The Sacred

Wes Streeting is the the Labour MP for Ilford North, and was elected in 2015. Since being elected he has been appointed Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care. He is also the author of the soon-to-be-released memoir 'One Boy, Two Bills and a Fry Up'. Wes spoke about his childhood growing up in a council flat and the figures that raised him, his journey with his faith and sexuality, a...

Inaya Folarin Iman is a political commentator and former GB News presenter. Her written work has appeared in the The Telegraph, Politics Home, UnHerd, Spiked and The Daily Mail. She is also the director and founder of the Equiano Project, which is as "a debate, discussion and ideas forum" that "focuses on race, culture and politics". Inaya spoke about her childhood which involved moving many times...

Patrick Deneen a professor of Political Science at the University of Notre Dame and author of multiple books including the upcoming 'Regime Change: Toward a Postliberal Future'. Patrick spoke about his childhood and the relationships built by a 'front porch' community culture, why liberalism has failed, and what a postliberal future looks like. Read the full transcript here: https://www.theosthink...

Audrey Assad is an American-Syrian singer-songwriter who since the start of her career has released 6 studio albums and 4 EPs. She is also the author of the blog 'The Violet Fields' which explores topics such as consciousness and creativity. Audrey spoke about her childhood growing up in a fundamentalist Christian community and subsequent conversion to Catholicism, her career as a musician and the...

Dougald Hine is a social thinker, writer and speaker. After an early career as a BBC journalist, he co-founded organisations including the Dark Mountain Project and a school called HOME. He is most recently the author of the book 'At Work in the Ruins'. Dougald spoke about his childhood growing up in the United Reformed Church, his decision to leave the BBC, and how to respond to the 'end of the w...

Abi Morgan is a screenwriter and playwright with a career spanning 25 years in TV, Film and Theatre. She is the creator of films such as 'The Iron Lady', TV shows such as 'The Hour', and is most recently the author of the very successful book, 'This is Not a Pity Memoir'. She spoke about her journey into writing, how stories give us a sense of self, and how she makes any kind of meaning out of the...

This video is of a live recording of The Sacred podcast on 19 April 2023 at the UnHerd Cafe. Elizabeth Oldfield was joined by Oliver Burkeman. Oliver is a British author and journalist, formerly writing the weekly column This Column Will Change Your Life for The Guardian newspaper, and is one of the leading voices on productivity, mortality and the power of limits. He has published multiple books...

**Upcoming Sacred Live on April 19** Join Elizabeth Oldfield and Oliver Burkeman on April 19 for a live recording of The Sacred with a time for Q&A. Get your tickets today using the promo code SACREDLIVE2023: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/sacred-live-feat-elizabeth-oldfield-and-oliver-burkeman-tickets-565116999157 Elizabeth Oldfield reflects on Series 6 of The Sacred. This series she spoke to Nic...

**Upcoming Sacred Live on April 19** Join Elizabeth Oldfield and Oliver Burkeman on April 19 for a live recording of The Sacred with a time for Q&A. Get your tickets today using the promo code SACREDLIVE2023: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/sacred-live-feat-elizabeth-oldfield-and-oliver-burkeman-tickets-565116999157 Kate Bowler is a three-time New York Times bestselling author, and Associate Profes...

Lizzie Damilola Blackburn is a British Nigerian author, and writer of 'Yinka, Where is your Huzband?' a book which explores the experience of a young Nigerian woman living in London and wrestling societal/family expectations of faith, life and love. She spoke about her experience growing up in a Nigerian, Christian household, the way her faith shapes her writing, and why representation matters in...

Katharine Birbalsingh is the founder and headmistress of the Michaela Community School. She is known for promoting ’small-c’ conservative values in the her school, and has subsequently been dubbed Britain’s Strictest Headmistress, which later became the title of an ITV documentary exploring her and her methods. She spoke about the underlying philosophy of Michaela Community School, her journey fro...

Baroness Tanni Grey Thompson DBE DL is an 11 time gold-winning Paralympian, and cross-bench peer in the House of Lords. Her highly successful career has seen her become one of Great Britain's most accomplished athletes, to sitting on and chairing various boards, including @_ukactive, to politics, to her active role in politics. She spoke about the joy of sport and the role it plays in society, her...

