From What If to What Next

Welcome to Episode 52, different from the episode we advertised, a bit of a mix up at What If Towers, but it means some of you now know the subject of our next episode. Oh well. But this week's is such a treat. Meet Dr Rupa Marya and Rhiannon Osborne (many thanks to her, as this episode was her idea), who bring a delightful and fresh inroad into what society could look like if it were to prioritise health in the full meaning of the word. It's a discussion that is both grounded and hugely aspirational, just like we like it here. I hope you love this episode. My thanks to both my guests because they were both amazing, and to Ben Addicott as always for making it sound so amazing. Please consider supporting the podcast by visiting www.patreon.com/fromwhatiftowhatnext and becoming a patron.

We are joined by two amazing guests to discuss a vitally important issue. Ben Hurst of Beyond Equality and Graham Goulden of Cultivating Minds UK join me to explore what a future in which men work with each other to rapidly deescalate male violence in the world would look like and feel like. It's a powerful and vital discussion. My deepest thanks to them both and, as always, to producer Ben Addicott for making them sound so good. I would love to hear your thoughts on this episode. Please consider supporting the podcast by visiting www.patreon.com/fromwhatiftowhatnext and becoming a patron.

Episode 50. That's something worth celebrating! And what a beautiful way to celebrate it, by interviewing the person I've wanted on this podcast since it began, adrienne maree brown. One of the great thinkers and imagineers of our time, it was an honour to finally meet her and to record this episode. I hope you love it. It's been hard keeping this a secret for so long. I'd like to thank everyone who has made it possible for us to get this far, especially everyone who has subscribed to the podcast, and to all our amazing guests. Next week's 'Ministry of Imagination' episode, in a change to our usual format, will feature myself and producer Ben Addicott visiting the Ministry and answering your questions. Don't miss it! Thank you, and here's to the next 50... Please consider supporting the podcast by visiting www.patreon.com/fromwhatiftowhatnext and becoming a patron.

Today's episode is one of my favourites so far, with two amazing guests. It was inspired by one of our guests, Jon Alexander's new book 'Citizens: why the key to fixing everything is all of us', which is just released and highly recommended. He is joined by the delightful Baratunde Thurston, author of 'How to be Black' and presenter of one of my favourite TED Talks. You are going to love this exploration of what it would mean to live in a world which genuinely valued and empowered us as citizens. I would LOVE to know what you thought of this episode, and I really hope you love it. And stand by for Episode 50. We have a beautiful conversation lined up with a very special surprise guest. You're going to love it. Please consider supporting the podcast by visiting www.patreon.com/fromwhatiftowhatnext and becoming a patron.

When it comes to building food security, biodiversity, employment, spaces that are good for mental health, and so much more besides, we are missing a huge opportunity. Our cities contain many square kilometres of flat roof spaces, currently visited by a few pigeons and that's about it. But what if they were transformed into vibrant vegetable gardens, public spaces for events, places for communities to meet? And what would creating a vibrant network of such gardens unlock? I'm fascinated by the idea that comes up in this podcast of a network of bridges connecting them, a whole new way to get around a city. So meet my guests, Paola Krug (here is a link to the guidebook she co-wrote) and Katrien Ligt (you can follow her Hamburg work on Instagram here), both of whom are doing amazing work transforming rooftops. You'll never look at a flat roof in the same way ever again. Enjoy. And do let us know what you thought of this episode. Please consider supporting the podcast by visiting www.patreon.com/fromwhatiftowhatnext and becoming a patron.

You're going to enjoy this one. This week we're talking about mental health, and how different the world would be if we were to take a very different approach to it. I'm joined by Jo Hunter from 64 Million Artists, and by Stefanie Lyn Kaufman-Mthimkhulu of Project LETS. It's one of those episodes that requires a walk afterwards to really digest what you've heard. My thanks to Jo and Stefanie for their vulnerability and openness in this discussion. I hope you find it useful and inspiring. Thanks as always to Ben Addicott for his production, and to you for listening. Please consider supporting the podcast by visiting www.patreon.com/fromwhatiftowhatnext and becoming a patron.

This week this podcast joins you with printing ink on its hands and under its fingernails . We're talking about printmaking and its potential to unleash social change. I have a vested interest here, I love printmaking. And I love social change! So discussing this gives me the opportunity to bring together two amazing printmakers. Sarah Gillespie makes the most amazing mezzotint prints of moths, ghostly, stunning, and heartbreaking. Katie Gilmartin uses lino printing to engage young gay and trans people in learning the stories of other gay and trans people throughout history. It's a conversation that goes in many different directions and which I hope you'll really love. And I hope it also makes you fall in love with the joy of printmaking! Thanks for listening and see you next time. Please consider supporting the podcast by visiting www.patreon.com/fromwhatiftowhatnext and becoming a patron.

Meet Tim Gill and Alice Ferguson of Playing Out, brilliant guests for a vital discussion. Today we're talking about kids, and play and about the places where we live. Kids have almost entirely vanished from our streets. Retreating indoors in the face of the car's domination of our city spaces, and a perception of the lack of safety, kids are all too often starved of play. 'No ball games here' signs. Horrible noises only audible to teenagers to chase them away from sitting near certain buildings, The privatisation of public space. Cities are increasingly being designed around the needs of adults and capital rather than kids. So what might we do about it? Some beautiful visions of the future from our Time Machine adventure this week. I hope you love it. Please consider supporting the podcast by visiting www.patreon.com/fromwhatiftowhatnext and becoming a patron.

We start this year with a fantastic episode and a really important question. What if we were to implement every solution that we already know exists in order to tackle the climate crisis with the sense of urgency that an emergency should inspire? After the damp squib of COP26, it's a vitally important question. Can we do it? Is there still time? And most importantly, what would it feel like to live in a time when that was actually happening, when all around us, all hands were applied to this most momentous of tasks? It's not a question we ask often enough. And it is a big question. Joining me are Clover Hogan and Paul Hawken, both brilliant thinkers on this question. Paul's book. 'Regeneration', which we refer to throughout the podcast, can be bought at many independent booksellers (never Amazon). Do let me know what you think of this episode, of thoughts for future What If questions it raises for you, or anything else it inspires in you. Please consider supporting the podcast by visiting www.patreon.com/fromwhatiftowhatnext and becoming a patron.

Although not planned as some kind of 'Christmas Special', that's kind of what this episode is, so hopefully it will give you the opportunity to treat your imagination to something very special over the festive season. This episode will introduce you to Flora Collingwood-Norris and to Orsola de Castro, cofounder and Global Creative Director of Fashion Revolution. Please consider buying Flora's book 'Visible Creative Mending for Knitwear' and Orsola's book 'Loved Clothes last: How the Joy of Rewearing and Repairing Your Clothes Can Be a Revolutionary Act' at your favourite independent bookshop (never Amazon, never Amazon...). I hope episode this inspires much stitching and loving repairing Please consider supporting the podcast by visiting www.patreon.com/fromwhatiftowhatnext and becoming a patron.