Better Politics Podcast

From Youngest Party Leader to Political Veteran: Annie Lööf on Party Politics and the Realities of Public Service 10.03.2026 45min

Annie Lööf entered Swedish politics young. At 23 she was elected to parliament, and at 28 she became the youngest party leader in modern Swedish history when she took over the Centre Party. Over more than a decade in leadership, she helped reposition the party, navigated coalition negotiations in a fragmented political landscape, and became known for her firm defense of liberal democracy. In this episode, host Lisa Witter speaks with Annie about how she first got involved in politics—st...

Leading in Exile: Mu Sochua on Resistance and the Power of Diaspora Politics 24.02.2026 48min

Mu Sochua spent most of her life organizing for democracy in Cambodia, both inside and outside the country. She served as a member of parliament and as minister for women’s and veterans affairs before leaving the government over corruption and later joining the political opposition. After her party was dissolved, she was banned from politics and sentenced to 47 years in prison. She now lives in exile in the United States. In this episode, Mu talks about what it means to continue political wor...

Stepping In and Out of Politics: Power, Well-Being, and Life in Public Office 10.02.2026 1h 7min

In this episode, Lisa Witter is joined by Jo Swinson, former UK Member of Parliament and leader of the Liberal Democrats. They explore Jo's journey into politics, beginning with her early interest in activism inspired by the Body Shop's commitment to social issues. Jo reflects on her experiences as the youngest MP and the challenges she faced in a male-dominated environment, particularly during her leadership amidst the Brexit turmoil. The discussion delves into the complexities o...

Hard Hope for Europe: Inside the Making of a Pan-European Political Movement 21.01.2026 36min

In the first episode of the Better Politics Podcast of 2026, host Lisa Witter is joined by Damian Boeselager, a German Member of the European Parliament and the co-founder of Volt Europa, the first pan-European political party. With a background in philosophy and economics, Damian began his career in strategy consulting and social impact work before an unexpected turn during his graduate studies in public policy drew him into politics. Confronted with a changing political climate in 2016 and ...

2025 in Review: A Momentous Year for Better Politics 22.12.2025 54min

In this year-end edition of the Better Politics Podcast, Lisa Witter is joined by colleagues Kimberly McArthur and Suki Capobianco for a candid reflection on a pivotal year for politics globally, and for the Better Politics Foundation. Together they unpack the challenges and opportunities shaping the field of political leadership innovation, from representation and trust to systems change. The conversation dives into the launch of the Better Politics Index, why empowering underrep...

The New Extremism: Misogyny, Violence & Democracy on the Brink 10.12.2025 47min

We speak with global extremism expert and author Cynthia Miller-Idriss about the rising tide of political violence, the gendered roots of radicalisation, and why misogyny has become one of the most powerful accelerants of extremism. Drawing on her career studying far-right movements, online recruitment and youth vulnerability, Cynthia unpacks how algorithms shape belief, how violence is becoming culturally normalised, why young men feel unseen, and what this means for democracy. T...

Becoming Better Humans in the Age of AI 25.11.2025 29min

In this episode of Better Politics, we sit down with Shoukei Matsumoto — a Pure Land Buddhist monk, philosopher, entrepreneur, and author of A Monk’s Guide to a Clean House and Mind — for a rare conversation recorded live in Berlin. From Doraemon to DeepSea prompts, to Buddhist interbeing to AI as a mirror for our humanness, Shoukei guides us through what it means to lead, live, and make sense of a world where biological and non-biological intelligence now coexist. This is a conve...

Building movements for People's Power 14.11.2025 34min

This week's episode airs during the first-ever Berlin Freedom Week, an idea that our guest, Leopoldo López, was instrumental in developing with the city of Berlin. As the General Secretary of the World Liberty Congress, Leopoldo López believes people's power is a non-negotiable precondition for consolidating the global movement for democratic renewal. He also shares his insights on what better political leadership entails, and why we must harness the momentum of change to usher in the type of...

What democracy's "Golden Age" can teach today's political parties about innovation & adapting to change 30.10.2025 30min

The first episode of the new season of The Better Politics Podcast was recorded on the sidelines of the 2025 Athens Democracy Forum convened by the Democracy and Culture Foundation. The Better Politics Podcast is a platform for hearing and learning from leaders themselves. Too often, we throw arrows at politicians without engaging them on reshaping the system so they can govern more effectively. This week we talk democratic innovation, political party reform and embracing the tide of change w...

Trailer - Better Politics Podcast 29.10.2025 1min

Welcome to Better Politics — the podcast for anyone who refuses to accept politics as it is. Politics today feels broken. Trust is collapsing. The gap between people and power is widening. We’re tackling 21st-century crises with 18th-century politics, 19th-century institutions, and 20th-century tech. No wonder people are losing faith. Better Politics is here to change that. Non-partisan by design, global in reach. We bring you voices from around the world — leaders, re...

