Aspen Ideas to Go

It might be hard to see–with political attacks in high gear this election season–but there is something hopeful taking root. People with a moral foundation are running for public office and they’re driven by an ethic of service. These individuals are able to put service above self, says Rye Barcott, author of Courage Can Save US. “Courage is the conscious acceptance of risk in service of the common good, whether that’s your family, faith, community, or country but it cannot be yourself,” he says. Barcott, who co-founded With Honor, sits down with other nonprofit leaders working to put people of character into public life. Emma Bloomberg leads Murmuration and Mike Buman is the executive director of Lee. Their conversation is led by David Brooks, former New York Times columnist and staff writer for The Atlantic. Watch the video of their conversation at the Aspen Ideas Festival.

Music has the power to unite our brains and bodies and connect us with people on the other side of the world. Humans have been making and sharing music for thousands of years, but modern medicine and research tools have only recently given us the ability to see what’s going on in the brains of creators and listeners. Cava Lee Menzies, a musician and educator at the Oakland School for the Arts joins otolaryngologist and music researcher Charles Limb for this talk on the power of music to bring us together, alter our neurochemistry and change our lives. Kelly Corrigan, host of the podcast and NPR show “Kelly Corrigan Wonders,” moderates the conversation.

Small businesses and entrepreneurship play a powerful role in American life. They help people build wealth and strengthen communities. In fact, small businesses are one of the most highly trusted institutions. The Pew Research Center reports 86 percent of Americans believe small businesses have a positive national effect–even outranking the military and churches. But emerging technologies are changing how businesses operate. How can we ensure these institutions receive the support they need in a new era? Francesca de Quesada Covey, vice president of community impact at the Knight Foundation, leads a conversation with Chiling Tong, Karen Kerrigan, Angie Cooper, and Elizabeth Kelly. Tong is president and CEO of the National Asian/Pacific Islander American Chamber of Commerce and Entrepreneurship. Kerrigan is president and CEO of the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council. Cooper is president of the nonprofit, Heartland Forward and Elizabeth Kelly is head of beneficial deployments at Anthropic. Watch a video of their conversation.

Civilian control of the military is a cornerstone of American democracy. But what happens when the relationship between military and civilian leadership comes under strain? Amid significant changes in senior military leadership and renewed debate over the boundaries between military authority and civilian oversight, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Charles Q. Brown, Jr. joins foreign policy and defense expert Kori Schake of the American Enterprise Institute and Duke political science professor Peter Feaver. David French, New York Times columnist and former Army Reserve major, moderates a candid conversation about the state of civil-military relations and what comes next.

The number of people using chatbots for their news is increasing. According to a 2026 report, 10 percent of all people globally use chatbots–that’s up from 7 percent in 2025. Trust and interest in news is also declining. The highest purpose of journalism is to serve needed information to the public. But what happens when AI is affecting every aspect of news–how it's produced, distributed, and consumed? How can media and technology best respond? Patrick J. McGovern Foundation CEO Vivian Schiller leads a conversation with Laurie Richardson, Nabiha Syed, and Sam Gregory. Richardson is Vice President for Trust and Safety at Google. Syed leads the Mozilla Foundation, a nonprofit whose mission is to build a better technology future, and Sam Gregory fights deepfakes and deceptive AI with his organization, WITNESS.

We don’t all learn in school how to participate in democracy. And a lack of understanding about how our government works can feed frustration, cynicism and apathy. In the age of the internet, there’s an opportunity to fill those educational gaps for people and empower them to get involved. But how do you send a signal through the noise, and motivate people civically? Sharon McMahon is a former public school teacher who turned to social media and found a new audience. With her civics content, she’s built up an audience of 1.8 million people who call themselves “The Governerds.” She also writes a daily government and current events newsletter called The Preamble, and wrote the best-selling book “The Small and the Mighty.” McMahon sits down with Kelly Corrigan, the host of the podcast and NPR show “Kelly Corrigan Wonders,” for a conversation about bringing democratic basics to more Americans.

Some internet content creators are building major platforms by analyzing, dispensing and sometimes reporting current events. But how can viewers gauge credibility in this Wild West? And what is the role of legacy journalism in an increasingly fragmented media landscape? Veteran reporter Katie Couric joins two leaders charting a new course in journalism, Jerusalem Demsas, founder of The Argument web magazine, and Aaron Parnas, an independent journalist and former attorney speaking to audiences from TikTok and Substack. The dean of Columbia Journalism School and New Yorker writer, Jelani Cobb, moderates and guides the conversation.

After the deadliest terror attacks in United States history occurred the morning of September 11, 2001, sweeping changes to security were put in place. The 9/11 attacks gave rise to the Department of Homeland Security and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). Congress passed the Patriot Act and President George W. Bush declared a global war on terror, leading to the detention of terrorism suspects at Guantanamo Bay. Now, 25 years later, the effects of the nation’s large-scale security response linger. NPR’s Mary Louise Kelly asks former Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson and former US Attorney General Alberto Gonzales whether the measures adopted then should still be used today. The speakers, who were all involved in the 9/11 response, share sobering memories of that day. Their conversation was held in June.

The current appeal of authoritarian regimes around the world is raising questions about whether democracy has a future. What’s sparking these political backlashes and what has soured voters on democratic systems and values? Stanford political scientist and the author of “The End of History,” Francis Fukuyama, joins Canadian journalist-turned-politician Chrystia Freeland and New York Times columnist David French at the 2026 Aspen Ideas Festival for an informed and varied conversation taking a harder look at democracy. CNN journalist Fareed Zakaria moderates the discussion.

With the midterm elections on the horizon, will voters overcome a fraught electoral battlefield to show up at the polls? Threats to the electoral system such as polarization, misinformation, campaign finance, redistricting, and limits to the Voting Rights Act are reducing voters’ trust. How can the system be rebuilt in a way that inspires confidence across the political spectrum? Heather Gerken leads a conversation with Rick Hasen, Janai Nelson, Sarah Isgur, and Ben Ginsburg. Gerken is president of the Ford Foundation; Hasen is a professor of law at UCLA; Nelson is President and Director-Counsel of the Legal Defense Fund; Isgur is editor of SCOTUSblog; and Ginsburg is a political law advocate.

China’s ups and downs reverberate across the globe, and unpredictability from Washington has been throwing another wrench into the equation. Good diplomacy and an open trade relationship between these two superpowers is essential, but the playbook keeps changing. In this talk from the 2026 Aspen Ideas Festival, three experts on U.S.-China relations bring us up to date on technological advances, economic leverage and national security, among other foreign policy affairs. Dan Wang, a research fellow at Stanford’s Hoover Institution, joins Melanie Hart of the Atlantic Council’s Global China Hub and Julian Gewirtz, a research fellow at Columbia University and the Asia Society. CNN journalist Fareed Zakaria moderates and guides the panel.

In an era of executive overreach, Congress and the Supreme Court are becoming less effective at reigning in presidential power. America’s three branches of government–the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial–were created to regulate each other. But the nation’s founders didn’t anticipate headwinds like the rise of modern political parties. A healthier inter-branch dynamic is needed, says a panel of leading scholars, to create a stable environment for the American concept of government to succeed. Journalist John Dickerson leads a conversation with Georgetown Law Professor Stephen Vladeck, Harvard Law Professor Jack Goldsmith, and Maya Kornberg, a senior research fellow at the Brennan Center for Justice.

With so many problems in the world, it can be easy to skip over what’s actually working. But while progress often isn’t linear, history tells us that a lot of societal issues have actually improved. The experts on this panel help us see those bright spots and reframe our thinking to include hopeful visions for the future. Greg Jackson, a professor at Utah Valley University and the host of the “History Doesn’t Suck!” podcast joins Google Labs editorial director Steven Johnson and the host of the “What Could Go Right?” podcast, Zachary Karabell, for a wide-ranging discussion at the 2026 Aspen Ideas Festival about breaking through the doom and gloom.

