Engraved on the Statue of Liberty it reads, “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free...” A beautiful sentiment, indeed. The reality is a little less poetic. When refugees reach America’s shores today, they face the daunting task of rebuilding a sense of community while trying to work through a system that is ill-equipped t ... Show More
Today
Revisited: The Kennedy Family and the Search for Self with Journalist Maria Shriver
Hello from Team Simon! We’re taking a short hiatus, but A Bit of Optimism will return with brand-new episodes March 24th. In the meantime, we’re revisiting some of our favorite episodes. Episodes that many of you who listened, shared them, and told us what resonated. This week, w ... Show More
43m 48s
Mar 3
Revisited: How to Turn Stress Into Creativity With Grammy-Winner Jacob Collier
Team Simon here! As we take a short hiatus, A Bit of Optimism will return with brand-new episodes on March 24, 2026. Until then, we’re revisiting some of the conversations you loved and we still think about long after the microphones turned off. This week, we’re rewinding to Simo ... Show More
58m 33s
Feb 2023
Dr. Michelle Jasmin Dimasi - Hope, Solidarity and Death, Telling the Stories of Refugees
My guest today is talking about a topic I have wanted to discuss on Slo-Mo for a very long time. Dr. Michelle Jasmin Dimasi is a PhD holder in Philosophy, she's lived in 5 countries but our focus today is on her work as a refugee and women's rights advocate. She's recently releas ... Show More
1 h
May 2022
Heba Gowayed, "Refuge: How the State Shapes Human Potential" (Princeton UP, 2022)
As the world confronts the largest refugee crisis since World War II, wealthy countries are being called upon to open their doors to the displaced, with the assumption that this will restore their prospects for a bright future. Refuge: How the State Shapes Human Potential (Prince ... Show More
53m 50s
Apr 2022
Nisa Homes | The Phoenix That Rises From The Ashes
This week, we sit down with five amazing individuals from Nisa Homes, a not-for-profit charity that provides a safe haven and support services for women, who are fleeing domestic violence, poverty or seeking asylum. In this beautiful special, they share with us of the story of wh ... Show More
1h 46m
Oct 2022
Ep.14 'I wanted to hold a pen, not a gun' - Activist Jaz O'Hara on the Reality of The Refugee Crisis
<p>Jaz O’Hara is the founder of The Worldwide Tribe, an organisation and online community committed to supporting refugees and asylum seekers globally. The platform uses methods of innovative storytelling to share the narratives of refugees embedded in the crisis, inspiring other ... Show More
59m 22s