chinese and Russian interests in Central Asia, and how the SCO became a leading component of the new international order China is working to build.

CANADALAND
The Prime Minister in Exile Who Drives a Bus in Edmonton

CANADALAND

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 17, 2026 30:12


Abdulahat Nur grew up in East Turkistan. That's what many Uyghurs, a Muslim Turkic people of Central Asia, call it. But if you're a Chinese state official the region is called Xinjiang, or “New Frontier.” For many it echoes the same sort of arguments that surround Tibet.China's treatment of the Uyghurs has led to intense international scrutiny, particularly its use of internment camps or what China calls “vocational training centres.” The level of allegations against China has risen to accusations of genocide.Raising awareness of the Uyghur cause is one of Abdulahat Nur's primary roles as Prime Minister of East Turkistan. But there is his bus route in Edmonton as well…Host: Sam KonnertCredits: Bruce Thorson (Senior Producer), Chad Galloway (Audio Editing & Production), Tristan Capacchione (Senior Production Supervisor), Jesse Brown (Editor and Publisher)Additional music by Audio NetworkFact checking by Julian AbrahamMore information:East Turkistan's prime minister in exile a north Edmonton school bus driver | The Edmonton JournalWho are the Uyghurs and why is China being accused of genocide? | BBCUyghurs in Canada fear deportation after China's crackdown on Turkic Muslims | CBC“Eradicating Ideological Viruses” China's Campaign of Repression Against Xinjiang's Muslims | Human Rights WatchChina denies UN allegation that a million Uighurs held in 'massive internment camp' | CBC China Is Finding New Ways to Coerce Uyghurs Abroad | Foreign Policy Magazine Sponsors: Squarespace: Check out https://squarespace.com/canadaland for a free trial, and when you're ready to launch use code canadaland to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain.Douglas: Douglas is giving our listeners a FREE Sleep Bundle with each mattress purchase. Get the sheets, pillows, mattress and pillow protectors FREE with your Douglas purchase today. Visit https://douglas.ca/canadaland to claim this offer.oxio: Head over to https://canadaland.oxio.ca and use code CANADALAND for your first month free! Can't get enough Canadaland? Follow @Canadaland_Podcasts on Instagram for clips, announcements, explainers and more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Russian Roulette
How Ukraine Fights: Reflections from the Front Lines feat. Nate Vance

Russian Roulette

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 14, 2026 17:55


Maria Snegovaya sits down with Nate Vance — a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who enlisted in the Ukrainian Armed Forces after the 2022 invasion — to discuss Ukrainian and Russian military tactics, life as an infantryman on the front lines, and the impact of Soviet legacies on military culture.   Vance spent three years with the Da Vinci Wolves, seeing action from Bakhmut to Pokrovsk, before leaving in early 2025 when his first cousin JD Vance's rise to the vice presidency made him a potential Russian target.    Mentioned:  Russian Blood and Treasure: The Ballooning Costs of Putin's War: CSIS Publication by Seth Jones and Riley McCabe      Feedback? Suggestions? Ideas to help us improve? Email us at erep@csis.org.  If you love Russian Roulette, let us know by subscribing and leaving a review wherever you get your podcasts.   Listen to our sister podcast, covering all things Europe through a Washington lens: CSIS Podcasts | The Eurofile   

Silicon Curtain
1161. Russian Peace is NOT Peace - But War By Other Means with Provocation & Threat!?

Silicon Curtain

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 14, 2026 52:55


Simon Smith is Chair of the Ukraine Forum Steering Committee at Chatham House. He served as British Ambassador to Ukraine (2012–2015) during the Euromaidan Revolution, Russia's annexation of Crimea, and the outbreak of the Donbas war. Before Kyiv, he was Director for Russia, South Caucasus and Central Asia at the UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office (2005–2007), giving him extensive experience in British policy toward Russia and the post-Soviet region. Smith is regarded as one of the UK's most experienced diplomats on Eastern Europe. ----------John Lough is an Associate Fellow in the Russia and Eurasia Programme at Chatham House (since 2009) and Head of Foreign Policy at the New Eurasian Strategies Centre, a London- and Washington-based think tank. He began his career at the Soviet Studies (later Conflict Studies) Research Centre, specialising in Soviet and Russian security policy. John has had a long career spanning government, diplomacy, business and academia. He previously served as the first NATO representative based in Moscow following the end of the Cold War, where he worked on NATO–Russia relations during a formative period. ----------LINKS:https://www.chathamhouse.org/2026/05/how-russia-ukraine-ceasefire-could-imperil-ukrainian-and-european-securityhttps://www.chathamhouse.org/about-us/our-people/orysia-lutsevychhttps://www.chathamhouse.org/about-us/our-people/keir-gileshttps://icds.ee/en/the-russian-way-of-ceasefires-and-the-traps-it-sets-for-europe/----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.gofundme.com/f/scaling-up-campaign-to-fight-authoritarian-disinformation----------TRUSTED CHARITIES ON THE GROUND:Car4Ukrainehttps://car4ukraine.com/en-US/campaignsDzyga's Pawhttps://dzygaspaw.com/projectsSuperhumans - Hospital for war traumashttps://superhumans.com/en/UNBROKEN - Treatment. Prosthesis. Rehabilitation for Ukrainians in Ukrainehttps://unbroken.org.ua/Come Back Alivehttps://savelife.in.ua/en/Chefs For Ukraine - World Central Kitchenhttps://wck.org/relief/activation-chefs-for-ukraineUNITED24 - An initiative of President Zelenskyyhttps://u24.gov.ua/Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundationhttps://prytulafoundation.orgNGO “Herojam Slava”https://heroiamslava.org/----------PLATFORMS:Substack: https://substack.com/@siliconcurtainTwitter: https://twitter.com/CurtainSiliconLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/finkjonathan/Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/4thRZj6NO7y93zG11JMtqm----------DESCRIPTION:Why a Ceasefire Isn't Peace: Russia's War Aims, Negotiation Traps, and Western Complacency | Simon Smith & John LoughThe host interviews Chatham House's Simon Smith and John Lough about why a ceasefire in Ukraine would not equal peace, citing the Korean Armistice as a warning that unresolved issues can harden into decades of confrontation. They argue Putin's objectives—subjugating Ukraine, blocking its integration with Western or European security structures, enforcing demilitarization and political change in Kyiv—have not changed, making any pause potentially a chance for Russia to regroup. The discussion covers Ukraine's strikes inside Russia, economic and recruitment pressures on Moscow, and risks of escalation against Ukrainian infrastructure. They stress Western political complacency, incremental support, and the danger that electorates may find a Russian victory “palatable,” arguing enforcement matters more than signatures in any talks. John Lough outlines likely Russian minimum demands, including full control of Donbas and removing Zelensky.----------

CIIS Public Programs
On Understanding Luminosity of Consciousness in the Tibetan Bön Tradition with Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche

CIIS Public Programs

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 13, 2026 56:36


Bön is among the oldest indigenous spiritual traditions in the world. It originated in Central Asia thousands of years ago in what is now Tibet and is still being practiced globally today. Rooted in ancient cosmology, visionary practices, and ritual technologies, the tradition of Tibetan Bön offers a distinctive and sophisticated understanding of mind, embodiment, and awareness that speaks directly to contemporary questions in psychology, comparative religion, and consciousness studies. * In this episode globally renowned master in the Bön Dzogchen tradition Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche discusses consciousness through the lens of the Tibetan Bön tradition. Tenzin Rinpoche is joined by CIIS Transformative Inquiry Department faculty Dr. Constance Jones and Dr. Fernando Ona, whose approaches create a fertile ground for inquiry into the nature of consciousness. * This episode was recorded during an in-person and live streamed event at California Institute of Integral Studies on April 23rd 2026. You can also watch it on the CIIS Public Programs YouTube channel. A transcript is available at ciis.edu/podcast. To find out more about CIIS and public programs like this one, visit our website ciis.edu and connect with us on Instagram @ciispubprograms. * Some podcast apps may not display links from our show notes properly, so we have included a list of links below. * We hope that each episode of our podcast provides opportunities for growth, and that our listeners will use them as a starting point for further introspection. Many of the topics discussed on our podcast have the potential to bring up feelings and emotional responses. If you or someone you know is in need of mental health care and support, here are some resources to find immediate help and future healing: * -Visit 988lifeline.org or text, call, or chat with The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by dialing 988 from anywhere in the U.S. to be connected immediately with a trained counselor. Please note that 988 staff are required to take all action necessary to secure the safety of a caller and initiate emergency response with or without the caller's consent if they are unwilling or unable to take action on their own behalf. * -Visit thrivelifeline.org or text “THRIVE” to begin a conversation with a THRIVE Lifeline crisis responder 24/7/365, from anywhere: +1.313.662.8209. This confidential text line is available for individuals 18+ and is staffed by people in STEMM with marginalized identities. * -Visit translifeline.org or call (877) 565-8860 in the U.S. or (877) 330-6366 in Canada to learn more and contact Trans Lifeline, who provides trans peer support divested from police. * -Visit ciis.edu/ciis-in-the-world/counseling-clinics to learn more and schedule counseling sessions at one of our centers. * -Find information about additional global helplines at befrienders.org. * LINKS * Podcast Transcripts: https://www.ciis.edu/podcast * California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) Website: https://www.ciis.edu/ * CIIS Public Programs YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/ciispublicprograms * CIIS Public Programs Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ciispubprograms/ * Mental Health Care and Support Resources: https://988lifeline.org/ https://thrivelifeline.org/ https://translifeline.org/ https://www.ciis.edu/ciis-in-the-world/counseling-clinics https://befrienders.org/

Seismic Soundoff
304: What Energy Security Means for Geophysics in the Middle East

