The Realisation Festival Podcast

Can businesses today become a source of healing and regeneration? What shifts are required in our appreciation of money and wealth to make commercial organisations into living systems in the service of life? What inner work is required, both by leaders and society as a whole, to make this transition? Speaker, transformation coach and thought leader, Nikki Trott, talking with Mark Vernon, explores some of the themes she will bring to Realisation 2026.Her book is Sacred Business. Find out more here - https://www.nikkitrott.com/For more on the Realisation Festival - https://realisationfestival.com/

Why does politics feel increasingly frantic, economics increasingly deluded, culture increasingly empty - even when led by seemingly good people? Charles Foster explores how, at root, modern ways of life uncouple us from the heart of what makes us human: a love of horizons and edges. With that perspective lost, power is mostly about control, not allure, and society organises around safety rather than spirit. What does this mean for notions like nation states and sciences of prediction? Drawing particularly on the work of Iain McGilchrist, Charles asks again about the meaning of life, individual and collective, by stepping towards uncertainty.Charles is speaking with Mark Vernon and will be at the Realisation Festival, at St Giles House, Dorset, June 25-28, 2026.For more about Realisation 2026 - https://realisationfestival.com/For more about Charles Foster - https://charlesfoster.co.uk/

How can myths and fairytales help us, personally and collectively? What stories, often almost lost, can aid us with contemporary crises? Why does the imagination so very much matter?Sharon Blackie will lead us in the exploration of these themes and more on the opening of the first day of the Realisation Festival, 2026. She will invite us to consider possibilities beyond the hero's journey and also how to draw on images, community and the land.Sharon was talking with Mark Vernon.For more on Sharon's work, not least her new book, Ripening, see https://sharonblackie.net/For more on the Realisation Festival, see https://realisationfestival.com/ 

The Realisation Festival is a soulful response to the crises of our times. So, with two months to go before this year’s gathering, Nick Shaftesbury, Pippa Evans and Ed Haddon sat down with Mark Vernon to explore the shape of the programme this year. Why does this space to share the complexities of today so much matter? What encounters are they hoping for? How might the big theme of story, that has emerged in planning this year, help us stay with confusion and worry, aspiration and hope?Find out more about the festival online - https://realisationfestival.com/The pre-festival in-person meeting on 21st April will be at Kairos in London. For more details, email [email protected] listen to other episodes of the podcast, including conversations with economist Guy Standing and biochemist Pauline Rudd.

Guy Standing is an economist whose new book Human Capital: The Tragedy of the Education Commons has much to say about a key theme of the festival: bildung. His thoughts on the corruption of education by policies that have lost touch with the public good are a provocative introduction to the kind of concerns explored when we meet.In this conversation with Mark Vernon, Guy explores the extent of the challenges facing education in the 21st century, though his deep critique is, at once, an articulation of vision and what is means to be human. As well as authoring a series of books on the commons, Guy is a Professorial Research Associate at SOAS University of London and a founding member and honorary co-president of the Basic Income Earth Network (BIEN), a non-governmental organisation that promotes a basic income for all.For more on Guy’s book see https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/461384/human-capital-by-standing-guy/9780241688182For more on Guy’s work see https://www.guystanding.com/For more on the Realisation Festival see https://realisationfestival.com/

The Realisation Festival is much to do with perspective and gaining fresh takes on current issues. That widening of horizons is greatly aided by combining ideas with music, insights with improvisation. Laughing with others is liberating, too. Mark Vernon talks with Pippa Evans and Christopher Ash from The Realisation Players. They explore how and why music and improvisation are so key to the gathering, linking body and soul, traditions past with the present, and also lending soul-refreshing levity to gravity.For more on Chris - https://www.improbable.co.uk/current-projects/improbablesessions and https://about.me/christopherashFor more on Pippa - http://www.pippaevans.com/

