PODCAST · society
The Good Problem
by Leigh Mathews
The Good Problem is a podcast series unpacking the sticky art of doing good. You'll hear me, Leigh Mathews getting curious about the ethics of doing good, the dangers of doing good, and how to do better at doing good.
Episodes
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Leigh Mathews & Mel Harwin: The Privilege of Doing Good
We're flipping things for the final episode of season five, and host Leigh Mathews is being interviewed by the wonderful Mel Harwin who has over 15 years experience working as a leader, implementor, human designer and evaluator in the international development, social, and environmental programs...
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Dr. Matt Beard: Moral Injury
Ethics is a term we throw around quite often in the doing good sector. But what does it really mean? Where do ethics apply? Is it at the organisational level, the individual level, or both? In the humanitarian sector, where staff are regularly placed in situations where they are required to make...
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Monica Mukerjee & Arnab Majumdar: #Aidtoo, Dignity at MSF
In the aftermath of the #metoo movement, we saw the emergence of #aidtoo and the resulting exposure of harassment, abuse and discrimination in the development and humanitarian sector. While the reports are shocking to read, it’s no surprise – abuse, sexual misconduct, racism, and discrimination...
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Aleem Ali: Shifting Power in Practice
Organisations all over the world are engaging in a long overdue self-analysis and reflection of how they operate and how they engage with communities whom they have traditionally worked ‘on behalf of’. This can be both confronting and challenging, but it’s also entirely necessary if we want to...
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Mary Ann Clements: Dismantling Development
Working in a sector that is traditionally seen as ‘doing good’ can mean that often, actions and behaviours that are not good at all, and in fact, cause harm are able to proliferate. The international development sector is built upon colonial ideals and has traditionally perpetuated those through…
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Camilla Nelson: A Broken System
As somebody who has spent their entire career working to protect the rights of vulnerable children, today’s episode was challenging to record. While we know that children’s rights are violated daily, we don’t expect that harm to be caused by the very institutions created to protect them....
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Lisa Wells: True Believers
Today’s episode is a deep dive into exploring doing good in the context of activism. This podcast exists to explore why we do good, how we do good, and what the implications of our do gooding are. In activist communities, we often see a spectrum of people – from those who participate in activism...
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Brandon Stiver: Orphan Care and the Modern Missionary
Today’s conversation is a topic very close to my own heart, and one that’s formed a core part of my professional career: children living in orphanages. The evidence tells us that growing up in an orphanage is harmful, yet it’s still happening at scale with millions of children globally stuck in...
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Eben Kirksey: Bioethics and Destructive Innovation
Ethics don’t exist in a vacuum, they are developed over time, at an individual level through the course of our relationships with people, animals, the environment, and systems. In our modern world, it’s difficult to be independent of systems we don’t ethically align with. Advances in medical...
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Zenith Virago: Walking with Death
Today’s episode unpacks a topic that can be uncomfortable for some of us, but is something that we will all experience. Death. \ Death is the natural end of life, one certainty that every human being will experience, yet something we are often deeply unfamiliar with and shy away from. My guest...
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Themrise Khan: Challenging Development Practise
This week alone, in the midst of a devastating global pandemic, we have seen a massive earthquake hit Haiti, and horrific images and stories streaming out of Afghanistan documenting the fall of government and takeover by the Taliban. It’s difficult to process these events when we are already...
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Scott Ludlam: A search for the world that comes next
Opening season 5 with this episode seems fitting, with the release of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) damning report that found escaping human caused climate change is no longer possible. Even if earth’s climate was stablised in the near future, some of the climate change...
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Phil Preston: Connecting profit with purpose
The concept of shared value has gained popularity in recent years, with recognition that solving social and environmental problems requires the input, participation and action of all stakeholders. Leveraging the resources and innovation capacity of the private sector is key to solving the world’s...
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Cornelia Walther: Social change from the inside out
Working in the international development sector is complex. From the outside, it can seem like an exciting, adventurous life – living in places that are perceived to be dangerous, or hard. But for humanitarian workers, it’s not always easy – especially for those working in conflict zones, or...
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Carly Findlay: Growing Up Disabled In Australia
Accessibility is often taken for granted by people who are not disabled. Everyday situations like shopping, catching transport, accessing public bathrooms, using the internet can be extremely challenging for those who have a disability. Disability is so individual, and so misunderstood, and our...
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Sushil Babu Chhetri: Orphanages - It's All Business
Today’s guest has quite the life story. Born in a remote village in the far west of Nepal, At the age of 7, Sushil went for a walk beyond the hills that surrounded his village and a few months later found himself homeless, living on the streets of Kathmandu. Sushil’s story of street living, his...
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Ingrid Giskes: Ghost Gear
Everything is connected, and every action we take impacts somebody, something, or someplace. As I get older, and learn more about the world, the connections become clearer. Things that seem straightforward on the surface are incredibly complex, and intersect with things that seem completely...
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Dr. Andreana Prichard: Evangelism, Race and Saviourism
I’m fascinated by the different ways humans express what it means to do good: why they do good, how they do good, and what their consequences of their actions are. One of most widely used mechanisms for doing good is through religion. As with everything humans do, this is interpreted in vastly...