Yoram Hazony is a political analyst and writer from Israel. He is the President of the Herzl Institute, Chairman of the Edmund Burke, and author of a number of books, most recent of which is 'Conservatism: A Rediscovery'. He spoke about Orthodox Judaism and his path to reclaiming it, the fundamental differences between Conservatives and Marxists, and how Nationalism is frequently misunderstood. Re...

Jared Yates Sexton is an American writer and political commentator. Having begun his career writing and teaching fiction, things changed as his investigative journaling in the run up to the 2016 Presidential election plunged him into the world of politics. He is also the host of the Muckrake Podcast. He spoke about his childhood in a fundamentalist Christian church, the need for 'good brokership'...

Clover Stroud is a journalist and best-selling author of three books, the most recent of which is The Red of my Blood. She spoke about spoke about her upbringing, grappling with death, and the intertwined relationship between grief, God, creativity and horses. Read the full transcript here: https://www.theosthinktank.co.uk/comment/2023/01/25/clover-stroud-on-grief-god-creativity-and-horses Purchas...

Nick Cave is a multi award-winning Australian rock singer-songwriter who over his 40+ year long career has seen the release of countless records, film scores, and writings. Seán O’Hagan is an award-winning journalist for the The Guardian with a speciality in photography. The two of them spoke about faith and religion, the transformative nature of grief, and the experience of writing their book Fai...

This past series Elizabeth Oldfield spoke to Paul Kingsnorth, Sathnam Sanghera, Zara Mohammed, Sarah Langford, Dante Stewart, Rowan Deacon, Jonathan Pageau, Zing Tsjeng and Prue Leith. This wide range of guests brought with them a variety of sacred values, but also some common themes of thought and reflection. This episode Elizabeth pulls together all she learnt from these guests, their values, id...

Dame Prue Leith, DBE is a South African restaurateur, chef, television presenter/broadcaster, cookery writer, novelist and much more. Today she is widely known for being a judge on Channel 4’s The Great British Bake Off. She is also the mother of Conservative MP, and former guest, Danny Kruger. She spoke about growing up in South Africa during apartheid, and the importance of tolerance when speaki...

Zing Tsjeng is the editor in chief of Vice UK. She is the author of the book series 'Forgotten Women' which profiles underrated historical women in various fields, and is the host of the BBC podcast United Zingdom. She spoke about her experience of growing up in Singapore and the way in which the government monitor the media, what she feels Vice UK's role and unique voice is, and the many problema...

Jonathan Pageau is a French Canadian icon carver, public speaker and YouTuber exploring the symbolic patterns that underlie our experience of the world. He spoke about his journey to creating religious art, the different ways people on the political spectrum dehumanise each other, and his friendship with Jordan Peterson.

Rowan Deacon is a documentary filmmaker. Her portfolio includes the multi award winning film How to Die: Simon's Choice, and most recently Jimmy Savile: A Very British Horror Story, which was in the top 10 globally on Netflix. She spoke about what drew her to documentaries, the power of storytelling and the ethical questions at play when producing a documentary. Read the full transcript here: http...

Danté Stewart is a church leader and writer whose journalism has appeared in a variety of top newspapers across the America. His most recent book is Shoutin' in the Fire: An American Epistle. He spoke about his Southern Pentecostal childhood, his experience in a white majority church, parenting while black and much more. Read the full transcript here: https://www.theosthinktank.co.uk/comment/2022/...

Sarah Langford is a criminal and family barrister gone farmer, and the author of the best-selling book ‘In Your Defence: True Stories of Life and Law’. Her most recent book, 'Rooted: Stories of Life, Land and a Farming Revolution’, is an account of her experience farming after moving to the countryside in 2017 and the stories of the farmers she’s met at a time of unprecedented change in agricultur...

Zara Mohammed is Secretary General for the Muslim Council of Britain. When elected, she was the youngest and first woman to lead the organisation. She spoke about her childhood, her muslim faith and the significance of putting on the headscarf, and the challenges of being a young woman leader running an organisation. Read the full transcript here: https://www.theosthinktank.co.uk/comment/2022/10/0...

Sathnam Sanghera is journalist for The Times, and best-selling memoirist. His most recent book, Empireland: How Imperialism Has Shaped Modern Britain, has been showered with awards and endorsements. He spoke about growing up in Wolverhampton, his Sikh faith, dealing with online abuse, and his exploration of the history of colonialism. Read the full transcript here: https://www.theosthinktank.co.uk...