Since the conflict in Iran began in February, the results have been mixed. It has degraded Iran’s nuclear capacity, reduced its missile arsenal, and sunk its navy. But the war has also closed the Strait of Hormuz, divided America’s Gulf allies, fractured the U.S.-Israeli relationship, and failed to achieve objectives like regime change and nuclear elimination. A panel of Iran experts with different perspectives discuss whether the conflict could mark the end of the Islamic Republic’s long strategy of proxy warfare or the beginning of a far more dangerous Middle East. Journalist and author Fareed Zakaria leads the conversation with Kim Ghattas, Karim Sadjadpour, and Mark Dubowitz. Ghattas is an Emmy-award winning journalist. Karim Sadjadpour is a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Mark Dubowitz is CEO of Foundation for Defense of Democracies. Their conversation was held June 29.

In an increasingly polarized nation with a divided Congress, the rulings of the Supreme Court’s latest term were as closely watched as ever. The justices took on decisions about birthright citizenship, voting rights, transgender athletes and many other hot button issues, with sometimes surprising results. Immediately after the term wrapped, three experts on the court met onstage at the 2026 Aspen Ideas Festival to discuss what these rulings say about the future of the court and American law. And they touch on the big question hovering over all recent decisions – has the court become too politicized? Colleen Sinzdak is a Supreme Court and Appellate partner at Milbank, Melissa Murray is an NYU law professor, and Sarah Isgur is the editor of SCOTUSblog. The panelists don’t hold back as moderator Jonathan Capehart of MS NOW keeps the conversation on track.

Before this month’s semiquincentennial celebration, the United States’ last milestone anniversary was in 1976–during a difficult period. “The 1970s were a rough time–9 percent unemployment, 15 percent inflation, violent crime tripled, divorce rates tripled. It was a rough time,” says David Brooks, staff writer for The Atlantic. Still, he says, it was a unifying and uplifting moment. He asks Danielle Allen, Reihan Salam, Martha Jones, and Shilo Brooks how today is different from the bicentennial and whether the original ideas that bound us together–laid out in the Declaration of Independence–still apply. Allen is political science professor at Harvard; Salam is president of the Manhattan Institute; Jones is a professor at John Hopkins University; and Shilo Brooks is president and CEO of the George W. Bush Presidential Center.

As artificial intelligence becomes more powerful and pervasive, how will it affect our work, our lives, and our ability to connect? Brené Brown, research professor and best-selling author says she hears a lot of experts trying to soothe people’s anxiety about the pace of technological change by offering platitudes like, What makes us human will ensure our relevance. This is dangerous because, as she explains, we’re not especially good at what makes us human. We’re not hardwired for the current level of uncertainty, and many of us feel as if the constant need to self-protect is driving the humanity right out of us. Brown joins Kate Crawford, AI scholar and University of Southern California professor, who points out that so much of what’s driving our feelings of emptiness and disconnection around AI is rooted in the fact that artificial intelligence is fundamentally a technology of extraction – it depends on the intensive exploitation of raw materials, human labor, and personal data. Together, Drs. Brown and Crawford encourage us to advocate for authentic connection over algorithmic convenience. This episode will be our last for a few weeks as we pause for the 2026 Aspen Ideas Festival. We will be back in mid-July with new content featuring brilliant thinkers and inspiring leaders.

The teachings offered by ancient religious texts are timeless and full of wisdom for today’s world. When hope can be difficult to find in contemporary society, sacred traditions sometimes fill the gap, with help from the interpretations of scholars. In this talk from the 2025 Aspen Ideas Festival, Princeton historian and professor of religion Elaine Pagels unpacks the truths at the center of her life’s work. She talks with writer Pico Iyer about where to look for enduring guidance and how the world’s faiths talk to each other and fit into our daily modern lives. Pagels is the author of many books, most recently “Miracles and Wonders: The Historical Mystery of Jesus.”

Leaders who truly inspire and get the best out of people are few and far between. How do they learn to gain trust and rally a group to action? Steve Kerr has been coaching the Golden State Warriors NBA team for 11 years, four of which have been champion seasons. He joins Maryland Governor Wes Moore, who became the first Black person to hold that office after combat in the Army and a career fighting poverty, for a discussion about leading with respect and purpose. CBS co-anchor John Dickerson moderates the conversation.

Over the last 50 years or so, the divide between winners and losers in the United States has been deepening, says author and philosopher Michael Sandel. In the era of globalization, inequalities in income and wealth have widened and changed attitudes around success. “Those who landed on top have come to believe that their success was their own doing–a measure of merit. By implication, those who struggle and are left behind, must deserve their fate too,” says Sandel. He says this meritocratic thinking has poisoned our politics and eroded civil life. He tells playwright Anna Deavere Smith how to restore a vision of the common good. Sandel is a Harvard professor and author of The Tyranny of Merit. Smith, a Pulitzer Prize-nominated performer, reads an original work about the complexities of merit.

For those who knew her, Lilly Ledbetter was humble, smart, and determined. For the rest of us, she is a symbol of unequal treatment of women in the workplace. A landmark law, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, bears her name and was the result of years of tireless activism. She sued her employer, Goodyear Tire, after she discovered her pay was as much as $2,000 less a month than her male counterparts. Her case went to the Supreme Court and eventually Congress. The civil rights attorney who represented her, Jon Goldfarb, joins Patricia Clarkson and Suzanne Malveaux for a moving conversation that celebrates Ledbetter’s life and legacy. Clarkson, an award-winning actor, portrays Ledbetter in the 2024 film “Lilly” and Malveaux, a former CNN reporter and CEO of Malveaux Global Media, reported on Ledbetter’s fight.

What does it look like to hope in the face of tough times and undeniable challenges? The speakers in today’s talk might describe true hope as more than a passive platitude, but something closer to a muscle that needs exercise. Krista Tippett, the creator and host of the public radio show “On Being,” reunites with young adult author and MacArthur grantee Jason Reynolds to continue their multi-year conversation about how to find resilience in a world full of obstacles. They explore the relationship between fear and hope, and share experiences of finding light and connection in unexpected places.

Volatile political and economic conditions make projections about building future wealth difficult in today’s world. This discussion with economic and investment experts spans from the bird’s eye view to the kitchen table, shedding some light on the blend of factors that move our money. David Rubenstein, the co-founder of the Carlyle Group joins consultant and NYU economics professor emeritus Nouriel Roubini and Arjun Sethi, the co-CEO of cryptocurrency exchange Kraken, on stage at the 2025 Aspen Ideas Festival. The executive editorial director of Fortune, Diane Brady, moderates the conversation.

Public exhaustion with top-down decisions about our built environment spurred American progressivists to work successfully over the past several decades to democratize development processes. Community voices can now be heard, but has the pendulum swung too far in the other direction? With many cities facing housing crises and urban infrastructure decay, solutions can be slow-going. In this talk, architect Vishaan Chakrabarti, found of PAU (Practice of Architecture and Urbanism) joins Brown University public affairs fellow Marc Dunkelman for a discussion about removing unnecessary roadblocks and speeding up progress. CNN journalist Fareed Zakaria, who is the 2025 and 2026 guest curator of the Aspen Ideas Festival, moderates the  conversation.

Young people today report feeling sad, anxious, hopeless, and lonely. The youth mental health crisis in the United States has grown in recent years but the adults in kids’ lives can help–with the right tools. Lisa Damour is a best-selling author and psychologist who specializes in the development of teenagers. She joins Sema Sgaier, co-founder and CEO of Surgo Health, and Christopher Pepper, co-author of Talk to Your Boys: 16 Conversations to Help Tweens and Teens Grow into Confident, Caring Young Men, about how to support the emotional lives of children. Jacqueline Howard, health reporter for CNN, moderates their conversation.

What are the solutions to slowing the harmful effects of climate change? Could a plausible one be to block some sun to cool the planet? It may sound far-fetched but scientists are studying solar radiation management as one potential tool in the toolbox. But–it’s a controversial one. Could it be our emergency escape hatch, or a devastating Pandora’s Box? Two environmental pioneers discuss dimming the sun and other tactics to manage climate risk. Energy and Climate Editor for The Economist Vijay Vaitheeswaran speaks with Fred Krupp, president of Environmental Defense Fund, and David Keith, director of the Climate Systems Engineering Initiative at the University of Chicago.

