Hope Is A Verb

What do KPop Demon Hunters and Bluey have to do with stories of progress? Well, you’ll hear the answer in this ‘Ask Us Anything’ episode. From controversial opinions on the climate crisis, to our very first News Fix bulletin, Gus and Amy dive into a range of topics and answer some big, burning questions from subscribers. Other topics discussed: Why solar energy is such big news, the role of solutions journalism in Gaza, good humans everywhere, individual action versus systemic change, the question of scale and the launch of our audio documentary about the malaria vaccine, A Shot At History.What did you think of our News Fix? If you want to send us a question, feedback or nominate a potential guest for the podcast, go to our website or email amy@fixthenews.comThis podcast is hosted by Angus Hervey and Amy Davoren-Rose from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Fix The News⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Audio sweeting by Anthony Badolato at Ai3 – audio and voice. 

Meet Rutger Bregman, a Dutch historian, bestselling author andour first repeat guest on the podcast! In this episode we chat with Rutger about his new book Moral Ambition and why it’s time for people to stop wasting their talent and start making a difference. From his early midlife crisis to what we can learn from the abolitionists and why the world needs to redefinesuccess, this is a conversation for our times. Topics discussed: Why the biggest waste of time is the misallocation of talent, the ‘mother of all movements,’ what it takes to build a wildly better world, on taking the long view, the problem with online activism, money is not a dirty word in creating social movements and why the School for Moral Ambition is paying people to quit their jobs. Find out more:https://www.moralambition.orghttps://rutgerbregman.comhttps://www.givingwhatwecan.orgDon’t forget to ‘Ask Us Anything’ – email yourquestion to amy@fixthenews.com or leaveus a voice note here. You have until 9am Wednesday 27th September AEST.This podcast is hosted by Angus Hervey and Amy Davoren-Rose from Fix The News and sound design by Anthony Badolato from Ai3 - Audio & Voice.  

Meet Paulie Stewart, an Australian punk rocker who teamed up with a group of nuns to help disabled kids in Timor Leste. From walking on the wild side, to almost crossing over to the other side – Paulie’s story is about full circles, second chances, and the one of the most unlikely and inspiring partnerships. Topics discussed: the deathbed encounter that changed Paulie’s life, why the Alma Nuns are more punk than Billy Idol, the impact of Paulie’s work in Timor, the power of faith and the unexpected twists that have defined his extraordinary life journey. If you want to support the Alma nuns, you can donate through their funding platform, Myriad Australia.This podcast is hosted by Angus Hervey and Amy Davoren-Rose from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Fix The News⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Audio sweeting by Anthony Badolato at Ai3 – audio and voice.

Meet Wawira Njiru, a nutritionist and social entrepreneur in Kenya who’s gone from serving lunch to 25 children out of a makeshift kitchen to establishing Food4Education, a nonprofit organisation that serves half a million hot, nutritious and affordable school meals every day. From the uncalculated cost of childhood hunger to powering an 'engine of potential', Wawira’s story shows how thinking big and starting small can change the world. Topics discussed: why the world's future leaders need a school meal today, the logistics of feeding half a million kids, the power of scaling a simple idea, why optimism matters, the ripple effects of school meals on communities and how a well-fed future could change Africa. You can support Wawira’s work at Food4Education.org and for more inspiration, check out her 2025 TED talk here.This podcast is hosted by Angus Hervey and Amy Davoren-Rose from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Fix The News⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Audio sweeting by Anthony Badolato at Ai3 – audio and voice.

Meet Boyan Slat, founder of The Ocean Cleanup - the world’s largest cleanup in history. After starting as a high school project in the Netherlands in 2011, Boyan’s mission has gone global, removing tens of millions of kilograms of plastic from oceans and rivers. It’s an epic job and with plastic pollution on the rise, the cleanup is doubling down on its goal to remove 90% of ocean plastic by 2040. From the recent launch of the cleanup’s 30 Cities program to dealing with critics on social media, Boyan’s 'engineering energy' might just change the way you think about the world. Topics discussed: mother nature vs human nature; why The Ocean Cleanup is not a lifelong project; behind-the-scenes of the cleaning up the world’s most polluted river; what motivates Boyan to keep going in the face of impossible odds and why addressing the root cause is not the best way to tackle our problems. For more information check out: theoceancleanup.comThis podcast is hosted by Angus Hervey and Amy Davoren-Rose from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Fix The News⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Audio sweeting by Anthony Badolato at Ai3 – audio and voice.

A new chapter begins on July 31st, 2025.

