PUSHBACK Talks

The Pushback Talks Summer Series is back! This summer, Fredrik & Leilani are serving up what we call Word Food – bite-sized conversations that pack a punch. Here's how it works: each week, we randomly select two words and dive into a 10-15 minute exploration of how these seemingly simple words intersect with our complex socio-political moment. Think of it as intellectual snacking with sub...

The Pushback Talks Summer Series is back! This summer, Fredrik & Leilani are serving up what we call Word Food – bite-sized conversations that pack a punch. Here's how it works: each week, we randomly select two words and dive into a 10-15 minute exploration of how these seemingly simple words intersect with our complex socio-political moment. Think of it as intellectual snacking with sub...

The Pushback Talks Summer Series is back! This summer, Fredrik & Leilani are serving up what we call Word Food – bite-sized conversations that pack a punch. Here's how it works: each week, we randomly select two words and dive into a 10-15 minute exploration of how these seemingly simple words intersect with our complex socio-political moment. Think of it as intellectual snacking with sub...

The Pushback Talks Summer Series is back! This summer, Fredrik & Leilani are serving up what we call Word Food – bite-sized conversations that pack a punch. Here's how it works: each week, we randomly select two words and dive into a 10-15 minute exploration of how these seemingly simple words intersect with our complex socio-political moment. Think of it as intellectual snacking with sub...

The Pushback Talks Summer Series is back! This summer, Fredrik & Leilani are serving up what we call Word Food – bite-sized conversations that pack a punch. Here's how it works: each week, we randomly select two words and dive into a 10-15 minute exploration of how these seemingly simple words intersect with our complex socio-political moment. Think of it as intellectual snacking with sub...

The Pushback Talks Summer Series is back! This summer, Fredrik & Leilani are serving up what we call Word Food – bite-sized conversations that pack a punch. Here's how it works: each week, we randomly select two words and dive into a 10-15 minute exploration of how these seemingly simple words intersect with our complex socio-political moment. Think of it as intellectual snacking with sub...

The Pushback Talks Summer Series is back! This summer, Fredrik & Leilani are serving up what we call Word Food – bite-sized conversations that pack a punch. Here's how it works: each week, we randomly select two words and dive into a 10-15 minute exploration of how these seemingly simple words intersect with our complex socio-political moment. Think of it as intellectual snacking with sub...

The Pushback Talks Summer Series is back! This summer, Fredrik & Leilani are serving up what we call Word Food – bite-sized conversations that pack a punch. Here's how it works: each week, we randomly select two words and dive into a 10-15 minute exploration of how these seemingly simple words intersect with our complex socio-political moment. Think of it as intellectual snacking with sub...

The Pushback Talks Summer Series is back! This summer, Fredrik & Leilani are serving up what we call Word Food – bite-sized conversations that pack a punch. Here's how it works: each week, we randomly select two words and dive into a 10-15 minute exploration of how these seemingly simple words intersect with our complex socio-political moment. Think of it as intellectual snacking with sub...

Fredrik and Leilani dive into Georgia's unprecedented protest movement with Gota Chanturia, education policy specialist and member of the Movement for Social Democracy. For more than 180 days, Georgians have been on the streets opposing their government's dramatic shift away from European integration and toward Russian influence. Gota explains how the parliamentary elections of October 2...

This week, we explore how Mexico City is challenging the global housing crisis through innovative female leadership. While 26,000 Airbnb listings have transformed the city's housing landscape, primarily benefiting large investors rather than residents, women at the helm of Mexico's government are implementing bold solutions. Their vision includes building one million new homes and consti...

In this week's episode, Fredrik and Leilani take center stage without guests to candidly explore how we might find connection and hope in challenging times. They reflect on the state of democracy, human rights, and social movements, sharing their personal struggles with making sense of current events and finding ways to make meaningful change in complicated times.  Books mentioned in this epi...

What happens when international law exists on paper but not in practice? This week, Fredrik Gertten and Leilani Farha speak with Allegra Pacheco, an American human rights lawyer who has dedicated her career to protecting vulnerable Palestinian communities in the West Bank. As Chief of Party of the Norwegian Refugee Council-led West Bank Protection Consortium, Allegra sees the realities of Area C i...

