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by Into the Words
The Wodcast is a fortnightly podcast exploring the words that shape our lives, cultures, relationships, and imagination. Hosted by Benjamin Aston and Mabel Evans, each episode unfolds into conversations, stories, ideas, and perspectives from writers, thinkers, artists, and cultural voices. From love and belonging to courage, grief, joy, identity, and everything in between, the Wodcast invites you to slow down and look more closely at the language that shapes how we see ourselves and one another.
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- 1 weeks ago10 min
What Does It Mean to Be Human? | Season One Bonus Episode
For our Season One bonus episode, we return to the question at the heart of so many of our conversations: what can a single word reveal about the way we live, the way we relate to one another, and the world we share? This season, we’ve explored where words come from, what they carry, and how their meanings shift through the people who use them. Now, thanks to Sarah Ogilvie, Professor of Language and Lexicography at the University of Oxford, we have our word of the season: Human. We invited each of our Season One guests to offer their own definition. What follows is a collection of reflections that move between science and feeling, instinct and free will, individual experience and our shared existence. For some, being human is to care for others as much as we care for ourselves. For others, it is to feel the full range of our emotions, to connect through language, or to recognise that we are part of a delicate ecosystem rather than separate from it. We explore the relationship between human and humane, the responsibilities we carry towards one another and the natural world, and the possibility that humanity is not simply a state we inhabit, but something we must continually aspire to. There is no single definition that captures every voice. Thank you to each of our season one guests for all their time and words: Elif Shafak, Hak Baker, Prof. David Nutt, David Larbi, Nick Mulvey, Remi Olajoyegbe, Waad Al-Kateab, Tim Rice & Stephen Fry. As we bring Season One to a close, we leave you with the same question we put to our guests: What does it mean to be human? We’d love to hear your answer. Join the Wodcast on Substack Explore the words between episodes, discover our upcoming live events, and subscribe to join us along the way. More from the Wodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wod.cast/ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wodcast/id1896893830 YouTube: https://youtube.com/@wodcast_channel Substack: https://wodcast.substack.com/ Website: https://wodcast.co.uk/ Season two coming November 4th 2026
- 3 weeks ago1h 7m
E9 - There Is No Perfect Word | with Stephen Fry
What if words can never mean exactly what we want them to mean? Stephen Fry has spent a lifetime exploring language: writing it, performing it, studying its history, and delighting in its strange contradictions. In this final episode of Season One, we sit down with Stephen to explore what words can and perhaps cannot do. We begin with “happy”, a word Stephen traces back to hap, meaning chance or what happens. From there, the conversation opens into a much bigger question: if language is metaphorical, and words can never map perfectly onto the things they describe, how do we ever understand one another? Stephen argues that “there isn't a pure word for anything” and that we couldn't find “absolute words for absolute things.” We move through etymology, translation and the peculiarities of English; the relationship between language and thought; and the way AI is forcing us to reconsider how our own minds process ideas and language. Stephen reflects on anagnorisis, the moment of recognition or discovery in a story, and why real life rarely gives us the neat revelations that fiction does. And then we talk about writing. What makes someone a writer? Stephen's answer is refreshingly uncompromising: writing is difficult because the story comes hard. The mechanics of writing matter far less than whatever is happening underneath them, the thing that is trying to push the words out. Throughout, Stephen returns to his love of words not simply for what they mean, but for how they sound, move through the mouth and feel when spoken. Language, he says, is our treasure. And at the very end, we ask Stephen the question we ask every guest: if there were one word you would like to be remembered by, what would it be? Topics include: The strange origins of the word happy Why there are no “pure” or absolute words Why words are not mathematical Etymology and the history hidden inside language