Seismic Soundoff

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 13, 2026 25:10


"I wish people understood that the pace of change across this region is not gradual anymore. It's moving very quickly and in many cases faster than traditional global markets expect." Conflicts and disrupted energy flows have put energy security back at the center of the conversation, and Yogaani Bhatia is seeing what that means for geophysics across the Middle East and beyond. Exploration is gaining renewed attention, Saudi Arabia is building out a major mining sector, and countries such as Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan are investing in geological knowledge and new resource development. Behind all of it is the same need: understand the subsurface well enough to make better decisions. And as investment accelerates, the challenge is not simply having better technology. It is having the people who know how to use it. KEY TAKEAWAYS > Energy security is making subsurface knowledge strategic again: Pressure on energy flows is reinforcing the need for secure, diversified resources. Exploration is increasingly viewed not only as a commercial activity, but as a strategic capability tied to long-term energy and resource security. > Some of the fastest change is happening across the Middle East, Central Asia, Africa, and Asia Pacific: Saudi Arabia is expanding mining, Central Asia is investing in geological knowledge, Africa is seeing renewed frontier exploration, and Asia Pacific is advancing offshore energy, CCS, and geothermal. > Energy and minerals draw on many of the same geophysics skills: Imaging, interpretation, data integration, and other subsurface expertise developed in oil and gas are increasingly crossing into mining, critical minerals, geothermal, and carbon storage. > Better technology still depends on people who know how to use it: The AI and digital conversation is shifting from whether the tools have value to how they improve workflows and decisions, while organizations also face a growing need to develop talent and transfer knowledge. THIS EPISODE PROUDLY SPONSORED BY HART ENERGY SUPER DUG Conference & Expo is Hart Energy's premier shale event and the largest event of its kind. If you're looking to stay ahead of what's next in U.S. shale, don't miss the 2026 SUPER DUG, happening September 15-17 in Houston. Join the industry's top operators, executives and investors for three days of market outlooks, strategic discussions and unmatched networking focused on the trends shaping the future of oil and gas. Register today at https://hartenergy.com/SUPERDUG26. Be sure to use promo code SD26-SEG at checkout to save on your registration. Be part of the conversations shaping the future of U.S. shale. LINKS * Find upcoming events at https://seg.org/events. * Read about GEOMIN 2025: A Global Debut in Mining Innovation and Collaboration at https://seg.org/news/geomin-2025-a-global-debut-in-mining-innovation-and-collaboration/. * Learn more about IMAGE '26 and register today at https://www.imageevent.org/. ABOUT SEISMIC SOUNDOFF Seismic Soundoff showcases conversations addressing the challenges of energy, water, and climate. Produced by the Society of Exploration Geophysicists (SEG) and hosted by Andrew Geary of 51 features, these episodes celebrate and inspire the geophysicists of today and tomorrow. Three new episodes monthly. See the full archive at https://seg.org/resources/podcast/.

featured Wiki of the Day
Yongle Emperor

featured Wiki of the Day

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 12, 2026 3:33


fWotD Episode 3386: Yongle Emperor Welcome to featured Wiki of the Day, your daily dose of knowledge from Wikipedia's finest articles.The featured article for Wednesday, 12 August 2026, is Yongle Emperor.The Yongle Emperor (2 May 1360 – 12 August 1424), personal name Zhu Di, was the third emperor of the Ming dynasty of China, reigning from 1402 to 1424. He was the fourth son of the Hongwu Emperor, the founder of the dynasty.In 1370, Zhu Di was granted the title of Prince of Yan. By 1380, he had relocated to Beiping (present-day Beijing) and was responsible for protecting the northeastern borderlands. In the 1380s and 1390s, he proved himself to be a skilled military leader, gaining popularity among soldiers and achieving success as a statesman. In 1399, he rebelled against his nephew, the Jianwen Emperor, and launched a civil war known as the Jingnan campaign. After three years of intense fighting, he emerged victorious and declared himself emperor in 1402.After ascending the throne, the Yongle Emperor elevated Beiping to the status of a second capital, diminishing the importance of Nanjing. Construction of the new capital between 1407 and 1420 employed hundreds of thousands of workers. He also supervised the reconstruction of the Grand Canal, essential for supplying Beijing and the northern armies. The Emperor strongly supported both Confucianism and Buddhism and sponsored the compilation of the vast Yongle Encyclopedia, employing around two thousand scholars. He also ordered Neo-Confucian texts to be systematized and used as textbooks for training officials. The civil service examinations, held every three years, produced qualified candidates for government service. Unlike his father, he avoided frequent purges, resulting in longer ministerial tenures and a more professional, stable administration.The Emperor made considerable efforts to reinforce the empire's hegemonic position in East Asia through an active foreign policy. Diplomatic missions and military expeditions were dispatched to regions both near and distant, including Manchuria, Korea, Japan, the Philippines, and the Timurid Empire in Central Asia. Maritime expeditions led by the eunuch admiral Zheng He extended even further, reaching the shores of Southeast Asia, India, Persia, and East Africa. The Mongols—including southeastern Uriankhai, eastern Mongols and western Oirats—remained the empire's greatest security threat, prompting the Ming court to alternately support and confront the various groups. The Emperor personally led five campaigns into Mongolia, and his decision to transfer the government from Nanjing to Beijing was driven largely by the need to closely monitor the unstable northern frontier. Although a skilled military leader, his wars were ultimately unsuccessful, as the campaign in Đại Việt lasted until the end of his reign and his Mongolian campaigns failed to secure China's northern border.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 01:01 UTC on Wednesday, 12 August 2026.For the full current version of the article, see Yongle Emperor on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Bluesky at @wikioftheday.com.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm neural Ruth.

Probably About Politics Podcast
Kazakhstan: Reform or Rebranding?

Probably About Politics Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 10, 2026 41:59


Kazakhstan is heading to the polls for the first election under a new constitution. But are these reforms creating a more democratic system, or simply reshaping an authoritarian one?This week, Alex and Kaleigh explore the constitutional changes and Tokayev's campaign of "de-Nazarbayevification," in Central Asia's largest economy. They also examine Kazakhstan's delicate balancing act between Russia and China, and why its energy resources, critical minerals, and trade routes make it increasingly important on the world stage.Also: Kaleigh discusses a warning from the FAO and World Food Programme about growing global food insecurity as El Niño adds to pressure on vulnerable countries. And Alex looks at new research that could help scientists locate water ice beneath the Moon's surface, a key step toward future lunar exploration and settlement.Send your democracy queries to us!Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠@probpolitics⁠⁠⁠ Email: ⁠⁠⁠probablyaboutpolitics@gmail.com

New Books Network
Ryan Schweitzer, "Homosexuality in Central Asia: Stories of Hardship and Hope" (B&N Press, 2026)

New Books Network

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 8, 2026 45:06


Homosexuality in Central Asia: Stories of Hardship and Hope (Barnes and Noble Press, 2026) is Ryan Michael Schweitzer's collection of first-hand narratives from LGBTQ individuals across Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. Drawing on years of fieldwork in the region, Schweitzer gathers stories of violence, blackmail, forced marriage, surveillance, and exile alongside quieter accounts of love, friendship, and endurance. Rather than presenting a single Central Asian LGBTQ experience, the book traces how legal status, state security apparatuses, family structure, and religious revival intersect differently in each country to shape what visibility and safety look like for queer people in the region. About the host Cholpon Ramizova is a London-based creator and researcher. She holds a Master's in Migration, Mobility and Development from SOAS, University of London. Her thematic interests are in migration, displacement, identity, gender and nationalism—and in the ways these intersect within the Central Asia context. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

New Books in Central Asian Studies
Ryan Schweitzer, "Homosexuality in Central Asia: Stories of Hardship and Hope" (B&N Press, 2026)

New Books in Central Asian Studies

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 8, 2026 45:06


Homosexuality in Central Asia: Stories of Hardship and Hope (Barnes and Noble Press, 2026) is Ryan Michael Schweitzer's collection of first-hand narratives from LGBTQ individuals across Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. Drawing on years of fieldwork in the region, Schweitzer gathers stories of violence, blackmail, forced marriage, surveillance, and exile alongside quieter accounts of love, friendship, and endurance. Rather than presenting a single Central Asian LGBTQ experience, the book traces how legal status, state security apparatuses, family structure, and religious revival intersect differently in each country to shape what visibility and safety look like for queer people in the region. About the host Cholpon Ramizova is a London-based creator and researcher. She holds a Master's in Migration, Mobility and Development from SOAS, University of London. Her thematic interests are in migration, displacement, identity, gender and nationalism—and in the ways these intersect within the Central Asia context. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/central-asian-studies

New Books in LGBTQ+ Studies
Ryan Schweitzer, "Homosexuality in Central Asia: Stories of Hardship and Hope" (B&N Press, 2026)

New Books in LGBTQ+ Studies

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 8, 2026 45:06


Homosexuality in Central Asia: Stories of Hardship and Hope (Barnes and Noble Press, 2026) is Ryan Michael Schweitzer's collection of first-hand narratives from LGBTQ individuals across Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. Drawing on years of fieldwork in the region, Schweitzer gathers stories of violence, blackmail, forced marriage, surveillance, and exile alongside quieter accounts of love, friendship, and endurance. Rather than presenting a single Central Asian LGBTQ experience, the book traces how legal status, state security apparatuses, family structure, and religious revival intersect differently in each country to shape what visibility and safety look like for queer people in the region. About the host Cholpon Ramizova is a London-based creator and researcher. She holds a Master's in Migration, Mobility and Development from SOAS, University of London. Her thematic interests are in migration, displacement, identity, gender and nationalism—and in the ways these intersect within the Central Asia context. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/lgbtq-studies

New Books in Religion
Ryan Schweitzer, "Homosexuality in Central Asia: Stories of Hardship and Hope" (B&N Press, 2026)

New Books in Religion

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 8, 2026 45:06


Homosexuality in Central Asia: Stories of Hardship and Hope (Barnes and Noble Press, 2026) is Ryan Michael Schweitzer's collection of first-hand narratives from LGBTQ individuals across Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. Drawing on years of fieldwork in the region, Schweitzer gathers stories of violence, blackmail, forced marriage, surveillance, and exile alongside quieter accounts of love, friendship, and endurance. Rather than presenting a single Central Asian LGBTQ experience, the book traces how legal status, state security apparatuses, family structure, and religious revival intersect differently in each country to shape what visibility and safety look like for queer people in the region. About the host Cholpon Ramizova is a London-based creator and researcher. She holds a Master's in Migration, Mobility and Development from SOAS, University of London. Her thematic interests are in migration, displacement, identity, gender and nationalism—and in the ways these intersect within the Central Asia context. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/religion

New Books in Law
Ryan Schweitzer, "Homosexuality in Central Asia: Stories of Hardship and Hope" (B&N Press, 2026)

New Books in Law

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 8, 2026 45:06


Homosexuality in Central Asia: Stories of Hardship and Hope (Barnes and Noble Press, 2026) is Ryan Michael Schweitzer's collection of first-hand narratives from LGBTQ individuals across Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. Drawing on years of fieldwork in the region, Schweitzer gathers stories of violence, blackmail, forced marriage, surveillance, and exile alongside quieter accounts of love, friendship, and endurance. Rather than presenting a single Central Asian LGBTQ experience, the book traces how legal status, state security apparatuses, family structure, and religious revival intersect differently in each country to shape what visibility and safety look like for queer people in the region. About the host Cholpon Ramizova is a London-based creator and researcher. She holds a Master's in Migration, Mobility and Development from SOAS, University of London. Her thematic interests are in migration, displacement, identity, gender and nationalism—and in the ways these intersect within the Central Asia context. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/law

American Thought Leaders
How One Peace Agreement Gave America a New Route Through Iran and Russia's Backyard | Ambassador Narek Mkrtchyan

American Thought Leaders

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 7, 2026 44:55


Almost a year after the Washington Declaration, Armenia is trying to turn a hard-won peace with Azerbaijan into something lasting. In this conversation, Armenia's ambassador to the United States, Narek Mkrtchyan, explains what the agreement means on the ground and why the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity could reshape the region and the country's future.“We sit in a very tough neighborhood. We sit in a very interesting geography. We are at the crossroads of Europe, Middle East, Central Asia, South Caucasus,” Mkrtchyan says.Mkrtchyan describes how Armenia is trying to turn geography into strategy through the development of diplomacy, new trade routes, and international partnerships. He views this as more than a peace process—it's a chance to redefine Armenia's place in the region.“In the center is the concept of crossroads of peace,” Mkrtchyan says.Recently, Armenia also got approval for the biggest artificial intelligence factory in the region—a $4 billion project that officials say could help make the country a hub for computing power and advanced technology.Views expressed in this video are opinions of the host and the guest, and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.

