99 episodes

A place for conversation that spans life in Luxembourg and beyond. Each week an international guest list will reflect on the week’s news, plus a whole host of other topics: politics to pollination; education to entrepreneurship; science to singing. Luxembourg sits in the beating heart of Europe and its diverse population provides a global perspective on a number of world issues.

RTL Today - The Lisa Burke Show RTL Today

    • Society & Culture
    • 4.8 • 6 Ratings

A place for conversation that spans life in Luxembourg and beyond. Each week an international guest list will reflect on the week’s news, plus a whole host of other topics: politics to pollination; education to entrepreneurship; science to singing. Luxembourg sits in the beating heart of Europe and its diverse population provides a global perspective on a number of world issues.

    Pensions in Luxembourg, 15/03/2024

    Pensions in Luxembourg, 15/03/2024

    President of CNAP, Alain Reuter, talks to us about how to obtain a pension in Luxembourg. Sasha discusses the week's news, and I wish you all a Happy St. Patrick's Day!



    Pensions are one of those parts of life-long planning which, due to the nature of our busy days, we don't always have time to think about or organise. Now if you happen to spend your entire working life in Luxembourg, and you're an employee (rather than an independent worker), again you have to think a little less about such issues.



    However, a lot of my audience is international with some time spent in Luxembourg, some coming, going and even returning. Again, a lot of these people will come with a partner who may not be working. And so the questions begin. What does one need to do to contribute to a 'pot' where, one day, they may be entitled to a Luxembourg pension? How do you add educational years (yes, that's a thing here)? How do you add child-rearing years?



    Alain Reuter and his team get such questions every day. Alain is President of the National Pension Insurance Office (Caisse nationale d'assurance pension - CNAP) and the Compensation Fund of the General Pension Scheme (Fonds de compensation commun au régime général de pension - FDC) since December 2020.



    At the moment, about 215,000 are retired (and receiving a pension) in Luxembourg, out of a population of about 650,000. This number has risen by 15% in the last five years. The total amount paid out is about 5.7 billion euros. Of this amount, about 4 billion euros is to people in Luxembourg and 1.7 billion to those now living abroad (in 111 different countries to be precise). The average age of retirement, currently, is 60.1.



    Pensions have been in the news for various reasons over the last few months. The most pertinent and, in my opinion, important reason is that there is not going to be enough money in the system to pay for future pensions. In fact, by 2042, the pension fund's reserves will be insufficient to cover expenditure.



    Ivaylo Markov, Managing Partner of Thales Capital puts it like this:



    "From 2027 we will be spending more than we earn, which will reduce the reserves, which will be depleted in barely 15 years... The current decade will see the number of beneficiaries grow by around 4% each year. This increase is explained by the IGSS as being due to a 'wave of new pensioners, mainly made up of immigrant and cross-border workers recruited from the 1990s onwards"



    This is a topic that needs further investigation and I will try to do a follow-up show with your questions. Please send any thoughts to contenttoday@rtl.lu with the title 'Pensions - questions for Lisa Burke'



    Enjoy the show and have a wonderful St. Patrick's Day celebratory weekend!

    • 1 hr
    International Women's Day, 08/03/2024

    International Women's Day, 08/03/2024

    Celebrating ladies of all ages, Lisa's guests explore experiences in their lives from the female perspective.



    Dear Ladies (and everyone else),



    Thank you so much for all of your emails when I made a call out for women of all generations to write in and share your stories with our audience at RTL Today.



    I am so grateful for your honesty and opening up of sensitive stories that touch a woman's life through the ages.



    In this show, my guests are:



    Ginevra Ortiz

    Laura Fagan

    Emily Amor

    Federica Maestri

    Shivani Sondhi

    Lilani Abeywickrama

    Elisabete (Lisy) Antunes

    Iryna Sagaidak

    Wei Hu Chai

    Bessie Fischer-Bohn

    Sasha Kehoe

    Viviane Harnois

    We cover so many topics from body image, and how very young girls are made to feel on this subject, to the tough transition through teenage years.



    Laura mentions the effects of an early abusive relationship and Emily talks about her experience with long covid.



    Shivani and Wei explain the importance of the work within a company to create space to develop company policy which ultimately helps everyone.



