Best The Aspen Institute Podcasts (2025)

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On Location at the Aspen Institute Part 2: Redesigning Leadership 41:49

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21d ago41:49

41:49

We’re back with part 2 of our peek behind the curtain of the 2025 Aspen Business & Society Summit. And this time we are asking the big question. In a period of global turmoil, does leadership need a redesign? It’s clear that today’s leaders- whether of a business, a government or a family- require an unprecedented level of courage, vision and integ…

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Nordic Art & Contemporary Perspectives at the ARKEN MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART - Highlights 12:25

6d ago12:25

12:25

“This awe that I feel every time I meet an artist who has the courage to deal with what it means to be in the world as a human being and to tackle it from different ways and through different media. I always feel that through the collaborations I have with artists, I learn a little bit more about the world, myself, my feelings or emotions, and how …

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The Future of Museums with MARIE NIPPER, Director of ARKEN MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART 1:09:12

6d ago1:09:12

1:09:12

“We don't need to find an end solution, but it's a space where we can speculate, imagine, and practice our foresight. We can be part of a bigger imagination together with an institutional framework, which is really what we try to motivate as well when we communicate these exhibitions to our audience and speak with our guests about these works. We c…

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The “I AM an Object Lesson” Edition 1:13:04

5d ago1:13:04

1:13:04

This week, Scott sat down with Senior Editors Kate Klonick and Eric Columbus to talk through the week’s big national security news stories, including: “An Un-Airing of Grievances.” Since the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, some supporters of his—including several figures within the Trump administration—have actively sought to h…

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Love as a Business and Change Strategy with Mohammad Anwar of Softway 49:00

5d ago49:00

49:00

We told you in the last episode about the new revised and expanded edition of our CEO, Bob Chapman’s book, Everybody Matters: The Extraordinary Power of Caring for Your People Like Family, which will be out Oct 21. Learn more about it at everybodymattersbook.com. If you read the original version, you know it’s a story of transformation. It’s about …

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From Scroll to Soul: Building Tech That Matters IRL 56:01

6d ago56:01

56:01

Many technology companies infamously measure their success based on how long someone spends in their app. That amount of screen time may or may not be good for a person’s wellbeing, but executives don’t see that as their problem. Not all CEOs have fallen into that trap, though. Bill Ready, the head of Pinterest, and Justin McLeod, who runs the dati…

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Art is a Fundamental Element of Life - Gallerist HANNAH BARRY on a Life in Art 34:58

10d ago34:58

34:58

“There's something fundamental about the value of art and culture. Not just being integrated for vocational reasons, but because the experience of art and having a cultural element in one's life brings enjoyment, learning, relief, or any of the many experiences and feelings that art provides. I think this is quite fundamental as an element of life.…

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The “Ten Years, Still Off-Key” Edition 1:46:52

13d ago1:46:52

1:46:52

For this week's very special episode on Rational Security's 10th anniversary, Scott sat down with a slew of co-hosts emeritus, each of whom brought their own topic to discuss. Shane Harris flagged the connections between online radicalization and the young men behind many recent public acts of gun violence, including the alleged perpetrator of the …

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The Dire Wolf and the Science of Reversing Extinction 24:33

13d ago24:33

24:33

Colossal Biosciences has grand ambitions to bring back extinct species like the woolly mammoth and the dodo. But while it’s still working on those, Colossal surprised the world by announcing in April that it had created three white animals it says are dire wolves — a canine that lived in the Americas and is thought to have been slightly larger than…

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Bob Chapman & Raj Sisodia Discuss the 10th Anniversary Revised and Expanded Edition of Everybody Matters 46:08

13d ago46:08

46:08

If you’re a regular listener of this podcast, you’ve probably heard of Bob Chapman and Raj Sisodia’s book, Everybody Matters: The Extraordinary Power of Treating Your People Like Family. Well, I’m pleased to be able to finally tell this audience that a revised and expanded version of this seminal book will be released Oct. 21. It has 75 extra pages…

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The “Trump Ruined My Dinner” Edition 1:10:03

