What is Econ to Icon?

In this short introductory episode, hosts Paul Johnson and Michael Kell introduce their new podcast: Econ to Icon.

Paul is an economist of nearly 40 years — former director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, with stints in government, academia, and consulting. Michael is also an economist by background, having worked at the UK Treasury, the IMF, and in economic consulting, before moving into careers coaching.

Together they've set out to make a podcast that focuses on the substance of economic policy, and the human stories behind it. Paul brings the economics; Michael brings the career lens — the turning points, the transitions, the choices people make about what kind of life to build.

The first series features six guests: a pensions minister who redesigned the UK state pension; a senior civil servant who went on to lead Ofcom and chair John Lewis; a political advisor at the heart of Number 10 during the 2008 financial crisis; a competition economist who has also built a parallel career in music; and two of the UK's most prominent economics communicators.

The trailer gives a flavour of the personal territory the series covers too — being told you're not cut out for academia, the tension between being a people pleaser and surviving in politics, and how most guests' relationship with economics has shifted from certainty to something more nuanced over time.

The pitch, in their own words: "Economic ideas on one side, human lives on the other."