Health In Europe
I Believe You, with Elisa Fernandez Saenz

Health In Europe

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 7, 2026 25:58 Transcription Available


In the first episode of this mini-series, we've heard why WHO/Europe launched the Special Initiative on Violence Against Women and Girls. In the second, we spoke with UNFPA on how health systems can and are practically taking steps to help tackle gender based violence.In this third episode of 'I believe you' we speak with Elisa Fernandez Saenz from UN Women Europe and Central Asia. We hear about Elisa's upbringing in Costa Rica, what led her to her work with UN Women, how important cooperation across sectors is to addressing gender inequality and much more.I Believe You is a three-part mini series for WHO's Health In Europe. This is episode three. Listen to episode one: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1109867/episodes/19542850Listen to episode two: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1109867/episodes/19569187 

The Behaviour Speak Podcast
Behaviour Analysis in Russia: Natalia Polikarpova on Compassionate ABA, PFA/SBT, and Building a Profession

The Behaviour Speak Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 7, 2026 63:14


What does behaviour analysis look like in Russia today? In this episode of Behaviour Speak, Ben welcomes Natalia Polikarpova, behaviour analyst, educator, supervisor, and leader in the Russian-speaking ABA community. Natalia shares her journey from engineering to behaviour analysis, discusses the early development of ABA in Russia, and reflects on the growth of professional training, supervision, and certification opportunities across Russian-speaking countries. She also explores the impact of the BACB's withdrawal from Russia, the emergence of local credentialing systems, and the importance of developing professional organizations that reflect local cultural and educational realities.  The conversation also examines autism services across Russia and neighbouring countries, including parent involvement, educational options, government-supported initiatives, and ongoing efforts to improve diagnostic pathways for families. Natalia highlights the growing influence of Practical Functional Assessment (PFA) and Skills-Based Treatment (SBT), as well as the broader movement toward compassionate, trauma-informed care.  Most importantly, Natalia challenges listeners to remember that every learner is first and foremost a child, deserving of dignity, flexibility, and compassionate support. In this episode, we discuss: How ABA first emerged in Russia Early misconceptions about ABA The growth of Russian-language BCBA training Certification changes following BACB withdrawal Development of local professional standards and ethics PFA and SBT implementation across Russia Autism services and school placement options Parent involvement in intervention Challenges facing adult autism services Compassionate and trauma-informed behavior analysis The future of ABA in Russian-speaking communities Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/tV9Ja9ziEZ8 Continuing Education Credits IBAO:  1.0 Cultural QABA: 1.0 Ethics CBA/CPD: 1.0 Cultural Diversity   Complete The Behaviour Speak CE Knowledge Check To Earn Your CEUs Enter your answers here:  (https://www.cbiconsultants.com/shop) Question 1 Natalia discussed one challenge with importing educational models into Russia. What concern did she raise? A. Teachers refused to use behaviour analysis B. Imported models sometimes require adaptation to local educational and cultural realities C. Families preferred residential treatment D. Universities prohibited ABA training Question 2 A. Government-funded universal ABA services B. Large numbers of university-based ABA doctoral programs C. Strong interest in learning new practices and professional development D. National licensing requirements for all therapists Question 3 Which statement best reflects Natalia's philosophy of practice? A. Compliance should always be prioritized before teaching anything else B. Standardized intervention plans are more effective than individualized approaches C. Every child should receive the same educational placement D. Practitioners should remember they are working with a child first and build interventions compassionately   Contact  Азбука АВА https://azbukaaba.com/ FTF Behavioral Consulting https://ftfbc.com/our-team/natalia-polikarpova/ https://ftfbc.com/natalia-polikarpova/ Explore More Global Perspectives on Behaviour Analysis Natalia's story is part of a broader series of conversations on Behaviour Speak that examines how behaviour analysis is developing across Eastern Europe and Central Asia. While each country faces unique cultural, educational, regulatory, and service-delivery challenges, a common theme emerges: dedicated professionals are building behaviour analytic communities, expanding access to services, and adapting evidence-based practices to meet local needs. Episode 184: Behaviour Analysis in Ukraine with Alla Moskalets  Learn how behaviour analysis developed in Ukraine, the challenges of expanding autism services, and the efforts of practitioners working to increase professional training, family support, and awareness of evidence-based practices. Episode 191: Behaviour Analysis in Belarus with Hanna Kalinouskaya, BCBA, IBA Explore the growth of behaviour analysis in Belarus, including the development of professional communities, service delivery models, and the ongoing work of creating accessible supports for autistic individuals and their families. Episode 229: Behaviour Analysis in Kyrgyzstan with Dr. Anastasiia Iun Discover how ABA is emerging in Kyrgyzstan, the barriers faced by families and professionals, and the innovative approaches being used to build capacity and expand access to quality services. Episode 251: Behaviour Analysis in Georgia with Madonna Bonny, MS, BCBA Hear about the evolution of behaviour analysis in Georgia, including workforce development, educational initiatives, and efforts to establish sustainable systems of support for autistic individuals and their caregivers. Together with Natalia Polikarpova's insights into Russia and Russian-speaking communities, these episodes provide a unique international perspective on the growth of behaviour analysis around the world. They highlight the importance of cultural responsiveness, collaboration, parent engagement, and the shared commitment of practitioners working to improve outcomes for individuals and families across diverse settings. Listen to the full international series at Behaviour Speak and discover how behaviour analysis is taking shape across different regions, cultures, and systems of care.

History Rage
320. The Crusades are not the only thing going on in the Middle East with Nic Morton | Gloucester History Festival Special

History Rage

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 5, 2026 51:59


Think the Crusades were the defining conflict of the medieval Middle East? Think again.In this opening special for the Gloucester History Festival, host Paul Bavill welcomes back Associate Professor of History at Nottingham Trent University, Dr Nicholas Morton, to tear down one of history's most persistent misconceptions. While popular memory draws a neat line down the Middle East dividing Crusaders and Islamic forces in endless war, the reality was far richer, more complex, and endlessly fascinating.While Western crusaders captured only a handful of cities, massive nomadic powers like the Seljuk Turks forged vast empires stretching from Central Asia across Iran, Iraq, and Syria. Far from a permanent warzone, the medieval Middle East served as the global crossroads for trade, culture, and technology. From knightly rivalries turning into unexpected friendships to shared siege catapult designs, international currency trading, and mobile artisans crossing borders, Dr Morton reveals why the Crusades were merely one small piece of a much grander Eurasian mosaic.Guest Information & BookGuest: Dr Nicholas Morton (Associate Professor of History, Nottingham Trent University)University Profile: https://www.ntu.ac.uk/staff-profiles/arts-humanities/nicholas-mortonNew Book: The Crusader StormBuy the Book: Support the podcast and pick up your copy from the History Rage Bookshop at https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10120/9781399818728Live Event: Dr Nicholas Morton is speaking at the Gloucester History Festival (running 12th–20th September) on Thursday, 17th September at 12:00 PM. Book tickets now at https://www.gloucesterhistoryfestival.co.ukRecommended Episodes MentionedEpisode 214: Dr Nicholas Morton rages that the Mongols are a civilization, not a rabble.Episode 267: Rory McClellan rages that the Hospitallers are way more important than the Templars.Follow & Support History RageSupport on Patreon: Get early ad-free episodes, monthly live streams, and the official History Rage mug at https://www.patreon.com/historyrageFollow & Review: Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite platform, leave a review, and share the episode with a fellow history enthusiast! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

rezfaith
Rez Pod - Episode 36 - Teaching Across Cultures with Mary Ellen Lovin

rezfaith

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 3, 2026 51:00


In this episode, Mary Ellen Lovin shares how growing up as a third-culture kid in Central Asia prepared her for a life of teaching and serving families overseas. She reflects on her experiences in West Africa and the Middle East, the challenges and joys of living across cultures, and the importance of strong, supportive community. Mary Ellen also discusses how her faith in God's sovereignty has sustained her through conflict, uncertainty, and deeply personal trials.

New Books Network
Luca Anceschi, "Pandemic Politics in Central Asia: Authoritarian Contagion" (Routledge, 2026)

New Books Network

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 2, 2026 60:40


Pandemic Politics in Central Asia: Authoritarian Contagion (Routledge, 2026) examines how the authoritarian regimes of Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan exploited the Covid-19 pandemic to consolidate their political control over Central Asia. Through restrictive policies and strategic manipulation, these governments reshaped the region's politics and societies during 2020-2022. This volume offers readers an insight into three key areas where Central Asia's pandemic power grab was most visible: mobility control, whereby restrictive legislation limited freedom of movement and suppressed dissent; authoritarian information flows, whereby COVID-19-related measures aligned media and digital information to government messaging, further curtailing freedom of expression; and the international politics of the pandemic, whereby the regimes capitalised on global instability to strengthen their kleptocratic hold over Central Asia's politics and society. This book provides a detailed analysis of these strategies, offering a compelling exploration of how crises can be used to entrench authoritarianism. It is ideal for scholars, students, and professionals in political science, international relations, and Central Asian Studies. The book is also valuable to readers interested in understanding the intersection between public health crises and authoritarian governance. The Open Access version of this book, available here has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license. Adam Quinn is a Glasgow-based researcher whose work focuses on activism, social movements and state-society relations in the Post-Soviet space. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

New Books in Political Science
Luca Anceschi, "Pandemic Politics in Central Asia: Authoritarian Contagion" (Routledge, 2026)

New Books in Political Science

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 2, 2026 60:40


Pandemic Politics in Central Asia: Authoritarian Contagion (Routledge, 2026) examines how the authoritarian regimes of Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan exploited the Covid-19 pandemic to consolidate their political control over Central Asia. Through restrictive policies and strategic manipulation, these governments reshaped the region's politics and societies during 2020-2022. This volume offers readers an insight into three key areas where Central Asia's pandemic power grab was most visible: mobility control, whereby restrictive legislation limited freedom of movement and suppressed dissent; authoritarian information flows, whereby COVID-19-related measures aligned media and digital information to government messaging, further curtailing freedom of expression; and the international politics of the pandemic, whereby the regimes capitalised on global instability to strengthen their kleptocratic hold over Central Asia's politics and society. This book provides a detailed analysis of these strategies, offering a compelling exploration of how crises can be used to entrench authoritarianism. It is ideal for scholars, students, and professionals in political science, international relations, and Central Asian Studies. The book is also valuable to readers interested in understanding the intersection between public health crises and authoritarian governance. The Open Access version of this book, available here has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license. Adam Quinn is a Glasgow-based researcher whose work focuses on activism, social movements and state-society relations in the Post-Soviet space. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/political-science

