Depending on where you get your news, 2024 probably sounded like a complete disaster. And while a lot of terrible things happened, not everything that happened in the world was terrible. From breakthrough treatments for HIV and obesity, to the rise in global happiness and the decline in deforestation in the Amazon – there were a lot of bright glimmers of progress that you just didn’t hear about.  

Go to our website to read the full list of our 86 Stories of Progress from 2024.

Other topics discussed: our word of the year (hint – it’s not "brain rot"); the surprising news about global reproductive rights; the good news for obesity; how 90 million kids got fed at school; the medical breakthrough of 2024; LGBTQ+ victories in Thailand & Greece; China’s 3000 kilometre green wall; the hidden stories of hope in Gaza and Ukraine; why 2025 is going to be a big year in the Amazon; how the clean energy transition is fuelling hope for future; the biggest environmental story of the year; incredible wins for animals; and why stories of progress matter now more than ever.

This podcast is hosted by Angus Hervey and Amy Davoren-Rose from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Fix The News⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Audio sweeting by Anthony Badolato at Ai3 – audio and voice.

Meet Steven Pinker, a cognitive psychologist and public intellectual who is one of the world’s greatest thinkers on the topic of progress. He is the author of 12 books, including ‘Better Angels of Our Nature,’ which played a key role in the origin story of Fix The News. After five years of email correspondence between Steven and Gus, this is their first face to face conversation. From progress to politics and the rise of tattoos, this episode offers a big dose of perspective about the current state of the world.

Other topics discussed: why longstanding peace never makes headlines; the best metrics for human progress; the decline of mental health in rich countries; the problem with word police; changes in social norms and how they happen; why today’s election in the US is better than 1968; the cognitive illusion perpetuated by mass media; how graphs and data can help change beliefs; designing better institutions to help drive more progress; two lessons that Steven learned the hard way; the power of reasonable hope.

This episode wraps up season three of this podcast. To celebrate, we’re offering new and existing subscribers a 30% discount on 12-month subscriptions to our weekly newsletter. If you want to make your inbox a more hopeful place: go to fixthenews.com and enter the code PINKER at checkout.

Find out more about Steven Pinker:

https://stevenpinker.com/

This podcast is hosted by Angus Hervey and Amy Davoren-Rose from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Fix The News⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Audio sweeting by Anthony Badolato at Ai3 – audio and voice.

Meet Peta & Marwa, two women from opposite sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict who are working together to create a shared and peaceful future for their families. Their sister organisations, Women Wage Peace and Women of the Sun, have received a joint Nobel Peace Prize nomination this year. This is a story of hope against all odds, and the bonds that unite mothers, regardless of background.

The intention of this conversation is to widen the lens of media coverage and to share a story from within this conflict, that you might not have heard.

To find out more:

https://www.womenwagepeace.org.il/en/

https://womensun.org/

Meet Kris Tompkins, a rewilding legend who, alongside herlate husband Doug, has helped protect over 14 million acres of biodiverse landscape across Chile and Argentina. This is a story of great love, great loss and what it takes to create a living legacy, against the headwinds of great odds. 

To find out more about Tompkins Conservation: www.tompkinsconservation.org

If you would like to contact us directly, send an email to:amy@fixthenews.com

This new chapter of stories begins August 9th, 2024. Please join us by subscribing to Hope Is A Verb where ever you listen to your podcasts.

It's no secret that the news media is in crisis: sweeping layoffs across newsrooms, consumer disengagement and stories of doom and destruction on loop 24/7. But what if we could fix it? In this bonus episode Angus Hervey chats about his mission to highlight stories of progress and to prove that another form of journalism is possible - one that not only informs us about the world, but inspires real hope for the future of our planet.

Find out more:

https://fixthenews.com/

This episode of Hope Is A Verb was hosted by Angus Hervey and Amy Davoren-Rose. The soundtrack for this podcast is "Rain" composed and performed by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠El Rey Miel ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠from their album "Sea the Sky." Audio Sweetening by Anthony Badolato- ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ai3 Audio and Voice⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Meet Yasmeen Lari, 'starchitect' turned humanitarian who in the wake of the 2022 floods in Pakistan, vowed to build one million zero-carbon, disaster-resistant homes for displaced families. It's an astounding feat and one that she is bringing to life, thanks to a zero-dollar, zero-charity model.

Find out more:

https://www.heritagefoundationpak.org/Hf

This episode of Hope Is A Verb was hosted by Angus Hervey and Amy Davoren-Rose. The soundtrack for this podcast is "Rain" composed and performed by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠El Rey Miel ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠from their album "Sea the Sky." Audio Sweetening by Anthony Badolato- ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ai3 Audio and Voice⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. You can contact us at: hope@futurecrunch.com.au

Meet 'Tino' Aucca Chutas, a biologist in Peru who has worked with communities across the Andes to plant almost 10 million trees to combat climate change. Reviving the practices of his Inca ancestors, he has secured local water supplies and empowered people to create change.

Find out more:

https://accion-andina.org/?doing_wp_cron=1706209982.1546800136566162109375

This episode of Hope Is A Verb was hosted by Angus Hervey and Amy Davoren-Rose. The soundtrack for this podcast is "Rain" composed and performed by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠El Rey Miel ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠from their album "Sea the Sky." Audio Sweetening by Anthony Badolato- ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ai3 Audio and Voice⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.You can contact us at: hope@futurecrunch.com.au

Meet Hannah Ritchie, a data scientist and author of Not the End of the World, a book that makes the radically hopeful argument that we may be on track to create true sustainability for the first time in history. This is data driven, qualified optimism at its best!

