Where Shall We Meet

Omid Ashtari & Natascha McElhone

Explorations of topics about society, culture, arts, technology and science with your hosts Natascha McElhone and Omid Ashtari. The spirit of this podcast is to interview people from all walks of life on different subjects. Our hope is to talk about ideas, divorced from our identities - listening, learning and maybe meeting somewhere in the middle. The perfect audio diet for shallow polymaths! Natascha McElhone is an actor and producer. Omid Ashtari is a tech entrepreneur and angel investor.

  1. 26/11/2025

    On Constructing Reality with Joscha Bach

    Questions, suggestions, or feedback? Send us a message! Our guest this week is Joscha Bach. He is a German cognitive scientist, artificial-intelligence researcher and philosopher of mind who consistently bridges the gap between what human intelligence is and what machines could become. He has an MA in computer science and a PhD in cognitive science. Over the course of his career he has held research positions at institutions such as the MIT Media Lab and the Harvard Program for Evolutionary Dynamics. Bach is best known for his work on computational models of human-like cognition: he developed the cognitive architecture called “MicroPsi”, exploring how perception, motivation, emotion and decision-making interact in autonomous agents. He is the author of Principles of Synthetic Intelligence. In addition to his academic output, he has taken roles in applied AI research and strategy, bringing theoretical insight into real-world settings. What sets his approach apart is his deeply integrative mindset: he treats intelligence not just as surface behaviour or pattern-recognition, but as the emergent result of rich internal models of the world and self. His philosophical lens brings questions of consciousness, free will and meaning into the technical domain, framing AI and cognition as part of a broader inquiry into what it means to think, feel and act. We talk about: We live in a story not in the physical worldConsciousness does not depend on the substrateCan you learn reality by just watching YTAlternative approaches to building AIIntuition is the part of your mind you cannot yet reflectThe constraint to becoming superhuman only applies to humansThere is no obligation to unite your many selvesThis episode will require your full focus. We recommend you put on headphones and turn off all your other devices. Web: www.whereshallwemeet.xyz Twitter: @whrshallwemeet Instagram: @whrshallwemeet

    1h 28m

  2. 12/11/2025

    On Planets with Natalie Batalha

    Questions, suggestions, or feedback? Send us a message! Our guest this week is Natalie Batalha. Natalie is professor of Astronomy and Astrophysics at UC Santa Cruz where received her PhD. Previously, she was a research astronomer in the Space Sciences Division of NASA Ames Research Center. She held the position of Science Team Lead on the Kepler Mission, the first mission capable of finding Earth-size planets around other stars. This mission revolutionised our understanding of planetary systems. The Kepler Mission discovered thousands of exoplanets revealing that planets are common in the galaxy, not rare and many even lie in the habitable zone. Natalie is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and was listed as one of Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People in the World in 2017. We talk about: Where is everyone AKA the Fermi ParadoxWhat is an exoplanetThe Drake equation in simple termsThe revelation that planets like ours are more common than ever imaginedWhat was the Kepler mission and what did it achieve?Who owns space?Will our alien friends be receptive?Can we be trusted to become multi-planetary?Unfortunately, we had a couple of technical issues on this recording but have done our very best to iron them out. Let’s look through the telescope! Web: www.whereshallwemeet.xyz Twitter: @whrshallwemeet Instagram: @whrshallwemeet

