Better Politics Podcast

Annie Lööf entered Swedish politics young. At 23 she was elected to parliament, and at 28 she became the youngest party leader in modern Swedish history when she took over the Centre Party. Over more than a decade in leadership, she helped reposition the party, navigated coalition negotiations in a fragmented political landscape, and became known for her firm defense of liberal democracy.  In this...

Mu Sochua spent most of her life organizing for democracy in Cambodia, both inside and outside the country. She served as a member of parliament and as minister for women’s and veterans affairs before leaving the government over corruption and later joining the political opposition. After her party was dissolved, she was banned from politics and sentenced to 47 years in prison. She now lives in ex...

In this episode, Lisa Witter is joined by Jo Swinson, former UK Member of Parliament and leader of the Liberal Democrats.  They explore Jo's journey into politics, beginning with her early interest in activism inspired by the Body Shop's commitment to social issues. Jo reflects on her experiences as the youngest MP and the challenges she faced in a male-dominated environment, particularl...

In the first episode of the Better Politics Podcast of 2026, host Lisa Witter is joined by Damian Boeselager, a German Member of the European Parliament and the co-founder of Volt Europa, the first pan-European political party. With a background in philosophy and economics, Damian began his career in strategy consulting and social impact work before an unexpected turn during his graduate studies i...

In this year-end edition of the Better Politics Podcast, Lisa Witter is joined by colleagues Kimberly McArthur and Suki Capobianco   for a candid reflection on a pivotal year for politics globally, and for the Better Politics Foundation.  Together they unpack the challenges and opportunities shaping the field of political leadership innovation, from representation and trust to systems change. The...

We speak with global extremism expert and author Cynthia Miller-Idriss about the rising tide of political violence, the gendered roots of radicalisation, and why misogyny has become one of the most powerful accelerants of extremism.  Drawing on her career studying far-right movements, online recruitment and youth vulnerability, Cynthia unpacks how algorithms shape belief, how violence is becoming...

In this episode of Better Politics , we sit down with Shoukei Matsumoto — a Pure Land Buddhist monk, philosopher, entrepreneur, and author of A Monk’s Guide to a Clean House and Mind — for a rare conversation recorded live in Berlin.  From Doraemon to DeepSea prompts, to Buddhist interbeing to AI as a mirror for our humanness, Shoukei guides us through what it means to lead, live, and make sense o...

This week's episode airs during the first-ever Berlin Freedom Week , an idea that our guest, Leopoldo López, was instrumental in developing with the city of Berlin. As the General Secretary of the World Liberty Congress, Leopoldo López believes people's power is a non-negotiable precondition for consolidating the global movement for democratic renewal. He also shares his insights on what...

The first episode of the new season of The Better Politics Podcast was recorded on the sidelines of the 2025 Athens Democracy Forum convened by the Democracy and Culture Foundation. The Better Politics Podcast is a platform for hearing and learning from leaders themselves. Too often, we throw arrows at politicians without engaging them on reshaping the system so they can govern more effectively. T...

Welcome to Better Politics — the podcast for anyone who refuses to accept politics as it is. Politics today feels broken.  Trust is collapsing.  The gap between people and power is widening.  We’re tackling 21st-century crises with 18th-century politics, 19th-century institutions, and 20th-century tech. No wonder people are losing faith. Better Politics is here to change that.  Non-partisan by des...

You can do things differently, and just because it hasn't been done before, doesn't mean it can't be done," says Democratic Innovator Hall of Fame recipient Kate Chaney. In this episode, we talk with Member of the Australian House of Representatives for Curtin Kate Chaney about the importance of crowd wisdom and optimism in challenging traditional political paradigms. Through i...

Politicians and people must come together to solve the biggest issues of our time. But how do we facilitate productive relationships in an environment of cynicism, distrust and polarization? In this episode, we talk with Secretary of Citizen Participation in Nuevo León (Mexico) Ximena Peredo about strategies to mainstream participation and creating public policy. As a former activist and columnist...

