The first episodes of the series offer a glimpse into our Moral Ambition Fellowships. We go from an off-grid retreat on a remote island — where fellows build trust and resilience — to the heart of Brussels, where they master the craft of policymaking and lobbying. 

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Many people set out to improve the world only to feel disappointed when their first efforts fall flat — and be left with the feeling that could be doing more.

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“I’ve been working for more than ten years as a writer,” shares our co-founder Rutger Bregman. “I’ve stood on stages around the world. But after a decade, I had this nagging feeling: telling stories wasn’t enough. In fact, I think awareness is quite overrated.”

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In this episode, you’ll meet two of our fellows: Erin Roman and Olivia Hicks. Both reached that same point of frustration: the moment when awareness and good intentions weren’t enough. And both chose to turn that frustration into fuel, making it the starting point of their journey with moral ambition.

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Erin Roman, Tobacco Control Fellow

“I got asked to apply to an African Leadership Academy when I was about 16 years old,” Erin Roman recalls. “I remember we got these T-shirts, and on the back it said: agent of change. That slogan has stayed with me throughout my life. I’ve always felt that I was supposed to be an agent of change.”

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Erin grew up in South Africa, an experience that shaped her worldview in profound ways.

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“I am a mixed-race female, and I grew up in the confines and shackles of an apartheid system. I’ve seen firsthand what it means to live under oppression and to carry the generational markings it leaves behind. That really taught me how to put myself in the shoes of other people.”

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It’s this perspective she now brings to one of today’s fiercest public health battles: the fight against the tobacco industry. An industry that thrives by targeting marginalized groups, exploiting those who are most vulnerable to its destructive practices.

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During her fellowship training, Erin had the chance to deepen and channel this lived experience with new knowledge and tools:

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“We started off with really trying to understand, from a historical perspective, the idea of a group of people coming together and fighting for a cause. Then we moved into specific training for each of the fellowships. It’s the soft skills — like openly listening and asking inquiry questions — as well as the technical side. Altogether, it’s been an amazing experience in terms of all of those different elements that have been touched.”

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Olivia Hicks, Food Transition Fellow

For some, that voice of frustration — that you’re not doing enough — is present, but also an inconvenience.

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“It can be hard to listen to it because we’re so busy in our lives. I think if you have the ability to take time to think about it and work out what your values are, and you have a sense of it, then go do it.”

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For Olivia Hicks, who is originally from Australia, that meant turning her attention to some of the world’s most pressing issues.

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“We need as many people as possible working on these issues that are critical, whether it be tobacco or food systems. There are lots of really important issues out there. And the more talented, experienced people we can get working on them, the better.”

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And once you get started in a group, there’s no going back.

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Olivia: “I really see it as a big turning point for me, and I’m so excited to be here.”

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Experience of a lifetime

As Rutger reminds us, moral ambition isn’t about carrying guilt — it’s about embracing the excitement of building something bigger than yourself.

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“I think too often we think that doing good and guilt have to be part of the same project,” he says. “But it’s actually really exciting to be part of something like this.”

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That excitement is palpable in Erin and Olivia’s journeys: the moment frustration turns into action, and action into impact.

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“What I hope,” Rutger adds, “is that being a participant in this fellowship is going to be the experience of a lifetime, because these fellows are at the start of an amazing adventure.”

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For Erin, Olivia, and the rest of the Class of ’25, that adventure has already begun. And for all of us, their stories are a reminder that the journey toward change can be as energizing as the change itself.

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