New Books in Central Asian Studies
Luca Anceschi, "Pandemic Politics in Central Asia: Authoritarian Contagion" (Routledge, 2026)

New Books in Central Asian Studies

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 2, 2026 62:40


Pandemic Politics in Central Asia: Authoritarian Contagion (Routledge, 2026) examines how the authoritarian regimes of Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan exploited the Covid-19 pandemic to consolidate their political control over Central Asia. Through restrictive policies and strategic manipulation, these governments reshaped the region's politics and societies during 2020-2022. This volume offers readers an insight into three key areas where Central Asia's pandemic power grab was most visible: mobility control, whereby restrictive legislation limited freedom of movement and suppressed dissent; authoritarian information flows, whereby COVID-19-related measures aligned media and digital information to government messaging, further curtailing freedom of expression; and the international politics of the pandemic, whereby the regimes capitalised on global instability to strengthen their kleptocratic hold over Central Asia's politics and society. This book provides a detailed analysis of these strategies, offering a compelling exploration of how crises can be used to entrench authoritarianism. It is ideal for scholars, students, and professionals in political science, international relations, and Central Asian Studies. The book is also valuable to readers interested in understanding the intersection between public health crises and authoritarian governance. The Open Access version of this book, available here has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license. Adam Quinn is a Glasgow-based researcher whose work focuses on activism, social movements and state-society relations in the Post-Soviet space. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/central-asian-studies

New Books in Russian and Eurasian Studies
Luca Anceschi, "Pandemic Politics in Central Asia: Authoritarian Contagion" (Routledge, 2026)

New Books in Russian and Eurasian Studies

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 2, 2026 60:40


Pandemic Politics in Central Asia: Authoritarian Contagion (Routledge, 2026) examines how the authoritarian regimes of Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan exploited the Covid-19 pandemic to consolidate their political control over Central Asia. Through restrictive policies and strategic manipulation, these governments reshaped the region's politics and societies during 2020-2022. This volume offers readers an insight into three key areas where Central Asia's pandemic power grab was most visible: mobility control, whereby restrictive legislation limited freedom of movement and suppressed dissent; authoritarian information flows, whereby COVID-19-related measures aligned media and digital information to government messaging, further curtailing freedom of expression; and the international politics of the pandemic, whereby the regimes capitalised on global instability to strengthen their kleptocratic hold over Central Asia's politics and society. This book provides a detailed analysis of these strategies, offering a compelling exploration of how crises can be used to entrench authoritarianism. It is ideal for scholars, students, and professionals in political science, international relations, and Central Asian Studies. The book is also valuable to readers interested in understanding the intersection between public health crises and authoritarian governance. The Open Access version of this book, available here has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license. Adam Quinn is a Glasgow-based researcher whose work focuses on activism, social movements and state-society relations in the Post-Soviet space. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/russian-studies

The Land and the Book
Reaching Farsi Speakers

The Land and the Book

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 1, 2026 47:00 Transcription Available


It's a language that's at least 2500 years old: Farsi. It's the language of Iran. And it's also spoken in Afghanistan, throughout the Middle East and Central Asia—and increasingly in the United States. People who speak Farsi are in great need of the gospel. This week on The Land and the Book, you'll meet a pastor who's reaching Farsi-speaking people throughout the Middle East—and in the United States. Join us for The Land and the Book.Donate to Moody Radio: http://moodyradio.org/donateto/landandthebookSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Akbar's Chamber - Experts Talk Islam
Rules for Life: Timeless Lessons from Tenth Century Central Asia

Akbar's Chamber - Experts Talk Islam

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 1, 2026 56:34


A thousand years ago, in the city of Samarqand, a scholar by the name of Abu al-Layth gave lessons about how to live a good life—a life that was pleasing both to God and to people. He dealt with almost every aspect of life, from how to greet people and how to eat, to how to study and debate. What's more, Abu al-Layth also explained why, linking lessons on manners to clear moral principles laid out in the Quran and the life of the Prophet. At some point, Abu al-Layth's students compiled these teachings into a book called Bustan al-‘Arifin (‘The Garden of the Knowledgeable'). Over the passing of time, its reputation grew and grew, seeing copies and translations being made from the Ottoman Empire to Aceh in what is today Indonesia. And now the book is finally available in English too. Nile Green talks to Peri Bearman, translator of A Guide to a Life of Moral Integrity: An Annotated Translation of Bustān al-ʿārifīn by Abū al-Layth al-Samarqandī (Georgias Press, 2025).

Health In Europe
I Believe You, with Florence Bauer

Health In Europe

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 31, 2026 31:38 Transcription Available


Last episode on I Believe You, Dr. Hans Kluge set out why WHO Europe has made violence against women and girls one of its top priorities. This week, what that means in practice. When a woman or a girl walks into a clinic, that may be the only moment anyone has a chance to notice what is happening to her, whether the person in front of her is ready to understand that it can change everything.  Melanie Hyde and Greg Bianchi spoke to Florence Bauer, who runs the UN Sexual and Reproductive Health Agency, UNFPA as Regional director across Eastern Europe and Central Asia. They talk about how that work connects to violence, about the abuse that has moved online, and got very much worse there. I Believe You is a three-part mini series for WHO's Health In Europe.  This is episode two. Listen to episode one: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1109867/episodes/19542850

The BUMP Podcast
S7 Ep28: Prayers Under Fire

The BUMP Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 29, 2026 62:41


Hey there, Believers! This week's episode is super important, and I hope that you'll share it with everyone you know... I'm bringing on Eric Mock, VP of Slavic Gospel Association, along with Pastor Valenytn, who lives and ministers in Ukraine. Founded in 1934, Slavic Gospel Association (SGA, www.sga.org) helps “forgotten” orphans, widows and families in Ukraine, Russia, the former Soviet countries of Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and Russian-speaking immigrants in Israel – caring for their physical needs and sharing the life-transforming Gospel. SGA supports an extensive grassroots network of local evangelical missionary pastors and churches in cities and rural villages across this vast region.For many Ukrainian children, their earliest memories are marked by war. Summer Camps sponsored by Illinois-based Slavic Gospel Association (SGA) offer them a glimpse of the childhood they were meant to have.Key facts:More than 80,000 children are expected to attend SGA-supported summer Bible camps across Ukraine and the former Soviet Union this year.Since 2022, 279,058 children and teenagers have attended the camps.Camps provide meals, games, friendships, Bible teaching and practical support for children affected by war, displacement, loss, hunger and food insecurity.At one recent camp in southern Ukraine, nearly 100 children knelt in prayer. Some parents were so moved that they joined them.Camp activities continue under the threat of air-raid alerts and missile and drone attacks.God BlessHave an experience that you'd like to share?Holler at me: thebumppodcast@gmail.comFeel led to donate to The BUMP Podcast?Check out www.buymeacoffee.com/thebumppodcastPick up my books!Army of God- https://a.co/d/0S3HttWTerror by Night- https://a.co/d/2tIy8yYMeet all your survival and EDC needs here!www.squatchsurvivalgear.comUse Promo Code BUMP26 to save 15% sitewide! Outro Song:"Oh, My Soul" Written and Performed by Ray Messer Jr.

Everything Everywhere Daily History Podcast
Timur and the Timurid Empire

Everything Everywhere Daily History Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 27, 2026 15:34


In the late 14th century, a warrior emerged from Central Asia and built an empire through relentless campaigning, political calculation, and extraordinary brutality.  His armies swept across Persia, India, Russia, and the Middle East, defeating nearly every power they encountered.  He claimed descent from the legacy of Genghis Khan, transformed Samarkand into a magnificent capital, and left behind a reputation that remains deeply divided.  Learn more about Timur, also known as Tamerlane, on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Shop the store at Shop.Everything-Everywhere.com Sponsors Hexclad Get 10% off your order at hexclad.com/DAILY Mint Mobile Save 50% on Unlimited premium wireless plans starting at $15/month at MintMobile.com/EED Quince Go to quince.com/daily for 365-day returns, plus free shipping on your order! DripDrop Go to dripdrop.com and use promo code EVERYTHING for 20% off your first order! Subscribe to the podcast!  https://everything-everywhere.com/everything-everywhere-daily-podcast/ -------------------------------- Executive Producer: Charles Daniel Associate Producers: Austin Oetken & Cameron Kieffer   Become a supporter on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/everythingeverywhere Discord Server: https://discord.gg/Ds7Rx7jvPJ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/everythingeverywhere/ Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/everythingeverywheredaily Twitter: https://twitter.com/everywheretrip Website: https://everything-everywhere.com/  Disce aliquid novi cotidie Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Russian Roulette
Has the War Come Home to Russia?

Russian Roulette

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 27, 2026 46:52


Max Bergmann sits down with Maria Snegovaya and Jade McGlynn, senior associate (non-resident) with the CSIS Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program and senior research fellow / head of the Ukraine and Russia Program at King's College London, to discuss how Russians have responded to major shocks over the past four years, and whether polling data in Russia truly indicates shifting attitudes toward the war. Mentioned:  Russian Attitudes Are Shifting as the War's Effects Come Home, Maria Snegovaya and Jade McGlynn  Feedback? Suggestions? Ideas to help us improve? Email us at erep@csis.org.  If you love Russian Roulette, let us know by subscribing and leaving a review wherever you get your podcasts.   Listen to our sister podcast, covering all things Europe through a Washington lens: CSIS Podcasts | The Eurofile  

Winging It Travel Podcast
How Celiac Disease Changed the Way We Travel | My Appearance on The Gluten Free Advocate Podcast

Winging It Travel Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 27, 2026 44:50


