Loneliness and You

Axel is joined by Katerina Manoff, the founder & CEO of ENGin, a global nonprofit that has paired over 50,000 English learners and volunteers for online conversation practice and cultural exchange. Katerina and Axel discuss the importance of conversation in language learning, the power of truth, and the role of her project in giving a voice to Ukrainians.

Axel is joined by Cait West, a survivor of the Christian patriarchy movement. Cait and Axel discuss her book, Rift: A Memoir of Breaking Away from Christian Patriarchy, homeschooling, creationism, the possibility of healing and constructing a coherent self.

Axel is joined by Jennifer Kent, a Senior Research Fellow in Urbanism at the University of Sydney. Jennifer and Axel discuss the role of public space in creating opportunities to retreat and interact, the importance of eye contact and incidental encounters, and why privacy matters in the planning of cities.

Axel is joined by Yazmin Novelo, a speaker of Yucatec Mayan who works as a language activist and language revitalization mentor with the Endangered Languages Project. Yazmin and Axel discuss the cosmogony and spirituality of Mayan culture, the perspective inherent in language and the link between language activism and the right of persons to be themselves.

Axel is joined by Pius Akumbu, the Director of Research in African Linguistics at the French National Center for Scientific Research as well as a language activist and mentor at the Endangered Languages Project. Pius and Axel discuss the role of pitch in word meaning in Bantu languages, the relation between language and thought, and the importance of keeping Bantu alive.

Axel is joined by language activist and researcher Alexandra Philbin. Alex and Axel discuss the sense of connection generated by a common language, the threats facing the Irish linguistic community, and how to party at an Irish rave!

Axel is joined by philosopher Kate Manne. Kate and Axel discuss fatness, its relation to social oppression, the historical roots of fatphobia and the experience of being in a larger body. Kate's book, ⁠Unshrinking: How to Face Fatphobia⁠ , was published by Penguin Random House in 2024.

Axel is joined by author, speaker, and former CIA operative Michele Rigby Assad. Michele and Axel discuss loneliness while serving as an undercover intelligence officer before the digital age, the mental toll of constantly living under threat, and how she learned to keep herself safe by “getting off the X.” Learn more about Michele’s story and her work at https://michelerigbyassad.com/   Get in to...

Axel is joined by exploration caver Rene Ohms. Rene and Axel discuss what it’s like to spend extended periods of time in total darkness, the trust that builds among caving teams working in the world’s remotest environments, and what it’s like to be the very first person to lay eyes on the beautiful and strange things hidden deep underground.   Get in touch! Email:  lonelinesspod@gmail.com Instagra...

Axel is joined by musician and social work student Dan Whitener. Dan and Axel discuss the peculiar loneliness of being on stage, the mental health issues facing working musicians, and the role music serves as a great connector of people. You can find more of Dan and his band, Gangstagrass, at  gangstagrass.com  and  danwhitenermusic.com .    Get in touch! Email:  lonelinesspod@gmail.com Instagram/...

Axel is joined by bioethicists Evie Kendal and Tiia Sudenkaarne. Evie, Tiia, and Axel discuss incels, misogyny, and why nobody is “owed” sexual relations.   Get in touch! Email:  lonelinesspod@gmail.com Instagram/TikTok: @loneliness.pod  

Axel is joined by Dave Raymond, speaker, author, brand consultant, and the original performer of the world-famous Phillie Phanatic! Dave and Axel discuss the importance of taking charge of your own happiness, using the power of silliness and joy for community good, and the unexpected blessing that the Phanatic offered during some of the darkest moments in Dave’s life. To learn more about Dave and...

Axel is joined by Rosemarie Merino, child survivor of World War II. Rosemarie was five years old when she witnessed her Jewish grandmother’s forcible removal from her family’s safe house by the Nazis. Axel and Rosemarie discuss living with family trauma, antisemitism, and the different ways we reckon with Nazi Germany’s disturbing and violent past. To learn more about the Stolpersteine (Stumbling...

