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Social Sciences · Tavia Gilbert & Richard Sergay | Human Flourishing, Compassion & Connection

Stories of Impact | Human Flourishing, Compassion & Connection

by Tavia Gilbert & Richard Sergay | Human Flourishing, Compassion & Connection

What helps human flourishing take root when people face loneliness, conflict, uncertainty, or change? And what can compassion, cooperation, and human connection teach us about living well together? Stories of Impact explores the science of human flourishing through conversations with researchers, thinkers, and people whose experiences bring that science to life. We often look for answers to human wellbeing in personal happiness alone, yet flourishing also depends on our relationships, communities, and the ways we care for one another. We may also turn to inspiring stories without understanding what research can tell us about why hope, kindness, and cooperation matter. This podcast brings those approaches together, connecting real human experiences with research on human flourishing. Join writer Tavia Gilbert and journalist Richard Sergay as they travel the world and explore how people build compassion, practice mindfulness, find purpose, and strengthen human connection. Through stories of resilience, altruism, positive psychology, spirituality, and evidence-based hope, the show examines what supports human flourishing in everyday life and across communities. The conversations also sometimes reach beyond the human world, exploring diverse intelligences and what other forms of life and intelligence might teach us about cooperation, connection, and flourishing. From cooperation during crises to the role of spiritual practices in belonging, each episode offers another perspective on the science of human flourishing. Discover stories that make human flourishing more than an abstract idea—and invite us to rethink how we understand ourselves, one another, and the wider living world. Popular Episode Topics Include: Human Flourishing, Science of Human Flourishing, Compassion Science, Human Connection, Cooperation, Altruism, Positive Psychology, Wellbeing Science, Evidence-Based Hope, Mindfulness, Spirituality, Science and Spirituality, Prosocial Behavior, Purpose and Meaning, Resilience Research, Empathy Research, Global Wellbeing, Community Belonging

Latest episodes

Showing 20 · updated from the feed

Ethical Fashion: The Hidden Human Cost of the Clothes We Wear | Robert Handfield & MD Rejaul Hasan

What is the hidden human cost of ethical fashion? Explore how clothing supply chains affect garment workers, human rights, and human flourishing. Every time we buy clot

Nov 3
40 min

Mary Robinson: Why Climate Justice Is Central to Human Flourishing

Stories of Impact brings back some of our favorite conversations this season. In the next two episodes, we dive into the climate crisis. Today, we hear from Mary Robinson

Oct 20
28 min

Dr. Berry Billingsley: Big Questions That Change How We Learn

Stories of Impact brings back some of our favorite conversations this season. Today, we revisit an episode from last season, where we heard from Dr. Berry Billingsley, an

Oct 6
25 min

Freddy Mutanguha: Forgiveness & Reconciliation in Post-Genocide Rwanda

Stories of Impact brings back some of our favorite conversations this season. In our last episode, we visited Medellín, Colombia. Today, we travel to Rwanda, a country th

Sep 15
37 min

Judith Jamison: How Movement Can Express the Soul

Stories of Impact brings back some of our favorite conversations this season. Our expert today is not a researcher, but a former world-class dancer: Judith Jamison. Judit

Sep 2
24 min

Dr. Santiago Tobón – From Gangs to Growth: Fighting for the Future of Medellín's Teens

Stories of Impact brings back some of our favorite conversations this season. This time, we travel to Medellín, Colombia, to meet Dr. Santiago Tobón. He has dedicated his

Sep 1
25 min

Dr. David Sloan Wilson: What Makes Human Cooperation Possible

Stories of Impact brings back some of our favorite conversations this season. Today we revisit an episode from our first season, aired during the Covid-19 pandemic. Dr. D

Aug 4
29 min

Dr. Emiliana Simon-Thomas: What Can Heal Widespread Loneliness

Stories of Impact brings back some of our favorite conversations this season. In our last episode, we heard about the positive effects of coming together and sharing a me

Jul 21
28 min

Dr. Adam Cohen, Aliza Kline and Dr. Arielle Levites: Gathering at the Table for Connection and Belonging

Today we're back in conversation with Dr. Adam Cohen, social psychologist and psychologist of religion at Arizona State University, who shares another research project th

Jul 7
24 min

Dr. Athena Aktipis: How Cooperation Emerges in Crisis

In today's episode we speak to Athena Aktipis, co-director of the Human Generosity Project, about the current results of her study of cooperation during the COVID-19 pand

Jun 16
26 min

Dr. Erez Yoeli: What Inspires Altruism in Uncertain Times?

In today's episode, host Richard Sergay speaks with Erez Yoeli, director of the Applied Cooperation Team at MIT's Sloan School of Management, about how to motivate people

Jun 2
33 min

Dr. Joseph Bulbulia: How Spirituality & Belonging Shape Crisis Response

In this episode, we hear from Joseph Bulbulia, professor at the University of Auckland and the MacLaurin Goodfellow Chair in Theological and Religious Studies. Professor

May 19
29 min

Dr. Barbara Fredrickson: How Positivity Strengthens Us in Crisis

The first episode of the Stories of Impact podcast special, five-part Covid-19 conversation series features Dr. Barbara Fredrickson, director of the Positive Emotions and

May 5
27 min

Dr. David O'Brien: Protecting Democracy in the Digital Age

Today's conversation is with David O'Brien, Assistant Research Director at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University. Prof. O'Brien talks to

Apr 21
37 min

Dr. Packer, Dr. Van Bavel, Dr. Han, Evan Mawarire, Uriel Epshein & Joshua Fryday: What Fuels Political Division Part 2

          In today's episode, we consider what writers, researchers, and scholars say we can learn from the history of polarization in other countries and learn

Apr 7
40 min

Dr. Packer, Dr. Van Bavel, Dr. Han, Alison Taylor, Uriel Epshein, & Joshua Fryday: What Fuels Political Division Part 1

This episode defines polarization and explores its causes and effects. Next, we consider what we can learn from the history of polarization in other countries and share t

Mar 20
32 min

Dr. Sean Westwood: What Polarization Reveals About Democracy and the Human Spirit

Stories of Impact brings back some of our favorite conversations this season. Today, we continue our series about how citizens can understand and heal polarization, with

Mar 3
38 min

What Polarization Teaches us About Harm and Human Understanding

We're back this episode for our second timely interview focusing on political polarization, wrapping up in conversation with Dr. Kurt Gray, professor of moral psychology

Feb 18
36 min

The Global Flourishing Study: What the Data Reveals About Well-Being Across the World

Our intention on the Stories of Impact Podcast, whether flora, fauna, homo sapiens, or otherwise, the variety of subjects we've featured across 120+ episodes has undersco

Feb 3
22 min

Dr. Joshua Plotnik: Inside The Elephant Mind

When Joshua Plotnik was a kid, he wanted to become a veterinarian and day dreamed of a future caring for animals large and small. By the time he got to college, he eagerl

Dec 16 2025
22 min

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