    Federica Maestri is a studying computer science at the University of Luxembourg and talks about the derth of females in this subject area. She is also the President of the Golden Z Club at the university which is part of Zonta Luxembourg - an organisation that advocates for women's rights.



    Lisy bravely opens up about the experience of abortion and the fight within us: the 'good-girl' versus the 'independent woman'.



    Iryna suffers from intense period pain to the point of hospitalisation in her earlier years. Through time, Iryna has now developed her own independent work and personal life to flow around the energy changes in her monthly hormonal cycle.



    Lilani has moved from the medical world into that of business and tells us some of the comments she received from potential male mentors.



    Bessie kindly joins us from Berlin once more and reflects on the conversations which have changed and those that need more work. She also echoes the worlds of Lilani.



    Sasha, as always helps to bring the thoughts of the guests together and also adds her own experiences as a young journalist.



    Viviane, now retired, reflects on a lifetime of working and living in different countries and how we also need to consider conversations with men, and points out that things will be sorted when we don't need an International Women's Day anymore.



    Subscribe to the Podcast and get in touch!



    You can subscribe to my podcast on Apple and Spotify. Please do rate and review too!



    Tune in on Today Radio Saturdays at 11am, Sundays at noon and Tuesdays at 10am.

    • 1 hr 31 min
    Joys of the Single Life, 01/03/2024

    Joys of the Single Life, 01/03/2024

    Cesar Gonzalez Fernandez tells us all about his mission to 'Clean Something for Nothing'. Bella DePaulo talks about the growing voice for those who choose to live a life on their own and flourish doing so.



    Social scientist Dr. Bella DePaulo is a leading expert on the Single Life, perhaps the leading expert. Her latest book, Single at Heart, has drawn attention from all corners of the world as people feel more able to talk about living a single life, by choice, and feeling utterly fulfilled.



    Currently an academic affiliate in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at the University of California Santa Barbara, Bella’s work on the Single Life gained traction from her TEDx Talk which has now been viewed more than 1.7 million times. Dr. DePaulo’s written work includes the books ‘Singled Out’ and ‘How we live now’.



    ‘One is a whole number’ was the trigger which started this cascade of research. This line was written by an agony aunt to a letter from a lady who had lost her partner. The idea of course is that you are whole alone.



    Since then, Bella has also written about the discrimination that can be a part of a single person’s experience such as tax laws, but much more besides. When it comes to social events, it is now more acceptable to eat alone at restaurants but still, being single, can attach a negative stereotype.



    Bella is an advocate of building a great solo life, deep with fulfilling friendships, work and activities of one’s own choice without compromise.



    Dr. DePaulo is a clear example of how to flourish psychologically, career-wise and, most importantly, by being single as a choice, not in spite of being single.



    Clean Something for Nothing



    Cesar Gonzalez Fernandez and his partner Lester founded Clean Something For Nothing (CSFN) - a mobile app that connects people to clean the world, one bag of trash at a time.



    Since their launch in February 2022 their users have completed over 3700 cleanups in 64 countries resulting in over 750 tons of trash picked up to date.



    Cesar is also an EU Climate Pact ambassador and the Country leader in Luxembourg for the World Cleanup Day organization (WCD) The WCD is the biggest environmental mobilization worldwide and has officially received a recognition by the UN to include the date (20/09) in their official calendar from 2024 onwards.



    However, before WCD we can work closer to home. Cesar encourages us all to be part of the "lëtz clean your commune" campaign. Luxembourg Spring Cleanup, also known as the Grouss Botz, Naturbotz or Grouss Beschbotz will take place on 23 March and will be the perfect occassion to join a local cleanup and take action.





    Subscribe to the Podcast and get in touch!



    You can subscribe to my podcast on Apple and Spotify. Please do rate and review too!



    Tune in on Today Radio Saturdays at 11am, Sundays at noon and Tuesdays at 10am.



    https://belladepaulo.com/

    https://apollopublishers.com/index.php/single-at-heart/

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyZysfafOAs

    https://cleansomethingfornothing.com/

    • 1 hr
    The Power of our Surroundings for high performance, 24/02/2024

    The Power of our Surroundings for high performance, 24/02/2024

    Roland, Bessie and Urve have travelled from Berlin and Estonia to talk about their passion to develop the perfect working environments to allow people to thrive.







