Author and podcast reviewer: Laura Billings
If you’re seeking a podcast that tackles the big, messy questions of our times — climate, community, systems, hope — yet does so with warmth, clarity and even a spark of joy, then Sense-Making in a Changing World is absolutely worth your time.
From the very first episode you can feel the difference: this is not just another “doom and gloom” conversation about catastrophe or only alarm. Instead, Morag leads each guest through questions about what now we can do, how we connect, how we design for the world we want – inspired by the ethics of permaculture: Earth Care, People Care and Fair Share.
What I love
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Lightness + depth: Some topics are heavy — leadership in a changing world, economy, systems, ecology — but Morag and her guests bring a freshness. The tone feels alive and human rather than distant or dry.
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Hope and agency: You come away from an episode feeling uplifted, ready to do something rather than paralysed. It’s like being given permission and tools to act.
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Playful AND provocative: The conversations are not afraid to challenge us, to ask “what if?” and “how might we…” but they do so with curiosity, creativity and compassion.
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Roots in permaculture ethics: The show honours the core permaculture values — caring for earth, caring for people, sharing fairly. That gives it a deep, grounded foundation no matter what topic is being explored.
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Warm-hug feeling: You know that feeling when you’ve listened, the world still has problems (of course) but you feel a little lighter, connected, hopeful? This podcast creates that. It’s what makes it a 10/10 in my book.
We live in a time of complexity, overlapping crises, and a pressing need for change — personal, community, systemic. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed. This podcast offers a route through: by showing that change is possible; that different ways of thinking can open our hearts and minds; that we are not alone.
It doesn’t sugarcoat problems but it refuses to leave you stuck in them. Instead, it acts as both mirror and map: reflecting where we are and pointing to where we could go.
Yes — I give Sense-Making in a Changing World a 10 out of 10. I’m deeply grateful to Morag for her kindness, compassion and clarity; for the guests who bring such imaginative and grounded conversation; and for the ripple effect of feeling lifted and energized after each episode.
If you haven’t tuned in yet — do. Your mind, heart and community will thank you for it.
Listen here: permacultureeducationinstitute.org/podcast