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Watson-Howland

Watson-Howland

By: Jacob J. Watson-Howland
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Watson-Howland is the podcast for the driven, the curious, and the free-thinking. The science they're not teaching you. The civilisations they forgot to mention. The self-agency no one’s modelling. This is where the next generation figures it out…

Featuring guests like Jim Cantrell (SpaceX co-founder), Tyler Cowen (bestselling economist), Hans Koenigsmann (SpaceX VP of Flight Reliability), Prof. Anil Seth (world-leading neuroscientist), and Sepp Hochreiter (inventor of LSTM, the architecture behind modern AI) and 100+ more leading experts.

Hosted by Jacob Watson-Howland. A British Award-Winning BBC-Featured Photographer & one of Europe’s Fastest Growing Under-21 Podcasters. In conversation with the scientists, founders, engineers, historians, and thinkers who are building and breaking the world's biggest systems.

New episodes twice a week. Thank you for sharing the show & subscribing❤️

Three pillars are the foundation of this show:

— FRONTIER: Space, AI, science, engineering, and the builders of the next century.

— CIVILISATIONS: History, economics, geopolitics and the ideas that still run everything.

— AGENCY: The psychology of purpose, performance, and what it means to be a man of genuine character in this new world.

A proudly British perspective on the ideas, systems, and people shaping the future. 🇬🇧

Jacob J. Watson-Howland
Personal Development Personal Success World
Episodes
  • #83: FRAM2 Astronaut: I Was The First Human To Orbit Both Poles, And It Nearly Broke Me! - Eric Philips
    May 22 2026

    Polar Explorer & FRAM2 Astronaut Eric Philips Reveals What It's Really Like To Be Charged By A Polar Bear, The 6 Hours That Nearly Killed His Partner On Arctic Ice, And The Billionaire Text That Made Him The First Human To Orbit Both Poles on SpaceX’s FRAM2 Mission.

    Eric Philips is one of the world's most experienced polar explorers, the co-founder of the International Polar Guides Association, and the mission specialist and medical officer on SpaceX's FRAM2 mission, the first human spaceflight to orbit directly over both the North and South Poles. He has pioneered four new routes through the Transantarctic Mountains, has an Order of Australia Medal for services to polar exploration, and in March 2025 became one of only four humans ever to see both poles from 440 kilometres above Earth.

    00:00 Intro

    01:34 The Journey to Space: An Unlikely Opportunity

    05:51 Mindset and Skills: The Polar Explorer's Edge

    11:14 Training for the Unknown: Preparing for Space

    17:55 Team Dynamics: Building Trust and Communication

    23:51 Launch Day: The Calm Before the Storm

    30:18 A New Perspective: Viewing the Poles from Space

    35:56 Geography from Above: The True Size of the World

    38:16 Reflections from Space: A New Perspective

    42:42 The Search for Extraterrestrial Life

    44:06 The Future of Space Exploration

    47:50 Experiments in Space: Discoveries and Innovations

    50:53 Returning to Earth: The Descent Experience

    58:53 Reintegrating into Earth's Atmosphere

    01:05:54 The Call of Polar Exploration: A Lifelong Journey

    01:15:48 The Allure of Exploration

    01:18:48 Contrasting the Poles: North vs South

    01:24:21 Survival Challenges in Polar Expeditions

    01:32:04 Overcoming Adversity: Encounters with Nature

    01:39:33 Balancing Passion and Relationships

    01:43:37 Navigating Uncertainty and Belief

    01:48:37 Recognition and Its True Meaning

    01:52:33 Advice to My Younger Self

    Follow Eric: Website – https://ericphillips.com Icetrek – https://icetrek.com FRAM2 Mission – https://fram2.com

    Follow Jacob: Jacob:

    YouTube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@watsonhowland

    Website: https://www.jacobwatsonhowland.com

    Spotify: ⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/0r4v5xgyYz0rTFSLklk0Em?si=50e0db37b82147f8

    Apple Podcasts: ⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/watson-howland/id1813625992

    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 55 mins
  • #82: Space Expert Scott Manley: Starlink, Artemis, SpaceX, NASA, Starship, Blue Origin & Mars
    May 20 2026

    The Internet's #1 Rocket Scientist Scott Manley Reveals SpaceX's 1 Million Satellite Plan, The Internet Is One Collision Away From Collapse, And Why China Will Beat America Back To The Moon.

    Scott Manley is an astrophysicist, ex-Apple engineer and one of the world's most-watched space educators with 1.8 million subscribers and over 680 million views. Trained at the University of Glasgow and Armagh Observatory, he has an asteroid literally named after him and has been called "The Internet's Rocket Scientist" for breaking down real-world spaceflight, SpaceX launches and NASA politics for over a decade.