A year ago, my partner Emma was diagnosed with celiac disease, completely changing the way we think about travel. In this special episode, I'm sharing my conversation with Leigh Francis from The Gluten Free Advocate Podcast about what it's really like adapting to gluten-free travel while still chasing adventure.We discuss the emotional side of a diagnosis, how our travel style has evolved from spontaneous backpacking to careful planning, and why destinations like Victoria, BC and parts of Europe have given us confidence that incredible travel is still possible.We also dive into my recent adventures through El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico and Bhutan, my future plans for French Polynesia, Central Asia and Africa, and how this experience is changing the content I create on both the Winging It Travel Podcast and YouTube.Whether you have celiac disease yourself, travel with someone who does, or simply love hearing honest travel conversations, this episode offers practical advice, encouragement and plenty of wanderlust.In this episode you'll hear:Emma's unexpected celiac diagnosis and how it changed our livesWhy travelling with celiac disease requires a completely different mindsetThe challenges of avoiding cross-contamination while travellingThe best gluten-free destinations we've experienced so farPlanning our upcoming trip to French PolynesiaHow this journey is changing my podcast and YouTube contentBucket list destinations still waiting to be exploredWhy travel is still absolutely worth it—even with dietary restrictionsIf you want to be able to listen to our conversation from Season 1 - check out this episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynv84AuSkekIf you have any questions or fun stories to share, feel free to reach out at ⁠⁠hieatexplorelove@gmail.com⁠⁠.Substack: https://substack.com/@theglutenfreeadvocateTik Tok: @theglutenfreeadvocateFacebook:⁠ The Gluten Free AdvocateInstagram: @theglutenfreeadvocateThis episode is produced by Leigh Francis Productions.Support Winging It Travel PodcastIf you enjoyed this episode:⭐ Leave a 5-star rating or review on your podcast app☕ Support the show at buymeacoffee.com/wingingit

The Middle of Culture
Serial Killers, Steam Decks, and Seven-String Guitars

The Middle of Culture

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 26, 2026 51:30


Eden and Peter talk about what they've been consuming lately — Peter is deep on Meshuggah's newly remastered catalog while Eden is watching way too much seasonal anime. The main event is a deep dive into Of the Devil, a stylish cyberpunk visual novel where you play a defense attorney who is also the serial killer. They also wrestle with the state of the games industry, why they're buying indie games over AAA behemoths, and why "shorter games with worse graphics" is a genuine consumer philosophy.Show NotesOf the Devil is a cyberpunk visual novel / Ace Attorney-style game where you play Morgan, a defense attorney who may be more than she first appears. Episodes  0, 1, and 2 are out now.Eden finished Long Awaited Feelings, a ~2,600-page web novel from the Feelings series — time loop, yuri romance, creatively titled author.Peter is playing Forza Horizon 4 and 5, catching up on Modern Family and cautiously warming to Community.Meshuggah released 30th and 20th anniversary remasters of Destroy Erase Improve and Catch Thirtythree — the former sounds so ahead of its time that the thin production is the only tell it came out in 1996.Haken released their first music since guitar/bass departures earlier this year — leaner, stripped-down British prog.Psycroptic dropped The Pulse of Annihilation, a tighter, leaner technical death metal follow-up to Divine Council.Protest the Hero released Within — a 30-minute tight blast of chaotic post-hardcore/prog.Science Saru's Ghost in the Shell (2026) adaptation leans into the manga's goofier, flirty tone — first episode looks like a bajillion dollars, episode three already showing budget strain (reminiscent of the Uzumaki adaptation's notorious one-episode budget collapse).Eden is also watching: Chainsmoker Cat (a gross-out comedy about addiction and poverty in Japan wrapped in a big-titty catgirl body), A Witch's Life in Mongol (historical fiction set in 12th-century Central Asia, animated by Science Saru), I Want to Love You Till Your Dying Day (dark fantasy about child soldiers who can't die), and original anime Goodbye, Lara (a Little Mermaid reincarnation story by Kinema Citrus).Eden visited Newbury Comics in Providence and was devastated to find it's no longer a real comic shop — four times as many Funko Pops as comics, no back issues, and a still-priced Thundercats Valentine Special from February.East Bay Comics was the opposite problem: all back issues, none of them organized, mostly vintage junk.The conversation on indie vs AAA gaming: Peter and Eden both bought Of the Devil episodes 1 and 2 sight-unseen to support small teams, echoing their broader philosophy that consumers should put money behind the kind of games they want to see made.PowerWash Simulator 2 Star Wars DLC dropped — Eden is currently cleaning an AT-AT on Hoth.

Frontier Missions Journal
Obeying the Voice / God Saved His Life

Frontier Missions Journal

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 25, 2026 14:30


“What would have happened if I didn't listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit for that second, and I didn't turn around, but I kept on walking?”                                                               ----------------Today's first story is told by Heino Torlage, Executive Director of Abundant Life and AFM South Africa Trust. The second story is told by Helen Castillo, a career missionary on the Himadri Project in Central Asia.Subscribe and leave us a review if you enjoyed listening to today's story!

RAW Mission
Ep. 104 - A Yorkshireman Heads East

RAW Mission

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 24, 2026 48:21 Transcription Available


In this episode Matt interviews Andy, a straight-talking northern guy who loves Jesus and loves sharing the gospel with Muslims. He and his wife spent several years in a tough surveillance state in Central Asia, learning the local language and figuring out how to communicate God's love to local Muslims. It was a tough environment and eventually they and various others were forced to leave the country. They now are based in the UK, working with refugees and they continue to share the hope that is within them.Send us a message!Support the show_________________________________________________________________________________Do get in touch if you have any questions for Matt or for any of his guests.matt@frontiers.org.ukYou can find out more about us by visiting www.frontiers.org.ukOr, if you're outside the UK, visit www.frontiers.org (then select from one of our national offices). For social media in the UK:Instagram: frontiers_ukAnd do check out the free and outstanding 6 week video course for churches and small groups, called MomentumYes:www.momentumyes.com (USA)www.momentumyes.org.uk (UK) _________________________________________________________________________________ 

The Leading Difference
Anastasia Mironova | Founder & CEO, UpLevelMedTech | Leadership Evolution, Medtech Innovation, & Artistic Influence

