Sara Leila Sherman and Mort Sherman discuss six things which should be better known.

Sara Leila Sherman is a distinguished classical musician and educator, renowned for her work in making music accessible to young audiences through her children's concert series, Mozart for Munchkins, and the non-profit Little Mozart Foundation.

Morton Sherman, PhD is the retired Senior Associate Executive Director of The School Superintendents Association, known for his visionary leadership during a 25-year career as a superintendent dedicated to elevating academic standards.

Their new book is Resonant Minds, which is available at https://www.amazon.com/Resonant-Minds-Transformative-Power-Music/dp/1475874960.

1. Audiences used to participate in classical music performances. During Mozart’s time, audiences didn’t sit silently—they clapped between movements, shouted requests, and sometimes even sang along.

2. Music has always been a deep part of our lives, socially, culturally, and politically. For example, the song “Amazing Grace” has been used as a tool for healing in nearly every American crisis.

3. Music affects the brain faster than conscious thought. Our nervous system begins responding to music—adjusting heart rate, releasing dopamine, and even triggering memory—before our brains fully process the sound.

4. The best leaders intentionally listen like musicians. Great conductors don’t just give cues—they respond to the ensemble.

5. Groove isn’t just a feeling—it’s your brainwaves syncing with sound. When we listen to music with a steady beat—especially music with a strong groove—our brainwaves begin to entrain to the rhythm. That’s not poetic language—it’s neuroscience.

6. Music builds memory—and memory builds culture. When students or communities sing the same song across generations, they’re not just repeating notes. They’re participating in a kind of living history.

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Jo Harkin discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known.

Jo Harkin studied literature at university. She daydreamed her way through various jobs in her twenties before becoming a full-time writer. Her debut novel Tell Me an Ending was a New York Times book of the year. Her new novel is The Pretender, which is available at https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-pretender/jo-harkin/9781526678348. She lives in Berkshire, England.

1. The ruin of Minster Lovell. This was the estate of the Viscount Lovell, one of the main characters in The Pretender. It’s got enough standing walls and a beautiful vaulted entryway to allow you to imagine life there, but also the setting is stunning.

2. Alice Chaucer’s tomb, and the concept of the Memento Mori. An hour away from Minster Lovell, in Oxfordshire, are the former lands of the Earl of Lincoln, another main character in the novel. In the pretty village of Ewelme, St Mary’s church contains the tomb of Alice Chaucer – grand-daughter of the poet himself, and the grandmother of Lincoln.

3. The Fabliaux. A modern English verse translation of medieval French Fabliaux. These were stories told across all levels of medieval society. And they were absolutely filthy.

4. Food/drink suggestion. A recipe for an overlooked and delicious medieval dish – the pre-potato pea pottage.

5. Exhibition. The British Library Treasures room has a permanent display of original books, maps and manuscripts, including medieval and Tudor era items such as pages from Leonardo da Vinci's notebooks, Beowulf, and the first printing of the Canterbury Tales.

6. Misericords. Westminster Abbey is on every London tourist's must see list, but often-overlooked feature are the misericords. In the magnificent Henry VII's chapel, where his and Elizabeth of York's tombs are located, the original 16th century hinged oak seats were not visible to the general public.

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Madeleine Gray discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known.

Madeleine Gray is a writer and critic from Sydney. She was a 2021 Finalist for the Walkley Pascall Prize for Arts Criticism, and has written for publications including the Sydney Review of Books, Australian Book Review and the Times Literary Supplement. She has a MSt in English Literature from the University of Oxford and is a current doctoral candidate at the University of Manchester. Green Dot is her first book, which is available at https://www.waterstones.com/book/green-dot/madeleine-gray/9781399612784.

1. The fact that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are not recognised in the Australian constitution. https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/oct/14/australia-rejects-proposal-to-recognise-aboriginal-people-in-constitution

2. Who the 78ers are https://www.78ers.org.au/the-ongoing-role-of-the-78ers

3. The television show Deadloch https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deadloch

4. The song 'Scar’ by Missy Higgins https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKn7XAMNV-g

5. Trade union membership in Australia is far too low https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/labour/earnings-and-working-conditions/trade-union-membership/latest-release

6. Kim Cattrall scatting with an upright bass https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBmt2KN5tsY

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Alex Conner discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known.

Alex Conner is an ADHD coach and brain scientist who combines his personal experience with ADHD to be a trusted voice in psychoeducation. He is co-founder and co-host of The ADHD Adults podcast, one of the UK’s most popular ADHD resources. Alongside James Brown, Alex co-founded ADHDadultUK, a registered charity, and Focusmag.uk, an evidence-based online magazine for adults with ADHD. Alex has published research and articles on ADHD and, as an honorary Professor at Aston University, he also delivers ADHD coaching and training to thousands of people. His new book, co-written with James Brown, is ADHD Unpacked, which is available at https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/adhd-unpacked-9781526679369/

1. ADHD is not new or over-diagnosed.
2. ADHD is not a superpower for everyone who has it.
3. ADHD is more than inattention and hyperactivity: the emotional side of ADHD.
4. Stigma: adding insult to injury.
5. ADHD doesn't come alone for most people: co-existing conditions/neurodivergences.
6. Nobody is neurodiverse, and nobody is neurotypical. Why the language of ADHD matters.

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Rebecca Lemov discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known.