Find out more:

https://ourworldindata.org/

https://www.sustainabilitybynumbers.com/

(Photo credit: Angela Catlin)

This episode of Hope Is A Verb was hosted by Angus Hervey and Amy Davoren-Rose. The soundtrack for this podcast is "Rain" composed and performed by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠El Rey Miel ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠from their album "Sea the Sky." Audio Sweetening by Anthony Badolato- ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ai3 Audio and Voice⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.You can contact us at: hope@futurecrunch.com.au

Meet Eden Tadesse, a social entrepreneur and digital innovator from Ethiopia who created Invicta, a social impact platform that connects refugees and internally displaced youth with courses, skills training, and job opportunities online.

FIND OUT MORE:

https://invictaorg-2.web.app/

This episode of Hope Is A Verb was hosted by Angus Hervey and Amy Davoren-Rose. The soundtrack for this podcast is "Rain" composed and performed by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠El Rey Miel ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠from their album "Sea the Sky." Audio Sweetening by Anthony Badolato- ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ai3 Audio and Voice⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

You can contact us at: hope@futurecrunch.com.au

Meet Johannes Fritz, a maverick biologist and conservationist who is reintroducing the endangered Northern Bald Ibis across Europe. Using an ultralight aircraft, Johannes has taught the birds new migration routes to mitigate the impact of climate change. 

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT JOHANNES:

http://alt.waldrapp.eu/index.php/en/en-home

This episode of Hope Is A Verb was hosted by Angus Hervey and Amy Davoren-Rose. The soundtrack for this podcast is "Rain" composed and performed by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠El Rey Miel ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠from their album "Sea the Sky." Audio Sweetening by Anthony Badolato- ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ai3 Audio and Voice⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

You can contact us at: hope@futurecrunch.com.au

Meet Chesca Colloredo Mansfeld, a social entrepreneur who co-founded Miracle Feet: a low-cost, non-surgical treatment that has made an extraordinary impact on the lives of over 80,000 children born with clubfoot in low and middle income countries.

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT MIRACLE FEET:

https://www.miraclefeet.org/

https://www.instagram.com/miraclefeet/

This episode of Hope Is A Verb was hosted by Angus Hervey, cofounder of Future Crunch and Amy Davoren-Rose, creative director. The soundtrack for this podcast is "Rain" composed and performed by ⁠⁠⁠⁠El Rey Miel ⁠⁠⁠⁠from their upcoming album "Sea the Sky." Audio Sweetening by Anthony Badolato- ⁠⁠⁠⁠Ai3 Audio and Voice⁠⁠⁠⁠.

You can contact us at: hope@futurecrunch.com.au

Meet Ncazelo Ncube-Mlilo, a psychologist and narrativetherapist who uses a travelling caravan to bring mental health services to townships on the outskirts of Johannesburg. Tackling gender-based violence andhigh rates of youth depression, Ncazelo’s cutting edge methods for healing trauma are now being used across the globe.

We are proud to support Ncazelo’s organisation, ⁠Phola⁠,as one of our charity partners at ⁠Fix The News⁠.

Find out more about Ncazelo:

⁠https://phola.org⁠

⁠https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6IWbbuYVgw⁠

This podcast is hosted by Angus Hervey and Amy Davoren-Rose from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Fix The News⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Audio sweeting by Anthony Badolato at Ai3 – audio and voice.

Meet Ronni Abergel, founder of the Human Library Organisation where, instead of books, real people are on loan to readers. For over two decades, this global movement has created a safe space to talk openly about taboo topics. At Ronni’s library, a conversation with a refugee, a transgender or a bipolar person is equally possible, open, and informative.

Find out more about the Human Library:

https://humanlibrary.org/

https://www.instagram.com/humanlibraryorganization/

https://www.facebook.com/humanlibraryorg/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/human-library-organization

This episode of Hope Is A Verb was hosted by Angus Hervey, cofounder of Future Crunch and Amy Davoren-Rose, creative director. The soundtrack for this podcast is "Rain" composed and performed by ⁠⁠⁠El Rey Miel ⁠⁠⁠from their upcoming album "Sea the Sky." Audio Sweetening by Anthony Badolato- ⁠⁠⁠Ai3 Audio and Voice⁠⁠⁠.

You can contact us at: hope@futurecrunch.com.au

Meet Flora Vano, a climate activist who has rallied a female-led response to the climate crisis in Vanuatu. Fighting climate change with female empowerment, Flora has taken her mission to the global stage, including the recent COP28.

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT FLORA'S WORK:

help.actionaid.org.au/vanuatu

This episode of Hope Is A Verb was hosted by Angus Hervey, cofounder of Future Crunch and Amy Davoren-Rose, creative director. The soundtrack for this podcast is "Rain" composed and performed by ⁠⁠⁠El Rey Miel ⁠⁠⁠from their upcoming album "Sea the Sky." Audio Sweetening by Anthony Badolato- ⁠⁠⁠Ai3 Audio and Voice⁠⁠⁠.

You can contact us at: hope@futurecrunch.com.au

Meet Aidan Reilly, one of the cofounders of the Farmlink Project. In 2020, Aidan and his friends rented a U-haul with an idea to help their local food bank. Today, their 'one truck' mission has flourished into a movement, spanning the North American continent and delivering recovered food to people in need.

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT FARMLINK:

Website: https://www.farmlinkproject.org/

Movie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZYkyNHFb3I

This episode of Hope Is A Verb was hosted by Angus Hervey, cofounder of Future Crunch and Amy Davoren-Rose, creative director. The soundtrack for this podcast is "Rain" composed and performed by ⁠⁠El Rey Miel ⁠⁠from their upcoming album "Sea the Sky." Audio Sweetening by Anthony Badolato- ⁠⁠Ai3 Audio and Voice⁠⁠.

