Best Esther And Charlie Podcasts (2024)

1
Esther Adhiambo 27:31

1h ago27:31

27:31

This Kenyan gay rights activist is adept at working with her adversaries. “You have to keep pushing, and getting friend and allies.” But she’s no softy, adding: “and sue some people.” I generally go right to that last tactic. I’m an American.By Randy Cohen

1
Natasha Jen 27:31

7d ago27:31

27:31

When this graphic designer worked at Sony Music, the handwriting was already on the wall, the tiny, tiny wall: “It was no longer LPs; it was CDs. The canvas kept shrinking.” And now with digital music, there’s no canvas at all. “It’s not the end of the world; it’s a different paradigm.” Disconcerting optimism, great design. Produced with the Center…

1
Good Stories Episode 2 – circular economy pioneer i-did 24:05

12d ago24:05

24:05

With clients like Ikea and KLM, Dutch social enterprise i-did could be judged a success story. But breaking new ground in the social economy hasn't always been easy. Join Estelle Uba in the Netherlands visiting the circular economy pioneer.By Pioneers Post

1
Claire Weisz 27:31

14d ago27:31

27:31

Does use determine design, or does design shape behavior? This architect asserts the latter: “A certain object does make you behave a certain way or do certain things.” For example, a simple lime-squeezer lured her and her family into more lime squeezing than anyone—or any lime—anticipated. Produced with the National Academy of Design. Music: Tomas…

1
Ivo van Hove 27:31

21d ago27:31

27:31

Among his many productions, he directed A View from the Bridge and West Side Story on Broadway and collaborated with David Bowie on the musical Lazarus. “It turned out to be—I didn’t know, of course, when we started—the last work that he ever made.” And a surprisingly happy experience.By Randy Cohen

1
Terre Roche 27:31

29d ago27:31

27:31

This singer-songwriter has been admired for fifty years, and yet: “I always wanted a Collings guitar, but it was too expensive, and I just didn’t feel worthy.” If she’s not worthy of the tools of her trade, then what hope is there for us mortals? (Happily, she now has a Collings.) Presented with Richard Barone.…

1
Good Leaders Podcast Episode 16 – Bevis Watts of Triodos Bank UK 54:00

1M ago54:00

54:00

"I'm very conscious about what nurtures me": Triodos Bank UK boss Bevis Watts talks to Tim West about his journey from environmentalist to CEO of a multi-billion-euro ethical bank, transforming the financial sector, fostering connections and the importance of connecting with nature.By Pioneers Post

1
Peter Boyer 27:31

1M ago27:31

27:31

Composers not only create something non-corporeal but also enjoy bringing an actual object into the world. “One of my great great moments was when I finally had a recording of my own in a bin at Tower Records.” (Older people can explain to younger people what record stores were.) The delights of the irrefutably physical. Presented with BMI and the …

1
Good Stories Episode 1 – Isle of Skye Ferry CIC 18:42

2M ago18:42

18:42

Join Pioneers Post reporter David Lyons in the Scottish Highlands as he voyages on an award-winning social business ferry.By Pioneers Post

1
Ty Jones 27:31

3M ago27:31

27:31

He is the producing artistic director of the Classical Theatre of Harlem, focusing on work from Sophocles to Shakespeare—the big S playwrights—to explore fundamental ideas. “These are living arguments, these classic plays.” Produced with CTH. Music: Kaden Jones, cello; Roen Jones, violin; Emery Jones, piano. This is our last new episode of the seas…

1
Zach Iscol 27:31

3M ago27:31

27:31

He served in Iraq as a Marine and is now commissioner of New York City’s Department of Emergency Management. “We are always activated. We’re always responding to stuff.” How to prepare for the worst. Music: Stephanie Jenkins (the best). Presented with the Department of Records and Information Services.…

1
Good Leaders Podcast Episode 15 – Kirsten Dueck, CEO of NESsT 1:09:35

3M ago1:09:35

1:09:35

"Here’s what I knew: this was a place where a strong-minded female leader could flourish" – Kirsten Dueck of NESsT tells Tim West about stepping into the shoes of ‘the godmother of impact investing’, retiring ‘imposter syndrome’ and how her organisation has supported thousands of social entrepreneurs across very different regions and cultures.…

1
Patrick Page 27:31

3M ago27:31

27:31

Even as a child, this actor loved Shakespeare. “I would listen every night to John Gielgud’s Ages Of Man or Laurence Olivier’s Henry V or Richard III. I was just sort of marinated in it.” He’s since played many of the great villains, from Iago to the Grinch—Shakespeare and Shakespearean. Produced with Red Bull Theater. Music: Lance Horne.…

1
Thomas Gluck and Charlie Ortiz 27:31

3M ago27:31

27:31

GLUCK+ architects designed and constructed a building for the WHIN Music Community Charter School, led by Ortiz. How do architects know if a design works well? It’s not their call, says Tom Gluck. “The judges of whether a building’s successful or not are the people in it.” And this building? A triumph, says Charlie Ortiz.…