Translation and why English is so peculiar AI, language and how we understand our own minds Anagnorisis, revelation and the turning points in stories Why writing is supposed to be difficult The difference between words and stories The sensory pleasure of language Finding the word underneath all the words More from the Wodcast Instagram @wod.cast (https://www.instagram.com/wod.cast/?utm_source=chatgpt.com) Apple Podcasts Listen on Apple Podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wodcast/id1896893830?utm_source=chatgpt.com) YouTube Watch on YouTube Substack Join us on Substack (https://wodcast.substack.com/?utm_source=chatgpt.com) Website wodcast.co.uk A note as we reach the end of Season One For a whole season, we’ve been asking what words mean, where they come from, what they carry, and how they change when we use them. And perhaps, as Stephen Fry reminds us in this final episode, there are no absolute words for absolute things. What matters is the meaning we make with them. Next week, we’ll gather for our final Season One live on Substack, taking three of Stephen’s weight-bearing words and exploring their origins, histories and the meanings they carry. Then, before we close the season, we’ll release a special bonus episode, in which we ask each of our guests to reflect on one final word: our word of the season given to us by Sarah Ogilvie. Join us on Substack for the final live and stay with us for the bonus episode that brings Season One to a close. ✨
- Sep 23, 202656 min
E8 - The Words Behind the Songs | with Tim Rice
Today, Wodcast sits down with Sir Tim Rice one of the world's most celebrated lyricists and one of only a small number of people to have won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony, for a wide-ranging conversation about words, songwriting, storytelling and the strange alchemy of turning language into something that lasts. From Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita and Chess to The Lion King and Aladdin, Tim has written some of the most recognisable lyrics of the last half-century. But this conversation is less about the hits themselves and more about what happens inside the words: how a lyric comes together, why a title can change everything, and why sometimes the smallest rhyme can make a song feel complete. Tim shares the story behind “Hakuna Matata”, including the lost verse that never made it into The Lion King, and explains how a phrase from a Swahili dictionary became one of the most recognisable expressions in popular culture. He reflects on the difference between writing for a character and writing from your own experience, and why a lyricist has to be able to imagine lives they've never lived. Together, they explore the hidden architecture of lyrics: rhyme, rhythm, titles, repetition and the words that somehow lodge themselves in our memories. Tim reveals why “Don't Cry for Me, Argentina” almost had a completely different title, why vagabond was the perfect word for a line about kings and vagabonds, and why sometimes the best explanation for a particular word is simply: “It rhymed.” The conversation also wanders into the life of words themselves. Tim reflects on how words change meaning, why he thinks “hopefully” is often used incorrectly, and whether words are losing their meaning altogether. They discuss the power of songs as one of the oldest forms of storytelling and how a song can sometimes communicate something faster and more directly than a novel. This is a conversation about the craft of words, the life of words, and the extraordinary things that can happen when the right words meet the right melody. ───── Topics include: • The art of lyric writing • The Lion King and “Hakuna Matata” • Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita and Chess • The power of song and storytelling • Why titles matter • Rhyme, rhythm and scansion • How words change their meanings • Childhood and memory • Writing from other people's perspectives • The lost verse of “Hakuna Matata” • “Vagabond” and the words we remember • Poetry, music and meaning • Language, mortality and the mystery of existence ───── More from the Wodcast: ➟ Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/wod.cast/ ➟ Apple Podcasts – https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wodcast/id1896893830 ➟ YouTube – https://youtube.com/@wodcast_channel ➟ Substack – https://wodcast.substack.com/ ➟ Website – https://wodcast.co.uk/ ───── More from Tim Rice: ➟ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/tim_rice_words ➟ Website - https://www.timrice.co.uk Join the Wodcast on Substack Explore the words between episodes, discover our upcoming live events, and subscribe to join us along the way.