    Berlin Adlershof is Germany’s leading science & technology park. How do you plan such a layout, from historic buildings to new developments, and design their interior, to maximise personal happiness when working and high impact results?



    This is one of the questions at the heart of Roland Sillmann’s management. As CEO of WISTA Management, which looks after Berlin Adlershof, his quest is to attract and retain the best talent to tackle the great challenges of today.



    In this endeavour he is aided by Dr. Bessie Fischer-Bohn, Head of Human Resources. Bessie’s own career path is rather unusual. Having started with medical studies in her hometown of Berlin, she developed a deep interest in the psychological background to symptoms and illnesses, and then trained as a psychotherapist. Bessie went on to build a company, and was also a management consultant for a decade.



    Urve Liivak, from Tallinn, Estonia, is a former world-ranking gymnast (winning two silver medals in World Championships in Aesthetic Group Gymnastics). After suffering with her own depression and burn-out, Urve now designs interiors to maximise personal and team success.



    Roland believes that to ‘solve big challenges’ the working environment is key. At Adlershof they want to attract impact driven people and the best talent.



    Bessie, Roland and Urve have worked together to design an ambience where employees succeed: perform, cooperate and stay healthy. All of this work is also part of a research project with Humboldt University’s psychology department to see how working environments can continuously be improved.



    The designs include different zones such to inspire:



    concentrated work (calm offices for desk work)

    Discussions, meeting new people (the lounges)

    XR studio, 3D-Printer areas like a maker-space

    Relaxing ‘mind spa’

    Movement with swings



    “In an anxiety-free organisation, interpersonal anxiety is minimised so that team performance is maximised.”



    Bessie talks about the need for psychological safety to allow for the best ideas to flourish, and the constant health of a team. This is a mix of great leadership plus the physical environment to fit the demand of talent.



    Bessie is also passionate about being a role model in all domains of her life. She does so as a female scientist and as a bisexual. Bessie instigated WISTA’s academy and also their diversity day.



    Please let us know about your own work environments - what’s done well and what could be improved. It’s always great to hear from you!

    • 59 min
    'I was 47 the first time I met Palestinians as human beings', 22/02/2024

    'I was 47 the first time I met Palestinians as human beings', 22/02/2024

    Bassam Aramin and Rami Elhanan became ‘brothers’ due to the most painful loss of their daughters at different times due to the intractable Israel and Palestine conflict.



    Bassam Aramin, Palestinian, and Rami Elhanan, Israeli, are members of The Parents Circle – Families Forum (PCFF), families whose lives have been upended due to tragedy. However, instead of giving into hate, each member has worked to understand and listen to the other side. They have become friends and advocate constantly for solidarity and peace in their land.



    Luxembourg hosts the Festival des Migrations this weekend, and will showcase the documentary film, ‘The Narrow Bridge’, written, directed and produced by Esther Takac in 2022. This film features the stories of Rami and Bassam, Meytal and Bushra who have all lost loved ones. Their hope, as a group of bereaved families, is to catalyse communities to stop the senseless killing on both sides.



    Bassam and Rami have been invited to Luxembourg once more by Martine Kleinberg, the President of Jewish Call for Peace. They were here previously in 2018. JCP a small association founded in 2021, to give Luxembourg a different Jewish voice on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and to fight against anti-Semitic stereotypes and prejudices, especially when linked to the conflict in Israel-Palestine.



    The Parents Circle – Families Forum PCFF aims to lay a path towards a reconciliation process on how to live together in peace with equal respect for one another.



    My guests:



    Bassam Aramin lost his 10 years old daughter Abir on the 16th January 2007. She was killed by an Israeli border policemen in front of her school in Anata, East Jerusalem.



    Rami Elhanan is a 7th generation Jerusalemite. He lost his daughter Smadar on her first day of the school year in September 1997, aged just 14. Two Palestinian suicide bombers murdered 5 people that day, of which three were girls aged 14.