A new paradigm is beginning to emerge in biology, though for some biologists, the new is, in fact, the old. The reductive treatment of living organisms, as if the gene were all, is giving way to the realisation that intelligence, even agency, operates at all levels of biological systems, from the proteins up.There is no-one better to talk to about this development and what it implies than Professor Pauline Rudd, a regular at the Realisation Festival and leading glycobiologist, recognised most recently by being awarded the Torbern Bergman Medal 2025. In this conversation with Mark Vernon, she explains what it is like to befriend biochemical molecules, to understand how they see the world around them, and thereby to form the science of their activity.Pauline also explores how this integrates with her wider sense of the living world and its manifold intelligences. For more on Pauline's professional work see https://kemisamfundet.se/torbern-bergman-medal-2025-to-pauline-rudd-university-college-dublin/

Oak trees lend themselves to proverbs and expressions of wisdom. The poet, George Herbert, is said to have written about these mighty trees sinking deeper roots, as a metaphor for resilience and preparedness for the future.In this conversation, Mark Vernon speaks with Benedict Pollard, founder of the nursery Mighty Fine Oaks, conservationist, and Fellow of The Linnean Society. Benedict also looks after the trees of St Giles House, Dorset, where the Realisation Festival takes place. He has invited attendees to plant new trees and also to attend to the beetles in the shrubs and on the land, which is another source of fascination for him.In this conversation, Benedict describes his deep relationship with trees, oaks in particular, as his intelligence meets theirs.For more on Benedict and his nursery, Mighty Fine Oaks, see https://www.mightyfineoaks.com/our-mission

Damian Hallam is a  contributor to the Realisation Festival, both as participant and speaker. He has been named one of the top 5 dressage coaches in the UK and, as a rider, won over 15 national championships, as well as medals for GB. He has learnt much from his sport and a life lived with horses and other animals.In this  powerful and moving talk, given in January 2026 at the Winter Gathering of the Realisation Festival, St Giles House, Dorset, Damian brings eloquence, expertise and soul to a range of questions. How can humans learn from their engagement with non-human others? What ethical knots are faced by working with animals in sport? Why does Damian say that horses are his greatest teachers?

Understanding AI has is a recurrent challenge. Should we be afraid or more sanguine or some combination of the two?Ben is a good person to talk to as he works in the front line of AI developments and is alert to the wonder and complexity of things. He found the Realisation Festival through the work of figures such as Iain McGilchrist and John Verveake and brings their insights to bear upon his work and sense of things.In this conversation, he discusses his own story of moving from a mechanistic and reductive worldview towards one aware of phenomena such as emergence. He explores how notions of quality and the sacred have developed his engagement with the movements such as Effective Altruism.

The Realisation Festival is held at St Giles House, Wimborne, the home of the Earls of Shaftesbury. The place is loaded with the history of social reform and philosophical innovation - not least when it comes to ideas that inspire our gathering. In this episode of the podcast, Mark Vernon talks with Esmé Partridge about one figure in particular.The Third Earl of Shaftesbury, Anthony Ashley-Cooper, was born in the latter stages of the seventeenth century and seeded in his genius the genius of thinkers as diverse as Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and Adam Smith. During his own lifetime he was as well known as the British empiricist, who was his tutor.So what were the ideas Shaftesbury extolled? How did he understand notions like beauty, truth and the good? Why did he reject Locke’s ideas about waste lands and the tabula rasa? And in what ways is Shaftestbury still shaping the political landscape today?For more on Esmé’s work - https://www.esmelkpartridge.com/For more on the festival - https://realisationfestival.com/

If politics is broken how might people rediscover agency? If capitalism favours the powerful are there alternative forms of power to be found? If life often feels fragmented how can the fractal become revelatory? And further: how might practises like improvisation and resources like spiritual traditions assist?Indra Adnan explores these themes and more in conversation with Mark Vernon. Indra is a Co-Initiator and Founder of The Alternative which seeks to surface new ways of coming together. She is a regular contributor to the Realisation Festival and a member of the festival’s advisory committee.Indra and Pippa Evans, who is one of the festival directors, will be hosting a local Realisation Festival gathering in Edinburgh on 17th May 2025, 3pm-6pm. For further details direct message Indra if you are on the festival group WhatsApp or email her at [email protected] more on The Alternative see https://thealternative.org.uk/.

