Oxford Talks

When Edward Burtynsky began photographing open-pit mines and the largest dam ever built, he was not setting out to lecture anyone. After more than forty years documenting the biggest things humanity has ever made, he still refuses to tell you what to feel about them. In this episode of the Oxford Talks Podcast, the world-renowned photographer explains why he treats his work as a collaboration with...

Going viral can make you visible for a week. It rarely makes you matter for a decade. In this episode of the Oxford Talks Podcast, a communications strategist, Courtney Lukitsch who has built businesses across thirty countries makes the case that the loudest voice in the room is almost never the one that lasts. We talk about why public relations has quietly stopped being about press and become som...

Anthony Smith has helped turn the Diary of a CEO into the second biggest podcast in the world, and he had never listened to a podcast before joining. As Director of Trailers, his job is to compress a two to three-hour conversation into 90 seconds that makes someone rearrange their day. In this episode, he breaks down exactly how that is done. Anthony explains why the hook is just the tip of the ic...

Most people chasing a following are optimising for the wrong thing. Verity Park has spent a decade building businesses with some of the world's biggest creators, and she'll tell you that follower count is the least useful number on the dashboard. In this episode, Verity breaks down why people trust people over brands, what actually makes a creator worth signing, and why she'll often...

What do you do when every expert in the industry tells you, “This cannot be done”? In this episode, Erin Moroney shares the unglamorous reality of building an FMCG brand from scratch, from technical roadblocks and retail challenges to the hard truths founder stories often leave out. This is an honest conversation about clean ingredients, lower-sugar product development, and what it really takes to...

What if the real reason people shut down around you is not your strategy, but your tone ? In this episode, Anisa Telwar Kaicker , the global founder of Anisa International, shares the unglamorous truth behind building multinational companies without a college degree, starting at 24 after her family business collapsed, and being “trained” by a formidable mother who insisted she be called by her nam...

What if AI’s “next leap” isn’t more intelligence… but more humanity? In this episode, we sit down with Shekhar, CEO of Orchestro AI, to unpack his concept of “angelic intelligence” —technology designed to mimic what the best humans do, not just what’s average. We go deep into the personal story that shaped the philosophy: losing his mother, learning that “work is worship,” and using work as escape...

This extended audio cut includes the complete conversation, with extra insights and off-camera moments you won’t hear anywhere else. Two of the world’s most influential designers, Michael Bierut and Harry Pearce open the doors to Pentagram’s radically different way of working. From partner dynamics to creative longevity, this episode reveals why the studio’s structure shouldn’t work… yet continues...

Two of the world’s most influential designers, Michael Bierut and Harry Pearce open the doors to Pentagram’s radically different way of working. From partner dynamics to creative longevity, this episode reveals why the studio’s structure shouldn’t work… yet continues to produce some of the most iconic design of our time. It’s a conversation about trust, responsibility, ego, character and what it t...

What if your company cared as much about feelings as it does about revenue? In this Oxford Talks Podcast episode, Waleed sits down with Claude Silver, Chief Heart Officer at VaynerMedia, to decode what “leading with heart” actually looks like when you’re responsible for thousands of people across the world. Claude shares how she’s turned HR into People & Experience, why every employee is train...

What separates world-class performers from everyone else? Adolfo Gómez Sánchez spent 35 years decoding that question and discovered a formula anyone can follow. From training with martial arts masters in Japan to coaching CEOs and ATP athletes, he reveals why most people fail not from lack of talent, but from lack of mindset.  Learn how the world’s top performers think, how to challenge limiting b...

We live in an age of noise, constant information, constant pressure, constant pretending but what happens when the mask finally cracks? In this conversation, clinical psychologist and hypnotherapist Dr Barbara Morris Jensen shares her life’s work: helping people rediscover their authentic selves. From growing up with a father who transformed from a man of war to a man of peace, to facing her own b...

What if the system designed to heal you nearly killed you instead? Nurse Lee Powers survived a violent assault, a medically induced coma, and years of insurance denials — revealing the profound crisis at the heart of U.S. healthcare. In this Oxford Talks episode, Lee exposes: 👉 Why nurses are the most assaulted professionals in America 👉 How insurance companies determine who receives treatment —...