This week, we dive deep into the fracturing landscape of global politics with Peter S. Goodman , New York Times Global Economic Correspondent and author. What happens when the rules of global cooperation suddenly seem disposable? When nationalist ambitions threaten to unravel decades of multilateral understanding? Peter Goodman returns to unpack the complex dynamics of trade wars, economic manipul...

Fredrik and Leilani sit down with Sam Freeman (Head of Research and Advocacy at The Shift) and Dominika Leitane (Legal Officer at Opportunity Green) who reveal how they took the UK government to the United Nations—and won! Get an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the UN review process as Sam and Dominika break down exactly how they navigated this powerful accountability tool to tackle the twin c...

What happens when Elon Musk's anti-union Tesla meets Sweden's powerful labor movement? Since October 2023, Swedish workers have maintained the country's longest strike in a century, with solidarity spreading across Nordic countries. In this episode, Fredrik and Leilani speak with German Bender, chief analyst at Arena think tank and Harvard Labor researcher, about how this historic s...

Canadian Member of Parliament Leah Gazan (New Democratic Party, Manitoba) joins Fredrik and Leilani to explore how nations and individuals can stand firm against authoritarianism without succumbing to despair. Drawing from her family's experience with genocide across two continents, Gazan offers insights into transforming collective anxiety into meaningful action and leadership. Leah reminds...

Finland has achieved what many countries still deem impossible: significantly reducing long-term homelessness through a Housing First model. Finland's model, which has reduced homelessness by 80% since 2008, doesn't just provide housing – it prevents homelessness through strategic urban planning, integrated support services, and proactive intervention. Join Fredrik and Leilani as they sp...

In our first episode of the new year, Leilani and Kirsten sit down with former Victoria Supreme Court Justice Kevin Bell to examine Australia's housing challenges and their global implications. Drawing on his 15 years on Victoria's highest court and his book "Housing: The Great Australian Right," Bell explores the realities of intergenerational housing access and its broader im...

What if public housing could be a solution, not a symptom of urban inequality? Singapore offers an alternative to the traditional narrative of state-sponsored housing. In this episode, Fredrik, Leilani, and National University of Singapore Professor Kwan Ok Lee unpack an extraordinary housing system that defies global expectations. By transforming apartments into instruments of social cohesion, Si...

Cities are the frontline of our global challenges – from climate change to housing crises. In this powerful episode of Pushback Talks, Deputy Mayor of Paris Christophe Najdovski reveals how progressive urban leadership can transform cities into resilient, livable ecosystems. From challenging powerful car lobbies to reimagining urban spaces, Najdovski and Mayor Anne Hidalgo are pioneering a radical...

In Nigeria's largest city, a powerful story is unfolding - one that shines a light on the urgent struggle for housing rights and urban resilience. In this episode, we sit down with the creative team behind the new film "The Legend of the Vagabond Queen of Lagos," which dramatizes the real-life tragedy of the Otodo Gbame informal settlement. Between November 2016 and April 2017, over...

In the finale of our series on The Shift Directives, our experts examine the staggering scale and far-reaching impact of institutional investment on housing.  What could we gain if housing investment and housing redevelopment complied with human rights standards? Leilani and Sam tackle thorny issues like tax advantages for REITs and the alarming trend of financializing vulnerable housing sectors s...

In this critical third installment of our series on The Shift Directives, Sam, Leilani, and Kirsten delve into the intricate dance between local, national, and international policies, exposing how disconnects in governance can leave vulnerable citizens without a roof over their heads. Leilani and Sam dissect the multi-level approach needed to effectively implement housing rights and talk about how...

In the second installment of this four-part special series, Pushback Talks Producer Kirsten delves deeper into The Shift Directives with Leilani & Sam. Leilani and Sam get into Directive 7 of The Shift Directives, which is all about protecting tenants and creating spaces for them to participate in the future of their communities. Together the three cut to the heart of modern housing challenges...