- Sep 9, 202656 min
E7 - What Does Freedom Really Mean? | with Waad Al-Kateab
What does freedom really mean when you have spent part of life without it? Today, the Wodcast sits down with Waad Al-Kateab journalist, filmmaker and activist for a deeply personal conversation about freedom, home, family, language, community and the power of imagining a different future. Waad grew up in Syria under the Assad regime and began documenting life in Aleppo during the Syrian revolution. Her extraordinary archive became For Sama, the acclaimed documentary that brought the realities of war, motherhood, love and survival to audiences around the world. In this conversation, she reflects on what happens when the words we use to describe our lives, freedom, home, refugee, family, become lived experiences rather than abstract ideas. Together, they explore the richness of Arabic, and how difficult it can be to translate not just words but entire experiences between languages. Waad speaks about being displaced from her home, finding family and community in unexpected places, and the complicated relationship she now has with both Syria and the UK. They discuss freedom a word Waad says she has “tasted” many times. From the moment she first heard people chanting for freedom at university, to the extraordinary day Syria was finally free of Assad, she reflects on what it means to fight for something, lose people for it, and discover that even when a regime falls, freedom itself remains something that must be protected. The conversation also turns to empathy, solidarity, memory and imagination. Waad describes the people who helped each other survive during the siege of Aleppo, the humour that remained present even in unimaginable circumstances, and the responsibility she feels towards those who did not survive. And ultimately, they return to the power of words. Can words help us imagine a different future? Can a chant become a reality? Waad's answer is nuanced: words can keep hope alive, but “just saying alone is not enough.” Change requires action, community and people willing to move together. This is a conversation about the words we inherit, the words we fight for, and the words that help us imagine what comes next. ───── Topics include: • What freedom really means • Syria, revolution and resistance • Language and translation • Arabic and the richness of meaning • Home and belonging • Family, friendship and community • The refugee experience • Empathy and solidarity • Memory and collective action • Imagination and dreaming • The power of words • For Sama • Filmmaking as testimony • Hope, courage and the impossible ───── More from the Wodcast: ➟ Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/wod.cast/ ➟ Apple Podcasts – https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wodcast/id1896893830 ➟ YouTube – https://youtube.com/@wodcast_channel ➟ Substack – https://wodcast.substack.com/ ➟ Website – https://wodcast.co.uk/ ───── Join the Wodcast on Substack Explore the words between episodes, discover our upcoming live events, and subscribe to join us along the way. https://wodcast.substack.com/
- Aug 26, 202647 min
E6 - What If Surrender Is a Form of Creation? | with Nick Mulvey
What if surrender isn't the opposite of creation, but part of it? Today, the Wodcast sits down with musician and songwriter Nick Mulvey for a wide-ranging conversation about words, music, faith, creativity and the things that can only be felt beyond language. Nick arrives with the word “yield” a word that can mean both to produce and to surrender. From this apparent contradiction, the conversation opens into a deeper exploration of creativity, control and what happens when we stop trying to do everything ourselves. Nick reflects on the role surrender has played in his own life, and why he believes some of the best things that have happened to him have come through yielding. The conversation moves into faith, masculinity, the sacred feminine and Nick's evolving relationship with Christianity and the natural world. He reflects on the process of integrating seemingly opposing forces, and on how his understanding of God, Earth, fatherhood and masculinity has changed over time. They also explore the limits of language: the moments when words become inadequate, when music can say something that language cannot, and why there is “a lot that is ineffable.” Nick reflects on songwriting, the mysterious process of hearing something larger than himself, and the relationship between poetry, music and the questions we spend our lives asking. This episode is an invitation to loosen our grip: to consider what might emerge when we stop forcing, make space for the unknown, and allow ourselves to listen for what cannot always be put into words. ───── Topics include: • Yield and surrender • Creativity and the unknown • Music, poetry and songwriting • The limits of language • Dark Harvest • Faith and Christianity • Masculinity and