What good is a poem? How might poetry be a tool for transformation, both personally and collectively? And how does poetry help us to better understand the spirit of our times? In this conversation, Mark Vernon and Josiane Smith explore the ways in which poetry goes beyond 'the poem', towards a more soulful way of living; engaging more deeply with the forces of nature and change all around. It can be used in surprising places to console and challenge, it can be a catalyst for our dreams and actions, but can also uplift the mundane everyday. Carrying the spirit of realisation throughout, Mark and Josiane explore poetry as an education into, and a language for, the energetics of our times.In this podcast episode, Josiane reads two of her poems, "The Nightingale" and "Do we have enough faith?” which can be found here - .rockpa.org/poetry-philanthropy-and-climate-action-opening-reflections-at-the-skoll-world-forum/. She also reads from Audre Lorde’s essay, “Poetry Is Not A Luxury”.Josiane is a poet, philanthropic advisor and Quaker trustee. For more see - https://www.linkedin.com/in/josianesmithFor more about the Realisation Festival see - https://realisationfestival.com/

What is the function of myth and story? How can they help us  become more human? What do they teach us about the nature of reality and how we might orient wisely in a time such as ours when the world is in turmoil? In this conversation, Michael Bready of the Realisation team explores these questions with writer, mythographer and master storyteller, Martin Shaw. With warmth, wisdom and wit Martin shares from his deep experience as a wilderness guide, lover of mythology, and christian thinker.

Why is seeing simply so valuable? How can we relearn from nature a reimagining our of lives? What does it mean to tackle contemporary troubles with joy and devotion? And what role might myth and ritual play in the rediscovery of pathways to the future? Mark Vernon talks with Sarah about these questions and more.Sarah is speaking at The Realisation Festival held in St Giles House, Dorset, 26-29 June 2025.For more about the festival see - https://realisationfestival.com/For more about Sarah see - https://sarahwilson.com/Her substack can be found here - https://sarahwilson.substack.com/

Professor Pauline Rudd is a leading glycobiologist, recognised most recently by being awarded the Torbern Bergman Medal 2025. So what is it like to work as a scientist? And why is she inspired by everything from beluga whales to the grail stories?In this conversation with Mark Vernon, Pauline describes how understanding the habits of sugar molecules is akin to playing music: a moment is reached when, in some sense, the object of study becomes part of you. She discusses how meaning in the natural world has been lost, though is also be re-found. She argues that we live in an age in which spiritual paths are being re-made - which is why she is gripped by the grail stories.For more on Pauline's professional work see this interview with her following her recent award! https://kemisamfundet.se/torbern-bergman-medal-2025-to-pauline-rudd-university-college-dublin/

How is sport a spiritual practice? What is the value of coaching? Why are collective undertakings as valuable as individual goals?Mark Vernon talks with Ed Haddon, who Is one of the directors of the Realisation Festival and knows St Giles House, playing a longstanding part in its re-emergence. He has represented England in sport and learnt much from the pursuit of excellence. He also knows the ways in which the choices we make in life can be deeply affected by personal difficulties and pain. He talks with Mark about what realisation can mean, how the festival is held by the directors, and what it means to discover your distinctiveness.Ed Haddon is the founder of Haddon Coaching. For more see - https://www.haddoncoaching.com. His book is The Modern Maverick - https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/modern-maverick-9781399407090.