19d ago1:10:03

1:10:03

This week, Scott sat down with his Lawfare colleagues Benjamin Wittes and Natalie Orpett, and Professor of Law at Cardozo Law School Rebecca Ingber, to talk through the week’s big national security news, including: “Uninvited Aerial Vehicles.” The Polish government is claiming that nineteen armed Russian UAVs penetrated its airspace last night. Whi…

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The Great Rewiring of Childhood — And How We Reverse It 56:35

20d ago56:35

56:35

Raising our kids with access to touchscreens and technology at almost all hours of the day is an untested experiment with unknown results. But by many measures, it isn’t going well. For several years, social psychologist Jonathan Haidt has been collecting and analyzing the data on young people, social media and smartphones. He’s found some deeply t…

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Dr. Thomas W. Taylor - Superintendent of Montgomery County Public Schools, Maryland 34:45

22d ago34:45

34:45

Dr. Thomas W. Taylor is superintendent of Montgomery County Public Schools, where he oversees 211 schools with more than 160,000 students and 25,000 staff, in the 15th largest school system in the nation. He began his tenure on July 1, 2024. Dr. Taylor has more than 25 years of experience as an educator, with more than 12 years in district level le…

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Socioeconomics, Biodiversity, and Birdsong Beats, with Diego Ellis Soto 42:23

27d ago42:23

42:23

For this episode of BioScience Talks, we're joined by Diego Ellis Soto, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California, Berkeley, and a research scientist at the California Academy of Science. He's an ecologist working at the intersection of technology, conservation, policy, and environmental justice. And there's even some music in the m…

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Unleash Your Team w/ Chapman & Co. Leadership Institute 29:51

27d ago29:51

29:51

BW CEO Bob Chapman often tells a story about meeting Steve Jones, who was formerly a high school football coach at Kimberly High School in Kimberly, WI. Steve led his teams to five consecutive state titles from 2013-2017 with an incredible run of 70 consecutive victories, a Wisconsin state record. With those impressive credentials, Bob asked Steve …

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How Could School Choice Change Education? 1:01:13

27d ago1:01:13

1:01:13

A push to expand publicly-funded school choice programs across the country is gaining steam. In only three decades, the practice has grown dramatically and President Trump is supportive of the idea. But what effect do school choice policies have on the K-12 education system as a whole? And where do charter schools fit in this debate? In this discus…

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The “Master of the House” Edition 1:20:17

27d ago1:20:17

1:20:17

This week, Scott sat down with his Lawfare colleagues Anna Bower, Tyler McBrien, and Peter Harrell to talk through the week’s big national security news stories, including: “Faginomics.” With the recent announcement that the U.S. government would be taking a 10% stake in the company Intel, the Trump administration has ushered in a new era of state-…

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The “Room Raider” Edition 1:18:50

1M ago1:18:50

1:18:50

This week, Scott sat down with old and new Lawfare colleagues—Benjamin Wittes, Renée DiResta, and Michael Feinberg—to talk through the week’s big national security news stories, including: “An Old Fashioned Anti Raid.” Former Trump National Security Advisor (turned Trump critic) John Bolton got a rude awakening this past week when the FBI conducted…

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Signals, Shocks, Shifts and the State of the Economy 45:09

1M ago45:09

45:09

Major forces shaping the U.S. economy are already causing ripple effects across the globe. To say it’s a time of economic uncertainty and transformation may be an understatement. America could see the biggest tariff shock in nearly a century and immigration policy is affecting the labor market. In addition, the Tax Act, or One Big Beautiful Bill, c…

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Art Without Borders - RAJIV MENON'S Vision for South Asian Art 46:31

1M ago46:31

46:31

“I want people to understand South Asian art as broader than a single gallery or a single artist, but as a larger cultural movement. I want people to encounter art in all parts of their lives, and I’m constantly thinking about new ways to achieve that. I was very aware, as someone launching a South Asia-focused gallery, that this was the cultural d…

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The Changing Landscape of Leadership w/ Jane Adshead-Grant 26:02

