Christofer Lövgren calls himself the irrevocably curious dickhead. Born and raised in Sweden, he grew up playing with Legos, Gameboy and Trading Cards. When he was 5 he picked up the guitar from his granddad and fell in love with it. He only gave it up at age 19, when his workout addiction led to extreme pain in his hands and forearms making guitar-playing impossible. Luckily he’s now again at a place where he can play guitar and is even playing with a band. Christofer is someone who loves conversations. He told me that exploring the outer world doesn’t interest him much, because he is so fascinated by his own and others’ inner worlds, which he can tap into through conversations. One of the places he does this is on his podcast, Do Explain, which he started 2 years ago to explore the work of David Deutsch and Critical Rationalism more broadly. At school, Christofer loved maths when he had fun textbooks until 6th Grade. At that point the serious textbooks with fewer interesting pictures and colours, and a separate book for doing the work made him lose interest. He now says that anyone having fun is learning, even if just on an inexplicit level. While we also talked about serious and difficult topics related to mental and physical health, at the end, we had a lot of fun recording this episode and you will hear us laughing a lot. And at the end that encapsulates Christofer’s personality completely for me. He is deep, and a great conversationalist for serious topics, but he will always make it fun as well.

Kai Christen was a shy, sensitive child, who found school stressful. It’s something you might not see in him when you meet because he radiates confidence, extraversion and a sense of peace with himself. Kai was born and grew up in Aargau, Switzerland. In high-school he intentionally tried to be cooler but never felt successful at it. At age 16 he discovered personal development through Dale Carnegie and thought “I don’t have to be broken any longer”. Now he doesn’t like that framing anywhere and laughs about the idea of being broken. But pursuing personal development was one of the most important drivers in his life. When Kai went to university he felt like he fit in a lot more. But he still describes himself as a bad student who didn’t pay attention in class, and was more interested in partying. He always found school unengaging and now that he teaches at universities himself thinks hard about how to make class interesting for his students. I met Kai in 2014 when he was working on his first personal development conference and we quickly became friends and business partners running two conferences together. This conversation was recorded in December 2018 and is finally seeing the light of day. Today Kai runs personal leadership modules at universities around Switzerland, and generally follows his curiosity and passion on new business ventures.

Tinashe Mashungu talks about his passion for igniting an economic renaissance in Africa and recognising how your contributions fit into the big picture. Key takeaways: Tinashe’s boarding school experience began the formation of his character He studied mathematics, physics and computer science He changed his major at Reed College to study economics At the World Economic Forum, Tinashe showcased his work and began focusing on bigger issues He wants to democratize energy provision in Africa

Communications professional Laura Curau talks about her passion for helping others, learning to ask for help, and her journey to finding her balance. On today’s podcast: Laura’s family were her role models Her political activity began in her teenage years She excelled academically but struggled socially in school Traveling with Up With People was life changing and inspiring Dealing with burnout at work Learning to ask for help

South African manager Bongiwe Beja talks about overcoming heartbreak, picking up the pieces of her life, and her quest to become an influential African leader. Key takeaways: The strong, positive influence of Bongiwe’s sister How her love of music, drama and math were born Her first life-changing experience Studying finance and entrepreneurship at university Her dramatic marriage and having to raise her daughter on her own Her drive to become an African leader

Chinese filmmaker Yushan Chen talks about her constant search for the truth. Key takeaways: Her earliest memory and her first rebellion Her tough years within the Chinese educational system Falling in love and discovering rock and metal music Studying journalism at university and being disappointed with the career prospects in China Dealing with depression The path that led her to filmmaking

Business monk Varun Venugopal Gupta talks about losing and regaining his confidence, searching for his role in life and making his own luck in spite of difficulties. Key takeaways: Being raised very independent His adventurous first day at school Studying 12-13 hours every day from age 14 to 16 His first failure, stammering and not being able to fit in How a leadership seminar gave him his confidence back Co-founding a social enterprise focused on employability

Science writer and public speaker Gemma Milne discusses her desire to help people develop critical thinking, and her struggles to find meaningful work. Key takeaways: Her earliest memories and her fondness for maths Wanting to be an dolphin trainer as a child and later an astronaut Dealing with rejection and overcoming complacency Being bullied for being intelligent and taking revenge by attending Space School Her disappointment with Ogilvy Transitioning to science writing and starting to write a book Twitter: @gemmamilne

Business analyst Mosidi Modise talks about her efforts to create positive change in South Africa by reminding people of the great value of empathy. Key takeaways: Running a guesthouse, studying marketing and then doing an MBA in entrepreneurship Moving to Cape Town and working at Allan Gray Joining the Global Shapers hub and helping marginalised communities Helping create awareness around sexual harassment in South Africa Her efforts to help reduce violence and homelessness For more info visit joshlevent.com/podcast

Filmmaker and entrepreneur Francis Rafal shares his journey so far, and what he has learned about failure after having founded three businesses. Key takeaways: - Entrepreneurial from a young age - Shooting his first video, attending civil service and going to Train the Trainer - Studying physics and launching his first company - First real trouble: going almost bankrupt - Receiving support from his network and founding two more businesses - Working to make the world less polarized Francis Rafal - http://www.francisrafal.com/ For more info visit joshlevent.com/podcast

The podcast for people who want the world to slow down and become more human. Josh Levent creates a space for empathetic connections to people on the other side of the planet through biographical interviews of ordinary people. Take a moment to catch your breath, hit pause on life and curl up on a sofa with Humans in your earbuds. We all need to take a moment to nurture our inner child, heal our wounds and enjoy the real-life stories of others. With his break-out podcast, Josh creates a Gezelligheid (sense of cozy togetherness) for all of us. If you’ve ever felt a sense of sonder (the sudden realisation that every stranger has a life as complex as your own) you’ll find that Humans makes you feel less alone. For more information visit joshlevent.com