Growing up in New Jersey without any connections to media, it wasn’t obvious that Jonathan Capehart would become the successful journalist and commentator he is today. But the MS NOW co-host was focused and driven, and kept asking questions until he landed where he wanted to be. He tells the 2025 Aspen Ideas Festival audience how he got from one world to another, and how as a Black gay man he’s often felt between spaces. His memoir, “Yet Here I Am: Lessons from A Black Man’s Search for Home” came out just before the festival. Preet Bharara, NYU law scholar and attorney at Wilmer Hale, interviews Capehart.

For those searching for a good life (and who isn’t), psychologist and author Shigehiro Oishi says there’s more to it than happiness and meaning. In his book, “Life in Three Dimensions,” he explains how psychological richness brings joy. In a psychologically rich life, one prioritizes curiosity and exploration and embraces uncertainty and challenge. He tells Allison Aubrey, correspondent for NPR, many Americans attribute happiness to personal success such as a career, a house, and marriage. This is risky, he says, because it can be fleeting. Instead, living a life that includes inquisitiveness and perspective-altering experiences may be a roadmap to a full life.

Societal changes and world events have converged to create our current loneliness epidemic. Despite being in constant contact in some ways, we’ve become extremely isolated in others. But by taking thoughtful action, we might be able to reverse that trend. Today’s talk from the 2025 Aspen Ideas Festival brings together experts approaching this problem from vastly different perspectives. Marc Dunkelman is a fellow in international and public affairs at Brown University, Virginia Thomas is a psychology professor studying solitude at Middlebury College, and Michael Maltzan is an architect adept at designing public spaces. As the three panelists weave their disciplines together and formulate a vision for a more connected world, journalist and host of “Radio Atlantic,” Hanna Rosin, moderates the conversation.

Humans have had plenty of time to think about it, but still rarely agree on what it means to live a good life. What actually motivates us toward particular actions, and is that the same as what should motivate us? If we don’t already have guiding principles, where can we find them? This lively panel discussion from the 2025 Aspen Ideas Festival features two philosophers and a writer who approach these questions from diverse angles. University of Chicago philosophy professor Agnes Callard joins Harvard Law School lecturer Adam Sandel and writer David Brooks, the co-founder of Weave: The Social Fabric Project at the Aspen Institute for an exploration of how intellect meets desire and individualism meets community. Samuel Kimbriel, the founding director of the Aspen Institute’s Philosophy and Society Initiative, moderates the conversation.

The nature of war is changing quickly. In hot spots around the world, the battlefield is increasingly tech-driven. It’s clear in the Russian-Ukraine conflict where drone expertise has become an essential tool. “The frontlines are incredibly lethal. The moment the Russians show themselves, hundreds of suicide drones can be launched to take them out,” says United States General David Petraeus who commanded US-led coalitions in Iraq and Afghanistan. In fact, Ukraine recently offered to help the US in its drone warfare with Iran. Petraeus talks with Anne Neuberger, former deputy national security advisor in the Biden Administration, and Politico’s Dasha Burns about the future of modern warfare.

Steve Kerr, head coach of the Golden State Warriors, has a long list of accolades. He has nine NBA championship rings–five as a player and four as a coach. At the 2024 Paris Olympics, he coached the U-S team to a gold medal and, as a player, he holds the title of the NBA’s all-time three-point percentage leader. Rather than basking in glory, Kerr is known for deflecting praise and elevating those around him. He speaks with podcast host and author Kelly Corrigan about influential figures in his life, like his parents and past coaches, and how they shaped his ability to remain grounded. He also talks about his advocacy for gun safety laws and balancing political involvement with his day job.

As younger generations encounter tough job and housing markets and many Americans feel left behind, it’s become more popular to question the utility of the capitalistic system. Can this tide really lift all boats? In this talk from the 2025 Aspen Ideas Festival, three experts in business, economics and anthropology meet to dissect how we got to this point, and what can be done to forge a new path for capitalism. Gillian Tett of the Financial Times and Cambridge University joins Jim Sorenson, the founder of the Sorenson Impact Foundation and Joshua Bolten, the CEO of Business Roundtable for a boundary-pushing conversation. The co-executive director of the Aspen Financial Security Program, Ida Rademacher, moderates the discussion.

Fertility may be more about the daily choices we make rather than factors like delayed maternal age, says fertility physician Dr. Natalie Crawford. Markers of metabolic health, such as chronic inflammation, affect women’s egg quality. Crawford, who experienced four failed pregnancies before having her children, began studying the link between inflammation and infertility. Taking charge of your fertility, she says, means having early conversations about hormonal health and taking steps, like better sleep and nutrition, to improve your chances of getting pregnant. She speaks with Pamela Brown, anchor and correspondent for CNN, about her new book The Fertility Formula: Take Control of Your Reproductive Future.

As fewer and fewer Americans attend traditional houses of worship, the role religion plays in our society is shifting. People will always hunger for spiritual fulfillment and seek value systems, though, so where will they go to meet those needs? Secular life often still draws from deep religious traditions, and faith leaders are in the best position to offer advice about mixing the two worlds. The panelists from this talk at the 2025 Aspen Ideas Festival examine the evolution of organized religion from several diverse angles. Krista Tippett is the creator and co-host of the public radio show “On Being,” and joins Shira Stutman, a rabbi and co-host of the “Chutzpod” podcast and Gregory Boyle, a Catholic priest and founder of Homeboy Industries, a gang intervention and re-entry program in Los Angeles. David DeSteno, Northeastern University psychology professor and host of the podcast “How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality,” moderates the conversation.

We all have the ability to be more compassionate, which is scientifically proven to make us healthier, happier, and more connected. It almost sounds like a miracle cure – and it doesn’t even cost anything. So what gets in the way and how do we break down those barriers? Lonnie Ali is the co-founder of the Muhammed Ali Center, which created the Muhammed Ali Index and produced the 2025 Compassion Report. She explains the findings to an audience at Aspen Ideas: Health, joined by Julianne Holt-Lunstad, the director of the Social Connections Lab at Brigham Young University, and Sara Konrath, a social psychologist and professor at Indiana University. They dive into the latest studies on compassion and how to cultivate it in individuals and society at large. Frederick Riley, the executive director of Weave: The Social Fabric Project at the Aspen Institute, moderates the conversation.

It’s tough to prepare for a future that’s impossible to see, but also critical. How are today’s younger generations balancing the need to save money while responding to current economic uncertainty? What does financial security and preparedness look like for older Americans approaching the end of their careers? Penny Pennington, the head of the financial services company Edward Jones joins Vivian Tu, the CEO of social media financial advice brand Your Rich BFF, for a conversation about finding your own definition of fulfillment while achieving financial goals. Kelly Corrigan, the host of the podcast “Kelly Corrigan Wonders,” moderates the discussion at the 2025 Aspen Ideas Festival.

As humans, we have a deep desire to know we’re needed and that our community values who we are and our contributions. Jennifer Wallace is the author of the forthcoming book Mattering: The Secret to a Life of Deep Connection and Purpose. “Mattering is like gravity,” she says, “When we feel it, we feel anchored. We show up to the world in positive ways, we want to connect, we want to engage and contribute.” But, she says, mattering is eroding, leading to loneliness, anxiety, and burnout. She speaks with podcast host and author Kelly Corrigan and Northeastern University psychology professor David DeSteno about how we can build cultures of mattering in our homes, workplaces, and communities.

Gül Dölen is a pioneering neuroscientist in the emerging field of psychedelics. She’s studied how psychedelics may assist in treating trauma, addiction, depression, and even Parkinson’s. A key piece of her research has involved critical periods–when the brain is capable of rapid and deep learning. Psychedelics may be a master key for unlocking these critical periods and curing diseases of the brain. Dölen speaks with Krista Tippett, host of the “On Being” podcast, about what she’s learning about the brain and its capacity to heal. Dölen is a professor at UC Berkeley where she teaches both psychology and neuroscience.

The jobs artificial intelligence could replace and the blunders it makes tend to steal all the headlines. But are there also ways we could use AI to actually make us better people? And how would we even define or assess that? At the 2025 Aspen Ideas Festival, three experts on the human side of this technology discuss what AI is capable of, how it’s limited and how it could be harnessed for self-improvement. UCLA marketing and psychology professor Hal Hershfield joins MIT researcher Pat Pataranutaporn and co-host of the “Hard Fork” podcast, Kevin Roose, for a lively exploration of AI-assisted human potential. Journalist and host of “Radio Atlantic,” Hanna Rosin, moderates the conversation.

