Do you ever feel like your talent, time, or resources aren’t being used in ways that really matter? If so, you’re not alone – research suggests a quarter of the modern workforce feels their jobs are socially meaningless. That same restlessness is what led me, your host Olivia Hicks, to make a major career shift and join the School for Moral Ambition.
To launch Series Two, today’s guest is the person at the heart of that movement: Rutger Bregman.
George Monbiot has called him “one of the greatest thinkers of the twenty-first century,” and
Trevor Noah describes his latest book, Moral Ambition, as “a stark wake-up call.”
In this conversation, we unpack moral ambition, where it fits into meaning, and practical steps anyone can take to do more good – whatever their skills, resources, or starting point.
It’s a thoughtful, energising discussion that might just shift how you think about work, impact, and what really matters – with practical steps you can take today.
Note: This episode discusses gender stereotypes and toxic masculinity. While some binary language appears, it isn’t intended to exclude and we support and welcome people of all genders identities, including trans, non-binary, and gender-diverse listeners.
Further Resources & Tools
🌍 Connect with the Movement:
Join the Moral Ambition community & explore Circles: https://www.moralambition.org/circles
📖 Books Mentioned
Utopia for Realists — Rutger Bregman
Altruism: The Power of Compassion to Change Yourself and the World — Matthieu Ricard
Everything Is Tuberculosis — John Green
Zero to One — Peter Thiel
💡 Thinkers & Philosophers
Peter Singer
Yuval Noah Harari
🌍 Organizations Referenced
Against Malaria Foundation – https://www.againstmalaria.com/
Ambitious Impact & Charity Entrepreneurship – https://www.ambitiousimpact.com/
The Protein Project – https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-protein-project/
Impact Unfiltered – https://impactunfiltered.eu/
Giving What We Can – https://www.givingwhatwecan.org/