Can Awakening Help Heal a Divided World?

Adora Olise and Alex Mathew bring two distinct perspectives on AI and human connection to this episode of Solutionary Voices. Alex, a recent Alpha School graduate who built an AI company in high school, is working to address the meaning crisis among young people. Adora, a University of Maine pre-med student, resident advisor, and nursing assistant, is focused on preventive care and healthcare access in rural Maine. They chat with Zoe about what AI can unlock, what it can erode, and what they recently learned from immersive future scenarios at a summit on human connection and AI. Their conversation returns to one shared conviction: technology should extend our humanity, not replace it, and meaning grows in communities of care.

Reverend Kevin Ross, known as Rev Kev, brings a faith-rooted and justice-centered vision of public courage to this episode of Solutionary Voices. Kevin identifies “dangerous political neutrality” among faith leaders and influencers as a central problem, especially when fear keeps people silent in the face of violence, injustice, and democratic harm. He frames love not as avoidance or politeness, but as the force that makes difficult truth-telling, systems change, and courageous action possible. His perspective connects spirituality, community, activism, storytelling, and public life around one core invitation: find your meaningful onramp and make one bold move.

Peter Singer, philosopher and author of Animal Liberation, discusses fifty years of the modern animal liberation movement and where reason, emotion, and effective altruism fit in the fight to reduce unnecessary suffering. The episode covers personal ethical choicemaking as well as systems-level change; how we can extend concern beyond our own families and communities to those who need help most;, AI's growing influence; and effective altruism's evolving priorities. Peter traces his own reckoning with the movement's uneven progress and his hopes for the future. Referenced in this episode: https://www.systemic-altruism.com/Follow Peter Singer:Website: petersinger.infoAI Persona: petersinger.aiLives Well Lived Podcast: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, etc.Substack: boldreasoningwithpetersinger.substack.comYouTube: youtube.com/@peter_singerFollow the Institute for Humane Education for updates, episode releases, and resources:Website: https://www.humaneeducation.orgInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/zoe.weilLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/zoeweilFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/zoeweilauthorTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@zoeweilAbout the Podcast Solutionary Voices is a podcast hosted by Zoe Weil and produced by the Institute for Humane Education. Each episode highlights individuals who are working on the forefront of building a more humane, just, and healthy world for all people, animals, and the ecosystems that sustain life.Episodes:• Bring solutionary thinkers to a wide audience• Offer ideas for solving the problems we face in a range of arenas• Provide actionable ideas• Turn values into measurable impact

Abby Falik, Co-Founder of The Flight School and creator of the Taking Flight Substack, shares insights from her career reimagining learning as animation, co-creation, and liberation. Abby focuses on educating for more than just test results;, prioritizing knowledge of our own minds and hearts;, and the opportunities to be found in transitions. Abby joins Zoe fresh off a 10-day silent meditation retreat, and her clarity and presence are palpable in this episode.Also referenced in this episode: https://www.systemic-altruism.com/Follow Abby Falik:Company site: https://theflightschool.org/ Personal site: https://www.abbyfalik.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abbyfalikSubstack: https://abbyfalik.substack.com/Follow the Institute for Humane Education for updates, episode releases, and resources:Website: https://www.humaneeducation.orgInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/zoe.weilLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/zoeweilFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/zoeweilauthorTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@zoeweilAbout the Podcast Solutionary Voices is a podcast hosted by Zoe Weil and produced by the Institute for Humane Education. Each episode highlights individuals who are working on the forefront of building a more humane, just, and healthy world for all people, animals, and the ecosystems that sustain life.Episodes:• Bring solutionary thinkers to a wide audience• Offer ideas for solving the problems we face in a range of arenas• Provide actionable ideas• Turn values into measurable impact

Richard Lang, a teacher of the Headless Way, shares a direct practice for noticing our true nature. Richard describes this awakening not as a belief or, philosophy, but as a simple act of looking and seeing that we are “space” for the world and one another. From that recognition, the episode explores how separation, confrontation, death, and relationships can be understood differently. What emerges is a quiet but radical invitation to live with greater presence, humility, openness, and love.Follow Richard Lang:Website: www.headless.orgYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@headexchangeFollow the Institute for Humane Education for updates, episode releases, and resources:Website: https://www.humaneeducation.orgInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/zoe.weilLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/zoeweilFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/zoeweilauthorTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@zoeweilAbout the Podcast Solutionary Voices is a podcast hosted by Zoe Weil and produced by the Institute for Humane Education. Each episode highlights individuals who are working on the forefront of building a more humane, just, and healthy world for all people, animals, and the ecosystems that sustain life.Episodes:• Bring solutionary thinkers to a wide audience• Offer ideas for solving the problems we face in a range of arenas• Provide actionable ideas• Turn values into measurable impact

Rahim Hirji, author of Super Skills: The Seven Human Skills for the Age of AI and creator of Box of Amazing, explores what it means to stay fully human as intelligent machines become more embedded in daily life, work, education, and decision-making. Rahim emphasizes that the most urgent challenge is not whether people use technology, but whether they surrender their judgment, agency, and humanity to it. His framework focuses on seven human skills: curiosity, change readiness, big picture thinking, empathy, global adaptability, principled innovation, and augmented mindsets. The episode ultimately frames AI not as something to fear or worship, but as a force that requires stronger human capacities, clearer ethics, and more intentional education.Follow Rahim Hirji:Website: https://www.thesuperskills.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rahimhirji/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rahimhirji/Follow the Institute for Humane Education for updates, episode releases, and resources:Website: https://www.humaneeducation.orgInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/zoe.weilLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/zoeweilFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/zoeweilauthorTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@zoeweilAbout the Podcast Solutionary Voices is a podcast hosted by Zoe Weil and produced by the Institute for Humane Education. Each episode highlights individuals who are working on the forefront of building a more humane, just, and healthy world for all people, animals, and the ecosystems that sustain life.Episodes:• Bring solutionary thinkers to a wide audience• Offer ideas for solving the problems we face in a range of arenas• Provide actionable ideas• Turn values into measurable impact

