Alex Evans is a writer, activist, and founder of Larger US, which explores how understanding our inner worlds can help us tackle the big challenges of our time. He’s the author of The Myth Gap: What Happens When Evidence and Arguments Aren’t Enough?, which argues that to create real change, we need compelling shared stories as much as facts and data. A former UN and UK government climate negotiator, Alex’s work bridges the worlds of politics, psychology, and community, inspiring audiences to rethink how we connect and act together.

Anna Lembke is a professor of psychiatry at Stanford University School of Medicine. She is author of Drug Dealer: MD (2016) and Dopamine Nation (2021), as well as over a hundred peer reviewed papers and book chapters. She appeared in the Netflix documentary The Social Dilemma, where she discussed the damage that social media is doing to our lives.

Dougald is one of the U.K.’s most influential voices in the climate debate. He is the co-founder (with Paul Kingsnorth) of the Dark Mountain Project, and the founder of the School of Everything (a startup inspired “by Ivan Illich’s Deschooling Society and the educational experiments of the 1960s”). His early career included a stint working for the BBC. He lives today in a small town in central Sweden where he and his partner, Anna Bjorkman, are creating “a school called HOME”—“a gathering place and a learning community for those who are drawn to the work of regrowing a living culture”. He has worked with the Riksteatern, Sweden’s national theatre, and is an associate of the Centre for Environment and Development Studies at Uppsala University.

Lucy Hone is a New Zealand psychologist, researcher, and international speaker specialising in resilience, wellbeing, and post-traumatic growth. A founding director of the New Zealand Institute of Wellbeing & Resilience, her work combines academic research with deeply personal experience following the tragic loss of her daughter in a car accident. Lucy is widely known for translating the science of resilience into practical strategies for everyday life, helping individuals and organisations develop realistic, sustainable ways to navigate adversity. She is the author of Resilient Grieving and How Will I Ever Get Through This? Her TEDx talk on

Elizabeth Oldfield was the former director the religion and society think tank Theos. Since leaving this role she has become a freelance writer, speaker, and coach, including hosting an excellent podcast called The Sacred. Elizabeth also has a book coming out later this month called Fully Alive, which is also the title of her newsletter – both of which come highly recommended.

Dr Eve Poole OBE is an academic and writer who specialises in theology, leadership, and AI. She was educated in high schools in Scotland and the US, and has a BA in Theology from Durham, an MBA from Edinburgh, and a PhD in Theology and Capitalism from Cambridge. She is the author of several books, including Capitalism’s Toxic Assumptions, Buying God, Leadersmithing, and most recently Robot Souls.

Iain McGilchrist is a psychiatrist, philosopher, and author best known for his groundbreaking work on the divided brain and its implications for culture, consciousness, and meaning. A former Oxford literary scholar turned clinical psychiatrist, he bridges neuroscience and the humanities with rare insight. His books The Master and His Emissary and The Matter With Things argue that our world is increasingly shaped by the narrow, utilitarian thinking of the brain’s left hemisphere — at the expense of the depth, nuance, and connectedness offered by the right. He on the Isle of Skye.

Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor is a Harvard-trained neuroanatomist, New York Times bestselling author, and one of TIME’s 100 Most Influential People in the World. Renowned for her viral TED Talk My Stroke of Insight, in which she shares her extraordinary experience of studying her own stroke from the inside out, Jill’s work illuminates how our brains shape our perception, well-being, and sense of self. Her latest book, Whole Brain Living, explores practical ways to tap into the power of all four brain characters to live with greater balance and peace.

Katharine Birbalsingh CBE is one of Britain’s most outspoken and influential voices on education. As the founder and headmistress of Michaela Community School in London, she champions a traditional, no-excuses approach rooted in discipline, knowledge, and personal responsibility. Katharine’s educational philosophy challenges mainstream progressive ideals, sparking national debate on what it means to truly educate. A best-selling author and former Chair of the UK’s Social Mobility Commission, she brings a provocative and principled perspective to the philosophy of education.

Oliver Burkeman is a British author and journalist. From 2004-2006 he wrote a weekly column in the Guardian about self-help and productivity called “This Column Will Change Your Life”, and is the author of  The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can’t Stand Positive Thinking (2012) and Four Thousand Weeks.

Peter Gray, Ph.D. is a research professor of psychology at Boston College and a leading voice in the fields of education and child development. Dr. Gray is the author of the influential book Free to Learn, in which he argues that self-directed education and free play are essential for children’s healthy psychological development. His research spans evolutionary psychology, freedom in education, and the importance of trust in children’s natural curiosity and competence. Dr. Gray also co-founded the Alliance for Self-Directed Education and writes regularly for Psychology Today.

Rosie Spinks is a UK-based freelance journalist and editor whose work has appeared in The New York Times, The Guardian, The Wall Street Journal, and more. Formerly on staff at Quartz and Skift, she now focuses on editorial consulting and independent writing. She also authors the Substack newsletter What Do We Do Now That We’re Here?, exploring how to live meaningfully in a changing world.

Ruth Taylor is a freelance narrative and cultural strategist, working with organisations to understand, apply and evaluate narrative and cultural change practices. This work has seen me collaborate with the likes of Save the Children, New Media Advocacy Project, Joseph Rowntree Foundation, Anti-Slavery International, hope-based communications, Women’s Budget Group, Penguin Random House and others. She writes regularly on her Substack channel Culture Soup.

Sir Anthony Seldon is a leading historian and educational thinker whose work focuses on how we can live well in a fast-changing world. Formerly Head Master of Wellington College and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Buckingham, he has been a major voice in re-centring education around character, wellbeing, and human flourishing. He is the author of over 40 books on leadership, education, and modern Britain, and continues to explore what it means to live an examined life in the age of technology.

Dr. Todd Kashdan is a psychologist, professor of psychology at George Mason University, and a leading expert on curiosity, psychological flexibility, and well-being. He’s the author of several acclaimed books, including The Art of Insubordination, Curious?, and The Upside of Your Dark Side. Todd’s work challenges conventional thinking around happiness, mental health, and how to live a more courageous, meaningful life.

Tom Chatfield is a British tech philosopher, author, and speaker whose work explores how we can think critically and live wisely in the digital age. His latest book, Wise Animals: How Technology Has Made Us What We Are, examines humanity’s evolving relationship with technology, from ancient tools to AI. A TED Global speaker and bestselling author of books like How to Think and Critical Thinking, Tom’s ideas have reached readers in over 30 languages, helping people navigate the complex intersections of technology, culture, and the human mind.

Victor Strecher is a professor at the University of Michigan and a leading voice on purpose, wellbeing, and human flourishing. Known for his work on the science of meaning, he explores how a clear sense of purpose can shape our health, choices, and lives. He is the author of Life on Purpose and has worked with individuals, schools, and organisations around the world to help people live with greater intention in an age of distraction.

William Damon is a renowned American psychologist and professor at Stanford University, best known for his pioneering work in moral development and purpose in life. A senior fellow at the Hoover Institution and director of the Stanford Center on Adolescence, Damon has authored influential books such as The Path to Purpose and Greater Expectations. His research explores how young people develop character, motivation, and a sense of direction. Damon’s work has shaped educational practices and inspired a deeper understanding of how purpose can be cultivated across the lifespan.