Theoretical physicist Brian Greene says science gives him a sense of meaning and purpose because it uncovers how reality is shaped. “When you use physics to understand reality’s deepest workings,” he says, “you feel a kind of cosmic communion by virtue of seeing beneath the surface.” As co-founder of the World Science Festival and a prolific author, Greene has made a career of bringing accessible stories of science to the masses. People will engage with science when it’s visceral and relevant, he says. He visits with Kelly Corrigan, NPR podcast host and New York Times best-selling author, about how we fit into a larger cosmological story. Icarus at the Edge of Time, World Science Festival Icarus at the Edge of Time, Brian Greene The Denial of Death, Ernest Becker World Science Festival

Investing in women’s sports is an increasingly appealing and sound business decision, but the sector still has a lot of room for growth. When someone like WNBA star Caitlin Clark comes along, audiences boom and the league benefits. But what happens when she leaves? What will help solidify the business of women’s sports in the long term? In this panel discussion, industry insiders talk about what works and what’s still needed. Carol Stiff, the president of the Women’s Sports Network, joins sports investor and Gotham women’s soccer team governor Carolyn Tisch Blodgett and sports journalist Christine Brennan for a frank discussion about the ongoing cultural and business transformations spurred by female athletes and leagues. Tom Farrey, the executive director of the Sports and Society Program at the Aspen Institute, moderates the conversation.

Conversations about wellness and our bodies usually don’t focus on what makes all movement possible – our muscles. But these parts of us are more complex than we give them credit for and tied to our overall health in nuanced ways. How we think about strength and muscle also differs based on our gender, upbringing and experience of society. In her latest book, “On Muscle: The Stuff That Moves Us and Why It Matters,” journalist Bonnie Tsui explores how muscles really work, and what doctors and scientists are learning about the importance of strength training and muscle health. In this program from Aspen Ideas Health, Tsui explains to CNN medical journalist Elizabeth Cohen how her curiosity about muscles led her into deep research, anatomy lab visits and reflection on culture, herself and her family.

Writer Pico Iyer stumbled into a lifelong practice of periodic retreat and reflection after he lost nearly everything in a 1990 wildfire that burned his family’s house down. A friend suggested that he recuperate at a Benedictine monastery near Big Sur, California, and the calm he found there was life-altering. He began returning to the oceanside hermitage regularly, and slowing down became a fundamental part of his life and productive career. In this talk from the 2025 Aspen Ideas Festival, Iyer shares what those times of silence have given him, and how he’s learned to navigate tumult while always coming back to peace. Iyer’s latest book is “Aflame: Learning from Silence,” and he’s also the author of “The Half Known Life” and “The Art of Stillness,” among several other books and many essays.

Aspen Ideas to Go teamed up with our friends at the podcast “Life in Seven Songs” for this special episode recorded live at the Aspen Ideas Festival. Host Sophie Bearman interviews NPR host and reporter Mary Louise Kelly about seven songs that tell a story of her life spanning war zones, motherhood, hearing loss, and late-in-life love.

Hope seems like a simple concept, but the feeling can be difficult to hold onto. And when times are difficult and chaos swirls around us, it’s more important than ever. How do we find and practice hope when it’s elusive? Spiritual and religious leaders rely on centuries of experience and wisdom to continually guide people back to hope, and this episode’s discussion from the 2024 Aspen Ideas Festival draws from these experts. Lutheran pastor Nadia Bolz-Weber founded the House for All Sinners and Saints in Denver, and doesn’t shy away from unorthodox methods of ministry. Rabbi Sharon Brous is the founder and leader of IKAR, a nondenominational Jewish congregation in Los Angeles. Humanist chaplain Greg Epstein works with the populations at Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Union Theological Seminary professor and the former director of the Religion and Society Program at the Aspen Institute, Simran Jeet Singh, introduces and moderates the conversation.

Weight loss and diabetes drugs in the class called GLP-1s have exploded onto the market, starting to put a real dent in the obesity epidemic. And as doctors are gathering more data, it looks like the medications may also provide real benefits for cardiac health, liver disease, kidney function and possibly even addiction and sleep disorders. In this episode, a panel of experts explains how the drugs work, why they’ve been so effective, and how hopeful we might be about other uses. Cedars Sinai cardiologist Martha Gulati joins Nora Volkow, the director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse and Diana Thiara, an obesity expert at UCSF, for a forward-looking conversation about this potentially game-changing medical advancement. Time Magazine health reporter Alice Park moderates the conversation.

Aspen Ideas to Go teamed up with our friends at the podcast “Life in Seven Songs” for this special episode recorded live at the Aspen Ideas Festival. Host Sophie Bearman interviews biographer and historian Walter Isaacson about seven songs that tell a story of his life and upbringing in New Orleans. Isaacson was the president and CEO of the Aspen Institute from 2003 to 2018, and is the author of “Leonardo da Vinci,” “Einstein: His Life and Universe,” and “Elon Musk,” among others. His latest book, “The Greatest Sentence Ever Written,” is out on November 17. “Life in Seven Songs” is a production of The San Francisco Standard.

What does it look like to hope in the face of tough times and undeniable challenges? The speakers in today’s talk might describe true hope as more than a passive platitude, but something closer to a muscle that needs exercise. Krista Tippett, the creator and host of the public radio show “On Being,” reunites with young adult author and MacArthur grantee Jason Reynolds to continue their multi-year conversation about how to find resilience in a world full of obstacles. They explore the relationship between fear and hope, and share experiences of finding light and connection in unexpected places.

Arts institutions carry a responsibility for responding to and driving culture. What does it take to lead these organizations and support diverse groups of artists, audiences, and benefactors? Actress, playwright and professor Anna Deavere Smith leads a frank and deep discussion about the role of museums, foundations, and cultural centers in today’s creative environment. Lonnie G. Bunch III, the head of the Smithsonian Institution, joins Mariko Silver, the CEO of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York, and Yana Peel, the president of Arts, Culture and Heritage at Chanel.

Leaders who truly inspire and get the best out of people are few and far between. How do they learn to gain trust and rally a group to action? Steve Kerr has been coaching the Golden State Warriors NBA team for 11 years, four of which have been champion seasons. He joins Maryland Governor Wes Moore, who became the first Black person to hold that office after combat in the Army and a career fighting poverty, for a discussion about leading with respect and purpose. CBS co-anchor John Dickerson moderates the conversation.

Following economic news too closely can give you feelings of whiplash and confusion, and may not speak to your personal experience. What economic information should you actually pay attention to, and how should you interpret what you hear? Former economics professor and head of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, Austan Goolsbee, and the CEO of polling and analytics company Gallup, Jon Clifton, break down the economic indicators we come across all the time. They tease apart what’s based on data and reality, what’s missing, and what’s hype and fluff. And how consumers react to economic news, they explain, adds yet another layer of feedback to the equation. Social media influencer and financial advisor Vivian Tu, the founder of advice brand Your Rich BFF, moderates the conversation.

Who would have thought play would be a transformative tool to de-stress and build resilience? Turns out the act, which is different for everyone, is biologically hardwired in our brains. “Everyone has a sense of joyfulness,” says Dr. Stuart Brown, founder of the National Institute for Play. He began studying play science after discovering the perpetrator of a 1960s mass shooting lacked play from the time he was born. Play deprivation can have grave consequences, he found, but joyful engagement fuels happiness and intelligence. He joins a panel of play experts including Cj Hendry, an artist whose large-scale installations often lead people to play, and Heidi Erwin, senior game designer at the New York Times. Sam Sanders, former NPR reporter and producer and host of the podcast, “The Sam Sanders Show,” moderates the conversation.