Depending on where you get your news, 2024 probably sounded like a complete disaster. And while a lot of terrible things happened, not everything that happened in the world was terrible. From breakthrough treatments for HIV and obesity, to the rise in global happiness and the decline in deforestation in the Amazon – there were a lot of bright glimmers of progress that you just didn’t hear about.   Go to our website to read the full list of our 86 Stories of Progress from 2024. Other topics discussed: our word of the year (hint – it’s not "brain rot"); the surprising news about global reproductive rights; the good news for obesity; how 90 million kids got fed at school; the medical breakthrough of 2024; LGBTQ+ victories in Thailand & Greece; China’s 3000 kilometre green wall; the hidden stories of hope in Gaza and Ukraine; why 2025 is going to be a big year in the Amazon; how the clean energy transition is fuelling hope for future; the biggest environmental story of the year; incredible wins for animals; and why stories of progress matter now more than ever. This podcast is hosted by Angus Hervey and Amy Davoren-Rose from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Fix The News⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Audio sweeting by Anthony Badolato at Ai3 – audio and voice.

Meet Steven Pinker, a cognitive psychologist and public intellectual who is one of the world’s greatest thinkers on the topic of progress. He is the author of 12 books, including ‘Better Angels of Our Nature,’ which played a key role in the origin story of Fix The News. After five years of email correspondence between Steven and Gus, this is their first face to face conversation. From progress to politics and the rise of tattoos, this episode offers a big dose of perspective about the current state of the world. Other topics discussed: why longstanding peace never makes headlines; the best metrics for human progress; the decline of mental health in rich countries; the problem with word police; changes in social norms and how they happen; why today’s election in the US is better than 1968; the cognitive illusion perpetuated by mass media; how graphs and data can help change beliefs; designing better institutions to help drive more progress; two lessons that Steven learned the hard way; the power of reasonable hope. This episode wraps up season three of this podcast. To celebrate, we’re offering new and existing subscribers a 30% discount on 12-month subscriptions to our weekly newsletter. If you want to make your inbox a more hopeful place: go to fixthenews.com and enter the code PINKER at checkout. Find out more about Steven Pinker: https://stevenpinker.com/ This podcast is hosted by Angus Hervey and Amy Davoren-Rose from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Fix The News⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Audio sweeting by Anthony Badolato at Ai3 – audio and voice.

Meet Ncazelo Ncube-Mlilo, a psychologist and narrativetherapist who uses a travelling caravan to bring mental health services to townships on the outskirts of Johannesburg. Tackling gender-based violence andhigh rates of youth depression, Ncazelo’s cutting edge methods for healing trauma are now being used across the globe.We are proud to support Ncazelo’s organisation, ⁠Phola⁠,as one of our charity partners at ⁠Fix The News⁠.  Find out more about Ncazelo:⁠https://phola.org⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6IWbbuYVgw⁠ This podcast is hosted by Angus Hervey and Amy Davoren-Rose from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Fix The News⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Audio sweeting by Anthony Badolato at Ai3 – audio and voice.

Meet Sonia Vallabh, a lawyer turned scientist with one of the most compelling stories we have ever heard. In 2011, Sonia was diagnosed with prion disease, a rare and fatal genetic illness with no viable treatment. Against all odds, Sonia and her husband retrained as a patient–scientists and set out to cure the disease before Sonia misses her window. Thirteen years later, they've found a way to shut off enough genetic signals to halt the disease - and save hundreds of thousands of lives around the world. Find out more:https://www.ted.com/talks/sonia_vallabh_my_quest_to_cure_prion_disease_before_it_s_too_late?subtitle=enhttps://www.broadinstitute.org/bios/sonia-vallabhThis podcast is hosted by Angus Hervey and Amy Davoren-Rose from ⁠⁠⁠⁠Fix The News⁠⁠⁠⁠. Audio sweeting by Anthony Badolato at Ai3 – audio and voice.

Two weeks ago, Amy attended the Clinton Global Initiative in New York, where she met some incredible change makers who are driving solutions across healthcare, water access, food security, conservation and scientific discovery. In this episode we'll take you behind the scenes of the two-day event and introduce you to some of the people she met in the corridors, including her interview with the legendary Dr Jane Goodall. Correction: Coalition for Mental Health InvestmentFive organisations are part of the coalition - The McKinsey Health Institute (MHI) has joined the African Venture Philanthropy Alliance (AVPA), Clinton Global Initiative, Kokoro, and Wellcome.The quote about “every country is a developing country when it comes to mental health” is attributed Shekhar Saxena.Find out more:https://www.clintonfoundation.orghttps://www.thementalhealthcoalition.orghttps://www.whywaste.iohttps://carolinafarmtrust.orghttps://www.millersocent.orghttps://sungai.watchhttps://www.adventurescientists.orghttps://www.clintonhealthaccess.orgThis podcast is hosted by Angus Hervey and Amy Davoren-Rose from ⁠⁠⁠Fix The News⁠⁠⁠. Audio sweeting by Anthony Badolato at Ai3 – audio and voice.