Rae Sikora, Co-Founder of the Institute for Humane Education, reflects on more than four decades of humane education rooted in compassion for all life. At the heart of the episode is her practice of meeting harm, resistance, and disagreement with love as her most powerful inclination and strategy. The result is a deeply personal and useful episode about how humane education can keep people’s “heart door” open while still asking them to examine the impact of their choices.Follow Rae Sikora:Website: www.plantpeacedaily.orgFollow the Institute for Humane Education for updates, episode releases, and resources:Website: https://www.humaneeducation.orgInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/zoe.weilLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/zoeweilFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/zoeweilauthorTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@zoeweilAbout the Podcast Solutionary Voices is a podcast hosted by Zoe Weil and produced by the Institute for Humane Education. Each episode highlights individuals who are working on the forefront of building a more humane, just, and healthy world for all people, animals, and the ecosystems that sustain life.Episodes:• Bring solutionary thinkers to a wide audience• Offer ideas for solving the problems we face in a range of arenas• Provide actionable ideas• Turn values into measurable impact

Navin Amarasuriya, CEO of the Contentment Foundation, explores what it means to educate for agency, attention, compassion, and contentment in a time shaped by persuasive technologies and accelerating change. Nav connects his own path from a family business to contemplative practice and service with a broader question about what schools can cultivate beyond academic performance. He emphasizes that educator wellbeing is not a side issue, but a foundational necessity for the children they teach. Navin’s perspective invites a deeper view of education as a place where inner development, systems awareness, and human flourishing meet. Follow Nav: Website: https://contentment.org Instagram: https://www.linkedin.com/in/navin-amarasuriya-b4496211a/ Follow the Institute for Humane Education for updates, episode releases, and resources:Website: https://www.humaneeducation.orgInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/zoe.weilLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/zoeweilFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/zoeweilauthorTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@zoeweilAbout the Podcast Solutionary Voices is a podcast hosted by Zoe Weil and produced by the Institute for Humane Education. Each episode highlights individuals who are working on the forefront of building a more humane, just, and healthy world for all people, animals, and the ecosystems that sustain life.Episodes:• Bring solutionary thinkers to a wide audience• Offer ideas for solving the problems we face in a range of arenas• Provide actionable ideas• Turn values into measurable impact

Shariff Abdullah, author of Creating a World That Works for All and founder of the Commonway Institute, frames his life’s work around a deceptively simple question: how do we create a world that works for all living beings? He connects that question to a shift in consciousness, moving from separateness toward a recognition of interdependence. Shariff emphasizes that inclusivity is not about liking everyone or agreeing with them, but about recognizing shared belonging and acting from that recognition. The episode moves through his upbringing in Camden, NJ, his framework of Keepers, Breakers, and Minders, and the practical challenge of living in accordance with one’s deepest values. Shariff does not offer a simple policy solution. Rather, he asks what kind of consciousness, behaviors, and sense of responsibility would be required to build institutions that serve life, arguing that transformation begins with how people relate to what they do not like, do not understand, or would rather ignore. Follow Shariff Abdullah: Website: https://www.commonway.org LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shariff-abdullah-2a551714/?lipi=urn%3Ali%3Apage%3Ad_flagship3_profile_view_base%3BowvfKDX6R2i75sURrSz%2Bxg%3D%3D Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shariff.abdullahJD Follow the Institute for Humane Education for updates, episode releases, and resources: Website: https://www.humaneeducation.org Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zoe.weil LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/zoeweil Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/zoeweilauthor TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@zoeweil About the Podcast Solutionary Voices is a podcast hosted by Zoe Weil and produced by the Institute for Humane Education. Each episode highlights individuals who are working on the forefront of building a more humane, just, and healthy world for all people, animals, and the ecosystems that sustain life. Episodes: • Bring solutionary thinkers to a wide audience • Offer ideas for solving the problems we face in a range of arenas • Provide actionable ideas • Turn values into measurable impact

Dotsie Bausch, Olympic silver medalist and Founder of Switch4Good, discusses how cycling saved her life and how compassion shaped her life’s work. Dotsie traces her shift away from animal products to a deeper awareness of the food system, then explains how dairy became Switch4Good’s primary leverage point for health, justice, animal protection, and environmental impact. Her perspective is grounded in practical behavior change: people need more than information, and lasting shifts often begin with access, choice, and a first experience of feeling better. The episode connects personal values with systems-level advocacy, especially around school meals, dairy marketing, plant-based options, and the cultural myths that shape what people believe is necessary for health.Follow Dotsie Bausch:Website: switch4good.org Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/switch4goodFollow the Institute for Humane Education for updates, episode releases, and resources:Website: https://www.humaneeducation.orgInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/zoe.weilLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/zoeweilFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/zoeweilauthorTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@zoeweilAbout the Podcast Solutionary Voices is a podcast hosted by Zoe Weil and produced by the Institute for Humane Education. Each episode highlights individuals who are working on the forefront of building a more humane, just, and healthy world for all people, animals, and the ecosystems that sustain life.Episodes:• Bring solutionary thinkers to a wide audience• Offer ideas for solving the problems we face in a range of arenas• Provide actionable ideas• Turn values into measurable impact