Beyond The Bubble

German Socialist MEP Sabrina, 27 and the European Parliament’s second-youngest member, describes coming from a worker’s family in northeastern Germany shaped by post-unification unemployment and poverty, which drove her early activism, joining the SPD youth wing at 14 and helping migrants during the 2015 refugee arrivals. She argues Europe needs younger and more diverse perspectives, links EU poli...

In this episode of Beyond the Bubble, Andras speaks with Dutch EU civil servant Jeroen Reijnen about his book Big In Brussels : The Art of Working and Living in the EU Bubble, which blends career guidance with a personal and human look at life around the EU institutions.  Jeroen recounts his path from early internships to 17 years in a liberal political group in the European Parliament and then to...

Andras interviews Mohamad, a Lebanon-born Palestinian who moved to Belgium in 2000 and works with students on dialogue, extremism prevention and also serves in the Belgian army reserve, and Eric, a Brussels teacher and former school director raised in Molenbeek who studied religious sciences and researched radicalization among local youth. They discuss how “radicalization” can mean returning to ro...

In this episode, Andras speaks with Tomás Ryan,neuroscience researcher about what neuroscience is as an integrative field and how he moved from genetics into studying memory. They discuss cognition, thought, and consciousness, why brain-as-computer analogies can mislead, and what we actually know about how information is stored in neural circuits. The conversation focuses on “memory engrams” - phy...

In this conversation, sinologist and keynote speaker PascalCoppens discusses his book China’sNext Miracle and argues that most Western coveragefocuses too much on top-down politics while missing bottom-up forcesshaping China’s innovation. Pascal gives a detailed explanation ofhow China is engineering its way out of problems like the real-estatebubble, why technology is viewed as a positive societa...

Sun shares how she was born in the US andkept moving frequently as the child of undocumented parents. Once she was detained in Maryland, separated from her parents and placed with a foster family, then deported to Seoul at age eight. She describes adapting to Korea’s communalculture, the intense education-and-work ethos of the 1980s -90s, and later returning to the US for Rutgers and graduate scho...

Don’t Talk About Politics (Just Yet): Building Real Political Agency In this episode of Beyond the Bubble, Andras Baneth speaks with author and public intellectual Sarah Stein Lubrano (https://www.sarahsteinlubrano.com/) about her book Don’t Talk About Politics and why political opinions rarely change through words, debates, or exposure to ideas alone.   Drawing on her background in Washington, DC...

In this episode of Beyond the Bubble, Andras welcomes Edward McMillan, founder of the Brussels Shakespeare Society, actor, director, and theatre producer, for a conversation about storytelling, performance, psychology, and the role theatre plays in helping us better understand ourselves and one another. Edward begins by sharing the journey of building an English-language theatre community in Bruss...

In this episode of Beyond the Bubble , Andras welcomes Dani Dayan , Chairman of Yad Vashem , Israel’s World Holocaust Remembrance Center, for a thoughtful conversation about Holocaust remembrance, historical truth, education, and the growing challenge of preserving history in the 21st centuryand post-7 October 2023 world. Dani explains why Yad Vashem is far more than a museum, serving as one of th...

In this episode of Beyond the Bubble, Andras welcomes Venezuelan-American economist Jorge Jraissati for a fascinating conversation about the rise and collapse of Venezuela, oil-driven populism, and what the country's story means for Europe, China, and Iran. Jorge shares his own story growing up in Venezuela during a deepening humanitarian crisis. He explains how a country that was once one of...

In this episode of Beyond the Bubble, Andras speaks with Efrat Tzadik, an expat expert and researcher in cultural anthropology, migration and relocation, about what it takes to integrate into a new country. They discuss how she moved to Belgium 28 years ago, how her own experience led her back to university for migration studies, and why she uses “migration” to mean any longer-term movement of peo...

In this episode of Beyond the Bubble, Andras welcomes philosopher, writer, and former Ghent University academic Maarten Boudry for a deep conversation about science, critical thinking, climate policy, ideology, and the Israel-Gaza debate. Maarten begins with his work on the line between science and pseudoscience, explaining why good reasoning is not limited to universities, but applies to everyday...