    Previous interviews



    You can listen to my poignant interivew with Dr. Izzeldine Abuelaish here from November 2020.

    https://play.rtl.lu/shows/en/in-conversation-with-lisa-burke/episodes/n/1612726



    Links event of 24th of February 2024



    https://facebook.com/events/s/film-rencontre-the-narrow-brid/1396329117982253/?

    https://x.com/jewishcall/status/1747921713105436880?s=61&t=H8yz9ukJPnMhxa4qqo4_xQ

    https://www.instagram.com/p/C2PTuc9t78u/?igsh=MW9jenp6MHlnaG51MA==

    https://www.theparentscircle.org/en/pcff-home-page-en/

    https://festivaldesmigrations.lu/

    https://www.thenarrowbridge.com

    www.jcp.lu

    https://www.tiktok.com/@jewishcallforpeace

    • 50 min
    Rare Disease Month, 16/02/2024

    Rare Disease Month, 16/02/2024

    In the lead up to Rare Disease Day on 29th February, we talk about the mental health impact on the whole family and care-giving unit.



    Rare disease affects 350 million people worldwide, which is about 1 in 12 families. There are about 10,000 named rare diseases, but together they affect more people than cancer and AIDS combined.



    Diagnosis varies hugely but on average takes 5-7 years, during which time families live with chronic uncertainty. Children are disproportionately affected accounting for 75% of cases. Many of these won't live past their fifth birthday. And so, the load on a family with such a diagnosis, plus the long period of uncertainty waiting for a diagnosis, causes tremendous strain psychologically and financially too as often one parent has to become a full-time carer.



    This strain circles out from the patient to the caregiver to the medical professionals, and so there is a systemic ecosystem to address. On top of this, as many living in Luxembourg will already know, such care will require cross-border help, and with this the necessary connectedness of care can easily extinguish.



    Cristol Barrett O'Loughlin, given her own family's experience of rare disease, went on to found RareGivers, providing relief to the caregivers. Paige Rivard is now Co-CEO of RareGivers and is former CEO of Prader-Willi Syndrome Association USA. Paige's son Jake is living with two rare genetic disorders plus autism. Together, Cristol and Paige are working to develop the conversation around the chronic stress (CTSD, not PTSD) that caregivers face and offer them a community of relief. Simply being heard and understanding that this is really hard can help; knowing that there is a community who understands what you are going through and support you.

    https://www.raregivers.global/



    Lara Bloom is President and CEO of The Ehlers-Danlos Society. She is also an Academic Affiliate Professor of Practice in Patient Engagement and Global Collaboration at Penn State College of Medicine, USA. Lara explains the mental shift necessary in life expectations with the news of a diagnosis. And still there is great hope in the community of rare disease. Even if the cures don't come as fast as families want, trying to find the greatest quality of life for the whole family is the most important.

    https://www.ehlers-danlos.com/



    Matt Bolz-Johnson is the Mental Health Lead and Healthcare Advisor at Eurodis, Rare Disease Europe based in Cologne, Germany. This group is helping to try to cross boundaries in every way. Matt advocates for enhancing medical services to be more psychologically informed, to look at treatment from a person-centered way.



    You can listen to my interview with the Kavli Centre for Ethics, Science, and the Public at the University of Cambridge on gene editing here.

    https://today.rtl.lu/media/podcasts/a/2026490.html

    • 59 min

Customer Reviews

4.8 out of 5
6 Ratings

6 Ratings

Prism Aiko ,

Insightful Metin Hara Podcast

I listened to Lisa Burke’s podcast on her interview with Turkish author Metin Hara. Lisa brilliantly takes us into Metin’s past to uncover his motivation for his current spirituality. She skillfully connects Metin’s learning path to the topic of self-healing. This is a great podcast where you deep dive to then emerge into new possibilities. Totally worth listening! Thanks Lisa!

Top Podcasts In Society & Culture

Dans les yeux d'Olivier Delacroix
Europe 1
Affaires sensibles
France Inter
Transfert
Slate.fr Podcasts
Avec philosophie
France Culture
Scandales
Madame Figaro
PAUSE - le podcast d’Alexandre Mars
Alexandre Mars

You Might Also Like

Newsflash RTL Today
RTL Today
The Two Matts
The New European
The News Agents
Global
The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett
DOAC
InnerFrench
innerFrench