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Andrew Leigh: Reconnecting
I often lament that doing good is not done well enough, and talk about the need to pay more attention to the why, the how, and the impact of doing good. I’m a strong proponent of not engaging in the act of doing good unless you have a deep knowledge and understanding of the cause you are wanting…
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Weh Yeoh: Give up your power
We need to talk about power. In the doing good sector, the people who are in the positions of power are those who make decisions about money. Who gets it, how much, when, how and why. In many cases, these decision makers are not representative of the communities who are meant to benefit from…
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John Martinkus: Uprising in West Papua
Right now, in West Papua the long struggle for independence from Indonesian rule has reignited, triggering a brutal crackdown that involves chemical weapons, horrific killings, and mass displacement. All of this is occurring on Australia’s doorstep, yet we barely hear or see a thing about it in…
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Sarah Sheridan: Allyship is work
Allyship has been on everyone’s lips this year – and the conversation is incredibly overdue. But what does it mean to be an ally? How do we move beyond tokenism to a place of genuine allyship? What kind of self examination is required? What are the barriers in place and how do we break them down?...
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Andrew Wear: Cracking the world's biggest problems
Doing good is tricky at the best of times. Even at an individual level, it’s difficult to get it right. When it comes to tackling the world’s biggest problems such as climate change, education, violence, gender inequality, immigration and living standards it’s even tougher. Some countries are…
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John Marsden: Alternative Education
Access to quality education is a huge issue globally, and parents everywhere want the best for their children. In Australia, where large areas of the country have been in a hard lockdown due to COVID-19, schools have been closed to students for a lengthy period of time, and parents have been…
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Lyn Morgain: Deconstructing Development
There’s a common misconception in the doing good sector that the people working within it must be wholesome, values driven and above things like racism and sexual exploitation. But the reality is that the sector is driven by harmful structures that perpetuate the very things we are trying to…
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Kelly Dent: Ending the Global Wildlife Trade
Today's episode features Kelly Dent of World Animal Protection talking about ending the global wildlife trade. The global trade in wildlife is worth hundreds of billions of dollars annually and includes both the legal and illegal trade in animals. While the Convention on International Trade in...
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Tania Burstin: Crowdfunding, Crises and Ethics
Have you ever raised money for a cause online? Have you ever donated to a crowdfunding or fundraising platform? If so, you’ve participated in the online fundraising sector. While online fundraising has undoubtedly been a huge benefit to charities, exposing their brand and their work to a global...
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Tobias Denskus: Communicating for Development
Joining me today is Associate Professor Tobias Denskus from Malmø University in Sweden, and we're talking about communication in the development sector. Communicating well can be tricky at the best of times, but when it comes to communicating about development issues, it becomes even tricker. For…
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Jade Lillie: Art & Community
Art is something we consume, or participate in every day – whether we realise it or not. Every podcast we listen to, book we read, or tv show or movie is a piece of art. A lot of the time we don’t realise that we are participating in it at all. I invited Jade Lillie, Head of Sector Development at...
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Sophie Otiende: Freedom Business
Today we have feminist, teacher and human trafficking survivor advocate Sophie Otiende talking 'freedom business'. The anti-trafficking sector is big business - with countless organisations trying to tackle the issue from wildly different perspectives. The 'raid and rescue' model, practiced by…
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Eva Galperin: Eradicating Stalkerware
Today's episode features the amazing Eva Galperin, and we're talking about stalkerware, surveillance and Tik Tok. Back in 2018, Eva tweeted "“If you are a woman who has been sexually abused by a hacker who threatened to compromise your devices, contact me and I will make sure they are properly...
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Dr. Jessica Kaufman: Mandatory COVID-19 Vaccinations
Joining me for a bonus episode today is Dr. Jessica Kaufman from the Murdoch Children's Research Institute. We're chatting about Australian Prime Minister, Scott Morrison's recent announcement about a potential COVID-19 vaccination, and his statement that the vaccine would be "as mandatory as you...
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Nic Holas: The Evolution of HIV Activism
Today on the Good Problem Podcast we have the amazing Nic Holas talking about the evolution of HIV activism. Nic is a queer activist, writer and the co-founder of The Institute of Many, an advocacy platform and grassroots movement for people living with HIV. In addition to his work with The...
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Child Sex Trafficking Facts
Today's episode features...me! In a departure from regular programming, i've put together a short episode on child sex trafficking to help provide some objective facts around the issue. There's been a huge surge in interest in this issue recently, accompanied by a significant increase in...
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Jon Cornejo: Charity So White
Today's episode features Jon Cornejo from the advocacy organisation, Charity So White which exists to tackle institutional racism in the charity sector. Jon and I talk about the importance of shifting the conversation to power and privilege instead of diversity and inclusion and how these...
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Tyson Yunkaporta: Sand Talk: Indigenous Thinking
Today's episode features Tyson Yunkaporta: academic, author, arts critic, researcher, and member of the Apalech Clan with community and cultural ties all over the country. Tyson is the author of Sand Talk: How Indigenous Thinking Can Save the World - an incredible book that shares indigenous ways...