"We live today in the falling apart of what I would call consumer democracy." In this episode, New Citizenship Project co-founder and Citizens author Jon Alexander talks with our CEO Lisa Witter about the need to switch from a consumer story to citizens story in politics. He gives examples of what citizen-led governance looks like around the world and calls on politicians to work on trus...

* Khadija Patel has become Journalist in Residence at the International Fund for Public Interest Media since this episode was produced. She is referred to as Head of Programmes in this audio.   "What I want all politicians to assert is the value of news media, even when it is at their own personal expense.”   In this episode, Khadija Patel,  the International Press Institute's Chairperso...

"Small is no longer beautiful".  That's the message from Bring Back Our Girls and Transparency International co-founder Dr Obiageli "Oby" Esekwesili this International Women's Day.  "We need think about how we go for broke." Dr Oby’s career is so varied and impressive that it’s hard to explain in a few lines. She served as Nigeria’s Minister of Education and...

This guest impressed us so much that we gave her a job! French-Tunisian revolutionary, politician and social entrepreneur Omezzine Khelifa was part of the 2011 revolution, ran for office and then served as an advisor to two ministers in her country's early post-revolution governments. She started working for us as Executive Director of our flagship Apolitical Academy Global program in January...

Political polarization is one of the defining narratives of our time and fewer topics create stronger feelings of hopelessness.   In this episode,  Alison Goldsworthy—co-author of "Poles Apart: Why People Turn Against Each Other, and How to Bring Them Together" —delves into some of the science behind polarization and gives tips for making progress in polarized environments. She proves we...

Former Senegalese Prime Minister Aminata Touré talks about what she thinks will help more women get into politics around the world, including quotas, better familial support and alliances between women leaders. Senegal has a relatively high proportion of women in parliament—44 per cent as of December 2022, according to the Inter-Parliamentary Union. Ms Touré—who has often been called Senegal’s “Ir...

Turkish journalist and author Ece Temelkuran has seen the worst of people. That hasn't stopped her from believing in humanity. In this episode of A Political Hope, Ece talks about a language of progress, why she avoids the concept of political hope and how politicians can use radical love in their work. She also discusses why she chooses to have faith in humanity, no matter how many times peo...

We'll be back sharing political hope from 10 Jan, 2023. Thank you so much for listening and daring to hope! Follow us on LinkedIn , Instagram , Facebook , and visit our website to stay up to date with our latest news. Subscribe to the Better (Political) Leadership Substack and sign up to our bi-weekly briefing for insights and inspiration on how to build better politics.

How do we get more passionate activists into political power? In this episode, we talk to movement builders Colombe Cahen-Salvador and Andrea Venzon about barriers to political office, what they look for in a future politician and what will happen if activists on the street continue to feel unrepresented in the halls of power. Colombe and Andrea are co-founders of pan-European political party Volt...

How does a golfer from a non-political family end up prime minister? Former Finnish Prime Minister Alexander Stubb shares his unusual political path, including joining a  party for the first time at 36 and becoming prime minister by "accident". He says we must find a way to be kinder to politicians and tells us why he's an internal optimist.    This interview was originally used for...

A politician’s mental wellbeing is as important as a pilot’s. So, why do we pay so little attention to the wellbeing of our leaders? In this episode, Dr Victoria Hasson and Dr Ashley Weinberg talk about why and how we should give politicians the support they need to serve people well, and why politicians' job creates barriers to accessing support. Dr Ashley Weinberg is an occupational psychol...

We're finding hope in climate politics. Yes, that is possible! Ramona Liberoff, now Executive Director of the World Resource Institute’s Platform for Accelerating the Circular Economy, explores innovations, solutions and political possibility in this episode released during COP 27. Ramona is an Apolitical Foundation Global Advisor and started her job at the Worlde Resources Institute after re...

Former Tunisian Prime Minister Mehdi Jomaa talks about his unusual journey to politics, the need for prepared politicians and the importance of picking the right team. He also calls on young people to claim their place in politics and has some advice for protestors on the streets around the world.  Mr Jomaa was a different kind of politician. He left his aerospace career to serve Tunisia in the ye...