In this episode, Luke Freeman interviews Sean Mayberry, the CEO of StrongMinds, a non-profit organization that provides group talk therapy to people in low-income countries to improve mental health. Sean shares his background, including his journey from working as a diplomat to founding StrongMinds, and his experiences with depression. He also explains the importance of mental health and the problem of depression across Africa, where over 66 million women suffer from depression but only 15% have access to care. Since 2013, they've treated nearly 175,000 women in Uganda and Zambia. Sean highlights the impact of depression on families, the need for effective interventions, StrongMinds plans for growth and more.

CHAPTERS:

00:00 - Introduction to Sean and his journey to founds StrongMinds

03:48 - Why focus on depression?

07:57 - The scale of mental illness in low and middle income countries (LMICs)

10:12 - What causes depression in LMICs?

12:25 - StrongMinds treatment model and how it works

15:16 - The diagnostic scale PHQ-9

18:15 - How do you remove bias from measurement?

20:10 - The indirect benefits of treating depression

21:58 - Why has StrongMinds focused on treating women?

23:35 - Comparisons to cash transfers by Happier Lives Institute

25:50 - How Sean's experience in HIV/AIDS informs StrongMinds program delivery

27:48 - Why is mental health still overlooked?

30:06 - Scaling funding and reaching more donors

31:42 - The biggest challenges implementing effective mental health interventions globally

33:17 - Lessons learned in adapting to different demographics

34:50 - How is the team structured

36:25 - Why is group talk therapy rate in places like Australia and the US?

40:33 - What are Sean's proudest moments with StrongMinds?

42:30 - Elevator pitch and closing comments

CREDITS:

Production: Grace Adams

Video editor: Marco Shimabukuro

Interviewer: Luke Freeman

Guest: Sean Mayberry

We are thrilled to have interviewed Emma Hurst MP of the Animal Justice Party who is an animal advocate with a background in psychology. Emma shared with us some of the most successful animal welfare policies that she has seen implemented, as well as strategies for policy selection and why momentum is so important when campaigning for change. She also spoke about the importance of learning from other countries, exporting successful policies overseas, and the progress that is being made on animal welfare globally. Finally, Emma discussed the role of philanthropy in animal welfare, the importance of individual advocacy, and how to gain broader political support for animal protection issues.

CHAPTERS:

00:00 Introduction

04:22 Successful animal welfare policies

06:13 Policy selection strategies

07:30 Why momentum is important

08:30 Learning from overseas

09:38 Exporting success overseas

10:54 Worldwide progress in animal welfare

13:06 Cellular agriculture policy

14:48 Proudest achievements of AJP

16:43 Psychology and messaging

17:52 Role of philanthropy in animal welfare

18:57 Individual advocacy

20:20 Enforcement of cruelty laws

22:37 Gaining broader political support

24:10 Coordination of campaigns

26:34 Anger fatigue

27:56 Being hopeful

29:37 Getting involved

CREDITS:

Production: Grace Adams

Editor: Marco Shimabukuro

Interviewer: Luke Freeman

Guest: Emma Hurst

We were lucky to be joined by Rob Wiblin, Director of Research at 80,000 Hours as well as the host of the 80,000 Hours Podcast with Rob Wiblin back in the middle of last year. In this interview, we hear about what 80,000 Hours does and how to find an impactful career. Rob also discusses how laziness was a key factor in creating the 80,000 Hours Podcast and why people might benefit from thinking less about the social impact of their work.

To listen to the 80,000 Hours Podcast with Rob Wiblin visit: https://80000hours.org/podcast/

Check out 80,000 Hours: https://80000hours.org/

CHAPTERS:

00:00 - Introduction with Luke and Grace

04:09 - Who is Rob?

05:15 - What does 80,000 Hours do?

07:32 - What factors should people think about when trying to find a career with positive impact?

10:40 - Some examples of existential risks (nuclear war, pandemics, bio-weapons)

14:05 - The difference between catastrophic risks and existential risks

16:00 - What are some ways people can address these risks?

19:18 - How can people from all types of careers help address these risks?

20:45 - Problem and career profiles

22:20 - How did Rob end up hosting the 80,000 Hours Podcast?

26:51 - The early days of 80,000 Hours and the growth of effective altruism

32:42 - Moral cluelessness 33:56 - Combatting overwhelm with fun and finding sustainable motivation

37:55 - Rob's final thoughts

CREDITS:

Production: Grace Adams

Editor: Marco Shimabukuro

Interviewer: Luke Freeman

Guest: Rob Wiblin