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Clementine Ford: Power and Privilege
Today's episode of The Good Problem Podcast features the amazing Clementine Ford. We chat about power, privilege and feminism in the context of doing good. We also discuss her recent tweet about coronavirus and what it means to make mistakes. Clementine is a freelance writer, speaker and...
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Nathan Parker: Disappointed but not surprised
Today Nathan Parker and I talk about the COVID-19 crisis in the United States. We chat about why we haven't learned from past disasters, and how the development of a distributed digital infrastructure can help better coordinate the response and create a greater resilience for future disasters....
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Emily Braucher: Cross-cultural communication and why we need to listen
Today on the Good Problem Podcast we have the amazing Emily Braucher of ReFresh Communication talking cross cultural communication and how important it is to listen to those we are working with. I loved this chat with Emily, and I love this topic - I could talk about it for days on end! So much...
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Prof. Andrew MacLeod: Aid & Sexual Exploitation - Part 2
Today we have Part 2 of my episode with Professor Andrew MacLeod: corporate director, futurist, writer, speaker, humanitarian and traveller. Andrew and I unpack child sexual exploitation and abuse of children within the aid and international development sector, particularly within the United...
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Prof. Andrew MacLeod: Conflict, Aid & Exploitation - Part 1
Today's guest is Professor Andrew MacLeod: corporate director, futurist, writer, speaker, humanitarian and traveller. Andrew and I explore his fascinating career working with the International Committee of the Red Cross, and the United Nations in conflict and natural disaster settings including…
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Lonny Grafman: Community Centred Design
On today's episode, Lonny Grafman of Humboldt University and I talk community centred design, service learning, and how important failure is. Lonny's work is prolific - check it out here. Lonny is reading: UNFU CKTHE WORLD by Cabot O'Callaghan, and Sinai: a novella by David Gallagher Lonny is...
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Erika Cramer: Queen of Confidence
Today's episode features Erika Cramer, Queen of Confidence. In a bit of divergence from our regular programming, Erika brings a different perspective to doing good. We follow Erika's life journey through all its traumas and challenges to where she is today as a mother, entrepreneur and confidence...
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Natalie Jesionka: A new normal for international development?
Today Natalie Jesionka, a professor, media professional and human rights advocate joins me to discuss what the development sector might look like in a post-covid-19 world. What will international development work look like? Will the ways we work and program change for good? Natalie is reading The...
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Dr. Delia Pop: Covid-19 & Orphans
Today's episode features Dr. Delia Pop, Director of Programmes at Hope and Homes for Children, and soon to be Director of Tanya's Dream Initiative Fund. We explore how Covid-19 is affecting children living outside of family care around the world, in orphanages, institutions, and foster care...
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Leigh Barnes: Post Pandemic Tourism
Today's episode features Leigh Barnes, Chief Customer Officer at the Intrepid Group. We explore how Covid-19 has affected the tourism sector: How will tourism survive this? What responsibility does the tourism sector hold toward communities they have profited off, or those reliant on tourism for...
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Mat Tinkler: Child Protection & Covid-19
Mat Tinkler from Save the Children Australia and I unpack what Covid-19 means for the most vulnerable members of our society - children. We chat about the challenges in keeping 'eyes on the child' in the middle of a global pandemic, the extra risks posed by Covid-19 in places like Cox's Bazar, or...
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Shawn Humphrey: The Do Gooder Industrial Complex
Shawn Humphrey is a man of many ideas, many projects and many thoughts! Shawn and I chat about the 'Do Gooder Industrial Complex' and Shawn's projects including the Sidekick Manifesto, Two Dollar Challenge, and Imagine Social Good. Shawn is reading: Consolations: The Solace, Nourishment and...
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Peter Mares: Ethics in the time of Covid-19
Welcome to the first episode of Season 2! Today's guest is Peter Mares - lead moderator at the Cranlana Centre for Ethical Leadership, and journalist of over 25 years. Peter and I talk ethics in the time of Covid-19 and what an ethical framework looks like in the midst of an unprecedented global...
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Peter Singer: What Do You Want To Live For?
The final episode of Season 1 features ethicist and philosopher Peter Singer, Ira W. DeCamp Professor of Bioethics in the University Center for Human Values at Princeton University. Often called the "world's most influential living philosopher", Peter is credited with starting the modern animal...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
The Good Problem is a podcast series unpacking the sticky art of doing good. You'll hear me, Leigh Mathews getting curious about the ethics of doing good, the dangers of doing good, and how to do better at doing good.
HOSTED BY
Leigh Mathews
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does The Good Problem have?
The Good Problem currently has 61 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is The Good Problem about?
The Good Problem is a podcast series unpacking the sticky art of doing good. You'll hear me, Leigh Mathews getting curious about the ethics of doing good, the dangers of doing good, and how to do better at doing good.
How often does The Good Problem release new episodes?
The Good Problem has 61 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
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You can listen to The Good Problem on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts The Good Problem?
The Good Problem is created and hosted by Leigh Mathews.
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