As artificial intelligence becomes more powerful and pervasive, how will it affect our work, our lives, and our ability to connect? Brené Brown, research professor and best-selling author says she hears a lot of experts trying to soothe people’s anxiety about the pace of technological change by offering platitudes like, What makes us human will ensure our relevance. This is dangerous because, as she explains, we’re not especially good at what makes us human. We’re not hardwired for the current level of uncertainty, and many of us feel as if the constant need to self-protect is driving the humanity right out of us. Brown joins Kate Crawford, AI scholar and University of Southern California professor, who points out that so much of what’s driving our feelings of emptiness and disconnection around AI is rooted in the fact that artificial intelligence is fundamentally a technology of extraction – it depends on the intensive exploitation of raw materials, human labor, and personal data. Together, Drs. Brown and Crawford encourage us to advocate for authentic connection over algorithmic convenience.

Many technology companies infamously measure their success based on how long someone spends in their app. That amount of screen time may or may not be good for a person’s wellbeing, but executives don’t see that as their problem. Not all CEOs have fallen into that trap, though. Bill Ready, the head of Pinterest, and Justin McLeod, who runs the dating app Hinge, have different priorities. When the writing on the wall was becoming more apparent and more disturbing, they led resets at their companies and looked for ways to put their users’ health first. Success for them means getting people out into the real world for healthy activities and in-person social engagement. And it turns out, that’s actually good for business, too. The editor-in-chief of Allure and Self magazines, Jessica Cruel, interviews the two CEOs about how they pulled off these positive pivots.

Colossal Biosciences has grand ambitions to bring back extinct species like the woolly mammoth and the dodo. But while it’s still working on those, Colossal surprised the world by announcing in April that it had created three white animals it says are dire wolves — a canine that lived in the Americas and is thought to have been slightly larger than a gray wolf. Colossal’s CEO Ben Lamm explains what it all means and how they brought the wolves into being. CNN journalist Fareed Zakaria interviews Lamm about the buzz Colossal created with its wolves and what’s coming next.

Raising our kids with access to touchscreens and technology at almost all hours of the day is an untested experiment with unknown results. But by many measures, it isn’t going well. For several years, social psychologist Jonathan Haidt has been collecting and analyzing the data on young people, social media and smartphones. He’s found some deeply troubling trends, which he explains in his latest book, “The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness.” In a talk at the 2025 Aspen Ideas Festival, Haidt highlights his key findings and underscores the seriousness of this problem, but also presents practical and feasible ideas for solutions. Olivia Walton, the founder and CEO of Ingeborg Investments, joins Haidt after his solo talk for a question and answer session.

A push to expand publicly-funded school choice programs across the country is gaining steam. In only three decades, the practice has grown dramatically and President Trump is supportive of the idea. But what effect do school choice policies have on the K-12 education system as a whole? And where do charter schools fit in this debate? In this discussion from the 2025 Aspen Ideas Festival, three education experts from various perspectives report on what the data is telling us and highlight the nuances we should be considering. Alberto Carvalho is the superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District, the second largest district in the country. Education journalist Cara Fitzpatrick reports for Chalkbeat and is the author of “The Death of Public School: How Conservatives Won the War Over Education in America.” And Tommy Schultz is the CEO of the American Federation for Children, which advocates for school choice. CBS co-anchor John Dickerson moderates the conversation, which was recorded in June.

Major forces shaping the U.S. economy are already causing ripple effects across the globe. To say it’s a time of economic uncertainty and transformation may be an understatement. America could see the biggest tariff shock in nearly a century and immigration policy is affecting the labor market. In addition, the Tax Act, or One Big Beautiful Bill, could add trillions to the deficit. Prominent business leaders unpack the situation in a well-rounded discussion on the state of the economy. Zanny Minton Beddoes, editor in chief of The Economist, moderates the conversation that includes Blackrock CEO Laurence Fink, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, New York Stock Exchange Group President Lynn Martin, and Wells Fargo CEO Charles Scharf.

Regardless of one’s politics, most would agree that America is going through a difficult time. Our rifts seem overwhelmingly deep, and it’s not clear how to repair them. New York Times columnist and writer David Brooks has had his idea of what America is supposed to be and stand for upended in recent years. But he also isn’t giving up. In his 20th talk at the Aspen Ideas Festival, he charts a path of recovery. He looks to history for examples of eras when society’s ruptures reached untenable levels, and to psychology, philosophy, theology and other disciplines for clues about how we might move toward a healthy future. His talk was recorded in June at the 2025 festival.

The United States is in a pivotal foreign policy moment. What can a zoomed-out view of the current world order tell us about where things are going? Several foreign policy experts come together on stage at the Aspen Ideas Festival for a discussion on the state of the world order. David Petraeus is a former CIA director and Army general, Susan Rice served as an advisor to both Biden and Obama and UN ambassador, and John Bolton was Trump’s national security advisor for part of the president’s first term. CNN journalist and author Fareed Zakaria keeps the conversation on track as moderator.

The mission of the U.S. Department of Justice has been tested over the past few months, as the Trump administration has thrust the agency into the center of several politicized debates. In the current atmosphere, can the DOJ fulfill its job of keeping our country safe and upholding civil rights? Former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, who served under President George W. Bush, and former Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates, who served under President Obama, lend their deep experience to this question in a talk at the 2025 Aspen Ideas Festival. CNN journalist and author Fareed Zakaria moderates the conversation, which was recorded at the end of June.

The Middle East is being remade at this very moment. With missiles flying between Iran and Israel with US engagement, and Gaza in rubbles, what will the future hold? Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert says he hopes for peace. In a wide-ranging conversation with CBS Evening News Co-Anchor John Dickerson, Olmert speaks passionately about the state of his region — from Israel’s war with Hamas and the crisis in Gaza to the likelihood that Iran’s nuclear program wasn’t completely wiped out in the June bombing.

U.S. Government funding for scientific research has led to innovations and breakthroughs for decades. But, with funding freezes, slashed budgets, and the cancellation of grants, the health of America’s scientific enterprise is in jeopardy. What’s at stake – for research, innovation, and the economy? How did we get here, and what will it take to chart a more sustainable path forward? David Leonhardt, director of the Editorial Board of The New York Times, leads a discussion with Holden Thorp, editor in chief of the Science family of journals, Jennifer Nuzzo, epidemiology professor at Brown University, and Karel Mertens, senior vice president at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. Their conversation was held in late June, 2025.

Since many Americans’ ancestors arrived at Ellis Island, the United States has experienced surges in immigration. But the largest escalation, surpassing even the peak at the turn of the 20th century, was during the Biden Administration. “In the U.S. and much of the world, we are living in an age of mass migration that has no precedent,” says David Leonhardt, editorial board director at The New York Times. What accounts for this upsurge and why has it fiercely divided republicans and democrats? Leonhardt speaks with Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, Denver Mayor Mike Johnston, and ACLU Executive Director Anthony D. Romero about one of the most pressing and discordant issues of our time.

Controversies on college campuses have been near-constant over the past several years, and higher education institutions are now politically divisive targets. Administrators are asked to meet difficult demands and account for the actions of the thousands of faculty, staff and students under their wing. A panel of experts reflect on major recent challenges facing schools and share honest thoughts on previous shortcomings and where to go from here. Michael Elliott is the president of Amherst College, Margaret Spellings is president and CEO of the Bipartisan Policy Center, and Ted Mitchell is president of the American Council on Education. New York Times editorial board director David Leonhardt moderates the conversation. This talk was recorded on June 25.

Are you ready for bold ideas and thought-provoking conversations from the world’s top thinkers and doers? From happiness and leadership to AI, global affairs, the arts, and beyond — Aspen Ideas to Go is your front-row seat to the Aspen Ideas Festival where we challenge assumptions and ignite curiosity, one conversation at a time. New episodes drop weekly in 2025. Subscribe now and learn more at Aspen ideas.org/podcast.

In the 1990s, scientists unearthed a striking discovery – there are planets outside of our own solar system. Turns out, many of these planets are in a habitable zone capable of supporting water and oxygen. “The current estimate is about one sextillion habitable planets across the universe,” says Garett Graff, author of UFO: The Inside Story of the US Government’s Search for Alien Life Here – and Out There. Given the huge number of planets and the vastness of the universe itself, it seems likely intelligent life could exist (or may have already come and gone). Graff leads a discussion with Bill Nelson, former administrator of NASA and former congressman, Jackie Faherty, senior research scientist at the American Museum of Natural History, and Paul Sutter, astrophysicist and theoretical cosmology professor at Stonybrook University. This discussion was originally recorded at the 2024 Aspen Ideas Festival.