The Leading Difference

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 24, 2026 29:30


Anastasia Mironova is the founder of UpLevelMedTech, a leadership development and executive coaching practice focused on shaping the next generation of medtech executives. Anastasia shares her path from joining Medtronic as an MBA intern to building a career across marketing, strategy, sales, and M&A, and the pivotal moment that cemented her purpose. She breaks down the core themes she sees in leaders at every level—team effectiveness, operating with GM-level ownership, and influence without authority—and explains how “leadership by subtraction” and time inventory create the capacity for strategic impact. She also explores how music shaped her leadership through listening, pausing, and performing under pressure.    Guest links: www.uplevelmedtech.com Charity supported: Save the Children Interested in being a guest on the show or have feedback to share? Email us at theleadingdifference@velentium.com.  PRODUCTION CREDITS Host & Editor: Lindsey Dinneen Producer: Velentium Medical   EPISODE TRANSCRIPT Episode 085 - Anastasia Mironova [00:00:00] Lindsey Dinneen: Hi, I'm Lindsey and I'm talking with MedTech industry leaders on how they change lives for a better world. [00:00:09] Diane Bouis: The inventions and technologies are fascinating and so are the people who work with them. [00:00:15] Frank Jaskulke: There was a period of time where I realized, fundamentally, my job was to go hang out with really smart people that are saving lives and then do work that would help them save more lives. [00:00:28] Diane Bouis: I got into the business to save lives and it is incredibly motivating to work with people who are in that same business, saving or improving lives. [00:00:38] Duane Mancini: What better industry than where I get to wake up every day and just save people's lives. [00:00:42] Lindsey Dinneen: These are extraordinary people doing extraordinary work, and this is The Leading Difference. Hello, and welcome back to another episode of the Leading Difference podcast. I'm your host, Lindsey, and today I'm delighted to welcome as my guest, Anastasia Mironova. Anastasia is the founder of UpLevelMedTech, a leadership development and strategic advisory firm dedicated to shaping the next generation of executives in medtech. Through a blend of executive coaching, strategic advisory, and custom leadership programs, she helps senior leaders and teams elevate their influence, decision-making, and organizational impact. She is a passionate advocate for advancing women in leadership and brings two decades of lived experience navigating corporate growth, career transitions, and motherhood with authenticity and humor. Known for her relatable approach and her ability to make leadership growth feel both practical and empowering, Anastasia helps leaders show up with clarity and confidence in complex environments. When she's not coaching or facilitating programs, she loves spending time with her husband and daughter, often recharging at a beach somewhere and supporting mentoring initiatives that help women lead boldly and thrive in their careers and lives. All right. Well, welcome to the show. Thank you so much for being here today. I'm, I'm really excited to speak with you. [00:01:55] Anastasia Mironova: Thank you for having me. I'm excited also. [00:01:58] Lindsey Dinneen: Awesome. Well, if you wouldn't mind starting off by just sharing a little bit about you, who you are, your background, and what led you to medtech? [00:02:08] Anastasia Mironova: Oh my gosh. My name is Anastasia Mironova, and I'm the CEO and founder of UpLevelMedTech. We are the leadership development and executive coaching practice focused specifically on medtech, but I have not grown up around medtech at all. You probably hear that from other guests, I'm assuming, quite a bit. But I was born and raised in Kazakhstan in Central Asia, and I kind of grew up more around music and entrepreneurship and totally did not know anything about medtech. I came to US in early 2000s to do my MBA program, and one of my classmates was, at the time, working for Medtronic. And when I was finishing my MBA program, she said, "You know, we're hiring for a variety of marketing roles, including an intern, and I was thinking maybe you should apply because you have some of those skills." And I said, "Sure, I, I'm interested." And so the rest is history. I joined as an intern working for Medtronic and eventually worked my way up into product management roles and then global marketing, marketing and strategy, marketing strategy and sales, and then added M&A components to it. So loved it, and I very shortly thereafter, there was a situation that made me completely fall in love with the industry. And I would say that what I really appreciate about it the most is just how much purpose there is behind it, and that's what really connected me to it, and also just how much innovation is being brought forward because I come from a place that didn't necessarily have a lot of innovation readily available, you know, at the speed that we're producing it here. And so I, I really appreciated that, and that's how I-- that, that was my journey in medtech up until I then became a, an entrepreneur and opened up my own business. [00:03:51] Lindsey Dinneen: Awesome. Okay, well thank you for sharing. There's so much I wanna dive into, but you said you did grow up around maybe not medtech, but entrepreneurship and leadership and things like that. Do you mind sharing a little bit about that and what maybe intrigued you? Because obviously you've become not only an incredible leader yourself, but you are coaching other leaders too. [00:04:11] Anastasia Mironova: Yeah, sure. It's, it's a really good question. I grew up around my parents' little, I call it mom-and-pop loving business. That business didn't start until after the wall fell and, and, and all of that, but because the business was so tiny, everybody was involved, and I was very much spending a lot of my time around that. And my mother was my early impact on how I was shaped as a leader later on. Unbeknownst to me, I would say she was what you and I would describe a servant leader today, probably long before that term was coined somewhere in a book or in a business school. But what it really taught me was one thing, which is you're not bound to any specific functional area. You are in the business of something, whatever your business is. And so it taught me to think more broadly and to think like a business person, and I would say, again, I was very unconscious to that at the time. I was just doing a lot of things, helping out, having fun, sometimes thinking about how I absolutely don't know what I'm doing, you know? But then later on, I became more and more self-aware about the fact that how much that business thinking actually helped me to succeed later on as a leader and, and help other leaders grow. [00:05:29] Lindsey Dinneen: Yeah, and I'm curious about that aspect. So you, you said it was lovingly a mom-and-pop place, which is wonderful, and, you know, you said sort of everybody was involved, and I feel, feel like that is a very common theme. And so one of the things that I'd be curious to have your take on is something that I discovered owning my own dance studio is there were, there were a lot of moments that were really fun, right? And you, you got to kinda show up in the community, and you, you had a business, and that's, that's a fun thing to do. But, you know, on any given day, I was everything from the CEO to the janitor, and everything in between. And I think that's a wonderful thing to experience as a leader, but I'm curious as to how that experience probably shaped your own style of leadership beyond being able to observe really good leadership up close and personally. But I'm just kinda curious how that, how, how sort of having a take in all the different aspects of the business may have really helped shape you. [00:06:27] Anastasia Mironova: Yeah. It, it, it's really kind of fundamental when I think about it, 'cause my mom said exactly the same phrase that you just mentioned. She told me always, "You have to be able to get along with everyone equally and treat everyone equally with respect, whether it's a janitor or your CEO, and your ability to get along with every level of the organization is what's going to shape the success." And, and she was very much modeling that behavior. But where I feel it shaped me was that when you work in, in medtech in particular, it's very cross-functional, right? So when you work in a particular area, say I was in marketing in early, in early days, I didn't think of myself as a marketeer. And, and what that meant for me is certainly I would focus on what I needed to do and my goals and our functional area imperatives and all of that, but I always was curious about how does the rest of the business work. And so I didn't think of myself as "I'm a marketing leader." I thought of myself as "I'm a business leader." And when you remain curious in how other aspects of the business work, how it all comes together, what are the macro trends? You know, what do the customers want? How are people compensated? How does the innovation pipeline get shaped? All of those things working together helps early on to make better decisions in your own swim lane. And it kind of like, it shaped me as a leader because I felt that it helped me to make better decisions in larger context in mind. But also it helped me to relate, to relate to a lot of people in a lot of different functional areas, and not assume what their life was like and what their day-to-day was like, but be curious about it. So I would say that definitely both of those things shape how I saw business as well as people in it, if you will. [00:08:18] Lindsey Dinneen: Yeah, I love that. I love the idea of curiosity and being willing to have conversations, meet other people, learn different aspects of the business, 'cause you're absolutely right. The only thing it can do is help you better understand your lane in relation to other people's lanes. And I'm wondering if part of that was also learning how to kind of to, to speak the language of other people's areas of expertise a little bit, in the sense of you're probably going to have a little bit of a different explanation for, say an upcoming project you wanna launch, say, like a, a marketing campaign to the CFO than you would maybe an engineer. So I'm curious how you, how that ha- unraveled for you. [00:08:59] Anastasia Mironova: Oh it was quite a journey. So earlier when, when I first started in medtech, and I was probably on my second role, I had a, a tremendous boss that was very visionary and, and she believed in talent development very much. And she said to me, "You need to go and probably get even more training in influencing and influencing skills." And I was like, "Wow, I would love to do that. I love everything that has to do with human psychology, behavioral, you know, psychology." And so she actually sponsored that, and I was able to do that. And what I quickly found was that the way you position your message and the way you deliver your message and how you influence different people varies drastically. And that really helped me later on as a leader to advocate for my team. I felt like at minimum, the influencing skills and the ability to relate to different people from different walks of life, it helps you to advocate for yourself and for your own initiatives and for whatever you might be focused on. But for leadership, it definitely helped me to be heard as a leader and advocate for my own team later on. And I also felt like other leaders were telling me, "You really understand what it's like to be in our shoes," and therefore were more willing to listen to what I had to say. So it's, it's such a counterintuitive thing at times, but I do believe in this concept of it is our job to inform ourselves of our conversation partner and not the other way around. And it, it works. It's very effective. [00:10:38] Lindsey Dinneen: Yeah, that's, that is, that is incredible and such a great skill set to have and to pass along, and I really love your point about advocating for others as well, in addition to advocating for yourself. And so I know one of the things that you do brilliantly now is to help people who are potentially interested in taking that next step in their own leadership journey, whether they're interested in, you know, going from, let's say, director to VP, VP to C-suite, and things like that. So I was just wondering if you could share a little bit about how you made this successful for yourself, because you mentioned on, on your LinkedIn profile that you didn't work-- It's not like you were working crazy hours, or you were doing all the right things. And so I'd love to hear about your journey and then how you help others too, through their journeys as well. [00:11:27] Anastasia Mironova: Yeah, certainly. I'm thinking about back when most of my career happened, probably while I was very much navigating the demands of everything all at once, the demands of young family or having young family at the time, you know, parents and, and everything that we normally have on our plate. And I firmly believe that as a leader, you have to be very, very clean and clear on what your one or two things are that are super strategic in your world that only you can really do and drive, and this is your primary role. And so one of the ways I did that is I, I definitely was very, very intentional about how I spent my time, and I did a process once a month that had to do with my inventory, time inventory, believe it or not. And I would do it on the plane or, you know, on, on the ride to, to, you know, a, a seminar or something or a meeting, and it really helped me to hone in on these are the things that only I can really ensure to drive, and the rest belongs to my team so that they can shine and they can also, you know, we can be effective together. One of the things that I find the hardest is that people graduate from execution to that strategic impact, and it's hard to do that. Most of the time when I help my clients, the, the challenge is not the capability. It's not the skill set. I work with tremendously talented people. It's the capacity. It's the creation of that leadership capacity, and that takes what I call leadership by subtraction. You have to subtract something to create that space for your strategic impact, and that's what we work on often together, but that's what really truly helped me to be successful, is leadership by subtraction and inventorying it. [00:13:20] Lindsey Dinneen: Yeah. Okay, great. Well, yeah, th- that's great because I'd love to learn more about your company now how you work with people, and kind of where you find perhaps some of the, the hardest things as, as you're growing in your career and your leadership responsibilities increase. So what are, what are some of the common things that you see that don't work well as you're trying to continue to grow in your, in that way? [00:13:46] Anastasia Mironova: For me or for my clients? [00:13:48] Lindsey Dinneen: Let's talk about for your clients. [00:13:51] Anastasia Mironova: Okay. So for my clients, I would say there are definitely very common themes as I see it. It's interesting to me because when I first opened up my business, I had this theory that the kind of challenges that people maybe at an individual level will face might be drastically different from those that are faced at the executive level. And I quickly learned that the challenges are all the same. The way they show up in your day-to-day life may be different, but the challenges are all the same, and they have to do oftentimes with three things. Do you really get laser-focused on how effectively you manage your team so that you and your team can elevate? The second area that's probably by far the most common is, are you operating at that GM level? Even if you're individual contributor, are you thinking from an ownership perspective like an owner would in a business versus a particular title or a particular role in, in honing in on that business, business acumen and the one that crosses all lanes, all company sizes, I would say all teams, all functions is, is influencing skills and presence. How do you show up in a way that honors other people but helps you to move both business and people forward and you have absolutely no authority over them, right? So it's that influence without authority. These are very, very for like front of mind for a majority of the teams that I work with. And I'd say one of the ways to probably, you know, deal with that or address that is, is definitely to be very intentional about development. So it's not just here and there or, you know, as time permits, but as, as the companies become more intentional about the development, the more capacity they create. I definitely believe that our future is not, not in necessarily having high potential development, but high capacity development. [00:15:55] Lindsey Dinneen: Hmm. Yeah. [00:15:56] Anastasia Mironova: If that makes sense. [00:15:57] Lindsey Dinneen: Yeah. So how, how can we encourage companies to prioritize this? 'Cause I, I agree with you that the development all along the path is really important, and I know a lot of people take very personal ownership of that, and they do a lot of their own you know, training and things like that, and coaching. But, but what about from the perspective of a company? How can we encourage companies to be more involved and to understand the importance of the ROI associated with it, just to be frank? [00:16:27] Anastasia Mironova: Yeah. Yeah, for sure. And that's the conversation where I would say the CHROs, the people leaders, are now taking a significantly more active role in companies to allow for that conversation to take place and to have a much deeper partnership with the business leaders to be more intentional about development. And I would say what I see is that's the best practice where they partner together and say, "My needs are like this," right? "These are some of my needs on my team, and here's our solutions. And how do we bring these solutions more systematically to all levels so that we can uplevel everybody?" And companies that do do that and have these conversations, then they, they're more disciplined as well as more prioritized around that topic. And where it doesn't become that partnership conversation on the table, it's harder, certainly harder. And I'm being completely frank and candid on that. [00:17:28] Lindsey Dinneen: Yeah. Yeah, I appreciate that. Yeah. Okay, so one of the things I noticed on LinkedIn is --you have w- several wonderful things. One of them that I really enjoyed was kind of seeing your different book recommendations, so it seems like you are a very avid reader, and also you grew up in a very musical environment, yeah? That's part of your background. So I'd love if you share a little bit about those, and maybe how you think that has helped you as a leader in your career. Just h-how do those things interplay? [00:18:02] Anastasia Mironova: Oh, you, you, you run a risk of getting me into my soapbox a little bit, but mus- yeah, yeah. Music is big. So I, I went to music school for 10 years and learned to, to play piano. But I probably could write a book about the parallels between music and leadership just for fun of it at someday when I retire and have time, because learning music really taught me a lot about leadership in, in a number of ways. If you think about medtech and you think about, again, how much of it is very cross-functional, a lot of different groups have to come together, words like alignment come to mind, right, all the time. In music, it's interesting because you have to listen to yourself as you play to make sure that you self-correct. And so that listening, that ability to listen to "How am I coming off right now?" is, is really important, I think, in leadership, particularly today when everything is more about being more inclusive, right, being more diverse in how you build your team. So I would say that listening ability is huge and shaped me as a leader. And the other one is the power of pause. If you, if you don't pause when you play when you're supposed to, it's just not gonna sound the same. It's not gonna land the same. And so, like that power of pausing to allow for a better response is another huge parallel, particularly in executive levels and like how you show up. And I would say probably the other one is ability to prep. There is a lot of preparation in leadership. You can attest to that. There's a lot of prep that goes into it. But then there comes the time when you have to go and in high stakes be composed and, and read the room and, and, and get there. So lots of parallels. I could think of many more, but these are just like the top three that I would say definitely prepared me, again, when it matters, you know? 'Cause I, I think a lot of times in leadership we talk about, you know, culture and engagement, right? And trust, and those are fundamentally unbelievably important. But I oftentimes think that leadership falls apart in those high-pressure moments, right? And music prepared me to deal with that quite a bit, so. [00:20:23] Lindsey Dinneen: Yeah. Oh, I love that. So I t- I talk about this quite a bit too with s- my background is also in the arts, but on the dance side. I'm a professional ballerina, and, and one of the things that I often talk about is how, yeah, it prepares you for really high-stakes environments where you're gonna go in, and honestly, it doesn't really matter what kind of day you've had, what you, what's going on in your life. You're there to perform, so you have to learn to show up poised and in command and with confidence that may or may not actually exist. [00:20:56] Anastasia Mironova: Yes, definitely. Definitely. Yeah. Yeah, you have to compartmentalize it all. And even if you make a mistake, which is inevitably that does happen on stage when people are watching and all eyes are on you, and there, lo and behold, you tripped on a note or it didn't land quite there, and you just have to keep going. And I think that that skill is tremendous in leadership. [00:21:25] Lindsey Dinneen: Yeah, could not agree more. Okay, so you mentioned when you were first telling us a little bit about your story that there was a moment that kind of really made you fall in love with the industry or, or helped you feel fairly passionate about it, and I was just wondering, I always love learning what, what is a moment or a couple of moments that stand out to you as just affirming, "Wow, I am in the right place at the right time"? [00:21:50] Anastasia Mironova: Yeah, it's, it's a little bit of an emotional story, but I started my career in medtech in a external defibrillation category, which in simple terms, at the time, it wasn't something that was mandatory in schools, stadiums, airports, planes, you know, all these things were now are equipped with a little portable defibrillator wasn't the case. The laws haven't yet been passed, and so we were pretty early days, and we had to fight oftentimes very hard to get one of these into, say, schools. And so one of our team mem- members on the sales side did that, and later on, I met a six-year-old boy with his mom who survived sudden cardiac arrest in the school that we were able to fight and place the AED in because he collapsed with sudden cardiac arrest. And so we, we brought him to, to our company, and this little human was on stage, you know, alive because so many people carried that part, right? And I just get emotional just talking about it. That was my moment. It was really early on, and I literally just committed to it and never looked back. And I'm so happy that he was there , and then we met many more, you know, throughout the years, but that was my pivotal moment for sure. [00:23:10] Lindsey Dinneen: Oh, that's such a beautiful story. Thank you for sharing that. I, yeah, that, yeah. I can see why that would get you every time because what an amazing, what an amazing thing to get to... 'Cause, you know, you, you know you're in a good industry doing good things, but when you get to see the impact on a patient, and a little human and to top it all off, oh my gosh, that's, that's beautiful. Yeah. [00:23:34] Anastasia Mironova: Thank you. Kids, right? And, and, and I've met a few patients since then that have been positively impacted, adults, various ages. And again, it just-- it's such a reminder every time. Even when I now work with my clients and I, you know, would talk to them about whatever their challenges are and work through that, most all of them share that and tell me, " Yesterday I was reminded, you know, because I met-- I went to the hospital, and I met, you know, some, some patients." It's unbelievable. Purpose. [00:24:05] Lindsey Dinneen: Yeah, exactly. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, absolutely. Well, okay, pivoting the conversation a little bit just for fun, and based on a previous answer, now I'm, I'm wondering if this will be similar, but imagine that you were to be offered a million dollars to teach a master class on anything you want. Could be within your industry, it doesn't have to be. What would you choose to teach? [00:24:28] Anastasia Mironova: I would choose, I would choose to teach two things. One would be how to not fall apart under pressure, for sure. I would teach that in a heartbeat because I feel like there's just so much to it, and it's fun. It's actually fun. It's very, very learnable, and contrary to people's belief, anybody can learn that. So I would totally teach that. And I would teach it, believe it or not, how to tailor your message. The marketeer in me is still very much alive. I would teach about you can take this one thing that you really need to deliver and deliver it 16 different ways, and this is the one or two ways that it's going to get it landed, whether it's your investor pitch, your initiatives, your budget, your people, whatever you need. There's so much power in that, in tailoring it to the audience, and I have fun doing that, so I would probably teach those two things. [00:25:27] Lindsey Dinneen: I love that. That's awesome. Okay, and then how do you wish to be remembered after you leave this world? [00:25:33] Anastasia Mironova: That's a weighty question. Probably in two ways. For me, my most important values are my family, if you haven't guessed that already. So I would want to be remembered that I've spent a lot of really good special moments with my daughter and with my family because I feel like that's, that's what matters at the end of the day. And I would like for all the people whose lives I touch today and throughout my career leave with feeling more clarity, lighter, and just more uplifted after talking to me, and so that I leave them better off than when we started because that's, that's the legacy I want to create. I do believe both leadership as well as our personal life are comprised of those hundreds of very small moments, and that's how I would like to be remembered probably. [00:26:26] Lindsey Dinneen: Yes, I, I love that. I-- that's a beautiful legacy, yeah. All right, and then final question: What is one thing that makes you smile every time you see or think about it? [00:26:40] Anastasia Mironova: My daughter's paintings, hands down. So I have a, an artist in the house, which I, I'm not artistically inclined from, from, from a painting perspective. Music, right, not painting. And she paints a lot, and so every time I see something being created, whether it's silly or serious, whatever she- her, her mood is at, it just makes me smile. So it's my, it's my instant instant smile of the day. [00:27:04] Lindsey Dinneen: Oh, I love that. Yes, I, I love art in general, and very much share the same, you know, idea that there's so much that you can take from what you learn from the discipline of, of being in the arts to where you go in the future. But anyway, that's so much fun to hear, so thank you for sharing. And just in general, thank you so much for being here today. I really appreciate it. We are so honored to be making a donation on your behalf as a thank you for your time today to Save the Children, which works to end the cycle of poverty by ensuring communities have the resources to provide children with a healthy, educational, and safe environment. So thank you so much for choosing that charity to support. I, I loved hearing your stories and your advice, and I appreciate how you're helping the next generation of leaders to succeed. This is such an important industry, and we want people to be successful, so thank you for the work you're doing to change lives for a better world. [00:28:05] Anastasia Mironova: Oh, thank you, Linds. Thank you for having me. I am really honored. You bring such wonderful guests always, that I look forward to your next episodes as well. Thank you very much for having me. I had so much fun talking to you. [00:28:16] Lindsey Dinneen: Awesome. Good. Well, thank you, and until next time. [00:28:20] Dan Purvis: The Leading Difference is brought to you by Velentium Medical. Velentium Medical is a full service CDMO, serving medtech clients worldwide to securely design, manufacture, and test class two and class three medical devices. Velentium Medical's four units include research and development-- pairing electronic and mechanical design, embedded firmware, mobile app development, and cloud systems with the human factor studies and systems engineering necessary to streamline medical device regulatory approval; contract manufacturing-- building medical products at the prototype, clinical, and commercial levels in the US, as well as in low cost regions in 1345 certified and FDA registered Class VII clean rooms; cybersecurity-- generating the 12 cybersecurity design artifacts required for FDA submission; and automated test systems, assuring that every device produced is exactly the same as the device that was approved. Visit VelentiumMedical.com to explore how we can work together to change lives for a better world.