You can contact us at: hope@futurecrunch.com.au

Welcome back to Hope Is A Verb! This season we'll bring you a new chapter of stories from the people who are mending our planet and tending to some of our biggest global problems. Episodes will be released weekly from 8th December, 2023. Hosted by Angus Hervey and Amy Davoren-Rose.

To celebrate the end of our first season of this podcast, we're delighted to share this conversation with Rutger Bregman- the person who inspired this project. 

Rutger is a journalist, historian, and the author of Humankind: A Hopeful History, in which he challenges the assumption that people are inherently selfish and competitive. Instead, he argues that we are hard-wired for kindness and collaboration, and this is what has led to our flourishing as a species. 

In this conversation we dive into a range of topics from news cycles, to Rutger's next book and why the key to creating a better future starts with the belief that we're better than we think we are.

Find out more:

www.rutgerbregman.com/books

This episode of Hope Is A Verb was hosted by Angus Hervey, cofounder of Future Crunch and Amy Davoren-Rose, creative director.

The soundtrack for this podcast is "Rain" composed and performed by El Rey Miel from their upcoming album"Sea the Sky."

Audio Sweetening by Anthony Badolato- Ai3 Audio and Voice.

We would like to acknowledge that this podcast is recorded on the lands of the Gadigal, Wurundjeri and Woi Warring People. These conversations are inspired by our charity partners and our Humankind Project that celebrates the people who are stitching our world back together.

You can contact us at: hope@futurecrunch.com.au

Transcripts will be available on our website soon

Meet Bala Amarasekaran, an accountant turned conservationist who founded the Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary in Sierra Leone and empowered local communities to play their part in protecting native forests and wildlife.

In this conversation, Bala shares his extraordinary story about how a chance encounter with a baby Chimpanzee led to an epic conservation mission that’s spanned more than three decades, saved countless chimps and connected him with the legendary Dr Jane Goodall. This episode is a masterclass in what it takes to show up and answer a call to mend the planet- even if it’s not the path you planned for. 

Find Out More: 

Website:  www.tacugama.com

Instagram: @tacugama

Facebook: www.facebook.com/Tacugama

This episode of Hope Is A Verb was hosted by Angus Hervey, cofounder of Future Crunch and Amy Davoren-Rose, creative director. 

The soundtrack for this podcast is "Rain" composed and performed by ⁠⁠El Rey Miel ⁠⁠from their upcoming album "Sea the Sky."

Audio Sweetening by Anthony Badolato- ⁠⁠Ai3 Audio and Voice⁠⁠.

We would like to acknowledge that this podcast is recorded on the lands of the Gadigal, Wurundjeri and Woi Warring People. These conversations are inspired by our charity partners and our Humankind Project that celebrates the people who are stitching our world back together.

You can contact us at: hope@futurecrunch.com.au

Transcripts will be available on our website soon. 

Meet Christine Figgener, a marine biologist who sparked a global movement against single-use plastic when her YouTube video of a turtle having a straw removed from its nose went viral in 2015.  

In this conversation, Christine shares her journey from growing up in an industrial town in Germany to running conservation programs in Costa Rica, where she first fell in love with leatherback turtles over 17 years ago. Reflecting on the eight years since her video “accidentally” fuelled a global debate over ocean pollution, Christine talks us through transition from scientist to storyteller and activist, and what it takes to save a species on the brink of extinction and in the face of climate change.   

Find Out More:

 Website:  https://www.seaturtlebiologist.com/

Instagram: @seaturtlebiologist

"My Life with Sea Turtles : A Marine Biologist's Quest to Protect One of the Most Ancient Animals on Earth" will be released on May 21, 2024 by Greystone Books

This episode of Hope Is A Verb was hosted by Angus Hervey, cofounder of Future Crunch and Amy Davoren-Rose, creative director. 

The soundtrack for this podcast is "Rain" composed and performed by ⁠⁠El Rey Miel ⁠⁠from their upcoming album "Sea the Sky."

Audio Sweetening by Anthony Badolato- ⁠⁠Ai3 Audio and Voice⁠⁠.

We would like to acknowledge that this podcast is recorded on the lands of the Gadigal, Wurundjeri and Woi Warring People. These conversations are inspired by our charity partners and our Humankind Project that celebrates the people who are stitching our world back together.

You can contact us at: hope@futurecrunch.com.au

Transcripts will be available on our website soon. 

Meet Tarek Loubani, an emergency doctor who has created open-source, 3D printed medical supplies to solve critical shortages in war zones like Gaza and Ukraine. 

 In this conversation, Tarek shares his journey as a Palestinian refugee - the powerful moments that have shaped the trajectory of his life and inspired his mission to create high quality and open source medical hardware and make it accessible and affordable to those who need it most. Giving us a rare insight into the crisis zones we hear about in the news but rarely have access to on-the-ground stories, this episode is compelling, confronting and incredibly inspiring. 

For more information: 

Glia's website:
https://glia.org

Steth-of-hope:
https://glia.org/blogs/news/the-steth-of-hope-campaign-with-make-a-medic
Glia's Patreon, if you want to contribute in a durable way:
https://www.patreon.com/glia
Donation to Glia:
https://glia.org/collections/glia-donations
To volunteer or reach out to Glia:
https://glia.org/pages/contact

This episode of Hope Is A Verb was hosted by Angus Hervey, cofounder of Future Crunch and Amy Davoren-Rose, creative director. 

The soundtrack for this podcast is "Rain" composed and performed by ⁠El Rey Miel ⁠from their upcoming album "Sea the Sky."