Meet Sigrid van Aken, the CEO of Postcode Lottery Group, the world's 3rd largest private charity donor, after the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation & the Wellcome Trust. To date, the organisation has given €13.5 to charities that are driving significant social and environmental change. With over 14 million subscriptions and record turnover of €2.5 billion in 2023, it’s one of the greatest philanthropy stories, you probably haven’t heard about. Find out more:www.postcodelotterygroup.comThis podcast is hosted by Angus Hervey and Amy Davoren-Rose from ⁠⁠Fix The News⁠⁠. Audio sweeting by Anthony Badolato at Ai3 – audio and voice.

We cover a lot of conversation stories about the Amazon at Fix The News, but it’s not often that we get the chance to talk with someone who is driving these efforts. Meet Fernando Trujillo, a marine scientist who is fighting to save the Pink River Dolphins of the Amazon River. Over the past 30 years Fernando and his team have scaled a small research project in Colombia into a global mission to protect river dolphins and their waterways around the world. Find out more:https://omacha.orgThis podcast is hosted by Angus Hervey and Amy Davoren-Rose from ⁠⁠⁠Fix The News⁠⁠⁠. Audio sweeting by Anthony Badolato at Ai3 – audio and voice.

Meet Valery Wichman, a leading LGBTQI+ activist and lawyer in the Cook Islands who was on the forefront of the fight to decriminalise homosexuality in her country. This conversation explores the 13-year journey behind the landmark victory and the power of faith, love and kindness to change the law, and the world. Find out more:RNZPink NewsCook Island NewsThis podcast is hosted by Angus Hervey and Amy Davoren-Rose from ⁠Fix The News⁠. Audio sweeting by Anthony Badolato at Ai3 – audio and voice.

Meet Ada Palmer, a historian and science fiction author who believes that when we zoom out to a centuries scale, humanity has a lot to be hopeful about. This conversation is a time-travelling adventure, that explores how far we’ve come since the1600s, where we might end up in 2454 and why Shakespeare was worried about fake news too.  Find out more about Ada:www.AdaPalmer.comwww.ExUrbe.com Twitter: @Ada_PalmerMetaverse: @adapalmer@wandering.shopBluesky: @adapalmer.bsky.socialThis podcast is hosted by Angus Hervey and Amy Davoren-Rose from Fix The News. Audio sweeting by Anthony Badolato at Ai3 – audio and voice.

Meet Ron Davis Alvarez, a musician, teacher and conductor who created The Dream Orchestra to help refugee children and teenagers forge connections in their host country. This is a story about the power of music to bring people together, to open our hearts and to believe in the possibility of a better future. To find out more: Website: https://dreamorchestra.se/ Go-Fund-Me:  https://www.gofundme.com/f/ron-davis-alvarez-dream-orchestraVideo: https://youtu.be/7i63Kqulb-w?si=arT6lbJ4iXH2EdUZ CNN Heroes: https://edition.cnn.com/2024/08/16/world/his-love-of-music-is-helping-refugees-and-immigrants-build-new-lives?cid=ios_app About Hope Is A Verb Hosts: Angus Hervey and Amy Davoren-Rose Sound Design: Anthony Badolato, Ai3 - Audio & Voice

Meet Peta & Marwa, two women from opposite sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict who are working together to create a shared and peaceful future for their families. Their sister organisations, Women Wage Peace and Women of the Sun, have received a joint Nobel Peace Prize nomination this year. This is a story of hope against all odds, and the bonds that unite mothers, regardless of background. The intention of this conversation is to widen the lens of media coverage and to share a story from within this conflict, that you might not have heard. To find out more: https://www.womenwagepeace.org.il/en/ https://womensun.org/

Meet Kris Tompkins, a rewilding legend who, alongside herlate husband Doug, has helped protect over 14 million acres of biodiverse landscape across Chile and Argentina. This is a story of great love, great loss and what it takes to create a living legacy, against the headwinds of great odds. To find out more about Tompkins Conservation: www.tompkinsconservation.orgIf you would like to contact us directly, send an email to:amy@fixthenews.com

This new chapter of stories begins August 9th, 2024. Please join us by subscribing to Hope Is A Verb where ever you listen to your podcasts.

It's no secret that the news media is in crisis: sweeping layoffs across newsrooms, consumer disengagement and stories of doom and destruction on loop 24/7. But what if we could fix it? In this bonus episode Angus Hervey chats about his mission to highlight stories of progress and to prove that another form of journalism is possible - one that not only informs us about the world, but inspires real hope for the future of our planet. Find out more: https://fixthenews.com/ This episode of Hope Is A Verb was hosted by Angus Hervey and Amy Davoren-Rose. The soundtrack for this podcast is "Rain" composed and performed by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠El Rey Miel ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠from their album "Sea the Sky." Audio Sweetening by Anthony Badolato- ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ai3 Audio and Voice⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.