Thoughtful Minds

The Meaning Crisis: Why Modern Life Feels Empty | with Chris Mastropietro

Christopher Mastropietro is a philosopher and longtime collaborator with John Vervaeke on understanding the meaning crisis. In this conversation, we explore why modern life feels increasingly empty. We discuss how Western culture lost its shared frameworks for meaning, and what practices might help us recover a sense of purpose. A conversation about beauty, virtue, wisdom, and finding meaning in a fragmented world.

How a Portuguese Footballer Ended Up Coaching Palestinian Basketball

Fabio Miguel played football at Benfica and in England before his athletic career ended. Instead of staying in comfortable European coaching jobs, he became the strength and conditioning coach for the Palestinian national basketball team. In this conversation, we explore his journey from elite athlete to working in the West Bank and Saudi Arabia. We discuss what drew him to Palestine, how he navigates Middle Eastern culture as a Portuguese outsider, and what he's learned about meaning and purpose along the way.

Beyond the Headlines: Understanding Palestine's Past Through Its People

In this episode, I sit down with historian Dr Lauren Banko to uncover the overlooked stories of pre-1948 Palestine. From medical deportees to patterns of displacement, she explores how microhistories reveal the human side of borders, belonging, and exile. Discover how individual narratives challenge our assumptions about history and why telling these stories matters today.

The Myth of Muslim Unity: A Conversation with Dr Peter Henne

In this episode I sit down with Dr Peter Henne, an expert on Middle East politics and international religious politics. We dismantle one of the biggest clichés in global politics: the idea of a single, unified "Muslim world". Using network analysis and historical cases, Peter reveals deep fragmentation among Muslim-majority states and shows exactly when leaders in Saudi Arabia, the United States, Russia and elsewhere reach for religious language to gain leverage, and when that strategy backfires We also talk about the human cost: how repressing religion fuels migration, how diaspora Muslims live with politicised identities, and why Western policy and media keep misreading faith in international affairs.

Palestine Through the Eyes of Design: A Conversation with Annelys de Vet

Designer, educator, and researcher Annelys de Vet shares her experience working in Palestine and reflects on how design can be used as a tool for solidarity. She shares how working closely with local communities shaped her understanding of resistance, authorship, and the power of visual storytelling in occupied spaces. For more on Annelys work:https://disarmingdesign.com [https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbFc1WkNTRHlzeGhFRldSeHRodG8wdU45S2pNUXxBQ3Jtc0trMHFuVXJUWDRwYTFLdExMc0ZCMl9OXzVmQTdrYU5FaXdQRGctdlNsalR6SXBSUUdlU2hGd2ZsN1NpdFhIYlVtTnpmZlk1d1V1ZlJtSTVnNEY4R25KOC0za2Fzb3daVXJxVHJwV3FIUFVNWE9iendaVQ&q=https%3A%2F%2Fdisarmingdesign.com%2F&v=hEcTgRAbKKU] https://www.subjectiveeditions.org/ [https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbEtIc3hRU1B2SzduMlcxTDV1dDdNTmprYzBsZ3xBQ3Jtc0ttNzlnNWRRaGRwTks4S2JaelR0UG4tYjRFd1pXTlBweFpfOXZ4ZVB6ODdPS0o5OGlNOGF6M2VFUkVUQXBEMTFuRTVNUnNabEJXSWc0YlFIREhibGpGQ0tLRjlrQmtVVExIZm5xQzNaUDF3M2FianR5MA&q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.subjectiveeditions.org%2F&v=hEcTgRAbKKU] https://www.bureaudevet.be/about [https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbG9jazQtcGFXNUx4YWJ4TVE3ZC1SeDF0V0tod3xBQ3Jtc0trZ1Y5ckNwT3lseHVnUEM3VFQ0REtaZU1ZYXV4NmIzUGFjQ2YzLTREQllfQXJLYjhlZDlXRnVxMm1MWTRwU0VaX013cml2U3BSTWgyZzV6VU5nR0Q5cGxOZWZ5OURSOGpIT2dPQ3lxU3RIbTIwN1FRaw&q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bureaudevet.be%2Fabout&v=hEcTgRAbKKU] Listen to this podcast on YouTube: https://youtu.be/hEcTgRAbKKU?si=uFdE8ad-v7Vw3Riq