Everyday Ambassador

Annelise Riles speaks with Austin Bryan, an anthropologist and soon-to-be professor of global health, about his ten years of research with LGBTQ+ communities and healthcare workers in Uganda. Bryan offers a behind-the-scenes look at how international HIV funding has shaped not only access to care but also the emergence of activist networks in a country facing severe anti-LGBTQ+ laws. Their convers...

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Annelise Riles speaks with Dr. Bilqis Alatishe-Muhammad, a Nigerian physician and public health advocate working to improve maternal health and champion gender equity across Nigeria. From treating vulnerable communities to challenging cultural norms and policy gaps, Dr. Bilqis shares her deeply personal and powerful mission to bring healthcare to those who are often forgotten. Her story is a remin...

When we think of a traditional path to global influence, few would imagine starting out on tour with the Grateful Dead. But Stephen Greene, co-founder and CEO of RockCorps, has built a trailblazing career doing just that—blending the power of music, the passion of young people, and a bold new approach to social change. In the latest episode of Everyday Ambassador , host Annelise Riles reconnects w...

What do you do when you see human rights violations—but you don’t have the power to stop them? That’s the challenge many of us face today. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed, furious, or hopeless. But what if there were a way to channel that frustration into real impact? This week, we’re heading to Europe to see how one European Union diplomat handles the treatment of migrants at its borders—and what w...

In this episode, Annelise Riles speaks with Felecia Maxfield-Barrett, CEO of Utah Global Diplomacy , about how global diplomacy is taking root far beyond embassies and government offices—right in communities like Utah. From her upbringing in American Fork to her leadership in international exchange programs, Felecia shares how shared humanity and storytelling can build bridges across cultures and...

This year's Nobel Peace Prize prize went to Nihon Hidankyo, a Japanese organization founded by survivors of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki nuclear attacks. Their mission is to rid the world of nuclear weapons and make sure they are the last to ever experience the horror of an atomic attack. Member Mitamura Shizuko joins Everyday Ambassador to share her experiences from her activism as well as her hope...

In this season, we’re looking at what we can each do to strengthen our democracy and repair our communities. Rebuilding trust in our institutions is a critical piece of that. And today, we’re going to share some practical how-tos on what you can do to help get us there. First, we turn to Poland to hear how civil society actors there were able to take back their country’s democracy and rebuild the...

According to a 2024 Gallup poll, 36 percent of U.S. adults have no trust at all in the media. And another 33 percent of Americans say they have “not very much” confidence in the media. In this era of mistrust and disinformation, there’s an onus on all of us to understand how social media actually works. On this episode of Everyday Ambassador, host Annelise Riles is joined by experts working on mis...

On today's episode, we look at the Good Friday Agreement and how leaders "willing to take a risk for peace" were able to put an end to decades of conflict. Former Special Envoy to Northern Ireland Richard Haass shares his experiences facilitating the implementation of the agreement with host Annelise Riles. Plus Annelise connects with longtime friend Lois Anderson, Executive Director of Oregon Rig...

The recent U.S. election demonstrated once again a high degree of political polarization and the severe lack of trust both sides have for each other. How can we bridge these differences? Host Annelise Riles kicks off this season of Everyday Ambassador with climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe. Hayhoe has dedicated her career to talking across political divides. The core of her strategy is simple: Sh...

The U.S. presidential election illuminated just how divided Americans are. It’s not just the political rhetoric. They are consuming different media, having different conversations, even living different realities. So across these divides, how can Americans really hear and understand one another? What can be done to start repairing trust between people of differing opinions? How about trying a litt...

On this episode of Everyday Ambassador, host Annelise Riles sits down with corporate guru Christian Madsjberg, to hear how he employs an amateur's mindset when consulting for top companies. Journalist and open source investigator Natalia Antonova also shares how harnessing the 'hive mind' on the internet can lead to better outcomes when online dating. And finally, students from Northwestern share...

On this episode of Everyday Ambassador, host Annelise Riles sits down with Christine Chinkin, former judge at the Tokyo Women's Tribunal. Chinkin shares how this people's tribunal was set up as a fictional continuation of a previous war crimes tribunal, in order to bring victims justice. Foreign Policy's Mayesha Alam also joins the podcast to share how FP uses a crisis simulation called Peace Game...

On this episode of Everyday Ambassador, host Annelise Riles is joined by Felipe Rey, a law professor and the co-founder of iDeemos, a Democratic Innovation lab. Rey explains how he crafts citizen assemblies to encourage greater civic participation in policymaking. Escape room designer Juliana Moreno also shares how leaving space for others to shine leads to better problem-solving. Finally, listene...

On this episode of Everyday Ambassador, host Annelise Riles is joined by former National Security Council staff Ryan Hass to hear how gift-giving is integral to the U.S.-China relationship. Former White House Chief Protocol officer Peter Selfridge also shares how being intentional and taking the recipient into account can improve relationships. Finally, listeners and students from Northwestern Uni...

On this episode of Everyday Ambassador, host Annelise Riles sits down with Nobel Peace Prize laureate Beatrice Fihn to hear how taking a playful approach to fostering relationships, and building trust, helped pass a nuclear weapons treaty. We also hear how The Police Athletic League of Philadelphia as well as students from Northwestern University use fun to solve problems and work through relation...

The strategies global leaders use to negotiate impasses and bridge divides may seem complicated. But when you break them down, they can turn out to be quite simple. From giving gifts to encouraging play to creating space for collaboration, Northwestern University law professor Annelise Riles shares surprising stories of how seemingly small gestures can bring about big change. Follow Everyday Ambas...