Axel is joined by Prasanta Verma, author of  Beyond Ethnic Loneliness . Axel and Prasanta discuss loneliness as it relates to ethnic identity, how immigrants and ethnic minorities are frequently misunderstood, and how to mitigate loneliness among these groups. For more information about  Beyond Ethnic Loneliness  and Prasanta’s work, visit https://prasantaverma.com/   Get in touch! Email:  lonelin...

Axel is joined by Ultrarunner John Kelly, who has completed both the Barkley Marathons and the Pennine Way, two of the world’s most challenging races, multiple times. Axel and John discuss loneliness as it relates to endurance athletics in extreme environments, how we experience reality while pushing the body to its limits, and the value of spending time in isolation. To read more about John’s rac...

Axel is joined by mortician Victor M. Sweeney, who you may recognize as the death and mortuary expert from WIRED’s Tech Support and Technique Critique YouTube videos. Axel and Victor discuss loneliness as it relates to death, remembrance, and Victor’s mortuary work in a small community. In addition to his regular work as a funeral director, Victor is currently developing a podcast called "Death An...

This is the final episode of the first series of the podcast. I have a look at the conversations of the past year, try to identify some guiding threads, and create some connections. I also ramble on a fair bit about various philosophical questions. Please stay tuned - we'll be back in the autumn with the second series, in which we'll focus on the lived experience of loneliness.

My guest in this episode is Melba Jensen. Melba is a guide at the Emily Dickinson Museum in Amherst, Massachusetts. She previously taught 19th Century American Literature at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

My guest in this episode is Richard Deming. Richard is the Director of Creative Writing at Yale University. He is a writer, critic, and scholar whose work explores the intersections of philosophy, literature, and visual culture. His recent book, This Exquisite Loneliness: What Loners, Outcasts, and the Misunderstood Can Teach Us About Creativity , is published with Viking.

My guest in this episode is Tamara Kayali Browne. Tamara is  Senior Lecturer in Health Ethics and Professionalism at Deakin University, Australia. She works in bioethics and the philosophy of medicine with a focus on reproductive technology (particularly ethical issues related to non-medical sex selection) and neuroethics (particularly ethical and philosophical issues related to diagnoses of menta...

My guest in this episode is Olya Kudina. Olya is Assistant Professor in Ethics and Philosophy of Technology at TU Delft in the Netherlands. She explores moral questions through the lens of hermeneutics, pragmatism, and empirical philosophy and is particularly interested in AI ethics. Her new book, Moral Hermeneutics and Technology: Making Moral Sense through Human-Technology-World Relations , is p...

My guest in this episode is Ulla Schmid. Ulla is a physician and philosopher. One of her interests, both in research and as a social worker and junior assistant in psychiatry, is addiction. Her recent paper, Alcohol and Loneliness: Their Entanglement and Social Constitution , is published in the journal Topoi .

My guest in this episode is Marlies Maes. Marlies is Assistant Professor for Youth Studies, Interdisciplinary Social Science, at Utrecht University in the Netherlands. She is interested in social relationships between humans and studies loneliness, mainly amongst adolescents. Her co-authored paper, How (Not) to Measure Loneliness: A Review of the Eight Most Commonly Used Scales , is published in t...

My guest in this episode is Lucy Osler. Lucy is Lecturer in Philosophy at Cardiff University, UK. She is interested in phenomenological and 4E approaches to online sociality, embodiment, intersubjectivity, affectivity, and psychopathology. Her recent co-authored paper, Loneliness and Absence in Psychopathology , is published in the journal Topoi .

My guest in this episode is Johnna Wellesley. Johnna is a PhD Candidate in Bioethics and Health Humanities at the University of Texas, Medical Branch. She is interested in the ethical, cultural, legal, and emotional aspects of medicine and focuses on the presence of shame and stigma in the dying and the dead. Her recent commentary, " Autonomy requires more curiosity less deference to risk &qu...