Audio Sweetening by Anthony Badolato- ⁠Ai3 Audio and Voice⁠.

We would like to acknowledge that this podcast is recorded on the lands of the Gadigal, Wurundjeri and Woi Warring People. These conversations are inspired by our charity partners and our Humankind Project that celebrates the people who are stitching our world back together.

You can contact us at: hope@futurecrunch.com.au

Transcripts will be available on our website soon. 

Meet Wanjira Mathai, the Managing Director for Africa at the World Resources Institute who is empowering communities to restore landscapes and local economies through Restore Local, a project that is creating a new story for Africa one acre at a time.

In this inspiring conversation, Wanjira shares her story of growing up in Kenya and how she "basks in the light" of her mother, Wangari Maathai, the first African woman and environmentalist to win the Nobel Peace Prize for her work with the Green Belt Movement. This episode is about legacy, people power and the capacity we all have to change the narrative and heal our planet.

FIND OUT MORE:

2023 TED Talk: https://www.ted.com/talks/wanjira_mathai_the_tree_growing_movement_restoring_africa_s_vital_landscapes?language=en

Restore Local:

https://www.wri.org/initiatives/restore-local

AFR 100:

https://afr100.org/

The Audacious Project

https://www.audaciousproject.org/

Green Belt Movement

https://www.greenbeltmovement.org/

Twitter: @WanjiraMathai

This episode of Hope Is A Verb was hosted by Angus Hervey, cofounder of Future Crunch and Amy Davoren-Rose, creative director.

The soundtrack for this podcast is "Rain" composed and performed by El Rey Miel from their upcoming album

"Sea the Sky."

Audio Sweetening by Anthony Badolato- Ai3 Audio and Voice.

We would like to acknowledge that this podcast is recorded on the lands of the Gadigal, Wurundjeri and Woi Warring People. These conversations are inspired by our charity partners and our Humankind Project that celebrates the people who are stitching our world back together.

You can contact us at: hope@futurecrunch.com.au

Transcripts will be available on our website soon.

Meet Tony Rinaudo, an agronomist who has helped local communities in Niger reforest six million hectares of desert, without planting a single tree. It's one of the greatest environmental transformations on the planet that has led to the restoration of land, livelihoods and dignity.

In this conversation Tony shares his incredible journey from growing up in the Australian countryside to working in Niger during the famine of the 1980s, the moment of "divine intervention" that seeded the technique of Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration that has reshaped restoration efforts around the world. Tony will restore your hope, especially in the power of science, faith and nature to mend the world.

FIND OUT MORE:

https://fmnrhub.com.au/

FMNR | World Vision Australia

You can read Tony's autobiography "The Forest Underground" - all proceeds go towards supporting FMNR efforts globally.

We are proud to have featured Tony as one of our 100 Humankind Heroes and would like to thank our paying subscribers for making projects like this possible. If you're interested in supporting the work we do at Future Crunch, you can find out more at www.futurecrunch.com

This episode of "Hope Is A Verb" was hosted by Angus Hervey, cofounder of Future Crunch and Amy Davoren-Rose, the creative director. 

The soundtrack for this podcast is "Rain," composed and performed by El Rey Miel from their upcoming album "Sea the Sky." 

Audio sweetening by Anthony Badolato- Ai3 Audio and Voice. 

We would like to acknowledge that Hope Is A Verb is recorded on the lands of the Gadigal, Wurundjeri and Woi Wurrung People. These conversations are inspired by our charity partners and our Humankind Project that celebrates the people who are stitching our world back together.

You can contact us directly at hope@futurecrunch.com.au

Transcripts will be available on our website soon. 

Meet Sonia Vallabh, a lawyer turned scientist with one of the most compelling stories we have ever heard. In 2011, Sonia was diagnosed with prion disease, a rare and fatal genetic illness with no viable treatment. Against all odds, Sonia and her husband retrained as a patient–scientists and set out to cure the disease before Sonia misses her window. Thirteen years later, they've found a way to shut off enough genetic signals to halt the disease - and save hundreds of thousands of lives around the world.

Find out more:

https://www.ted.com/talks/sonia_vallabh_my_quest_to_cure_prion_disease_before_it_s_too_late?subtitle=en

https://www.broadinstitute.org/bios/sonia-vallabhThis podcast is hosted by Angus Hervey and Amy Davoren-Rose from ⁠⁠⁠⁠Fix The News⁠⁠⁠⁠. Audio sweeting by Anthony Badolato at Ai3 – audio and voice.

Meet Jessica Wade, an experimental physicist in London who has written 1,997 Wikipedia biographies for unrepresented female and minority scientists to encourage more diversity in STEM.

In this conversation, Jess chats about what inspired her to use Wikipedia as a platform for change and the power of a single entry to create global ripples. She shares her passion for combining science and engineering with the creative arts and why "celebrating" women is key to a more equitable future.

Find out more:

Twitter: @jesswade

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jess_Wade

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:WikiProject_Women_in_Red

We are proud to have featured Jess as one of our 100 Humankind Heroes and would like to thank our paying subscribers for making projects like this possible. If you're interested in supporting the work we do at Future Crunch, you can find out more at www.futurecrunch.com

This episode of "Hope Is A Verb" was hosted by Angus Hervey, cofounder of Future Crunch and Amy Davoren-Rose, the creative director.

The soundtrack for this podcast is "Rain," composed and performed by El Rey Miel from their upcoming album "Sea the Sky."

Audio sweetening by Anthony Badolato- Ai3 Audio and Voice.

We would like to acknowledge that Hope Is A Verb is recorded on the lands of the Gadigal, Wurundjeri and Woi Wurrung People. These conversations are inspired by our charity partners and our Humankind Project that celebrates the people who are stitching our world back together.