The nuclear family structure that Americans think of as traditional is actually a relatively recent convention. And for a lot of folks, it isn’t quite working. More and more people are rethinking who they want to live with and how they want to raise children, and are willing to brave legal hurdles and social stigma to give something else a try. Jaymes Black is the CEO of the organization Family Equality, which works to help LGBTQ+ families thrive. They join NPR producer and editor Rhaina Cohen, the author of “The Other Significant Others: Reimagining Life with Friendship at the Center,” for this talk on choosing the family that works for you. Podcast host Kelly Corrigan of “Kelly Corrigan Wonders” moderates the conversation, which was recorded at the 2024 Aspen Ideas Festival. “The Other Significant Others” comes out in paperback on June 17.

A privileged childhood in Hollywood surrounded by entertainment industry characters gave actor, producer and director Griffin Dunne a wealth of stories. Some are about the kind of funny and charming encounters with glittery names that you might expect. But others are tragically life-altering, such as his sister’s murder by her ex-boyfriend and the excruciating high-profile trial that followed. Dunne got it all down on paper and published “The Friday Afternoon Club: A Family Memoir” last year. He spoke at the 2024 Aspen Ideas Festival with his longtime friend and fellow actor and producer Fisher Stevens about reliving years of hilarity and pain while writing the book. aspenideas.org

Communication is about a lot more than the words coming out of our mouths. We often hear each other, but don’t really listen. Or we understand the literal meaning of what someone is saying, but we seem to miss the point and fail to connect. What’s happening in our brains in those situations? And why is it sometimes so hard to do something we’ve been doing since we were children? New Yorker writer Charles Duhigg set out to find the answers to these questions in his latest book, “Supercommunicators: The Science of Conversation and Connection.” In this talk at the 2024 Aspen Ideas Festival, Duhigg explains that there aren’t any secret talents required in becoming a supercommunicator. All you have to do is understand a few concepts and learn and practice a few basic skills. He breaks down what’s going on when two people are talking to each other and demonstrates the methods he’s researched with some audience participation exercises. aspenideas.org

In 2018, professional basketball superstar DeMar DeRozan gave the world a dose of reality when he tweeted about struggling with depression. Even though he was in the middle of NBA All-Star weekend – an achievement many people think is the ultimate dream – he didn’t want to leave his hotel room. He was just looking to be truly seen and heard, but he ended up starting an important conversation and becoming a devoted advocate for mental health issues. And he inspired fellow NBA player Kevin Love to speak out not long after with an essay about dealing with longtime anxiety and depression. The two players have given countless hours since then to breaking mental health stigmas and guiding honest conversations about success, money and true happiness. DeRozan also published a book about his mental health journey last year called “Above the Noise: My Story of Chasing Calm.” For Mental Health Awareness month in May, we’re bringing back a conversation between the two players and performance psychologist Michael Gervais. This talk was recorded at the 2019 Aspen Ideas Festival. aspenideas.org

For centuries, people have tried to get to the bottom of what makes us happy. Recent studies show regular sex makes people happiest and commuting is when we’re most unhappy. And, happiness levels fluctuate throughout life. “Happiness follows a u-shaped curve,” says author and columnist David Brooks. “People are happier in their twenties. They typically decline and hit their bottom happiness category at age 47 and they tend to get happier as they get older.” These findings, though, may not tell the whole story. How does the consideration of purpose, meaning, and virtue change the definition of happiness? What can we learn from ancient philosophers, America’s forefathers, and our own modern-day culture about the journey to joy? Jeffrey Rosen, author of “The Pursuit of Happiness: How Classical Writers on Virtue Inspired the Lives of the Founders and Defined America,” Sarah Lewis, founder of the Vision and Justice Project, Adam Gopnik, author of “All That Happiness Is: Some Words on What Matters,” and Tamar Gendler, dean and philosophy professor at Yale University, join Brooks to discuss the question of happiness. This talk was recorded at the 2024 Aspen Ideas Festival. aspenideas.org

Being a parent today is full of stress, pressure and information overload. Experts offering advice are everywhere, and for some parents, the wealth of available resources can make it feel like failure and criticism is inevitable. How do you pick out what’s actually helpful in the limited time you have? This talk from the 2024 Aspen Ideas Festival features a panel of moms who are also experts on parenting and child development. Aliza Pressman, MD is a developmental psychologist and co-founder of the Mount Sinai Parenting Center. Grace Bastidas is the editor-in-chief of Parents magazine and founder of a parenting resource for Latine families. Reshma Saujani started and leads Girls Who Code and the advocacy group Moms First. They come together to reassuringly break down the lessons they’ve learned from interacting with all kinds of families and guide us through some of the toughest parenting issues of our time, like social media, racism and gender imbalances. Host of NBC’s “Today With Jenna and Friends,” Jenna Bush Hager, moderates the conversation. aspenideas.org

Using the law to charge and imprison political opponents is a favorite tactic of dictators the world over. In an age of growing global authoritarianism, unscrupulous rulers are getting more strategic about their methods and sharing lessons learned. The fight to free political prisoners is one with moving goalposts for the human rights attorneys and advocates working hard behind the scenes. Jared Genser of Perseus Strategies and Caoilfhionn Gallagher of Doughty Street Chambers, both human rights lawyers, explain how these processes often play out in reality, and where governments frequently fall short. Diane Foley, founder of the James W. Foley Legacy Foundation, created and named for her journalist son in 2014 after his public beheading by ISIS, describes what motivated her to try and improve efforts to free hostages after her horrific experience. Mark Stephens, the founder of Howard Kennedy law firm in the UK, moderates the conversation. aspenideas.org

The quest for work-life balance is neverending for many of us. The advice in this talk from the 2023 Aspen Ideas Festival still holds a lot of relevance, so we’re bringing it back for a refresher. In today’s world, we tend to switch jobs more frequently than previous generations, and are more likely to have multiple jobs. Side gigs where we express passions or find meaning are also common, and many juggle additional roles as caregivers and community members, as people always have. In short, many of us are focused on a lot more than just climbing a corporate ladder. Our careers and lives aren’t linear, although a lot of the traditional advice about them is. Where do we look for updated guidance? In this panel discussion, three authors withbooks on finding our way in the world come together for a discussion on making life choices in modern times. Writer and speaker Bruce Feiler interviewed hundreds of people across the country for “The Search: Finding Meaningful Work in a Post-Career World.” Wired Magazine co-founder and co-chair of the Long Now Foundation, Kevin Kelly, compiled his lessons and experiences into a book inspired by his children called “Excellent Advice for Living: Wisdom I Wish I’d Known Earlier.” And journalist Joanne Lipman moderates the conversation and shares what she learned writing “Next! The Power of Reinvention in Life and Work.” aspenideas.org

Today’s boys and young men are having a tough time. By several measures of success and happiness, they’re struggling to keep up and turning to the internet for help, where many end up hooked by extremists. We need to find better ways to frame the problem, support them and push them in the right direction. The solution starts with a frank conversation about what’s really going on, according to the experts on this panel from the 2024 Aspen Ideas Festival. Richard Reeves founded the American Institute for Boys and Men and wrote “Of Boys and Men: Why the Modern Male is Struggling, Why It Matters and What To Do About It,” in 2022. He’s joined by Michael Strautmanis of the Obama Foundation and My Brother’s Keeper Alliance, along with Maryland Governor Wes Moore. NBC News correspondent Stephanie Ruhle moderates the conversation. aspenideas.org

Some musicians start with formal lessons and daily practice and some get hooked by picking up a washboard between hopping train cars across the country. Alynda Segarra is the latter type, and it led them to a new life dedicated to music and community in their adopted home of New Orleans. As the band Hurray for the Riff Raff, Segarra has been making music beloved by critics and fans since 2008 and is still going strong. Their most recent album, “The Past is Still Alive,” came out last year. They sat down with poetry professor and host of the PBS series “Poetry in America,” Elisa New, at the 2024 Aspen Ideas Festival to talk about writing lyrics, making music and finding their place in America. We’re bringing you the conversation for National Poetry Month. aspenideas.org

