Bruce Parry is an English documentary filmmaker, indigenous rights advocate, author and explorer. He is most well known for his BBC documentary series: Tribe, Amazon and Arctic, where he lived with different remote Indigenous communities around the world.

Bruce’s latest film is a documentary called “TAWAI – A Voice from the Forest”, which focusses on the Penan of Borneo, one of the last remaining nomadic Indigenous people on the planet, who live an egalitarian life, where everyone is treated as equal, without hierarchy and without personal possessions.

In this fascinating conversation, Bruce reveals the most important lessons he has learnt living with Indigenous tribes around the world, their deep connection with each other and the world around them, and his specific interest with the Penan, which has led him to question the ways that humans relate to the natural world, and how this influences the way in which we create and live in our own societies.

We also discuss plant medicines, psychedelics, consciousness and meditative states, exploring different ways in which the insights and lessons learnt through these experiences can be integrated into our daily lives.

Sheldon Solomon is an experimental social psychologist at Skidmore College in the United States. He is the co-developer of “Terror Management Theory”, and co-author of the book “The Worm at the Core: On the Role of Death in Life”, and he has been featured in several films (Flight from Death), television documentaries and radio interviews.

Sheldon’s life work is based on the concept that our knowledge and fear of death is at the core of the human experience and condition, and the hidden motive behind almost everything that we do, how we see the world, and the decisions that we make.

I truly believe that Sheldon’s work is of critical importance in attempting to understand what it means to be human, and why we do what we do, and is deeply rooted in compassion, peace and love. It’s made a huge impact on me, so it’s a huge honour to be able to share this conversation with you.

Can Indigenous thinking save the world? Tyson Yunkaporta’s new book “Sand Talk” explores this question, and is making a huge impact around the globe.

Tyson is a member of the Apalech Clan in far north Queensland, in Australia, and is also a senior lecturer in indigenous knowledges at Deakin University in Melbourne, working extensively with Aboriginal languages and in Indigenous education.

In this conversation, Tyson encourages us to look at global systems through an indigenous lens, challenging us to think differently, and reconsider our relationships with each other and the natural world around us. He is brutally honest and unfiltered, at times confronting, but always speaks with an incredible authenticity and passion – buckle up, you’re in for quite a ride!

Cyrus Shahrad is a British Iranian musician, releasing music under the name HIATUS. His music combines soft piano melodies with electronic music and haunting soundscapes, heavily influenced by his Iranian roots and film soundtracks … taking listeners on deep and hypnotic journeys.

Cyrus is also a journalist, novelist and film critic; Using his writing to explore, and attempt to make sense of the world around him.

Some of the things we discuss include: Finding your voice as an artist and staying authentic, the curse of perfectionism, embracing mistakes and uncertainty, the benefits and power of collaboration, creating space for ideas and creativity to flourish, meditation and being gentle on yourself, dealing with ego and fame, technology and social media, and the role of art and artists in 2020 and beyond.

Marc Hauser is a Swiss skydiver, adventurer, motivational speaker and entrepreneur.

He holds the world record for the fastest horizontal free fall, traveling at 304km/hr, and is the first person to sky dive into the jet stream – a high-altitude, fast-flowing air current in the atmosphere, believed to contain 20 times the energy needed for all of humanity.

This discussion explores embracing fear and risk, strength vs bravery, using pressure to discover your best self, physical and mental training and preparation for extreme activities, using high altitude winds as alternate energy sources, and how to live a fulfilled life. 

Dr. Arne Rubinstein is an internationally recognised expert on adolescent development and rites of passage, with 30 years experience as a medical doctor, counsellor, author, mentor, speaker and workshop facilitator.

He is the founder of The Rites of Passage Institute, whose programs have been attended by more than 200,000 young people around the world, which helps boys and girls to successfully make a safe and healthy transition to adulthood.

This discussion explores the concept of liminal space, rites of passage for personal growth and development, trans-generational relationships, and opening the psyche for transformation and change.

Hineani Tunoa Roberts (ko Rongowhakaata iwi) works as a media artist in Naarm (Melbourne).

Her work takes inspiration from visual symbolism found in traditional Māori art and its strong design principles. She combines digital printmaking techniques, digital technology and design process to bring cultural iconography into a modern context.

