If great leaders are those willing to suffer for their beliefs, Leopoldo Lopez is certainly a great leader. After he led the massive 2014 Venezuelan protests that swept the nation, the regime of Nicolás Maduro sentenced Leopoldo to over a decade of political imprisonment. He suffered four years of solitary confinement and psychological torture before he esca ... Show More
Feb 3
What Grit Really Teaches Us About Happiness with Professor Angela Duckworth
We’re often told that the secret to success is grit - more discipline, more perseverance, more individual effort. And grit does matter. But what if it’s only half the story?In today’s world, we’ve become experts at tracking achievement, yet novices at nurturing belonging - and th ... Show More
56m 5s
Jan 27
Matthew McConaughey on How to Fall Back in Love with Your Life
In a world defined by constant change, reinvention isn’t optional - it’s essential. We often assume reinvention comes from bold leaps or lucky breaks, but actor and author Matthew McConaughey’s story suggests a quieter approach can be far more powerful.In this episode, Matthew jo ... Show More
59 m
Jan 20
Revisited: Trevor Noah Makes My Brain Hurt
Hello from Team Simon! We’ll be back next week—January 27, 2026—with brand-new episodes of A Bit of Optimism. We’re excited to bring you new guests, conversations, and opportunities to learn.Until then, we’re diving back into the archives to revisit one of our favorite episodes f ... Show More
56m 18s
Jan 2023
Leopoldo Lopez: Has Venezuela’s opposition been outmanoeuvred?
Stephen Sackur speaks to Leopoldo Lopez, a key leader of Venezuela’s opposition. Once a political prisoner, now in exile in Spain, his efforts to topple the socialist regime led by Nicolas Maduro have been thwarted. Has Venezuela’s pro-democracy movement been outmanoeuvred?
23m 46s
Mar 2020
Les paradoxes de Pinochet. Michel Faure. Partie
Ancien Grand reporter à L'Express, où il a couvert l'Amérique latine, Michel Faure est l'auteur de plusieurs ouvrages consacrés à cette zone et d'une biographie de Pinochet parue chez Perrin (2020).Il montre la complexité de cette personne, dictateur qui quitte le pouvoir aprè ... Show More
36m 4s
Nov 2022
Brazil’s Lula joins leftist leaders pushing for change in Latin America
<p>Brazil joins a group of Latin American countries that have elected leftwing leaders. What kind of change will they bring to the region and its relations with the rest of the world? Michael Stott, the FT’s Latin America editor, discusses these questions with Andrés Velasco, dea ... Show More
29m 47s