1M ago26:02

26:02

Our friend Jane Adshead-Grant says this is key in furthering our hope to build a better world: "As we begin to share the message of what it means to be a Truly Human Leader, to take the responsibility of leadership and be this great steward of people who have been entrusted to us… What I see, time and time again is that there are few role models th…

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How America Recovers 52:43

1M ago52:43

52:43

Regardless of one’s politics, most would agree that America is going through a difficult time. Our rifts seem overwhelmingly deep, and it’s not clear how to repair them. New York Times columnist and writer David Brooks has had his idea of what America is supposed to be and stand for upended in recent years. But he also isn’t giving up. In his 20th …

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The “Whole Etsy Store of Horrors” Edition 1:26:11

1M ago1:26:11

1:26:11

This week, Scott sat down with his colleagues Anna Bower, Chris Mirasola, and Mykhailo Soldatenko to talk through the week’s big national security news, including: “Wings and a Prayer.” The Ukraine conflict has been the subject of intense shuttle diplomacy over the past week, as President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin flew to a meeting…

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On Location at the Aspen Institute Part 1: Diving Into Disruption 35:40

1M ago35:40

35:40

Every summer, the Aspen Institute’s Business and Society Program’s annual summit gathers 200+ leaders from the worlds of business, science, government, design, and the arts at the Institute's Colorado campus. They convene for three days of panels, spontaneous conversations and knowledge sharing- all driven by a shared belief that business can shape…

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The “Business Casual August” Edition 1:16:30

2M ago1:16:30

1:16:30

This week, a rejuvenated Scott returned from vacation to sit down with his Lawfare colleagues Benjamin Wittes, Daniel Byman, and Kate Klonick to talk through some of the week’s big national security news, including: “Occupational Hazards.” The Israeli government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stated its intent to occupy Gaza City, the…

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Assessing the New World Order 56:45

2M ago56:45

56:45

The United States is in a pivotal foreign policy moment. What can a zoomed-out view of the current world order tell us about where things are going? Several foreign policy experts come together on stage at the Aspen Ideas Festival for a discussion on the state of the world order. David Petraeus is a former CIA director and Army general, Susan Rice …

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Looking at the Future Leader w/ Jacob Morgan 44:36

2M ago44:36

44:36

There is a hunger for a new kind of leadership. Throughout business and organizations, people continue to be taught to be managers, not leaders. They make sure everyone is in their seat on time, they take headcount for the day, they check off the boxes of daily tasks. But this is changing. As the evidence of the success of caring organizations beco…

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Justice Under Pressure 53:41

2M ago53:41

53:41

The mission of the U.S. Department of Justice has been tested over the past few months, as the Trump administration has thrust the agency into the center of several politicized debates. In the current atmosphere, can the DOJ fulfill its job of keeping our country safe and upholding civil rights? Former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, who served …

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iNaturalist and Biodiversity Research, with Brittany Mason and Corey Callaghan 21:46

2M ago21:46

21:46

For this episode of BioScience Talks, we're joined by two guests, Brittany Mason, a Data Management Analyst at the University of Florida, and Corey Callaghan, Assistant Professor at the University of Florida in the Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation. They were here to discuss their recent BioScience article, iNaturalist Accelerates Bio…

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Special Episode: Ellen McGirt Opens the Curiosity Playbook on Say More with Tulaine Montgomery 41:03

2M ago41:03

41:03

Instead of our usual episode, we're excited to share a podcast we think you'll love: Say More with Tulaine Montgomery. In her podcast, Tulaine speaks with people who are deeply committed to making the world a better place, while also taking care of themselves and supporting their communities. In this episode, she puts DB|BD host Ellen McGirt on the…

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AI, UFOs, Perception & Reality with Artist, Geographer, Author TREVOR PAGLEN - Highlights 14:14

2M ago14:14

14:14

“If we look at the entire history of the human experience, if you saw some text or you heard some spoken language, you could 100 percent reliably infer that there was a human who created that. Our experience of having that text or that image generated for us is very akin to the experience of a magic trick, and we sort of pre-subconsciously want to …