What do you do during your commute home?
Engross yourself in a gripping read from your Kindle?
Stare absentmindedly at your fellow passengers?
Whack on your favorite playlist from Spotify as you try to breathe amid the unbearable rush hour commotion?
Well, we have another suggestion for your daily entertainment – podcasts.
And yes, the hilarity of interviews from the likes of Lena Dunham and Jemima Kirke on Women Of The Hour, readings from Alice Levine on My Dad Wrote A Porno and musings from Louis Theroux on the Adam Buxton Podcast might well pass the time but here at ELLE, we regularly find ourselves in search of a podcast that inspires, educates and provokes change.
Enter, Sarah Brown's new podcast series, 'Better Angels'.
The founder and president of children's charity Theirworld, has launched a new podcast series which consists of 30-40-minute programmes, focussed on creating real change in the world.
'Er, how is that even possible on a podcast?' you cry.
Well, Brown's podcasts includes interviews with politicians, entertainers, activists and world leaders ranging from presenter James Corden and comedian Sarah Millican to the Prime Minister of Australia, Julia Gillard and Head of the White Helmets in Syria, Raed Al Saleh.
No, this is not your average listen.
Sarah reveals the inspiration behind the project grew from a lifelong ambition to understand other people's strong beliefs and will power encourage them to inspire change in the world around them.
'Throughout my life I have always been intrigued by what makes people take a stand or do something different.
The podcast's title, 'Better Angels', is derived from a phrase most famously used by President of the US, Abraham Lincoln during a speech in 1861 that read: 'We are not enemies, but friends. ... of memory will swell when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.'
'We all have a 'better angel. Some get to show theirs on a global stage, others in their local community. They all matter. We can all make a difference,' explains Sarah.
Launching on Thursday November 3, the first podcast titled 'Better Angels and Inspiration' will hear the likes of women's and children's campaigner Graca Machel, economist and former US Treasury Secretary Larry Summers and Nobel Peace prize winner Kailash Satyarthi discuss iconic people who have inspired others to do good around the world.
Episode two will include voices from the likes of comedian David Baddiel and former British Ambassador to Lebanon Tom Fletcher on the topic of overcoming nerves to find your voice, while episode three will uncover the reason why and how, people can go from passively sitting at home watching international atrocities on the news to becoming activists.
'If we are to find our better angels in ourselves, we need to search, to listen, to absorb and to take up our own actions and collaborations. What better way to start than by learning from others?' concludes Sarah.
What are you waiting for? Grab your headphones and tune into the podcast here.
Katie O'Malley is the Site Director on ELLE UK. On a daily basis you’ll find Katie managing all digital workflow, editing site, video and newsletter content, liaising with commercial and sales teams on new partnerships and deals (eg Nike, Tiffany & Co., Cartier etc), implementing new digital strategies and compiling in-depth data traffic, SEO and ecomm reports. In addition to appearing on the radio and on TV, as well as interviewing everyone from Oprah Winfrey to Rishi Sunak PM, Katie enjoys writing about lifestyle, culture, wellness, fitness, fashion, and more.