1
Fred Gitner 27:31

4M ago27:31

27:31

He was recently honored by the American Library Association for his work at the Queens Public Library on programs to assist migrants. “Over 200 languages are spoken in Queens,” he says. “We have collections in 50 or so and regularly purchase in about 30.” I struggled to write this paragraph in one. Music: Salieu Suso…

1
Santino Fontana 27:31

4M ago27:31

27:31

It can be a challenge for even terrific actors like him to stay fresh and focused night after night. Here’s how he does it: “I’ll make up, you know, Gandhi is in the fourth row; do a great show.” Not madness, technique. And he’s applied it from Hamlet to Tootsie. Produced with Red Bull Theater.By Randy Cohen

1
Good Leaders Podcast Episode 14 – Sebastian Rocca, founder of Micro Rainbow 1:01:28

4M ago1:01:28

1:01:28

"The magic happens when you create uncomfortable, unconventional partnerships" – Sebastian Rocca, founder of social enterprise Micro Rainbow, opens up to Tim West about what Pride Month means to him, growing up gay in Catholic Italy, the importance of understanding who your allies are and embracing vulnerability in leadership.…

1
Pete McBride 27:31

4M ago27:31

27:31

How did we allow the ruin of the Colorado River? “We think that water comes from the tap,” says this photographer of wild places. “We’ve lost the idea that water comes from natural systems.” See the results of our folly in his book, The Colorado River: Chasing Water. Then weep. Then fight. Then drink. Presented with Fotografiska. Music: some talent…

1
Virginia Rauh 27:31

4M ago27:31

27:31

This environmental epidemiologist knows the dismal effects of pesticides on the young, yet she loves to take her students to the neonatal intensive care unit. “The NICU is a place of hope, and little babies are very, very cute.” Produced with Columbia’s Mailman School of Public Health.By Randy Cohen

1
Eddie Izzard 27:31

4M ago27:31

27:31

Her solo performance of Hamlet—yes, all the parts (Rosencrantz and Guildenstern)—should be accessible to everyone. “Shakespeare is presented to people these days as 'this is good for you.' I’ve heard the term ‘spinach theater.’” The trick? Avoid vegetables, emphasize history, preserve the beauty of the verse: words, words, words!…

1
Elizabeth Streb 27:31

5M ago27:31

27:31

“I don’t like dance,” says this choreographer, “but we saw the bull riders at Madison Square Garden and, boy, I really wanted to get on that bull.” Her combination of disdain and desire results in exciting and surprising—I hesitate to say “dance” lest I incur her scorn— “organized movement.”By Randy Cohen

1
Marc Norman 27:31

5M ago27:31

27:31

This expert on affordable housing asks challenging questions: “Would you want greater-density boxy buildings to replace brownstones in Park Slope, and if not, where do we put them?” Now my head hurts. In a good way. Produced with Open House New York. Music: Kevin Nathaniel Hylton.By Randy Cohen

1
Eduardo Vilaro 27:31

5M ago27:31

27:31

“I am Juan de Pareja,” says this choreographer about the subject of his new piece, the Afro-Spanish painter enslaved by Velazquez. Multiple identities? No. One artist fascinated by the life of another. We celebrate Vilaro’s fifteen years as artistic director of Ballet Hispánico. Music: Ahmed Alom.By Randy Cohen

1
Ann Goldstein 27:31

5M ago27:31

27:31

The esteemed translator of Elena Ferrante and Pier Paolo Pasolini says of her work, “It is an impossible task, but nevertheless, it has to be done.” And she does it wonderfully. Presented with Rizzoli Bookstore, Europa Editions. and Words Without Borders. Music: Beppe Gambetta.By Randy Cohen

1
Michael Henry Adams 27:31

6M ago27:31

27:31

When Europeans take one of his tours, do they seek the Harlem of today or of the Harlem Renaissance? “They’ve got a kind of fable of Harlem,” says this preservationist, and then he goes to work and reconciles the present with the past. Produced with Open House New York. Music: Hubby JenkinsBy Randy Cohen

1
Len Elmore 27:31

6M ago27:31

27:31

“I had dreams of playing basketball then going to law school and doing what Perry Mason did.” Those dreams came true. The Knicks. Harvard Law. The Brooklyn DA’s office. And now he teaches at Columbia’s School of Professional Studies, a co-producer of this episode. (I had dreams that I could fly. I can’t.)…

1
Good Leaders Podcast Episode 13 – Devi Clark, managing director of Impact Hub London 57:37

6M ago57:37

57:37

In this episode of the Good Leaders podcast, hosted by Tim West, Devi Clark, managing director of Impact Hub London, shares the good and bad of running an impact-driven ‘umbrella organisation’: from the legal benefits of developing a new building to the struggle of attracting investors when your impact is “powerful, but often indirect”.…

1
Rachel Wax 27:31

6M ago27:31

27:31

The gender balance in her profession is disheartening, she says, “It has one of the smallest percentages of women. I mean the ratio is astounding.” U.S. Senator? Catholic priest? Not quite that bad. She is a magician. But things are improving. Produced with KGB Bar’s Red Room. Music: Teddy Horangic with Leonid Morozov…

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