You can contact us directly at hope@futurecrunch.com.au

Transcripts will be available on our website soon.

Meet Felix Brooks Church, a social entrepreneur who co-invented a small machine known as a "dosifier," which adds lifesaving nutrients to the staple food of communities in southern Africa. Felix and his team at SANKU have installed over 800 machines in local mills and are on a mission to reach 100 million people by 2030.

In this conversation Felix shares his journey from rising gridiron star to inventor and how he dragged his machine across the borders of African countries to test it in local mills. He talks us through the impact of "hidden hunger" and the simple but powerful technology that could eventually end malnutrition, and the potential of fortified maize flour to create a more abundant future.

FIND OUT MORE:

www.sanku.com

www.facebook.com/SankuPHC/

https://www.instagram.com/sankuphc/

We are proud to have SANKU as a Future Crunch charity partner and we’d like to thank our paying newsletter subscribers for their ongoing support. We donate a third of our subscription fees to support under the radar charities that are helping people and the planet. If you’re interested in becoming a subscriber, you can find out more at www.futurecrunch.com

This episode of “Hope Is A Verb” was hosted by Angus Hervey, Co-Founder of Future Crunch and Amy Davoren-Rose, Creative Director of Future Crunch.

The soundtrack for this podcast is “Rain,” composed and performed by El Rey Miel from their upcoming album "Sea the Sky". Audio sweetening by Anthony Badolato- Ai3 Audio and Voice. 

Special thanks to Tane Hunter, Sarah Green, Lisa Taylor, and our wonderful subscribers to the Future Crunch newsletter for helping us to make this happen. 

We would like to acknowledge that HOPE IS A VERB is recorded on the lands of the Gadigal, Wurundjeri and Woi Wurrung People. These conversations are inspired by our charity partners and our Humankind Project that celebrates the people who are stitching our world back together. 

If you want to contact us, send an email at hope@futurecrunch.com.au

Transcriptions will be available on our website soon.

Meet Shabana Basij-Rasikh, the founder of SOLA, Afghanistan’s first and only boarding school for girls who evacuated and relocated the entire school community from Kabul to Rwanda during the Taliban takeover in 2021. Today, SOLA is the only place in the world where Afghan girls have access to a full education.

In this conversation, Shabana shares her memories of growing up under the first Taliban regime and the courage of her students and staff during the school’s emergency evacuation in 2021. She gives us a glimpse into daily life on the SOLA campus in Rwanda, her plans to empower and educate as many Afghan girls as she can and why we can’t turn away from the girls who remain in Afghanistan. 

FIND OUT MORE: 

⁠www.sola-afghanistan.org⁠

⁠https://www.facebook.com/sola.afghanistan⁠

⁠https://twitter.com/solaafghanistan⁠

⁠https://www.instagram.com/sola.afghanistan/⁠

We are proud to have SOLA as a Future Crunch charity partner and we’d like to thank our paying newsletter subscribers for their ongoing support. We donate a third of our subscription fees to support under the radar charities that are helping people and the planet. If you’re interested in becoming a subscriber, you can find out more at ⁠www.futurecrunch.com⁠

This episode of “Hope Is A Verb” was hosted by Angus Hervey, Co-Founder of Future Crunch and Amy Davoren-Rose, Creative Director of Future Crunch. 

The soundtrack for this podcast is “Rain,” composed and performed by ⁠El Rey Miel⁠ from their upcoming album "Sea the Sky". Audio sweetening by Anthony Badolato- Ai3 Audio and Voice. 

Special thanks to Tane Hunter, Sarah Green, Tim Green, Lisa Taylor, Teresa Bendzinski and our wonderful subscribers to the Future Crunch newsletter for helping us to make this happen. 

We would like to acknowledge that HOPE IS A VERB is recorded on the lands of the Gadigal, Wurundjeri and Woi Wurrung People. These conversations are inspired by our charity partners and our Humankind Project that celebrates the people who are stitching our world back together. 

If you want to contact us, send an email at hope@futurecrunch.com.au

Transcriptions will be available on our website soon. 

What does it take to change the world? 

It’s a question we started asking in August 2020 when we set out on a simple mission to find one human every week who was making the world a better place. After banking a hundred of these stories we realised the answer couldn’t be found in a video highlights reel or a glossy press release. 

If you want to know what it really takes for someone to change the world, you have to ask the people who are doing it. 

Over 8 episodes, Angus Hervey and Amy Davoren-Rose from Future Crunch hold conversations with some extraordinary humans who are repairing our broken planet and tending to the people on the frontline of global problems, who need our help the most.  We hope you can join us.

First episode released Friday 16th June. 

Music: “Rain” composed and performed by Will Tait.

Future Crunch is an organisation on a mission to foster intelligent, optimistic thinking about the future, and empower people to contribute to it. We uncover stories of human progress and the latest breakthroughs in science and technology. Join over 50,000 people around the world who receive our newsletter, and make your inbox a more hopeful place.https://futurecrunch.com

Two weeks ago, Amy attended the Clinton Global Initiative in New York, where she met some incredible change makers who are driving solutions across healthcare, water access, food security, conservation and scientific discovery. In this episode we'll take you behind the scenes of the two-day event and introduce you to some of the people she met in the corridors, including her interview with the legendary Dr Jane Goodall.

Correction: Coalition for Mental Health Investment

Five organisations are part of the coalition - The McKinsey Health Institute (MHI) has joined the African Venture Philanthropy Alliance (AVPA), Clinton Global Initiative, Kokoro, and Wellcome.

The quote about “every country is a developing country when it comes to mental health” is attributed Shekhar Saxena.