Julia Louis-Dreyfus has kept us laughing for years in her roles as Elaine Benes in “Seinfeld” and Selina Meyer in “Veep.” But her most recent work has her shifting from comedy to drama. She plays Zora in the film “Tuesday” about a mother battling to accept the impending death of her terminally ill daughter. “I really love being an actor, so even the hard stuff has a grip on me,” she tells podcast host Sam Fragoso. A master interviewer, Fragoso is known for eliciting emotions his guests don’t expect. His wide-reaching conversation with Louis-Dreyfus touches on ambition, frustration in showbusiness, Louis-Dreyfus’s battle with breast cancer, and much more. This talk was recorded at the 2024 Aspen Ideas Festival. (Explicit language is included.) aspenideas.org

Living as a trans person in America comes with its share of challenges, which are sometimes even life-threatening. But some say it can also open up access to incredible freedom. What lessons can we all learn from people who’ve transitioned and transformed? Alok Vaid-Menon is a comedian and writer with remarkable patience and compassion for everyone and their inner journey – even the people sending them hate and death threats. “I am trying to look in their face and say ‘I want you to live,’” they say in a documentary short about them titled “Alok.” Artist and filmmaker Alex Hedison got to know Alok while directing the film, which she took to the Sundance Film Festival. The two reunite on stage at the 2024 Aspen Ideas Festival for a conversation about confronting our fears and defying the boxes we find ourselves in. aspenideas.org

The rapid development of the Covid-19 vaccine and the ramp-up of manufacturing and global distribution were unprecedented feats of medical coordination. But those on the inside say it could have gone even smoother and faster, and if we implement the lessons learned we’ll be in much better shape if another pandemic hits. Unfortunately, most global leaders seem to want to just move on and prioritize other issues, according to Adar Poonawalla, the CEO of vaccine company Serum Institute of India. His firm is one of the only family-owned medical manufacturers, and they were able to scale up production dramatically to help provide the Covid vaccine to people in developing and lower-income countries at an affordable cost. He talks with author and journalist Michael Lewis at the 2024 Aspen Ideas Festival about what it was like to have such a pivotal role in a global health crisis and what it would take to keep facilities like his ready to jump into action again. aspenideas.org

It’s a tough time to try and express the complexity of life honestly. Writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie doesn’t shy away from truth-telling and believes we should all step up and do more of it. She thinks there’s more of a political “middle” in the general public than is generally represented in media, and she keeps that group in mind in her work. An essayist, poet and novelist, Adichie published her first novel in 12 years, “Dream Count,” on March 4, 2025. Last summer, she joined podcast host Kelly Corrigan of “Kelly Corrigan Wonders” on stage for the closing session of the 2024 Aspen Ideas Festival. The two meandered through polarization, cancel culture, grief and parental love in a heartfelt conversation. aspenideas.org

Few working technology reporters have been around as long as Kara Swisher. The start of her career coincided with the emergence of the internet, and she’s interviewed almost all of the major tech players between then and now. She’s still known today for making billionaire founders sweat in the hot seat. But she’s not just a technology critic, she’s also an ardent cheerleader. As she explains in her memoir, “Burn Book: A Tech Love Story,” and in this episode, her tough questions aim to be in service of better technology and a better world. The co-founder and CEO of Airbnb, Brian Chesky, interviews Swisher at the 2024 Aspen Ideas Festival in June about her book and her latest thoughts on this often-controversial sector. “Burn Book” was released in paperback with a new afterward on March 4, 2025. aspenideas.org

Creativity is as intrinsic to our species as any of our basic instincts, says Debbie Millman, designer and curator. But for millions of people in the United States, the ability to create has been thwarted. This basic human need, as important as love and shelter, Millman says, isn’t available for people serving time at the nearly 2,000 correctional facilities across America. In this discussion, moderated by Millman, a group of artists and activists share how they’re working to bring creative outlets to people who are incarcerated. Turns out ushering creativity into these dark and lonely spaces not only increases hope for the incarcerated, it makes our country safer. Common, a hip hop artist and actor, launched the nonprofits Imagine Justice and the Common Ground Foundation. Hank Willis Thomas is a conceptual artist who co-founded For Freedoms. Claudia Peña is an artist and founding co-director of the Center for Justice at UCLA. Michael Murphy is an architect, artist, educator, and writer. This talk was recorded at the 2024 Aspen Ideas Festival. aspenideas.org

The entertainment industry has had to pivot and refresh time and again to adapt to constant changes in format, business models and attention spans. Somehow, producer Brian Grazer has been able to keep up. The storyteller, who has received multiple nominations and wins at the Oscars, Emmys and Golden Globes, manages to find what people connect with and turn it into a hit – and he does this over and over. In this talk from the 2024 Aspen Ideas Festival, Grazer and the entertainment leader and former Disney CEO Michael Eisner discuss what makes something work and how to go from an idea to winning content. Grazer shares the sometimes unconventional rules and guidelines that have served him well over the past 40 years while making classics like “Apollo 13” and “A Beautiful Mind.” aspenideas.org

Advances in medicine and healthy living mean that more and more people will live to be 100. But just because their bodies can last doesn’t mean their bank accounts will keep up. Retirement, and especially a long retirement, takes careful planning and sophisticated financial literacy. It’s impossible to know what the future economic world will look like, but accounting for the unexpected and finding good guidance is essential. In this talk sponsored by Aspen Institute supporter Prudential Financial, two financial planning experts lay out the options for saving later in life and spread the word on the importance of preparation. Penny Pennington is the managing partner of Edward Jones and Rob Falzon is the vice chair of Prudential. Barron’s economic reporter Megan Leonhardt moderates the conversation. aspenideas.org

In the early days of cable television, there wasn’t a single network aimed at Black audiences. Sheila Johnson and her husband at the time saw an opening, and put all their hopes, efforts and money into co-founding Black Entertainment Television. The gamble paid off and the channel grew to become an influential and successful part of culture and television history. But behind the glitter, Johnson’s marriage was difficult and degrading and she lost track of herself and her dreams. In her memoir “Walk Through Fire,” Johnson shares what those tough times were like, and how she found her way back to her power. She emerged to create Salamander Collection, a luxury hotel and resort company, and became the only African American woman to own part of three professional sports teams. And, she found love again. Johnson tells her story on stage at the 2024 Aspen Ideas Festival to Kelly Corrigan, host of the podcast “Kelly Corrigan Wonders.” aspenideas.org

Owning a professional sports team is not for the faint of heart. Results are volatile and wins and losses come with the strong emotions of a city’s fan base. But it’s a sound investment for the right type of business leader, and the value of professional teams has been steadily rising over the past several years. Two legendary owners with very different backgrounds meet for this conversation about what it’s like to have a major stake in the game. Alex Rodriguez wrapped up an incredible career in major league baseball in 2016, after playing for 22 years. He’s gone on to found the investment firm A-Rod Corp. and recently bought a stake in the NBA’s Minnesota Timberwolves and WNBA’s Lynx. David Rubenstein is a businessman, lawyer and co-founder of The Carlyle Group private equity firm. In 2024, he became the principal owner of the Baltimore Orioles, his hometown MLB team. Businessman Gregg Lemkau, co-CEO of the merchant bank BDT and MSD Partners, moderates the conversation. aspenideas.org

Looking around and experiencing the suffering and injustice in the world can make it difficult to believe that happiness exists. But the Judeo-Christian tradition teaches that it’s sinful to succumb to despair, and we have a responsibility to ourselves and others to try and find our way through dark times. On the other hand, when you avoid suffering, you avoid meaning, and therefore, you avoid happiness, says professor and author Arthur Brooks. One of the great secrets of happiness, he says, is unhappiness. Spiritual and intellectual leaders may have a lot to offer us about building our lives into something better and more meaningful, and Brooks joins writer Pico Iyer for this encore conversation, from the 2022 Aspen Ideas Festival, about navigating the complex waters of making healthy life choices. Drawing on the teachings of the Dalai Lama and many other religious practitioners, Brooks and Iyer wind through loss and emptiness, opportunity and purpose, and biology and psychology. Each thread brings them back to the ongoing challenge of taking control of one’s mental state and landing at a destination full of life and intention. In a stroke of odd serendipity, Iyer’s latest book, “Aflame: Learning From Silence,” about narrowly escaping a 1990 California wildfire, came out in mid-January just after the Los Angeles fires. He touches on that experience in this talk. aspenideas.org

