How To Academy Podcast

They examine how algorithms, influencer culture and targeted ads have turned girls into products. They trace the rise of beauty norms, commodified self‑care and confessional content that feeds on vulnerability. They discuss addictive app design, friendship gamification and AI tools that amplify anxiety. They end with practical ideas for reclaiming privacy and stepping back from curated online identities.

Tom Holland, historian and bestselling author known for Rubicon and Dominion, discusses his translation of Suetonius' Lives of the Caesars. Short, vivid portraits of Rome’s first rulers and their scandals. Conversations range from Augustus’ political theater and imperial succession to Caligula, Nero and the Year of the Four Emperors. Reflections link Roman politics, public image and modern parallels.

Nicole LePera, a Cornell-trained holistic psychologist and author known for reparenting the inner child, guides listeners through childhood patterns that shape adult life. She explores identifying the inner child, somatic practices, attachment styles, boundaries, shame, and practical steps for cultivating safety and authenticity. Short guided practices and developmental frameworks punctuate the conversation.

Nina Allan, award-winning novelist and literary critic who completed The Illuminated Man with Christopher Priest, reflects on J.G. Ballard’s life and work. She recalls first encountering his surreal power, explores his wartime internment and outsider status, and discusses his experimental style, late political themes and lasting influence on contemporary speculative fiction.

A vivid tour through Rasputin’s rise from Siberian peasant to a magnetic figure at court. The conversation separates myth from archival fact about his supposed powers. It explores the imperial family’s frailties, the Tsarevich’s haemophilia, and how salon gossip and scandal eroded autocratic authority. It also reconstructs the dramatic plots and violence that ended Rasputin’s life.

Suzanne Simard, forest ecologist who revealed how trees connect through fungal networks and spearheads the Mother Tree Project. She recounts discovering mycorrhizal networks, the role of old ‘mother’ trees in nurturing seedlings, clashes between scientific and Indigenous viewpoints, and how logging practices and policy shape forest survival.

James Muldoon, Oxford Internet Institute researcher and author of Love Machines, explores the rise of AI companions and why people form intimate bonds with chatbots. He discusses cultural and gender patterns, how AI can feel real, limits around therapy and safety, addiction risks, creative uses, market incentives, and the case for regulation and safer integrations.

Mark Solms, pioneering neuropsychologist linking brain science and psychoanalytic thought. He revisits Freud’s ideas through modern neuroscience. Topics include why Freud was rejected, the resurgence of studying subjective feelings, how dreams tie to brain reward systems, limits of drugs versus talking therapies, and how early emotional experiences shape lifelong mental life.

Zakia Sewell, writer and broadcaster behind Finding Albion, hunts alternative British myths and seasonal rites. She traces neo-pagan pilgrimages, folk revivals, and cross-cultural links that reshape traditions. The conversation explores community festivals, hidden histories, and why reclaiming playful rituals matters for Britain’s future.

Peter Jones, a medieval historian of spirituality and emotions, explores how the seven deadly sins functioned as tools to map the mind. He traces their origins from Evagrius to Gregory, explains pride, envy, anger and acedia in medieval thought, and reveals surprising links to art, confession, medicine and modern tech. Short, curious, and full of historical twists.