Find out more:

https://www.clintonfoundation.org

https://www.thementalhealthcoalition.org

https://www.whywaste.io

https://carolinafarmtrust.org

https://www.millersocent.org

https://sungai.watch

https://www.adventurescientists.org

https://www.clintonhealthaccess.org

This podcast is hosted by Angus Hervey and Amy Davoren-Rose from ⁠⁠⁠Fix The News⁠⁠⁠. Audio sweeting by Anthony Badolato at Ai3 – audio and voice.

Meet Sigrid van Aken, the CEO of Postcode Lottery Group, the world's 3rd largest private charity donor, after the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation & the Wellcome Trust. To date, the organisation has given €13.5 to charities that are driving significant social and environmental change. With over 14 million subscriptions and record turnover of €2.5 billion in 2023, it’s one of the greatest philanthropy stories, you probably haven’t heard about.

Find out more:

www.postcodelotterygroup.com

This podcast is hosted by Angus Hervey and Amy Davoren-Rose from ⁠⁠Fix The News⁠⁠. Audio sweeting by Anthony Badolato at Ai3 – audio and voice.

We cover a lot of conversation stories about the Amazon at Fix The News, but it’s not often that we get the chance to talk with someone who is driving these efforts. Meet Fernando Trujillo, a marine scientist who is fighting to save the Pink River Dolphins of the Amazon River. Over the past 30 years Fernando and his team have scaled a small research project in Colombia into a global mission to protect river dolphins and their waterways around the world.

Find out more:

https://omacha.org

This podcast is hosted by Angus Hervey and Amy Davoren-Rose from ⁠⁠⁠Fix The News⁠⁠⁠. Audio sweeting by Anthony Badolato at Ai3 – audio and voice.

Meet Valery Wichman, a leading LGBTQI+ activist and lawyer in the Cook Islands who was on the forefront of the fight to decriminalise homosexuality in her country. This conversation explores the 13-year journey behind the landmark victory and the power of faith, love and kindness to change the law, and the world.

Find out more:

RNZ

Pink News

Cook Island News

This podcast is hosted by Angus Hervey and Amy Davoren-Rose from ⁠Fix The News⁠. Audio sweeting by Anthony Badolato at Ai3 – audio and voice.

Meet Ada Palmer, a historian and science fiction author who believes that when we zoom out to a centuries scale, humanity has a lot to be hopeful about. This conversation is a time-travelling adventure, that explores how far we’ve come since the1600s, where we might end up in 2454 and why Shakespeare was worried about fake news too.

 Find out more about Ada:www.AdaPalmer.com

www.ExUrbe.com 

Twitter: @Ada_Palmer

Metaverse: @adapalmer@wandering.shop

Bluesky: @adapalmer.bsky.social

This podcast is hosted by Angus Hervey and Amy Davoren-Rose from Fix The News. Audio sweeting by Anthony Badolato at Ai3 – audio and voice.

Meet Ron Davis Alvarez, a musician, teacher and conductor who created The Dream Orchestra to help refugee children and teenagers forge connections in their host country. This is a story about the power of music to bring people together, to open our hearts and to believe in the possibility of a better future.

To find out more:

Website: https://dreamorchestra.se/

Go-Fund-Me:  https://www.gofundme.com/f/ron-davis-alvarez-dream-orchestra
Video: https://youtu.be/7i63Kqulb-w?si=arT6lbJ4iXH2EdUZ

CNN Heroes: https://edition.cnn.com/2024/08/16/world/his-love-of-music-is-helping-refugees-and-immigrants-build-new-lives?cid=ios_app

About Hope Is A Verb

Hosts: Angus Hervey and Amy Davoren-Rose

Sound Design: Anthony Badolato, Ai3 - Audio & Voice

Welcome to our final NewsFix for 2025 - we're sneaking it in just before the finish line! In this edition we roundup the stories that changed the world this year. From the historic change in global health to an international maritime treaty, great news for green sea turtles and the climate story of the year - this is the hidden progress that unfolded behind the headlines. You can read the full download in our newsletter here.

NewsFix is brought to you by ⁠Fix TheNews⁠. Hosted by AnthonyBadolato, ⁠Hear That! ⁠ If you want to get in touch with the team, email amy@fixthenews.com

This week's headlines include – a medical breakthrough in Gaza; death rates plummet for one of our most contagious viruses; ‘Empty Spain’; Australia’s environmental reform;more bad news for fossil fuels and AI for good.

 NewsFix is brought to you by ⁠Fix TheNews⁠. Hosted by Anthony Badolato, ⁠Hear That! ⁠ If you want to get in touch with the team, email amy@fixthenews.com

Welcome to our first edition of NewsFix - your weekly dose of good news! On today's episode: global air-pollutiondeaths fall as the 'clean-air' era begins, hidden progress on youth literacy, why we're celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Paris Agreement, a new atlas to map the human body, how AI is helping farmers in India, species extinction is losing speed and some big news for the humble zipper.

NewsFix is brought to you by the team at Fix The News and hosted by Anthony Badolato from Hear That. If you want to find out more about what's gone right in the world this week, subscribe to our newsletter.

Meet David Fajgenbaum, a physician scientist who is saving lives by repurposing existing medications to treat different diseases through his organisation Every Cure. This conversation will challenge the way you look medicine and unlock the possibility that some of the solutions we’re looking for, are hiding in plain sight, on the shelves of your local pharmacy. From the near-death experience that changed the course of David’s life to how he’s harnessing the power of AI for good, this episode is a total game changer. Topics discussed: how a repurposed drug saved David’s life, living life in ‘overtime,’ what it’s like to swim upstream against the medical system, the AI advantage in fast-tracking drug matches to our 18,000 known diseases, how Viagra is saving sick kids, the economics of repurposing existing drugs and what we can expect from the future of medicine.

