Inner Peace, Outer Progress

Joanne Lockwood is joined by Dr Manoj Krishna, a former spine surgeon who left medicine to focus on reducing human suffering through the Human Wisdom Project and his HappierMe app.

Together they explore how greater self-understanding can shift how we think, feel, and behave, with ripple effects for relationships, conflict, and society. Manoj argues that many of our biggest challenges—stress, anxiety, loneliness, addiction, and persistent conflict—are fuelled by unseen patterns of conditioning and fear, and that learning to question our thinking can open the door to calmer, more intelligent choices.

The conversation also critiques how education can suppress curiosity, and makes the case for teaching self-awareness and emotional understanding as core life skills. Using stories from work with children, they discuss identity, difference, and the importance of mixing with people unlike ourselves to build connection and reduce division. The episode closes with practical encouragement to start with curiosity and simple questions, and pointers to Manoj’s resources for those who want to go further.