The Goldster Magazine Show is a weekly discussion with a significant figure in the world of health, well-being, achievement and adventure. For one hour of relaxed conversation Humphrey Hawksley and Goldster colleagues talk about the pivots of life that bring us down and lift us up. Members are invited to talk to guests, comment on their stories and tell their own. After that, the shows are edited into podcasts for the global Goldster audience. Find them and earlier shows on The Goldster Conversations Podcast
Browse Upcoming Events to discover what exciting authors will be joining us over the months ahead, review the Event Archive to find out what books and author discussions featured over the last year, or, if you would like to relax with a previous Inside Story, tune into one of our videos and podcasts in Media Archive
How do you navigate your way in a world where nothing is quite as it seems? In her latest
novel, Shrines of Gaiety, Kate Atkinson takes us back to London in 1926, a world of
gangsters and Bright Young Things, dancing and revelry – all haunted by the horrors of the
Great War.
Soho in the Roaring Twenties is a time of change and pain, as people struggle to shake off the
past and work towards a brighter future. Amid the chaos stands one remarkable woman
fighting for the survival of her family, and knowing that her daughters, in particular, could be
in grave danger. They are living in a city where young women have been disappearing.
Kate Atkinson is one of the most successful writers of our time, lauded for her historical
fiction and her Jackson Brodie crime novels (as well as the latter’s very successful TV
adaptation). This novel was described by one critic as a “genre-straddling blockbuster, which
combines the colour of a historical drama with the pace of a thriller and the detail of a police
procedural … crying out to be the next big Sunday night series”. The book has, however,
divided both her fans and the critics, who have veered between fulsome praise and heavy
criticism. Let’s see what our Goldster readers think of Shrines of Gaiety, which we hope will
excite a fascinating discussion.
Goldster Magazine Book Club events are open to all, whether you’ve had the chance to read
the book or not. These events are not recorded, everyone is unmuted and everyone gets the
chance to meet other Goldster members. Join Lucinda and fellow Goldster members at 1pm
on Tuesday 24 September.
Peter Abrahams is fascinated in the human body. As a young man he worked with the Peace Corp in the jungles of Sarawak, went on to train as a doctor, planned to become a surgeon but got side-tracked into writing a ground-breaking book, praised by his medical peers: Clinical Anatomy of Practical Procedures. He has taught and researched around the world, a pioneer in explaining how our body is pieced together. His work includes an Apple App, Aspects of Anatomy, used worldwide by medical students and doctors. He has been designing 3D anatomy for downloading onto mobile phones as well as doing 3D printing of human prosected specimens to preserve detailed knowledge for generations to come. He used his intricate knowledge of the human body to co-curate two exhibitions for the Royal collection
Leonardo – Mechanics of Man at the Palace of Holyrood in Edinburgh and Leonardo- anatomist at Buckingham Palace in London. He was also invited by the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge to help assess a collection of bronze statues believed to be the work of Michaelangelo. From there, he carried out the first ever in-depth scientific analysis of the anatomy of Michelangelo’s nude figures and made an anatomically labelled 3D video film for the exhibition. Peter’s latest book is the more down-to-earth TheHuman Body Colouring Book: Human Anatomy in 215 Illustrations for twelve-year-olds and over. How do our bodies work? How do all our bits fit together.
Join Peter Abrahams with Humphrey Hawksley on the Goldster Magazine Show Tuesday at 1pm British time, Tuesday October 1st 2024.
club.goldster.co.uk/book-ahead-events/the-goldster-magazine-show-with-humphrey-hawksley-and-professor-peter-abrahams/ 15 use-titlePsychotherapist Jennifer Cox believes that women are never allowed to truly express their anger, and this is making them ill. After a lifetime of being told to repress it, to hide away and fear it, anger has begun to manifest in female bodies in myriad ways that cannot be controlled. Do you agree? Jennifer has drawn her conclusions from talking to women from all walks of life and ages in her work as a therapist. The tendency of women to shrug off anger and not make a fuss is dangerous because an autoimmune condition ravages and, she witnesses the devastation daily. The symptoms include anxiety, depression, migraine and depression. Women are twice as likely as men to suffer depression and three times more likely to experience migraines. “Anger is eating us up, from the inside out,” she writes.