 Find out more:

You can check out David’s recent TED talk or his book ChasingMy Cure. You can also support Every Cure and if you want to let his team know about a repurposed drug that’s worked foryou, click here.

Are you interested in how 80,000 Hours can help you use your career to make a difference? Check out their free resources here.

This podcast is hosted by Angus Hervey and Amy Davoren-Rosefrom Fix The News and sound design by Anthony Badolato from Hear That!

Two weeks ago, Amy was on the ground in New York during the UN General Assembly and Climate Week. Attending various events, including the Clinton Global Initiative, Amy spoke with some incredible people who work on the frontlines of climate, healthcare, education and crisis response. Despite dwindling aid budgets and mounting challenges, these people are meeting this moment with big, bold ambition while quietly reshaping the future of development. From the ‘miracle drug’ for HIV to energy access for all and the rewilding project that will mend ecosystems across the heart of South America, this episode may expand what you think is possible. These are the people who are fighting for a better future every single day.

Here's who you’ll meet:

Carolyn Amole, Clinton Health Access Initiative

Erica Coe & Frank Aswani, Coalition for Mental Health Investment

Sandra Chukwudozie, Salpha Energy

David Harris, Christel House

Elpida Kokkota, Mexoxo

Geeta Mehta, SocialCapital Credits

Emily Benson & Melanie Joiner, Integrate Health

Tjada D'Oyen McKenna, Mercy Corps

Deli Saavedra & Mario Haberfeld, Jaguar Rivers Initiative

Timecodes:

03:58 - HIV 'Miracle Drug'

09:36 - More funding for mental health

16:38 - The shift from aid to self-sufficiency

17:44 - Making solar energy accessible to underserved communities in Nigeria

22:54 - Working Groups at the Clinton Global Initiative

24:17 - A comprehensive education model that alleviating poverty

28:03 - The group who are democratising access to education for women

32:53 - The social currency that banks good acts in communities

37:46 - Putting women at the centre of healthcare in Togo & Guinea

42:51 - Mercy Corps, the humanitarian organisation serving 38 million people

46:18 - Cross-continental conservation initiative restoring the heart of South America

52:45 - Final Thoughts

This podcast is hosted by Angus Hervey and Amy Davoren-Rose from Fix The News, with audio production by Anthony Badolato, ⁠Hear That? If you want to know more about this series or are interested in sharing it with your networks, send us an email: amy@fixthenews.com

In our final episode of the series, we’ll uncover the surprising stories behind the science of the world’s first jab for malaria and how this ‘orphan’ vaccine became a lifesaving intervention that has already reached 5 million children. We look at what's next for the malaria vaccine, the threats of funding cuts to global health and answer the big question – is it working?

Here’s who you’ll meet:

Angus Hervey: Founder of Fix The News

Teresa Chirwa-Ndanga: Journalist & human rights activist, Malawi

Dr Joe Cohen: Project Lead, Malaria Vaccine at GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals

Dr Mehreen Datoo: Clinical research fellow-Malaria vaccine trials, Oxford University

John Bawa: Director, Malaria Vaccine Implementation, PATH.

Dr Scott Gordon: Head of Gavi's Malaria Program

 A Shot At History is produced by Fix The News. Series Producer, Amy Davoren-Rose, Fix The News. Associate Producer & Audio Director, Anthony Badolato, Hear That?

Rolling out a new vaccine across an entire continent takes an extraordinary chain of people - from the scientists in the labs, to delivery truck drivers and healthcare workers on motorbikes who stop at nothing to get this vaccine into far-flung villages. In this episode, we’ll show you what it takes to navigate the last mile challenges of transporting a cold-chain vaccine across the hottest continent on earth and the surprising heroes who are stepping up to champion the world’s first malaria vaccine.

Here’s who you’ll meet:

Angus Hervey: Founder of Fix The News

Teresa Chirwa-Ndanga: Journalist & human rights activist, Malawi

Zacharia Kafuko: Director of 1Day Africa

Amanda Clemens:  Social Mobilisation Coordinator, Ministry of Health, Sierra Leone

Kombra Network, Sierra Leone: Sallamatu Barrie – School Health club Champion, Reverend Christina Sutton and Dr Ramadan Jalloh.

 Special music credit: "Wok Dae Ya" by Speedo'o

A Shot At History is produced by Fix The News. SeriesProducer, Amy Davoren-Rose, Fix The News. Associate Producer & Audio Director, Anthony Badolato, Hear That?Producers for Sierra Leone, Marcus Costello and Jodie Bennet.

For more information about this production, email amy@fixthenews.com

Malaria is one of the deadliest diseases of all time - responsible for more deaths than all of humanity's wars combined. That means that the arrival of not one, but two malaria vaccines has the potential to change the future of our species.

In this first episode, we’ll show you what’s at stake for millions of families across Sub-Saharan Africa, explain the economic and personal cost, and describe how the world’s first vaccine for a parasitic disease made it out of the lab, through trials, and into the lives of mothers and babies across the continent.

Here’s who you’ll meet:

Angus Hervey: Founder of Fix The News.

Teresa Chirwa-Ndanga: Journalist & human rights activist.

Dr Mary Hamel: Team Lead, Malaria Vaccines at WHO

Zacharia Kafuko: Director of 1Day Africa

Dr Rose Jalang'o: Head of the National Vaccines and Immunization Program, Kenya

Alanta Colley: Public health worker & science communicator

A Shot At History was produced by Fix The News.