    00:00 Intro

    00:44 The Evolution of Space Exploration

    03:31 The Impact of Space Programs on Technology

    06:26 Future Technologies from Space

    09:31 The Role of Private Companies in Space

    12:27 Challenges of Space Debris and Kessler Syndrome

    15:34 The Journey of a Space Educator

    18:32 The Importance of Science Communication

    21:22 The Future of Space Exploration and Public Interest

    40:05 NASA's Slow Progress and New Leadership

    41:21 The Impact of Private Space Companies

    42:52 Shifts in SpaceX's Focus: Moon vs. Mars

    46:44 The Economic Viability of Lunar Resources

    48:00 Colonization of the Moon: Feasibility and Challenges

    50:09 The Race to the Moon: US vs. China

    52:32 Tory Bruno's Move to Blue Origin

    55:46 Blue Origin's Future in the Space Industry

    57:21 Comparing Blue Origin and SpaceX

    01:01:18 China's Growing Space Ambitions

    01:04:03 Future Milestones in Space Exploration

    01:07:49 The Potential of Reusable Rockets

    01:09:17 Science Fiction vs. Science Fact in Space

    01:09:54 Transitioning to Full-Time Content Creation

    01:13:26 Advice for Aspiring Creators

    01:16:00 Inspiring the Next Generation of Space Enthusiasts

    01:16:56 Reflections and Advice for the Younger Self

    Follow Scott: YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@scottmanley X/Twitter – https://x.com/DJSnM

    Follow Jacob: Jacob:

    YouTube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@watsonhowland

    Website: https://www.jacobwatsonhowland.com

    Spotify: ⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/0r4v5xgyYz0rTFSLklk0Em?si=50e0db37b82147f8

    Apple Podcasts: ⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/watson-howland/id1813625992

    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 14 mins
  • #81: Oxford Historian: Your Vote Doesn't Matter! The Greeks Would Call Your Democracy An Oligarchy!
    Apr 2 2026

    Watson-Howland | Episode 81: The ancient Greeks invented democracy. Oxford classics lecturer Steve Kershaw says they'd look at your government and call it an oligarchy. An outsider looked at Rome and said "that city is for sale, and if it finds a buyer, it's doomed." 2,000 years later, the same corruption is everywhere.

    Jacob Watson-Howland (award-winning BBC-featured photographer) is joined by Steve Kershaw: Oxford lecturer, author of Mythologica and A Brief History of the Roman Empire, and BBC history expert (Barbarians Rising, You're Dead to Me, Dan Snow's History Hit).

    From the "barbarian" as a Greek linguistic joke to Rome's invisible collapse, Kershaw reveals how ancient political corruption and cultural arrogance mirror modern civilisation with uncomfortable precision.

    You'll learn: -Why the Greeks would classify every modern Western government as an oligarchy -How Roman historians used "noble barbarians" to criticise their own corrupt governments -Why a scholar found 210 different reasons for Rome's fall -What Achilles, Odysseus, and Medea reveal about the human cost of getting what you want

    Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@watsonhowland?sub_confirmation=1

    00:00 Intro

    02:04 Inventing The Barbarian

    06:57 Barbarian As Mirror

    11:13 Assimilation Not Erasure

    15:29 Polytheism And Tolerance

    17:31 Christianity Takes Over

    23:32 Pagan Gods And Boundaries

    28:53 Healing Sanctuaries Holism

    32:51 Greek Heroes Not Saints

    40:17 Myths Teach Nuance

    42:19 Fate Power And Limits

    47:22 Migration Then And Now

    53:35 Why Rome Is So Cool

    57:22 Roman Fantasy Reality

    59:13 Odysseus Cautionary Hero

    01:02:42 Medea Revenge Logic

    01:05:47 Achilles Revenge Price

    01:08:19 What Democracy Saved

    01:12:34 Coins as Propaganda

    01:14:09 Barbarians Worthy Foes

    01:17:10 Ancient Globalization

    01:20:36 Fall of Rome Debates

    01:26:25 Teaching Classics Today

    01:28:34 Why Classics Matter

    01:32:29 Rapid Fire Farewell

    01:36:30 Super Important Message

    Three pillars of the show:

    • FRONTIER: Space, AI, science, and the builders of the next century.
    • CIVILISATIONS: History, economics, geopolitics and the ideas that run everything.
    • AGENCY: Purpose, performance, and genuine character.

    Steve: stevekershaw.com | Books: stevekershaw.com/16.html Jacob: jacobwatsonhowland.com Coaching: skool.com/remote-pro-podcast-blueprint-8385 YouTube: youtube.com/@jacobjwatsonhowland Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/0r4v5xgyYz0rTFSLklk0Em Apple: podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/watson-howland/id1813625992

    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 37 mins
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