What do we really learn from neuroscience? How can scientific assumptions shape the world we perceive? Why might notions such as soul and mind matter all the more in times of mechanistic, computational thinking?Mark Vernon talks with philosopher and neuroscientist Mazviita Chirimuuta.   Mazviita is a Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Edinburgh and author of the prize-winning book, The Brain Abstracted. She is also an advisor to the Realisation FestivalDetails of her books can be found at MIT Press - https://mitpress.mit.edu/author/m-chirimuuta-17741/ 

Many of today’s troubles could be described as ones of connection. But is that about a lack of connection, a flood of connection, or perhaps the quality of connections?Mark Vernon talks with Kenneth Cross about relationally and, in particular, the inspiration that might be drawn from fungi. Mycelium exist in a substerranean world, blurring the distinctions between organisms, sharing in ways that are strange even disturbing. So what light does that cast on human sympathies and selfhood? The conversation ranges over the ideas of Iain McGilchrist and Merlin Sheldrake, over the challenges of meeting in groups and our basic views of reality.Kenneth is a vicar and a writer.

What is it like to work in the world of renewables? Why is transitioning to new fuels so complicated and what practical difference can soulful concerns make? Mark Vernon talks with Jonny Williams about multipolar traps and the seductive appeal of targets. They discuss the challenges of mostly male workplaces, as well as the imaginative factors that can help and hinder moving beyond a carbon-based culture and economy - which is where beekeeping comes in.Jonny Williams is the founder of NexGen and ViGo Bioenergy.

The body as the practice of the imaginal. A conversation with Dominique Savitri Bonarjee.What does it look and feel like to explore life through the body? How can ancient traditions of movement help us meet today’s challenges? Mark Vernon talks with artist Dominique Savitri Bonarjee about her exploration of practices including the Turning of Rumi and the Japanese philosophy of Butoh. They ranges over themes including the principle of nonduality and Noh-theatre inspired by Buddhism, embodied research and impermanence.For more on Dominique’s work:www.dominiquebb.combutoh.co.ukhttps://www.colethouse.org/whirling-dervishes

What does it mean to have a shared story? How can collaboration be fostered in competitive times? Mark Vernon talks with Juliette Otterburn Hall about the power of connecting to purposes and how uniqueness is actually the key to cooperation. They ask about following the energy of the imagination as opposed to fear, and how building resilience is aided by knowing your roots.Juliette is a managing partner at Value Squared and a former TV producer. For more see - https://www.valuesquared.io/

Much is changing in the world, evidenced by movements flourishing as well as environments degrading. So how can we live into these times? What qualities and imaginative tools might help?Mark Vernon talks with Jacob Kishere about dialogue and healing, psychedelics and Christianity. They ask about the nature of soul-fields with which we can tune, as well as whether the burgeoning world of podcasts is a sign of hope as the media landscape evolves. Jacob is a professional dialogue facilitator, a musician and philosopher, and creator of Culturepilgrim, Sensespace and The Resonant Man. For more see - https://www.jacobkishere.com/.

The Realisation Festival is five years old, so how is it shaping up? What ways best describe the gathering? And also, what of its distinctive coupling of music and improvisation with ideas and the challenges of today?Two directors of the festival, Pippa Evans and Mark Vernon, share their sense of St Giles House, the place that hosts the weekend, as well as the genius brought by the Realisation Players, the improvisers of which Pippa is one. They talk about improvisation itself and how it powerfully fits with the spirit of the gathering, being an emergent activity that doesn’t try to fix things but does invite participants to bring what they have. And they discuss that short word which is central to the festival: soul.For more on Pippa’s work see http://www.pippaevans.com/

What would happen if the doors of perception were cleansed, to recall William Blake's phrase? Can science-fiction help us re-imagine the world in which we live? Might strange experiences play a part in enlightening us?Mark Vernon talks with Carrie Myshkin about ghost stories, sci-fi and alternative ways of doing philosophy. They range from the work of Philip K Dick to Neoplatonism.Carrie has a BA in Creative Writing and Philosophy, and an MA in English Literature, focusing on space and time in the novels and Exegesis of self-styled “fictionalising philosopher” Philip K. Dick.