S15, Ep9 How To Fail: Greta Thunberg on activism, friendship and failing to be a 'normal' teenager

I'll be honest. I was intimidated by the prospect of this interview. Plus, I never believed it would *actually* happen. I was going to get to speak to arguably the most famous activist on the planet? Yeah, right. As if.But then - it happened! And Greta Thunberg - the founder of the School Strike for Climate movement who has been nominated three times for a Nobel Prize - was an absolute revelation. She is a deeply intelligent and thoughtful 19-year-old: someone who takes issues seriously but never herself. I laughed SO MUCH more than I thought I would during this conversation. And I learned a lot too - about the climate crisis, yes, but also about what drives this extraordinary young woman and what she thinks of 'failure' on a personal and a global level. We talk about her failure to be a 'normal' teenager, her failure to get politicians to act and how she copes with being trolled by Presidents. Plus what she *really* thinks of everyone from King Charles to Emmanuel Macron. And: her love of carrots.Whatever your preconceptions might be, leave them at the door. This episode will blow your mind.--The Climate Book, created by Greta Thunberg, is out tomorrow and available to order here: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/446610/the-climate-book-by-thunberg-greta/9780241547472--How To Fail With Elizabeth Day is hosted and produced by Elizabeth Day. To contact us, email [email protected] Media:Elizabeth Day @elizabdayHow To Fail @howtofailpod Greta Thunberg @gretathunberg
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Every success story you've ever been told is incomplete. How To Fail with Elizabeth Day is the part they leave out.Each week, Sunday Times #1 bestselling author Elizabeth Day sits down with someone extraordinary - and asks them about the moments that didn’t go according to plan and how these failures shaped them. Kate Winslet on body image. Malala Yousafzai on rewriting her story. Pamela Anderson on refuting shame. Phoebe Waller-Bridge on creativity. Salman Rushdie on survival. Emilia Clarke on fame. What happens when the people you most admire stop performing and start telling the truth? Five hundred episodes in, we're still finding out.With sold-out nights at the London Palladium and Sydney Opera House, millions of listeners worldwide, and a British Podcast Award to its name, How To Fail is one of the UK's most successful podcasts. And yes, we're aware of the irony. Pick an episode. Start anywhere.An Elizabeth Day and Sony Music Entertainment production.All guest booking is managed from an official Sony Music email address.Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow @sonypodcastsTo bring your brand to life in this podcast, email [email protected]

• No. of episodes: 393
• Latest episode: 2026-07-22
• Society & Culture

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