AI isn’t just the future, it might be humanity’s last invention. In this conversation, Jane Newman lays bare the terrifying environmental impact, the loss of customer service in a tech-ruled world, and why children are already showing signs of technology addiction. From Skynet fears to real-world data centre disasters, this episode asks: are we building a future worth living in, or signing away ou...

Everyone’s talking about AI. Few understand how it’s really reshaping the way we buy. In this episode of Oxford Talks, Ricky Solanki, co-founder of PUSH, discusses the hidden world of digital marketing. Ricky explains how consumer behaviour has shifted from Yellow Pages to Google, then to social media, and now to AI-driven search and commerce. Instead of a long journey from research → consideratio...

Some messages fade the moment they’re heard. Others echo for years. So, what makes the difference? In this powerful conversation, we explore the art of messages that truly last, why your personal story alone isn’t enough, and what separates talks that move audiences from those that are forgotten.

Inside this raw and unfiltered conversation, we explore why heartbreak feels so much like grief and the healthy way to process it. Sarah reveals how to break free from the shame spiral that often follows divorce and shares the fastest way to shift from pain to power. We talk about helping children cope through separation without carrying lifelong emotional scars, and uncover how to recognise the s...

She’s not pitching the future, she’s building it. Catalina isn’t your average founder. At just 25, she’s already running multiple companies revolutionizing smart cities from digital twins and retrofitted energy systems to alternative models for public transport and data ownership. In this episode, we go behind the scenes of what it really takes to rebuild cities from the ground up: legally, financ...

What if your voice was your greatest asset and your biggest risk? In this powerful episode, Rola pulls back the curtain on what it really means to lead with impact in a world that wasn’t built for you. From executive education to grassroots advocacy, her journey is a masterclass in courage, clarity, and conviction. Hear why silence is never neutral, how systemic change really happens, and why empo...

In a world that’s always online, why do we still feel alone? Technologist Kathryn Jacobs cycled 35,000km across the globe, off-grid, on purpose - to find the answer. 🔍 Inside the Episode (00:00) Is innovation making us less human? (01:45) What drives Kathryn Jacobs (03:22) The Africa journey that changed everything (08:05) Cycling off-grid with no GPS (10:15) Fear and vulnerability on the open ro...

What makes a brand unforgettable? It’s not the product. It’s not the logo. It’s the story . In this episode, we sit down with Shivali Bennion - co-founder of Shaded Studio and the creative force behind the Coachella-style marketing conference Dreamland . From helping legacy brands like QVC modernise to taking indie startups from £200k to £2M, Shivali reveals how storytelling isn’t just a nice-to-h...

Most people scroll past 10,000 images a day without knowing they’re being shaped by them. Marine Tanguy wants to change that. 🔍 Inside the Episode: 00:00 – Creativity vs. the Algorithm 01:25 – Why Visuals Shape What We Value 03:13 – The Time Management Habit of a CEO 06:47 – What It Takes to Join Her Agency 09:17 – The Hidden Criteria Behind Talent Selection 11:11 – Art or Data? Rethinking Object...

What do you get when a tech-savvy CEO obsessed with impact builds a travel app? Something the world didn't know it needed. In this episode, Clare Jones, CEO of Polarsteps, unpacks the soulful mechanics behind scaling with care, leading with values, and building tools that don't just inspire wanderlust, they transform it. 🔍 Inside the Episode : (00:00) What if travel changed you more tha...

Relationship reset expert Vanessa Cardenas unpacks the micro-betrayals that shape our self-worth, sabotage our relationships, and echo through generations. From childhood wounds to marital heartbreak, she reveals why healing starts with awareness, how to silence your inner critic, and why love, real love, requires integrity, not perfection. 🔍 Inside the Episode: 00:00 – Why online dating is makin...

What if the real reason your leadership isn’t landing has nothing to do with skills and everything to do with visibility, trust, and timing? Marina shares what it’s really like coaching top CEOs, why most leadership advice is outdated, and how to stop being the obstacle in your own growth. 🔍 Inside the Episode (00:00) Intro – Meet Marina (01:12) From finance to coaching CEOs (06:05) Why most coac...