In this episode of Beyond the Bubble, Andras welcomes Jorge Zain, an Argentinian music therapist, entrepreneur, and sound bath facilitator based in Brussels, for a conversation about sound, vibration, healing, and human connection. Jorge shares how he moved to Belgium during the pandemic while his company Vibracustica was growing in Argentina, and explains how he built a school and business around...

In this episode of Beyond the Bubble Andras speaks with Shai Kaplan about her life-changing medical crisis she faced at 14: three brain tumors led to an emergency surgery, major vision loss, and years of pain, fear, and uncertainty. Shai reflects on what it meant to live through repeated operations, accept the possibility of dying young, and spend years moving around the world while trying to cope...

In this episode of Beyond the Bubble, Andras speaks with journalist and author David Keating about his book The Owned Continent and the argument at its core: that Europe remains deeply dependent on the United States not only militarily, but also culturally, economically and psychologically. Dave discusses his path from the United States to Brussels, how his early belief in the European project was...

In this episode of Beyond the Bubble, Andras welcomes Nikodem, director of communications of Ave Europa, for a conversation about European federalism, identity, and the political and economic pressures shaping Europe today. Nikodem explains why building a conservative pan-European political force that can move beyond national fragmentation and push toward a more unified and resilient Europe is nee...

In this episode of Beyond the Bubble, Andras speaks with Belgian Air Force Colonel Yvo Dierick, who is transitioning out of active duty after nearly 39 years of service. Yvo reflects on a career dedicated to protecting air bases, military infrastructure, and personnel in Belgium and abroad, and explains the layered system behind modern security, from personnel vetting and physical protection to cy...

Born in Antwerp in September 1939 to Polish Jewish parents, Regina was only two and a half when she was placed in hiding with a non-Jewish couple, Anna and Charles, who risked their lives to protect her while her parents moved between multiple hiding places. She shares how she was reunited with her parents after three and a half years, struggling to reconnect after growing up in two different worl...

In this episode of Beyond the Bubble, Andras speaks with Enno Wiebe, Director General of the European Rail Supply Industry, about how Europe’s railway system really works behind the scenes. Trained as a civil engineer in Dresden and shaped by early professional experience at Deutsche Bahn, the UIC in Paris, and Brussels, Enno shares how a lifelong fascination with trains turned into a career spann...

In this episode of Beyond the Bubble, Andras speaks with Darya Safai, a Belgian Member of Parliament born in Iran, for a direct and educational conversation about freedom, identity, and the future of Iran. Darya recounts her early activism as a dentistry student in Tehran, the 1999 student protests, her arrest and time in prison, and the decision to flee the country after becoming a target of the...

In this episode of Beyond the Bubble, Andras sits down with Belgian activist and trade lawyer Yohan Benizri, founder of the 451 Institute for a wide-ranging conversation about freedom of speech, academic diversity, democratic resilience, institutional neutrality, and how societies handle disagreement without sliding into conflict. Yohan explains the mission of the 451 Institute and its focus on vi...

In this episode of Beyond the Bubble, Andras speaks with Garth, an Iyengar yoga teacher from Los Angeles, about having been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) and how it has reshaped his life through yoga. Garth recounts being diagnosed with MS in the mid-1990s while pursuing an acting career in Hollywood, the fear and uncertainty that followed, and the medical journey that led to an unexpecte...

In this episode of Beyond the Bubble, Andras sits down with Jeremy Jennings, a Brit in Brussels who spent decades at one of the largest global accounting companies before moving into full-time mental health volunteer work. Jeremy reflects on his career from Arthur Andersen to EY where he worked closely with EU institutions on regulation, risk, and liability. He offers an insider view on how large...

In this episode of Beyond the Bubble, Andras speaks with Daniel Friedlander, a Canadian-turned-European political and communications professional. Daniel’s life was shaped by a childhood spent across Europe as the son of diplomats and a career spanning politics, media, and EU advocacy. Daniel reflects on how early exposure to international politics, including a meeting with Helmuth Kohl and Shimon...

In this episode of Beyond the Bubble, Andras welcomes Alejandro back to explore deep spiritual topics: yoga, meditation, retreats, ayahuasca, psychedelics, and the search for clarity that followed a long period of anxiety and personal issues. Alejandro explains how he got to Vipassana (silent) retreats in India, Nepal, and Thailand. These practices helped him observe his emotions, avoid falling in...