Free Man Beyond the Wall
The J. Otto Pohl ‘Stalin' Episodes

Free Man Beyond the Wall

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 22, 2026 112:13 Transcription Available


1 Hour and 52 MinutesPG-13Dr. J. Otto Pohl received his PhD in History from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. He has taught at the American University Iraq Sulaimani, University of Ghana, and American University of Central Asia. He is the author of Ethnic Cleansing in the USSR, 1937–1949 (Greenwood, 1999), The Stalinist Penal System (McFarland & Co., 1997), and The Years of Great Silence The Deportation, Special Settlement, and Mobilization into the Labor Army of Ethnic Germans in the USSR, 1941–1955 (Columbia University Press, 2022). His articles have appeared in, among other journals, The Russian Review, Journal of Genocide Research, Human Rights Review, and Studies in Ethnicity and Nationalism.This is a combination of two episodes:Episode 1062: Who Was the Most Persecuted Group Under the Soviet Regime? w/ J. Otto PohlEpisode 1166: An Overview of the Soviet Regime Pre- and Post-War w/ J. Otto PohlThe Years of Great SilenceDr. Pohl's SubstackDr. Pohl's PatreonDr. Pohl's TwitterPete and Thomas777 'At the Movies'Support Pete on His WebsitePete's PatreonPete's Substack Pete's SubscribestarPete's GUMROADPete's VenmoPete's Buy Me a CoffeePete on FacebookPete on TwitterBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-pete-quinones-show--6071361/support.

The Eden Podcast with Bruce C. E. Fleming
Making the Good News Better in the 10/40 Window with Leslie and Chad Segraves

The Eden Podcast with Bruce C. E. Fleming

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 19, 2026 26:15


In Asia she was asked, "Is there a difference in what your GOD believes about the STATUS OF WOMEN and what the CHRISTIANS practice?" Good News? There were many conversions in Central Asia after EVANGELISM became possible 30 years ago. Bad News? Sadly, the new believers were taught a HIERARCHICAL message as well. Dr. Leslie and Dr. Chad Segraves are bringing a NEW WAVE OF GOOD NEWS of unity in the Body of Christ. Their focus is on countries in the 10/40 window.  These two missiologists co-founded and co-direct the 10/40 Connections Ministry. Their website is https://www.1040connections.org/ The Tru316 Foundation (www.Tru316.com) is the home of The Eden Podcast with Bruce C. E. Fleming where we “true” the verse of Genesis 3:16. The Tru316 Message is that “God didn't curse Eve (or Adam) or limit woman in any way.” Once Genesis 3:16 is made clear the other passages on women and men become clear too. You are encouraged to access the episodes of Seasons 1-11 of The Eden Podcast for teaching on the seven key passages on women and men. Are you a reader? We invite you to get from Amazon the four books by Bruce C. E. Fleming in The Eden Book Series (Tru316.com/trubooks). Would you like to support the work of the Tru316 Foundation? You can become a Tru Partner here: www.Tru316.com/partner

The John Batchelor Show
S8 Ep1123: Headline: Roman Stability, the Horse, and the Fragility of Empires Guest: Professor Peter Frankopan Book Title: The Earth Transformed: An Untold History During the Roman Warm Period, Rome benefited from nearly 300 years of environmental stabili

The John Batchelor Show

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 13, 2026 12:20


Headline: Roman Stability, the Horse, and the Fragility of Empires Guest: Professor Peter Frankopan Book Title:The Earth Transformed: An Untold History During the Roman Warm Period, Rome benefited from nearly 300 years of environmental stability, which Frankopan characterizes as "getting lucky." This period of low volcanic activity allowed for predictable budgets, institutional growth, and the city's transformation from brick to marble. However, the narrative shifts to the "magical" role of the horse in Central Asia. Frankopan describes horses as sacred animals and military assets that allowed humans to cover vast distances, ultimately enabling the Huns to dismantle the Roman infrastructure. He emphasizes that large, specialized empires are often brittle; a single failure in trade or water systems can lead to a "doom spiral" of famine and disease. Modern cities like Dubai, with only 24 hours of water reserves, mirror the fragilities of ancient Uruk or Nineveh. Finally, Frankopan reflects on biblical stories, like the Garden of Eden and the flood, as early lessons on the need for humans to live sustainably within a potentially hostile environment. (3)1930 CALDWELL IDAHO DUSTBOWL

Ending Human Trafficking Podcast
375: Is It Ever Ethical to Photograph a Trafficking Survivor?