    1h 4m

  3. 29/10/2025

    On Leadership with Jacinda Ardern

    Questions, suggestions, or feedback? Send us a message! Our guest this week is Jacinda Ardern. She became the world's youngest female head of government at age 37. Ardern served as Prime Minister of New Zealand from 2017 to 2023, earning global admiration for her empathetic and decisive leadership through crises like the Christchurch attacks and the COVID-19 pandemic. Her trademark “be kind” approach redefined what modern political leadership could look like. In 2025, she released her memoir A Different Kind of Power, reflecting on how empathy can drive real progress. It’s more than a political memoir, it’s a profound insight into how it feels to lead. Since leaving office, Ardern has turned her focus to global initiatives on climate action, online safety, and compassionate leadership. She’s a Senior Fellow at Harvard’s Kennedy School, a Distinguished Fellow of Oxford University's Blavatnik School of Government and a Trustee of Prince William’s Earthshot Prize, continuing her work to inspire change on the world stage. She was recently made a Dame Grand Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit — a fitting recognition for a leader whose grace and humanity have left a lasting mark far beyond her time in office. We talk about: A kinder definition of leadershipMedia’s new incentivesChanging the culture of engagementTaking the money out of politicsThe dangerous loss of nuanceCaring is more important than caring about politicsAllowing politicians to change their mindBuying back guns from civiliansLet’s do this! Web: www.whereshallwemeet.xyz Twitter: @whrshallwemeet Instagram: @whrshallwemeet

    57 min

  4. 15/10/2025

    On Science Fiction with Kim Stanley Robinson

    Questions, suggestions, or feedback? Send us a message! Our guest this week is Kim Stanley Robinson, also know as Stan. He is an American science fiction writer best known for his Mars trilogy of novels. Over his career he has published over 20 books. Many of his novels and stories have ecological, and political themes, featuring scientists as heroes. Robinson has won numerous awards, including the Hugo Award and the Nebula Award for Best Novel, as well as the World Fantasy Award. The Atlantic magazine has called Robinson's work "the gold standard of realistic, and highly literary, science-fiction writing." According to an article in The New Yorker magazine, Robinson is "generally acknowledged as one of the greatest living science-fiction writers." Time magazine named him “the hero of the environment” for his optimistic focus on future possibilities. His most recent novel “The Ministry for the Future” presents a vision for how humanity might unite together to overcome the climate crisis. We talk about: What is science fiction The difference between Utopia and Optopia Being optimistic whilst remaining vigilant Predicting the future What the hell is terraforming Finance as a tool for changing civilisation The current state of American politics Championing scientists If anything is possible, is nothing interesting?If you want to support the podcast please follow us on your favourite podcast apps, rate the show and share it with your friends. You can now message us with feedback and ideas following the link at the top of the episode description. Let’s talk about the future! Web: www.whereshallwemeet.xyz Twitter: @whrshallwemeet Instagram: @whrshallwemeet

    1h 8m

  5. 01/10/2025

    On Friendship with Alain de Botton

    Questions, suggestions, or feedback? Send us a message! Our guest this week is Alain de Botton. Alain is a London based writer and psychotherapist. His first book, Essays in Love was published when he was 23 years old and went on to sell two million copies. His books emphasise philosophy's relevance to everyday life. Other bestsellers include How Proust Can Change Your Life (1997), Status Anxiety (2004), and The Architecture of Happiness (2006). He’s written 15 books under his name and many more under The School of Life imprint, which have become bestsellers in 30 countries. He is not just a writer, but also an organizer of ideas and institutions. He founded The School Of Life in 2008, which is dedicated to help people lead more emotionally intelligent lives – through classes, books, games, therapy, films, articles, their app, and their podcast. Their website says, everything they do supports self-knowledge, better relationships, and brings calm to modern life. His public profile emphasises his desire to bridge intellectual ideas into a lived experience. We talk about: 2 and a half friends is plenty A more rigorous approach to friendshipDifferent types of friends - from the teasing to the mirco Platonic sleepoversOne way friends Enemies of friendship The bravery of being weird Good substitutes for friendsLet’s make friends! Web: www.whereshallwemeet.xyz Twitter: @whrshallwemeet Instagram: @whrshallwemeet