Series & Story Producer, Amy Davoren-Rose, Fix The News

Associate Producer & Audio Director, Anthony Badolato, Hear That?

Research Producer, Marcus Costello and AudioCraft.

If you want to know more about this series or are interested in sharing it with your networks, send us an email: amy@fixthenews.com

Over a year ago, we decided that we wanted to tell the storyof the malaria vaccine; one of the most important yet hidden stories of progress in the world right now. We knew that this would be a massive undertaking, but it turned out to be more epic that we could have possibly imagined. Over three episodes, we’re going to show you what it takes to develop and roll out a new vaccine, why this one matters so much and how it could change the trajectory of human history. First episode drops Friday 5th September.

If you want to find out more about our work, go to fixthenews.com

What do KPop Demon Hunters and Bluey have to do with stories of progress? Well, you’ll hear the answer in this ‘Ask Us Anything’ episode. From controversial opinions on the climate crisis, to our very first News Fix bulletin, Gus and Amy dive into a range of topics and answer some big, burning questions from subscribers. Other topics discussed: Why solar energy is such big news, the role of solutions journalism in Gaza, good humans everywhere, individual action versus systemic change, the question of scale and the launch of our audio documentary about the malaria vaccine, A Shot At History.

What did you think of our News Fix? If you want to send us a question, feedback or nominate a potential guest for the podcast, go to our website or email amy@fixthenews.com

This podcast is hosted by Angus Hervey and Amy Davoren-Rose from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Fix The News⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Audio sweeting by Anthony Badolato at Ai3 – audio and voice.

Meet Rutger Bregman, a Dutch historian, bestselling author andour first repeat guest on the podcast! In this episode we chat with Rutger about his new book Moral Ambition and why it’s time for people to stop wasting their talent and start making a difference. From his early midlife crisis to what we can learn from the abolitionists and why the world needs to redefinesuccess, this is a conversation for our times. Topics discussed: Why the biggest waste of time is the misallocation of talent, the ‘mother of all movements,’ what it takes to build a wildly better world, on taking the long view, the problem with online activism, money is not a dirty word in creating social movements and why the School for Moral Ambition is paying people to quit their jobs.

 Find out more:

https://www.moralambition.org

https://rutgerbregman.com

https://www.givingwhatwecan.org

Don’t forget to ‘Ask Us Anything’ – email yourquestion to amy@fixthenews.com or leaveus a voice note here. You have until 9am Wednesday 27th September AEST.

This podcast is hosted by Angus Hervey and Amy Davoren-Rose from Fix The News and sound design by Anthony Badolato from Ai3 - Audio & Voice.

Meet Paulie Stewart, an Australian punk rocker who teamed up with a group of nuns to help disabled kids in Timor Leste. From walking on the wild side, to almost crossing over to the other side – Paulie’s story is about full circles, second chances, and the one of the most unlikely and inspiring partnerships. Topics discussed: the deathbed encounter that changed Paulie’s life, why the Alma Nuns are more punk than Billy Idol, the impact of Paulie’s work in Timor, the power of faith and the unexpected twists that have defined his extraordinary life journey.

If you want to support the Alma nuns, you can donate through their funding platform, Myriad Australia.

This podcast is hosted by Angus Hervey and Amy Davoren-Rose from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Fix The News⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Audio sweeting by Anthony Badolato at Ai3 – audio and voice.

This week's headlines include - major victory against extreme child poverty; rewilding efforts paying off in Scotland, Vietnam, Bulgaria and Ukraine; more good news on the malaria vaccine; what went right at COP30 and science reveals some very flirty primates.

NewsFix is brought to you by ⁠Fix TheNews⁠. Hosted by AnthonyBadolato, ⁠Hear That! ⁠ Ifyou want to get in touch with the team, email amy@fixthenews.com

Meet Wawira Njiru, a nutritionist and social entrepreneur in Kenya who’s gone from serving lunch to 25 children out of a makeshift kitchen to establishing Food4Education, a nonprofit organisation that serves half a million hot, nutritious and affordable school meals every day. From the uncalculated cost of childhood hunger to powering an 'engine of potential', Wawira’s story shows how thinking big and starting small can change the world. Topics discussed: why the world's future leaders need a school meal today, the logistics of feeding half a million kids, the power of scaling a simple idea, why optimism matters, the ripple effects of school meals on communities and how a well-fed future could change Africa.

You can support Wawira’s work at Food4Education.org and for more inspiration, check out her 2025 TED talk here.

This podcast is hosted by Angus Hervey and Amy Davoren-Rose from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Fix The News⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Audio sweeting by Anthony Badolato at Ai3 – audio and voice.

Meet Boyan Slat, founder of The Ocean Cleanup - the world’s largest cleanup in history. After starting as a high school project in the Netherlands in 2011, Boyan’s mission has gone global, removing tens of millions of kilograms of plastic from oceans and rivers. It’s an epic job and with plastic pollution on the rise, the cleanup is doubling down on its goal to remove 90% of ocean plastic by 2040. From the recent launch of the cleanup’s 30 Cities program to dealing with critics on social media, Boyan’s 'engineering energy' might just change the way you think about the world. Topics discussed: mother nature vs human nature; why The Ocean Cleanup is not a lifelong project; behind-the-scenes of the cleaning up the world’s most polluted river; what motivates Boyan to keep going in the face of impossible odds and why addressing the root cause is not the best way to tackle our problems. 

For more information check out: theoceancleanup.com

This podcast is hosted by Angus Hervey and Amy Davoren-Rose from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Fix The News⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Audio sweeting by Anthony Badolato at Ai3 – audio and voice.

A new chapter begins on July 31st, 2025.