Ending Human Trafficking Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 13, 2026 44:35


Nina Alvarez joins Dr. Sandie Morgan to unpack a question raised after The New York Times published images from Figueroa Street: was legal consent enough to prevent harm? Together they explore the ethical duty of care journalists owe survivors, the lasting life of images, and why covering trafficking responsibly takes more than good intentions.Chapters(00:00) - Introduction: welcoming journalist Nina Alvarez (03:46) - What "ethical duty of care" means for journalists (06:00) - Consent, trauma, and the limits of a release form (16:42) - Why "rescue" is the wrong word for trafficking recovery (22:14) - What editors and organizations should ask before publishing (28:44) - Power, images, and protecting sources long after publication (38:03) - Media narratives, public misunderstanding, and what needs to change (43:14) - Closing thoughts and how to get involved About Nina AlvarezNina Alvarez is a journalist, documentarian, video photographer, and the CBS Assistant Professor of International Journalism at Columbia Journalism School. She has spent more than twenty-five years reporting breaking news, feature stories, radio reports, broadcast segments, and long-form documentaries around the world.Alvarez began her career at ABC News, working on the documentary series Turning Point before covering the southeast U.S. and Latin America from ABC's Miami Bureau and helping establish the network's Mexico City Bureau in 1997. Her work has aired on World News Tonight with Peter Jennings, Good Morning America, Nightline, and 20/20, earning three national Emmy Awards.Since 2001, she has reported and produced for Univision, NBC, CNN, NPR, MTV News, and Al Jazeera, with work spanning the Middle East, Africa, Central Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean. She produced, directed, and photographed Very Young Girls, a Showtime documentary following New York City girls who had been sexually exploited and trafficked domestically, and was a producer on the Oscar-nominated Which Way Home.Key Points• Nina Alvarez explains that the ethical duty of care means weighing the lasting impact a story will have on the person in it, since a published story is permanent and the subject may not fully grasp what that means when they agree to participate.• Consent is not the same as a signed release form; Alvarez describes consent as an ongoing process that journalists have to revisit before, during, and after a story is published.• Alvarez points out that turning 18 makes someone legally able to consent, but it doesn't erase the effects of years of trauma, so journalists still have to weigh whether a survivor's "yes" is solid.• Morgan and Alvarez agree that "rescue" is the wrong frame for trafficking recovery, since most survivors leave and return to their situations multiple times before they're fully out.• Alvarez explains that rescue-centered narratives draw more funding and legislative attention toward policing, while recovery-centered approaches that give survivors housing and health resources get less support.• Alvarez says editors should be asking why minors' first names and identifying details were included in a story at all, and whether a survivor understood that their words to police would end up published nationally.• Alvarez encourages organizations to set ground rules with journalists, including reviewing the story and images in advance, and warns that survivors who depend on an organization for access may feel pressure to say yes.• Alvarez reflects that Very Young Girls, made in 2007, didn't anticipate how permanently images would circulate online, and the women in that documentary now say they can never fully escape those images.Resources• Figueroa Street and the Ethical Duty of Care (Columbia Journalism Review)• Very Young Girls (documentary)• GEMS (Girls Educational and Mentoring Services)• Humanitarian Initiative Bridges• Columbia Journalism School

Russian Roulette
Ukraine's Dynamic Defense Sector: Combat Hubs, Air Defense, and Non-Stop Innovation

Russian Roulette

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 10, 2026 48:31


Investigative journalist Tim Mak, who has been stationed in Ukraine since 2022, joins Max and Maria for a discussion about life in Kyiv, the processes and challenges driving innovation in Ukraine's dynamic civilian defense combat hubs, and the impact of AI and information integration on the battlefield. Mentioned:  The Counteroffensive by Tim Mak, Substack  The Arsenal, Tim Mak  Build Back Ukraine, Tim Mak  Feedback? Suggestions? Ideas to help us improve? Email us at erep@csis.org.  If you love Russian Roulette, let us know by subscribing and leaving a review wherever you get your podcasts.   Listen to our sister podcast, covering all things Europe through a Washington lens: CSIS Podcasts | The Eurofile  

The Thinking Muslim
Can Muslims Still Live in France? | Marwan Muhammad

The Thinking Muslim

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 10, 2026 64:38


Help us expand our Muslim media project here: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/membershipDonate to our charity partner Baitulmaal here: http://btml.us/thinkingmuslimFrance is home to one of the largest Muslim populations in Europe. Yet for many Muslims, practising Islam has become increasingly difficult. From restrictions on religious expression to the growing influence of the far right, many are asking a question that would have seemed unthinkable a generation ago: is there still a future for Muslims in France?In this episode of The Thinking Muslim, Muhammad Jalal is joined by Marwan Muhammad, one of the most prominent voices on Islamophobia and civil rights in France. Together they examine how the French state views Islam, the reality of Muslim life under laïcité, the controversy surrounding the government's report on the Muslim Brotherhood, the targeting of Muslim women, and whether Muslims can organise politically to defend their rights.This is an essential conversation for anyone seeking to understand the changing relationship between France and its Muslim population.About Marwan Muhammad:Marwan Muhammad is a French-Egyptian author, statistician and human rights advocate. He is the former director of the Collective Against Islamophobia in France (CCIF) and has worked with the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) supporting Muslim communities across Europe, Central Asia and North America. He also led the first nationwide survey of Muslims in France and now works as a human rights consultant for international organisations.You can find Marwan Muhammad here:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marwan-muhammad-9049553b?utm_source=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=member_iosInsta: https://www.instagram.com/diplomathics/X: @Diplomathics Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MarwanMuhammadOfficiel/Become a member here: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/membershipOr give your one-off donation here: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/donateListen to the audio version of the podcast:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7vXiAjVFnhNI3T9Gkw636aApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-thinking-muslim/id1471798762Purchase our Thinking Muslim mug: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/merchFind us on: X: https://x.com/thinking_muslimLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-thinking-muslim/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Thinking-Muslim-Podcast-105790781361490Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thinkingmuslimpodcast/Telegram: https://t.me/thinkingmuslimBlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/thinkingmuslim.bsky.socialThreads: https://www.threads.com/@thinkingmuslimpodcastFind Muhammad Jalal here:X: https://twitter.com/jalalaynInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/jalalayns/Sign up to Muhammad Jalal's newsletter: https://jalalayn.substack.comWebsite Archive: https://www.thinkingmuslim.comDisclaimer: The views expressed in this video are those of the individual speaker(s) and do not represent the views of the host, producers, platform, or any affiliated organisation. This content is provided for lawful, informational, and analytical purposes only, and should not be taken as professional advice. Viewer discretion is advised. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Therapist Uncensored Podcast
Healing Through Spirituality, Writing, and Connection with Dr. Sabrina N’Diaye (304)

Therapist Uncensored Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 7, 2026 56:15


The therapy conversation we don’t have enough. Dr. Sabrina N’Diaye shares a holistic approach to healing that blends spirituality, therapy, ancestral wisdom, and community connection. Together, we explore the transformative power of writing, forgiveness, and intentional rituals, while discussing how self-love, collective healing, and honoring every emotion can help us reconnect with ourselves and move through trauma with greater compassion and resilience. “Each day, I commit to loving myself more deeply than the day before. And I’m loving the journey.” – Dr. Sabrina N’Diaye Time Stamps for Healing Through Spirituality, Writing, and Connection with Dr. Sabrina N’Diaye (304) 02:37 The significance of spirituality in therapy 05:16 The power of writing and journaling 07:48 Exploring ancestral connections 10:36 Lessons from Big Mama 13:14 Forgiveness as a path to healing 18:37 The role of imagery in therapeutic practice 21:14 Connecting with ancestors and spiritual figures 33:49 Exploring Genograms for healing 36:52 The body as a resource in healing 38:49 Challenging patriarchy and racism in therapy 45:22 The importance of community healing 51:11 Creating circles of connection About our Guest – Dr. Sabrina N’Diaye  Dr. Sabrina N’Diaye is a pioneering thought leader in integrating spirituality with psychotherapy. As an integrative therapist, storyteller, and peacebuilder, she blends ancient spiritual practices with the latest scientific research and wisdom to guide others on their healing journeys. She holds a PhD in Mind-Body Medicine from Saybrook University, where her research focused on the use of guided imagery as a healing tool for African-American women with chronic STIs. She is also the founder of The Heart Nest Center for Peace and Healing, where she lovingly serves women, couples, and small groups. A passionate storyteller, Dr. Sabrina is a strong advocate for the power of narrative in the healing process. She believes that sharing stories is a powerful tool for connecting with others and fostering community healing. This belief is central to her workshops and public speaking engagements, where she encourages participants to explore and share their own stories as pathways to personal and collective healing. Sabrina has taught trauma healing and self-care to healthcare professionals and community leaders around the globe, and spent 13 years as a Lead Clinician for community-wide trauma programs in the Middle East, Africa, Central Asia, and all over the U.S. In 2022, she co-launched Embracing Buffalo, a project specifically designed to address the aftermath of the May 14th massacre of African-Americans in East Buffalo. Dr. Sabrina is a highly-respected member of the treatment community, frequently lecturing on topics such as peacebuilding, spirituality, self-care for healers, imagery, writing, and the transformative power of connection. Her many audiences include police departments, correctional facilities, school systems, flight attendants, healing artists, peacebuilders, and aspiring writers. Her first book, Big Mama Speaks: Love Lessons from a Harlem River Swan, draws on her maternal grandmother's resilience in overcoming trauma and chronic illness. Dr. Sabrina is deeply passionate about mentoring other therapists in creating fulfilling careers while serving humanity. Resources for Healing Through Spirituality, Writing, and Connection with Dr. Sabrina N’Diaye (304) The Heart Nest Institute – Additional resources, information, programs, group opportunities, and more Big Mama Speaks: Love Lessons from a Harlem River Swan – Sabrina’s book, purchase your copy today! Psychotherapy Networker – Articles and other content from Sabrina Beyond Attachment Styles course is available NOW!   Learn how your nervous system, your mind, and your relationships work together in a fascinating dance, shaping who you are and how you connect with others. Online, Self-Paced, Asynchronous Learning with Quarterly Live Q&A’s! Earn 6 Continuing Education Credits – Available at Checkout As a listener of this podcast, use code BAS15 for a limited-time discount.       You are invited!  Join our exclusive community to get early access and discounts to things we produce, plus an ad-free, private feed. In addition, receive exclusive episodes recorded just for you. Sign up for our premium Neuronerd plan!! Click here!!  Get your copy of Secure Relating here!!