    1h 3m

  6. 17/09/2025

    On Moral Ambition with Rutger Bregman

    Questions, suggestions, or feedback? Send us a message! Our guest this week is Rutger Bregman. Rutger is a Dutch historian and author. His books Humankind: A Hopeful History and Utopia for Realists: And How We Can Get There were both Sunday Times and New York Times Best Sellers and have been translated in 46 languages. The Guardian described him as 'the Dutch wunderkind of new ideas', while TED named him 'one of Europe's most prominent young thinkers'. His TED Talk, 'Poverty Isn't a Lack of Character; It's a Lack of Cash', was selected by TED curator Chris Anderson as one of the top ten talks of 2017. He studied History at Utrecht University and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Initially considering a career as an academic historian, Rutger instead ventured into journalism. He began his career at the Dutch newspaper De Volkskrant before moving to the independent journalism platform De Correspondent, for which he wrote for ten years. In 2024, Rutger co-founded The School for Moral Ambition, a non-profit organization inspired by his latest book, Moral Ambition. The initiative helps people to take steps toward an impactful career. ‍We talk about: Not resting on ones laurelsIndividual versus societal responsibilityHow just being decent isn’t enoughThe value of harsh feedbackWhen is the best time to make people morally ambitiousPragmatic AlliancesNoble Loosers aka Social Media ActivismEffective AltruismThe School of Moral Ambition‍Let’s get moral! Web: www.whereshallwemeet.xyz Twitter: @whrshallwemeet Instagram: @whrshallwemeet

    1h 7m

  7. 03/09/2025

    On the Future with Howard Covington

    Questions, suggestions, or feedback? Send us a message! Our guest this week is Howard Covington. Howard is a Cambridge graduate in physics and maths. He has been a banker, a co-founder and chief executive of New Star Asset Management, and a trustee of the Science Museum. He’s also been and chair of the Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences at the University of Cambridge, The Alan Turing Institute, ClientEarth, and the Scotia Group. He is the incoming chair of the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment at the University of Oxford. Howard is a fellow of the Institute of Physics and an honorary fellow of the Isaac Newton Institute and The Alan Turing Institute. We want to a talk Howard gave recently and were very amazed about how many of his predictions have come to pass and therefore left comforted by his positive predictions of the future. We talk about: A quick history of 540 million yearsLiving in the midst of the third Intelligence ExplosionPrinting meat to eatDark factoriesAre robots part of evolutionHow capitalism drives the race to net zeroThe restoration of the planetLet’s gaze into the future! Web: www.whereshallwemeet.xyz Twitter: @whrshallwemeet Instagram: @whrshallwemeet

    59 min

  8. 25/06/2025

    On Death with Paul Bennet

    Questions, suggestions, or feedback? Send us a message! Paul Bennett is a designer. For 23 years he worked at design and innovation powerhouse IDEO, where he was Chief Creative Officer and then co-CEO. There he was responsible for content excellence across the whole firm, and was active in developing and publishing new thinking in the field of human-centered and design-led innovation. Today, Paul is a Senior Advisor at McKinsey, where he continues to provide creative leadership and cross-pollination of insights and ideas to clients and colleagues on an extended scale by traveling, learning, and working across the globe. Paul has taught and coached students from the Royal College of Art (UK), Stanford University and Columbia Business School. Most recently he has taught on the Masters program at KHiO in Oslo and at Iceland Academy of the Arts in Reykjavík. We talk about: Redesigning deathLosing parentsDigital remains of our livesDeath is a universal market opportunityUsing the full extent of the design space death providesThe pursuit of immortalityEuthanasiaWho matters more the dying or the left behindLet’s design! Web: www.whereshallwemeet.xyz Twitter: @whrshallwemeet Instagram: @whrshallwemeet

    56 min
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About

Explorations of topics about society, culture, arts, technology and science with your hosts Natascha McElhone and Omid Ashtari. The spirit of this podcast is to interview people from all walks of life on different subjects. Our hope is to talk about ideas, divorced from our identities - listening, learning and maybe meeting somewhere in the middle. The perfect audio diet for shallow polymaths! Natascha McElhone is an actor and producer. Omid Ashtari is a tech entrepreneur and angel investor.

Information

  • Creator
    Omid Ashtari & Natascha McElhone
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2025
  • Episodes
    32
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2025 Where Shall We Meet
  • Show Website
    Where Shall We Meet

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