Crowd Wisdom and Optimism in Reshaping Democratic Processes 04.03.2024 19min

You can do things differently, and just because it hasn't been done before, doesn't mean it can't be done," says Democratic Innovator Hall of Fame recipient Kate Chaney. In this episode, we talk with Member of the Australian House of Representatives for Curtin Kate Chaney about the importance of crowd wisdom and optimism in challenging traditional political paradigms. Through intimate conversations with voters- often sitting around the kitchen tables of their own homes to understand their pr...

Founding a Ministry of Citizen Participation 30.11.2023 31min

Politicians and people must come together to solve the biggest issues of our time. But how do we facilitate productive relationships in an environment of cynicism, distrust and polarization? In this episode, we talk with Secretary of Citizen Participation in Nuevo León (Mexico) Ximena Peredo about strategies to mainstream participation and creating public policy. As a former activist and columnist, she’s passionate about bridging the gap between citizens and government through innovative ini...

Embracing the Power of the Citizen Story 02.05.2023 51min

"We live today in the falling apart of what I would call consumer democracy." In this episode, New Citizenship Project co-founder and Citizens author Jon Alexander talks with our CEO Lisa Witter about the need to switch from a consumer story to citizens story in politics. He gives examples of what citizen-led governance looks like around the world and calls on politicians to work on trusting people. Since recording this podcast, we've hired Jon as a consultant on our Democratic Innovation...

How Politicians Can Help Improve the Media 03.04.2023 25min

* Khadija Patel has become Journalist in Residence at the International Fund for Public Interest Media since this episode was produced. She is referred to as Head of Programmes in this audio. "What I want all politicians to assert is the value of news media, even when it is at their own personal expense.” In this episode, Khadija Patel, the International Press Institute's Chairperson and International Fund for Public Interest Media's Journalist in Residence, discusses the...

"Do Big": Dr Oby's International Women's Day Call to Action 08.03.2023 33min

"Small is no longer beautiful". That's the message from Bring Back Our Girls and Transparency International co-founder Dr Obiageli "Oby" Esekwesili this International Women's Day. "We need think about how we go for broke." Dr Oby’s career is so varied and impressive that it’s hard to explain in a few lines. She served as Nigeria’s Minister of Education and Minister of Solid Minerals, was appointed World Bank’s vice president for Africa and ran for president. She also founded the ...

Humility and Listening in Politics and Revolution 21.02.2023 38min

This guest impressed us so much that we gave her a job! French-Tunisian revolutionary, politician and social entrepreneur Omezzine Khelifa was part of the 2011 revolution, ran for office and then served as an advisor to two ministers in her country's early post-revolution governments. She started working for us as Executive Director of our flagship Apolitical Academy Global program in January. In this episode recorded long before her employment with us, Omezzine gets candid about what he...

Hope in Polarized Times 06.02.2023 42min

Political polarization is one of the defining narratives of our time and fewer topics create stronger feelings of hopelessness. In this episode, Alison Goldsworthy—co-author of "Poles Apart: Why People Turn Against Each Other, and How to Bring Them Together"—delves into some of the science behind polarization and gives tips for making progress in polarized environments. She proves we CAN find hope, even in the face of daily social divisions. Alison's reading recommendations...

The Path for Women Politicians 24.01.2023 32min

Former Senegalese Prime Minister Aminata Touré talks about what she thinks will help more women get into politics around the world, including quotas, better familial support and alliances between women leaders. Senegal has a relatively high proportion of women in parliament—44 per cent as of December 2022, according to the Inter-Parliamentary Union. Ms Touré—who has often been called Senegal’s “Iron Lady”—was her country's second female prime minister. Ms Touré's book recommendation: Con...

Choosing Faith in Humanity 10.01.2023 31min

Turkish journalist and author Ece Temelkuran has seen the worst of people. That hasn't stopped her from believing in humanity. In this episode of A Political Hope, Ece talks about a language of progress, why she avoids the concept of political hope and how politicians can use radical love in their work. She also discusses why she chooses to have faith in humanity, no matter how many times people let her down. This episode was produced at the 2022 Athens Democracy Forum in Partnership with...

Happy Holidays! We're Taking A Break. 15.12.2022

We'll be back sharing political hope from 10 Jan, 2023. Thank you so much for listening and daring to hope! Follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, and visit our website to stay up to date with our latest news. Subscribe to the Better (Political) Leadership Substack and sign up to our bi-weekly briefing for insights and inspiration on how to build better politics.