“We’ve been conditioned not to recognise our rage, so it burns behind the scenes. And from there, it’s destroying us.” Last year, Jennifer founded the Women and Mad movement which gained more then 10,000 followers in the first six months. Are you angry? How do you identify it? And what do you do about it?
To find out from a true, charismatic expert in this alarming issue join Jennifer Cox with Humphrey Hawksley on the Goldster Magazine Show at 1pm British time on Tuesday October 8th 2024.
club.goldster.co.uk/book-ahead-events/the-goldster-magazine-show-with-humphrey-hawksley-and-dr-jennifer-cox/ 15 use-titleHow do we place a value on happiness? Can we measure our sense of well-being and fulfilment through science? Richard Layard is founder and former director of the Centre for Economic Performance at the London School of Economics. He has been editor of the annual World Happiness Report which examines the state of happiness at various stages of life. Richard’s latest co-authored book is Wellbeing: Science and Policy which uses science to establish what matters most to us. The book shows how well-being can be scientifically measured, what creates it and how feeling good it can be made even better throughout the whole span of human life. In 2011, he launched a campaign called Action for Happiness, asking the question: Why can’t we all be more content? And he takes on politicians who consistently argue that people are mainly interested in the economy and their incomes.
“It’s not the economy, stupid,” he argues. “It’s people’s wellbeing.” Richard is campaigning for a shift in how public money is spent, balancing what makes people feel good against what they believe are their material needs. “We can be happier if our individual aim is to make others happy,” he says. “Let each of us be, as best we can, a creator of happiness.” Can you measure your own happiness? Does it matter?
To find out join the Goldster Magazine Show with Professor Lord Layard and Humphrey Hawksley at 1pm British time, Tuesday October 15th 2024.
Austin Williams is an architect, author and podcaster who imagines our society and cities far into the future. For many years he has worked closely with Baroness Claire Fox at the Academy of Ideas, organising regular weekend-long events of debate, argument and fun. He is frequently a contradictory voice on a range of issues from climate change, sustainability and development. As one critic noted, "Austin Williams has a gift for lobbing well-directed grenades."
Much of Austin’s latest writing has been examining how China is building cities and societies. His books include New Chinese Architecture: Twenty Women Building the Future and China’s Urban Revolution on how China is pioneering the concept of the eco-city. Austin is also a book lover who runs the Bookshop Barnie discussions at the famous Foyle’s bookshop in Charing Cross Road. These salon type discussions challenge the author to justify their work in front of an invited audience of specialists and critics. Unlike most book launches where the most challenging task for the author is to sign so many autographs, Bookshop Barnies force them to take a stand for their ideas. Among his guests have been Peter Hitchens, David Goodhart and David Aaronavitch.
This will be a feisty and fascinating conversation. Join Austin Williams with Humphrey Hawksley – a previous Bookshop Barnies guest – at 1pm November 5th 2024 on the Goldster Magazine Show.
club.goldster.co.uk/book-ahead-events/the-goldster-magazine-show-with-humphrey-hawksley-and-austin-williams/ 15 use-titleDr Orit Gal is an entrepreneur, advisor, and senior lecturer in Strategy & Complexity at Regent’s University London. She specialises in analysing trends and identifying potential for systemic change within complex environments. Her extensive experience includes collaborations with tech startups, non-government organisation, innovative policy think-tanks, and corporate market research. Her current research focuses on the future of cities, exploring the interplay between technological efficiency, social friction, and the inherent serendipity of urban life. Having the opportunity to closely observe decision-makers operating in messy, dynamic, and highly complex environments, she has focused her work on exploring the intersection between complexity science and operational design.
Her website is called Social Acupuncture which explains and teaches Complexity Science, with a mission to break down obstacles and push through change. Whether running a city, an organisation, or a social campaign, the greatest challenges standing in your way are always complex, says Orit. Involving numerous players and constrained by multiple interdependent forces, they form systemic patterns that are seemingly impossible to break. Tackling them requires creative new approaches that not only address their complex nature but are uniquely designed to take advantage of it.
To find out more, join Dr Orit Gal with Humphrey Hawksley at 1pm British time on Tuesday November 19th 2024 on the Goldster Magazine Show.
club.goldster.co.uk/book-ahead-events/the-goldster-magazine-show-with-humphrey-hawksley-and-dr-orit-gal/ 15 use-title