Rebecca Lemov is a historian of science at Harvard University and has been a visiting scholar at the Max Planck Institute. Her research explores data, technology, and the history of human and behavioural sciences. She lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts with her family. Her new book is The Instability of Truth, which is available at https://wwnorton.com/books/9781324075264.

1. Brainwashing is not about other people https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/freedom-of-mind/202412/so-youve-been-brainwashed-without-realizing-it-what-now
2. The rise and fall and rise of Barbara Pym https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2022/06/06/when-barbara-pym-couldnt-get-published
3. Kate Smith https://musicologynow.org/kate-smith-and-our-minstrel-past/
4. Nashville film https://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/jun/25/nashville-review-robert-altman
5. The story of the three frogs by Czeslaw Milosz https://bookhaven.stanford.edu/2016/06/happy-birthday-czeslaw-milosz-he-was-no-hero-and-he-knew-it/
6. Brainwashing and trauma are connected, but that was never, or rarely ever, recognized by the experts. https://www.randifine.com/post/brainwashing-the-cunning-psychological-tactic-used-in-narcissistic-abuse-domestic-violence-and-cults

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Kate Kemp discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known.

Kate Kemp is an Australian writer living in the UK. She trained as an occupational therapist and then as a systemic psychotherapist, and has worked with families and individuals in mental health services in both Australia and the UK. In 2021, she won the Stylist Prize for Feminist Fiction and the Yeovil Literary Prize. The Grapevine is her first novel and is available at https://www.hachette.co.uk/titles/kate-kemp/the-grapevine/9781399618977/.

1. It’s okay to change your mind https://medium.com/darius-foroux/its-okay-to-change-your-mind-c4a0166b0a6d

2. We don’t need sameness for belonging, we need acceptance https://medium.com/@ilana_73874/belonging-without-blending-in-a-story-of-self-acceptance-b5c9e90f661b

3. Caring for someone who is dying is one of the most intimate things you can do https://www.cancervic.org.au/get-support/facing-end-of-life/caring-for-someone-nearing-the-end-of-life

4. Primadonna Festival https://primadonnafestival.com/

5. The paintings of Vilhelm Hammershøi https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2008/jun/25/art.denmark

6. Monteverdi’s Madrigals https://www.grahamsmusic.net/post/monteverdi-s-madrigals

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Shari Dunn discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known.

Shari Dunn is a polymath, an accomplished journalist, and a former attorney, news anchor, CEO, and university professor. She is an American Leadership Forum Fellow and has been awarded the prestigious Executive of the Year Award in 2018, the 2019 Women of Influence Award (Portland Business Journal), the Associated Press Award for Best Spot News, and the Wisconsin Broadcasting Association Award for Best Morning News Show. Her work has been cited in the Wall Street Journal and quoted in TIME and Fast Company among others. Shari is also a sought-after speaker. She holds a BA in philosophy from Marquette University and a JD from Northwestern Pritzker School of Law. Her new book is Qualified, which is available at https://thesharidunn.com/.

1. Reconstruction’s impact on our past and our present https://time.com/5562869/reconstruction-history/

2. The myth of merit https://thereader.mitpress.mit.edu/the-myth-of-meritocracy-runs-deep-in-american-history/

3. That Imposter Syndrome is a misidentification https://hbr.org/2021/02/stop-telling-women-they-have-imposter-syndrome

4. What Competency Checking means https://fortune.com/2024/08/23/kamala-harris-competency-check-black-women-careers-elections-politics/

5. That the pipeline (of Black and other candidates of color in the workplace) is blocked, not broken or empty https://sharidunn.substack.com/p/election-2024-competency-checking

6. Why “color blindness” in the workplace, health and society doesn’t work https://hbr.org/2017/09/colorblind-diversity-efforts-dont-work

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Imran Mahmood discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known.

Imran Mahmood is a criminal defence barrister with over thirty years’ experience. His debut novel You Don’t Know Me was longlisted for both the Theakston Crime Novel of the Year and the CWA Gold Dagger in 2017, and selected by Simon Mayo as a BBC Radio 2 Book Club choice in the same year. It was then adapted into a four-part BBC crime drama, airing on a prime-time BBC One slot in 2021, before being released internationally on Netflix the following year and becoming one of the platform’s most streamed shows. His second novel, I Know What I Saw (2022) was named a Sunday Times Crime Novel of the Month and reached No. 2 on the Audible charts. Mahmood has written three screenplays and is a regular contributor to the Red Hot Chilli Writers podcast. His new novel is Finding Sophie, which is available at https://www.waterstones.com/book/finding-sophie/imran-mahmood/9781526647566

1. Sentencing for Crimes https://www.sentencingacademy.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Mandatory-Minimum-Sentences-Explainer.pdf
2. The Deep and Lasting Power of Books https://medium.com/@ariszavitsanos/the-enduring-power-of-literature-why-it-matters-now-more-than-ever-42900c18e7b
3. The Quran https://www.nybooks.com/online/2017/02/09/crafting-the-koran/
4. Manipulation by Politicians and Social Media Algorithms https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2021-01-13-social-media-manipulation-political-actors-industrial-scale-problem-oxford-report
5. Mycorrhizal Networks https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mycorrhizal_network
6. Turritopsis dohrnii https://thebiologist.rsb.org.uk/biologist-features/everlasting-life-the-immortal-jellyfish

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