About this episode

The episode discusses the balance between activism and mental health with guest Nori Spauwen.

This week, we wanted to ask a question that has been in our hearts and on our minds for years: Is it possible to try to make positive change in the world, and still stay healthy and sane? Dutch writer, political philosopher, and “recovering diplomat” Nori Spauwen believes that the answer is yes – even if it’s not always easy to strike the right balance. We chatted with Nori about “healthy” activism and training yourself to feel empowered in response to difficult news. If you’ve been overwhelmed lately (has anyone not?), this is a conversation for you. Also in this week’s episode: a successful European Citizens’ Initiative that will make it easier for European women to procure abortion across borders, and a very Bad Week for Greece’s former finance minister-turned-public intellectual Yanis Varoufakis stemming from a Kylie Minogue concert 36 years ago. Resources for this episode: Re: Iranians in Europe (documentary) My Voice My Choice on Instagram (a masterclass in how to run an online campaign in 2026) How to launch a European Citizens’ Initiative Our episode from August 2025 in which Wojciech discusses the Stop Destroying Videogames Europeans Citizens’ Initiative Nori’s website…

People in this episode

Hosts: Katy Lee, Dominic Kraemer

Guest: Nori Spauwen

Topics covered

• activism
• mental health
• European politics
• women's rights
• cultural commentary

Keywords

• activism
• mental health
• European Citizens’ Initiative
• Nori Spauwen
• Yanis Varoufakis
• women's rights
• cultural commentary

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: My Voice My Choice

Products: Mezrab soup

Books & works: Actie!, Verzetje

Places: Greece, Europe

More episodes of The Europeans | European news, politics and culture

• Can Pedro Sánchez unite the global left? · April 23, 2026 · 52 min
• How did Ukrainians end up sailing in Russia's shadow fleet? · April 16, 2026 · 1h 2m
• Where are the Zohran Mamdanis of Europe? · April 9, 2026 · 1h 9m
• Can a group of strangers solve Europe’s biggest problems? · April 2, 2026 · 45 min
• The end of Orbán? · March 26, 2026 · 46 min
• Europe's anti-Elon · March 12, 2026 · 1h 7m

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the The Europeans | European news, politics and culture podcast page.