the sacred feminine • Nature and belonging • Duality and integration • The ineffable • The words behind Nick's lyrics ───── More from the Wodcast: ➟ Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/wod.cast/ ➟ Apple Podcasts – https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wodcast/id1896893830 ➟ YouTube – https://youtube.com/@wodcast_channel ➟ Substack – https://wodcast.substack.com/ ➟ Website – https://wodcast.co.uk/ ───── Join us live on Substack next Wednesday. Mabel & Ben will explore three of Nick's weight-bearing words their origins, histories and the meanings they carry before slowing down for the final 15 minutes with music and time to write together, inspired by the words and ideas from the conversation. We'd love for you to join us. ✨
- Aug 12, 20261h 0m
E5 - Isumataq: Where wisdom reveals itself | with Remi Olajoyegbe
What lies in the silence between who we have learned to be and who we are becoming? Today, the Wodcast sits down with Remi Olajoyegbe, founder, female empowerment coach, business leader, co-founder of Medicine Festival and founder of the Isumataq Collective, for a deeply personal conversation about success, transformation, grief and what it means to live and lead from a place of wholeness. Having built a highly successful career in investment banking, Remi reflects on what she calls “the void of success”: reaching the milestones, ticking the boxes and receiving the external validation, while still experiencing a deeper yearning for something more. What happens when the language of success we've inherited no longer reflects the life we want to live? Together, they explore Remi's extraordinary relationship with words, from growing up between Assamese and Nigerian cultures and learning to understand “the weight of the unspoken,” to the words that have accompanied profound periods of loss, grief and transformation in her own life. Remi shares why she believes “words are spells,” and how finding new language can help us move beyond the identities, systems and expectations that once defined us. The conversation moves through feminine and masculine polarities, leadership, jealousy, belonging, ritual, the wisdom of the body and our inner world or “interiority.” Remi reflects on why transformation cannot be forced, but instead requires spaces where we feel safe enough to soften, tell the truth and allow previously hidden parts of ourselves to emerge. Ultimately, this is a conversation about wholeness: what becomes possible when we stop dividing ourselves into the parts that are acceptable and those that are not, turn the lens inward, and begin to remember who we really are. ───── Topics include: • The void of success • Why “words are spells” • The weight of the unspoken • Grief, loss and transformation • Belonging and the language we inherit • Masculine and feminine polarities • Living and leading from wholeness • Interiority and the inner world • Jealousy as a window into desire • Ritual, ceremony and transformation • Listening to the body • Female leadership and collaboration • When there are no words ───── More from Remi & the Isumataq Collective ➟ Isumataq website: https://www.isumataqcollective.com/ ➟Isumataq Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/isumataqcollective/ ➟ Remi’s website: https://iamremi.co.uk/ ───── More from the Wodcast: ➟ Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/wod.cast/ ➟ Apple Podcasts – https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wodcast/id1896893830 ➟ YouTube – https://youtube.com/@wodcast_channel ➟ Substack – https://wodcast.substack.com/ ➟ Website – https://wodcast.co.uk/ ───── Join us live on Substack next Wednesday. Mabel & Ben will explore three of Remi's weight-bearing words their origins, histories and the meanings they carry, before slowing things down for the final 15 minutes with music and time to write together, inspired by the words and ideas from the conversation. See you there ✨
- Jul 29, 20261h 0m
E4 - The Courage to Be Frequently Happy | with David Larbi
What does it take to become Frequently Happy? Today, the Wodcast sits down with David Larbi, poet, bestselling author of Frequently Happy, and one of the UK's most thoughtful voices on joy, creativity and emotional wellbeing, for a deeply reflective conversation about poetry, presence and the courage it takes to live authentically. Together they explore why happiness begins with contentment, the relationship between creativity and self-discovery, and how words can help us better understand our emotional landscape. Along the way, they discuss burnout, boundaries, the importance of silence in a noisy world, and why doubt may be one of the most underrated qualities we possess. Drawing on his own journey as a writer and creator, David reflects on what it means to create from a place of honesty rather than performance, why "if I haven't processed it, I'm not posting it," and how learning to embrace the ordinary