How to Be a Global Optimist in 2023

December 27, 2022

Podcast Deep Dish on Global Affairs Podcast

As a year of conflict and crises draws to a close, how can we absorb the news without losing hope in 2023 and beyond?

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About the Episode

From Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the climate crisis, to soaring food and energy prices, headlines in 2022 have been tough. If this barrage of negative news has made you want to switch off, you’re not alone. On Deep Dish, behavioral science expert Dr. Kris Lee and former Foreign Policy editor-in-chief Jonathan Tepperman share tips for how to reframe your global outlook and navigate anxiety in 2023. Plus, Deep Dish listeners comment on how the heavy news affects their mood and how they cope as global citizens.

Reading List

The Fix: How Countries Use Crises to Solve the World’s Worst Problems, Jonathan Tepperman, Crown; Reprint edition, July 25, 2017
Worth the Risk: How to Microdose Bravery to Grow Resilience, Connect More, and Offer Yourself to the World, Kristen Lee, Sounds True, June 14, 2022

About the Experts

Jonathan Tepperman

Former Editor in Chief, Foreign Policy

Jonathan Tepperman is a writer, editor, and foreign policy analyst. He is the former editor in Chief of Foreign Policy, and the author of the book "The Fix: How Countries Use Crises to Solve the World’s Worst Problems".

Kristen Lee

Teaching Professor, Behavioral Science, Northeastern University

Kristen Lee "Dr. Kris" is an author, a behavioral science expert, leads the behavior science program at Northeastern University, and is the host of "Crackin’ Up: Where Therapy Meets Comedy". She has over two decades of clinical experience in mental health and thirteen years of teaching and leadership roles in higher education, focusing on underserved populations.

Elizabeth Shackelford

Former Senior Fellow, US Foreign Policy

Elizabeth Shackelford, a former career diplomat who served the US Mission to Somalia and the US Embassy in South Sudan, focuses on building awareness and understanding of a "restraint" approach to foreign policy, which seeks to limit the use of force to core US security interests and favors diplomatic engagement.

Other Contributors

Rudy Altergott

Records Manager, Cardiac Surgery Associates

Rudy Altergott is a records manager at Cardiac Surgery Associates and is a member of the Council and the Young Professional Network. He is speaking to us from Chicago, Illinois.

Carolina Borjas

Recent Graduate, King's College London

Carolina Borjas recently finished her MA in Conflict, Security, and Development at King's College London. Carolina was a former Council intern and is speaking to us from Los Cabos, Mexico.