Millions of children across America don’t have art classes in school and don’t grow up going to art museums and galleries. They might be hours away from the closest museum, or their families might not have the means to bring art into their lives. Philanthropist Alice Walton had that kind of childhood, and wants to prevent as many people as possible from repeating it. When she discovered the art world as an adult, she also learned how insular and urban it was, leaving out so many. These experiences led her to found the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas, which opened its doors to all in 2011. Admission at Crystal Bridges is free, and Walton has also instituted educational programs that cover the costs of bringing children in from around the region. Anne Kraybill is the CEO of a related program called Art Bridges, which is attempting to spread the philosophy of art for all and help smaller museums around the country increase access to art. In this talk from the 2024 Aspen Ideas Festival, Ford Foundation president Darren Walker interviews Walton and Kraybill about these initiatives and the motivations that created them. aspenideas.org

The extremely wealthy and powerful drug cartels in Mexico operate with near-impunity, perpetuating violent crime and terrorizing Mexican citizens. But they also bring pain and suffering to the United States by importing massive amounts of fentanyl, fueling the deadly opioid epidemic. Drug lords saw an opening after the U.S. government finally stepped in to stop the flow of prescription opioids created by the pharmaceutical industry. A ready-made market of addicted people just over the border provided incentive, and fentanyl was cheaper and easier to produce than other drugs. Anabel Hernandez, a Mexican journalist who’s covered the cartels for more than two decades, joins former assistant U.S. attorney Sherri Hobson for today’s talk from the 2024 Aspen Ideas Festival in June. Hobson went after traffickers on the border from the San Diego office for 30 years and prosecuted hundreds of smugglers. The two break down the timeline of the fentanyl crisis and share the insider information they spent years building up from either side of the border. Reuters editor in chief Alessandra Galloni moderates the conversation. aspenideas.org

This episode is from the 2022 Aspen Ideas Festival, but we’re bringing it back because it’s still as relevant as ever. Though it can sometimes feel like conflict and discord is human nature, our brains are actually predisposed to forming groups and working together. In our individualistic society, we may think our minds stop at our skulls, but when people come together and connect effectively, they actually think in different ways, and they all become smarter and healthier together. Science writer Annie Murphy Paul, the author of “The Extended Mind: The Power of Thinking Outside the Brain,” joins NYU psychology professor Jay Van Bavel for a participatory conversation about uniting people to solve problems and work towards common goals. Again and again, research demonstrates the power of groups, and the panelists help us translate these findings into practical tips for encouraging people to collaborate functionally. New Yorker writer Charles Duhigg moderates the conversation and takes questions from the audience. aspenideas.org

Sir Ken Robinson believed that as a society, we tragically underestimate and underutilize human ability. We create linear systems for our minds modeled on industry and manufacturing, and we fail to honor the nonlinear imagination and creativity inside all of us. As a speaker and educational advisor, Robinson worked with people all over the world in various sectors and settings on helping them reconnect with their natural inclinations and aptitudes. He advocated for educational reform that treated children as individuals motivated by interests and passions. Robinson unfortunately passed away in 2020, and this episode is from our archives. He gave this timeless talk at the 2010 Aspen Ideas Festival. aspenideas.org

Scholars are still uncovering information about Britain’s involvement in the transatlantic slave trade and its era of slavery, piecing together how the wealth generated from these atrocities shaped the nation’s history. For some descendants, this means just now learning about their families’ roles in and benefits from these horrors. In Britain, a few horrified heirs and private institutions are stepping forward to make amends, but there are few models for what meaningful reparations or restorative justice could look like. Where do we go from here, and what would truly make a difference? In this conversation from the 2024 Aspen Ideas Festival, the three panelists bring personal and academic experience to this weighty conversation. Harvard historian Vincent Brown, British TV presenter and historian David Olusoga and former BBC journalist and reparations advocate Laura Trevelyan discuss the meaning and practical application of reparations and restorative justice. New York Times editor Dean Baquet moderates the talk and takes questions from the audience. aspenideas.org

Each year brings more destructive natural disasters and growing evidence of the challenging future we face if we don’t address climate change. But the biggest cause of climate-related deaths is one that’s hard to see and hardly talked about. Extreme heat killed more than 2,000 people in the United States in 2023 and put intense stress on millions as they faced high costs of utilities and numerous life interruptions. Federal, state and local policy hasn’t kept up with rising temperatures and the scale of the heat threat, and cities are scrambling to adapt and prevent more deaths. In this panel from the 2024 Aspen Ideas Festival, the chief heat officer for Miami-Dade County, Jane Gilbert, joins the chief heat officer for the city of Los Angeles, Marta Segura, to share their learnings and innovations in these brand new positions. Rolling Stone journalist Jeff Goodell, the author of “The Heat Will Kill You First,” brings a wider lens to the issue. NBC News correspondent Liz Kreutz moderates the conversation. aspenideas.org

Young people in America are struggling. The causes are varied and may not be entirely clear, but the results are unfortunately unmistakable. Many of our youth feel lonely, isolated or depressed and struggle to see a future where they can buy a house, have a family or feel connected to their community. The two panelists in this talk from the 2024 Aspen Ideas Festival bring a distinct expert perspective, filling out the picture of how to come to the aid of young people and prevent these patterns from repeating. The U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy has issued advisories on the youth mental health crisis and raised the alarm about social media use. Kaya Henderson is the executive director of the Center for Rising Generations at the Aspen Institute, after spending years as an educator and entrepreneur. Both see the need to address this problem holistically and see kids as more than future workers. Former university administrator Dan Porterfield, now the president and CEO of the Aspen Institute, moderates the conversation. aspenideas.org

New technologies have always led to changes in society, though not always as quickly or drastically as people feared. Could artificial intelligence be different? Instead of letting a new AI reality unfold amid helpless hand-wringing, what if we tried to learn from the past? In this talk recorded at the 2024 Aspen Ideas Festival, a panel of thoughtful technology experts from various perspectives meet to discuss what might happen in a future AI-infused world. They explore the possibilities between immediate havoc and the eventual end of humanity, and suggest actions we can take to get the outcome we want. UK historian, writer and TV presenter David Olusoga joins UK government technology advisor Karen McLuskie and tech philanthropist Vilas Dhar of the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation. The executive director of Aspen Digital at the Aspen Institute, Vivian Schiller, moderates the conversation. aspenideas.org

Research on aging and extending life and healthspan has ventured beyond humans to our best animal friends – dogs. In less than a year, dog owners may be able to buy a drug that would extend their dog’s life and hopefully keep it healthier for longer. Especially for owners of big dogs with short lifespans, this could be welcome news. And what the drug developers learn about dog aging might contribute to learnings on human aging. Scientists are also building some of the first long-term studies on dog health that will provide detailed information and important insights on our pets’ lives, and maybe our own. Neuroscientist Celine Halioua founded her company Loyal when she was just 24, and is close to getting FDA approval for the company’s first drug. Daniel Promislow, a biogerontologist at Tufts University, founded and leads the Dog Aging Project, collecting data on dogs across the country from all walks of life. The Aspen Institute’s executive vice president, Eliot Gerson, moderates this feel-good conversation recorded at the 2024 Aspen Ideas Festival in June. aspenideas.org

After a lifetime of successful acting and passionate activism, Jane Fonda is far from done. At 86, she’s now pouring all of her efforts into pushing for action that will stop climate change, and she’s willing to put it all on the line for this fight. From protesting and getting arrested in DC to talks and appearances across the country, Fonda is lending her famous face and using her platform every chance she gets to ensure our planet has a future. Her latest book, from 2020, is called “What Can I Do? My Path From Climate Despair to Action.”Journalist Katie Couric interviews Fonda at the 2024 Aspen Ideas Festival about this stage of her life and activism. Their conversation was recorded in June. aspenideas.org