With an Australian mother and Indigenous Māori father, Hineani’s mixed upbringing has provided her with a very unique lens through which she sees the world, and in this discussion she invites us to consider; Can Indigenous wisdom change the world?

Jon Muir is one of the world’s greatest mountaineers and explorers. He was the first Australian to reach the summit of Mt Everest alone, and has walked to both the North and South poles.

Jon’s greatest achievement was walking alone across Australia, covering 2,500kms in 128 days, traveling through the driest of Australian deserts with only his dog Seraphine for company.

Jon was awarded the Order of Australia medal in 1989 for his services to mountaineering, and today he lives totally off-grid on a sustainable property with his wife Suzy, who also is an adventurer!

Sabine Choucair is a Lebanese humanitarian clown, storyteller and performer – with qualifications in performing arts from London, and social therapy from New York.

She is the co-founder of “CLOWN ME IN” – a group that uses the art of clowning to fight social injustice, spreading laughter and providing relief in refugee camps and disadvantaged communities around the world.

She is currently in Beirut, where an enormous explosion three weeks ago left more than 220 people dead, 6,000 injured, and 300,000 homeless.

Felicity Gerry is a barrister and QC who specialises in representing the world’s most vulnerable people, and was recently awarded “Barrister of the Year” at the Australian Law Awards 2020.

Felicity mainly works in the fields of human trafficking, modern slavery, sex trafficking, torture, terrorism, war crimes and female genital mutilation, with a specific interest in issues related to women.

She is also a teacher, university lecturer and mentor, and is a powerful advocate for the rights of prisoners and other vulnerable people, especially during this Covid-19 period.

From his early days in the 1970’s protesting in the streets of Sydney against the Vietnam War, and being arrested at the very first Mardi Gras, Chips has made a career from his provocative art and activism, and his weapons of choice are generally screen printing, graphic design and radical poster art.

Chips is also a journalist and government adviser, and for the past forty years has been very active in supporting Aboriginal art and artists, and using his own art to bring attention to injustices and inequalities experienced by Aboriginal Australians..

Alan Dean Foster is an American writer of science fiction and fantasy, best known for his many novelizations of film scripts including Star Trek, Alien, Terminator, Transformers and Star Wars … which he ghost wrote for George Lucas.

He has also written several book series and more than 20 novels, many of which have strong ecological elements to them, and his work has been translated into more than 50 languages.

This discussion is a fascinating exploration and insight into Alan’s work and extraordinary life.

Henry Purcell is an Aboriginal Australian, who was given up for adoption as a baby, and raised by non-Aboriginal parents, alongside two other adopted Aboriginal children.

This discussion goes deep on many issues, including identity, the importance of being connected to culture and community, the importance of role models, using your platform and position in society to fight for a more equitable world, Black Lives Matter, breaking the cycle of trans-generational trauma, and using music to bring people together and improve emotional health and wellbeing.

Listed as one of the world’s Top 100 DJs in the 1990’s, Ray Good discovered meditation as a way to improve his own mental health, wellbeing and happiness after suffering burnout in his own life.

Today he is a meditation and mindfulness practitioner and coach, and founder of “The Good Place”, where he teaches simple and practical meditation and mindfulness techniques to others, in order to reduce stress, increase resilience, and improve productivity and performance.

Omer Tzuk is a scientist and philosopher, earning degrees in astronomy and astrophysics, and a PhD in physics. He is currently undertaking his Post-Doc studies and research at the Laboratory for Epidemic Modelling and Analysis at Tel-Aviv University in Israel, where he is using mathematical modelling and statistical analysis to predict the spread of the Covid-19 virus.

In this discussion, Omer provides an extraordinary insight from the scientific frontline in the fight against the global Covid-19 pandemic.

Iara Lee is an activist filmmaker, who uses her filmmaking as a tool for social and political change. She is the founder of Cultures of Resistance Films, whose mission is to create and distribute films that advance public awareness about issues of social and economic justice, and that showcase creative efforts to promote peace and protect human rights.

Iara speaks with an optimism and positivity that is contagious, and it’s impossible to not be touched, moved, inspired and motived by her words, and more importantly, her actions.