Ideas

CBC Discover & Learn

IDEAS is a place for people who like to think. If you value deep conversation and unexpected reveals, this show is for you. From the roots and rise of authoritarianism to near-death experiences to the history of toilets, no topic is off-limits. Hosted by Nahlah Ayed, we’re home to immersive documentaries and fascinating interviews with some of the most consequential thinkers of our time. With an award-winning team, our podcast has proud roots in its 60-year history with CBC Radio, exploring the IDEAS that make us who we are.  New episodes drop Monday through Friday at 5pm ET.

  1. -8 H

    From tests to sports, why we choke when it matters most

    Under pressure, our nerves can take over. At job interviews, performing in front of an audience and it's definitely present in sports. But why do our skills desert us at such a crucial moment? And what can be done to avoid choking? Studies have shown that when people tell themselves they're excited rather than nervous, they perform better. This podcast explores more ways to avoid the choke and why it happens. *This episode originally aired on Nov. 23, 2022. Guests in this episode: Sian Beilock is a cognitive scientist and author of Choke: What the Secrets of the Brain Reveal About Getting it Right When You Have to and How the Body Knows its Mind. She's recently been named President-elect of Dartmouth College. Sandra Bezic is a former Olympian and Canadian champion in figure skating (with her brother Val), and is now a producer, director and choreographer. Carolyn Christie is a retired member of the flute section of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra. She now teaches classical flute at McGill and is also a Certified Mental Skills Consultant. Niklas Häusler is a neuroscientist and co-founder and CEO of the German startup company Neuro 11. Noa Kageyama is a performance psychologist. He maintains a blog and podcast, Bulletproof Musician. Elizabeth Manley was world and Olympic silver medalist in figure skating in 1988, and is now an executive life coach. Jennifer Montone is the principal horn of the Philadelphia Orchestra. Aaron Williamon is head of the Center for Performance Science, a partnership between the Royal College of Music and Imperial College, London.

    55 min

  2. -3 J

    How a man escaped slavery by mailing himself to freedom

    Henry Brown earned the name "Henry Box Brown" in March of 1849. He hatched a risky plan and had himself shipped in a wooden crate, from Richmond to Philadelphia. But that’s less than half his story. In freedom, he uses his escape box as the basis for a subversive magic act that sees him tour the stages of the UK and Canada — his final home. Henry's remarkable story is a must-listen. *This episode originally aired on Feb. 3, 2025.

    55 min

  3. -4 J

    What Chinese science-fiction has to tell us about reality

    With vengeful alien civilizations and hologram wives, Chinese science fiction is in its heyday. One hot topic discussion is how the genre and culture view things as "inherently non-binary," says PhD student Zichuan Gan. Not just in the sense of gender but avoiding black and white categories. As in "humans or machines, west or east, Chinese science-fiction often shows that reality and life are more mixed and complicated." IDEAS explores what we can learn from China through it's science fiction. *This episode originally aired on Sept. 2, 2025.

    55 min

  4. -4 J

    Why only the will of the people can save democracy

    Neither the legal system nor the Constitution can change the course of the United States’ descent into illiberalism, argues human rights and civil liberties lawyer Jameel Jaffer. Only the will of the people can — when ordinary citizens fight to uphold democracy with "civic courage."

    55 min

  5. -5 J

    To mudlark is to scavenge for a piece of history to keep

    Mudlarking is a hobby that's having a moment. The opportunity to take part in the painstaking, low-tech scrape through history draws thousands of people hoping to come face to face with the remnants of lives that came before them. But what can mudlarkers do that a trained archeologist cannot? This podcast takes you to the heart of London on the Southbank of the Thames River where there's mud, water — and possibility. Click here to see a collection of mudlarking finds.

    55 min

  6. -6 J

    How a natural catastrophe 8,000 years ago may have fueled Brexit

    For the first two billion years, the Earth didn't have oxygen. That's just one of the many fascinating details Peter Frankopan reveals in his book, Earth Transformed: An Untold History. The Oxford professor of global history takes us on a multi-million year tour, illustrating the breathtaking ways climate has shaped the Earth and human civilization. How the collapse of a sediment shelf 8,000 years ago isolated what's now Britain from Europe, and its potential influence on the Brexit vote in 2016. Or how climate fluctuations correlate to periods of antisemitic violence. There's a lot to learn in this podcast. Have a listen.

    55 min

  7. 6 FÉVR.

    The trailblazing all-Black baseball team that made history

    More than a decade before Jackie Robinson became the first Black player to take the field in Major League Baseball, a ball team from a small Southwestern Ontario city was breaking colour barriers. They were called the Chatham Coloured All-Stars — the first all-Black team to win the Ontario baseball championship. Their historic 1934 season, including the racist treatment they endured and their exploits on the field has resurfaced in an online project. Now the team is getting their due as trailblazing Black Canadian athletes. *This episode originally dropped on Nov. 25, 2024.

    55 min

  8. 5 FÉVR.

    Following the wisdom of water to remake an unravelling world

    Water has been "a powerful teacher" for Nishnaabeg scholar Leanne Betasamosake Simpson, a member of Alderville First Nation north of Lake Ontario. With so much uncertainty about the kind of world that’s taking shape, her award-winning book Theory of Water draws on Anishinaabe creation story, Indigenous ethics of relationality and reciprocity, and the wisdom of water to chart a course for remaking a better, more sustainable and just world. Simpson's Theory of Water: Nishnaabe Maps to the Times Ahead won the Hilary Weston Writers’ Trust Prize for Non-Fiction in 2025.

    55 min
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À propos

IDEAS is a place for people who like to think. If you value deep conversation and unexpected reveals, this show is for you. From the roots and rise of authoritarianism to near-death experiences to the history of toilets, no topic is off-limits. Hosted by Nahlah Ayed, we’re home to immersive documentaries and fascinating interviews with some of the most consequential thinkers of our time. With an award-winning team, our podcast has proud roots in its 60-year history with CBC Radio, exploring the IDEAS that make us who we are.  New episodes drop Monday through Friday at 5pm ET.

Informations

  • Chaîne
    CBC Discover & Learn
  • Créateur
    CBC
  • Années d’activité
    2006 - 2026
  • Épisodes
    243
  • Classement
    Tout public
  • Copyright
    Copyright © CBC 2026
  • Site Web de l’émission
    Ideas

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