moments of life might be the truest path to becoming frequently happy. This episode is an invitation to slow down, listen more deeply, to your words, your body and your inner life and to discover that perhaps happiness isn't something extraordinary after all, but something quietly waiting to be noticed. ───── Topics include: Contentment and happiness The philosophy behind Frequently Happy Poetry and creativity Authenticity in the digital age Burnout and setting boundaries Emotional vocabulary Curiosity and doubt Silence in a noisy world Presence and everyday joy The art of paying attention ───── More from the Wodcast: ➟ Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/wod.cast/ ➟ Apple Podcasts – https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wodcast/id1896893830 ➟ YouTube – https://youtube.com/@wodcast_channel ➟ Substack – https://wodcast.substack.com/ ➟ Website – https://wodcast.co.uk/ ───── See you next Wednesday for our word reflection ‘mini-episode’ on Substack, where hosts Mabel & Ben unpack David's weight-bearing words and reflect on the ideas, stories and moments that stayed with them. ✨ Substack live link :https://open.substack.com/live-stream/297151
- Jul 15, 20261h 10m
E3 - Can You Make Empathy Illegal? | with Professor David Nutt
What happens when language becomes more powerful than evidence? Today, the Wodcast sits down with Professor David Nutt, one of the world's leading neuropsychopharmacologist, psychiatrists and consciousness researchers, for a thought-provoking exploration of language, consciousness and the extraordinary power of words to shape how we think, feel and act. Together they discuss the origins of the word psychedelic, why MDMA was originally called empathy, how language has influenced public perception and policy, and what happens when words become more powerful than evidence. Along the way, they explore consciousness, curiosity, the role of myth and symbolism, and the profound relationship between science, storytelling and the human experience. Drawing on decades of pioneering research into the brain, consciousness and psychedelic medicine, Professor Nutt reflects on the importance of questioning inherited narratives, remaining open to new evidence, and approaching some of society's most controversial conversations with both scientific rigour and deep compassion. This episode is an invitation to look beyond labels, to think more critically about the words we use, and to discover how language can shape not only our understanding of the world, but our capacity to heal within it. ───── Topics include: The meaning of psychedelic ("mind manifesting") Why MDMA was originally called empathy Consciousness and the human mind Language, perception and public policy Psychedelic research and mental health Science, evidence and curiosity Myth, symbolism and storytelling The power of words to shape society ───── Continue the conversation: Learn more about the work Professor David Nutt discusses in this episode: Psychedelic Action Task Force: https://www.psychedelicaction.org/ Drug Science Uk: https://www.drugscience.org.uk/ ───── Thank you to our sponsor: Nirvana Brewery, Alcohol free beer https://nirvanabrewery.com ───── More from the Wodcast: ➟ Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/wod.cast/ ➟ Apple Podcasts – https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wodcast/id1896893830 ➟ YouTube – https://youtube.com/@wodcast_channel ➟ Substack – https://wodcast.substack.com/ ➟ Website – https://wodcast.co.uk/ ───── See you next Wednesday 22nd July for our Substack live, where hosts Mabel & Ben unpack David's weight-bearing words and reflect on the ideas, stories and moments that stayed with them. 7pm BST. Save the link: https://open.substack.com/live-stream/272659?utm_source=activity_item_share ───── This episode discusses psychedelics from scientific, cultural and historical perspectives. It is intended for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis or guidance on psychedelic use.
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About Wodcast
The Wodcast is a fortnightly podcast exploring the words that shape our lives, cultures, relationships, and imagination. Hosted by Benjamin Aston and Mabel Evans, each episode unfolds into conversations, stories, ideas, and perspectives from writers, thinkers, artists, and cultural voices. From love and belonging to courage, grief, joy, identity, and everything in between, the Wodcast invites you to slow down and look more closely at the language that shapes how we see ourselves and one another.
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Frequently Asked Questions
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It's a free AI-powered email that summarizes new episodes of Wodcast as soon as they're published. You get the key takeaways, notable quotes, and links & mentions — all in a quick read.
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