The Sh*t Show: an honest conversation with a humanitarian

Pope Leo’s Magnifica Humanitas encyclical was released this week, with AI taking centre stage, but it wasn’t just this document that discussed AI, in the US - due to protests against AI, mainly datacentres - ‘Anti-Tech Extremism’ is now a target for law enforcement, and of course, the bombs started to fall again on Iran. In case you’ve been living under a rock, Europe’s heatwave took centre stage in the world’s news, which unleashed climate deniers across social media, meanwhile - not gaining anywhere near the level of attention - India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Vietnam and beyond, are seeing extreme wet bulb temperatures creeping towards 50°C, with grids straining to keep citizens cool, especially during an energy crisis. 

We saw the first Enhanced Games break one record (just), the backlash against Ferrari’s first EV, Alberta has decided to move ahead with plans for independence from Canada, more than 90 people died in a coal mine explosion in China, and at least 500 children have died of measles in Bangladesh. In Saudi Arabia, the Hajj goes ahead with extreme heat a massive risk, apparently 1.2 billion people are living with mental disorders globally, scientists are screaming the alarm as Thwaites (aka the Doomsday Glacier) is facing imminent collapse, and of course, Ebola is raging and experts are becoming increasingly concerned. It’s been a big week! 

Our theme this week is looking into what it’s like working as a humanitarian today, as the multiple crisis pile up, the funding shrinks, and extreme weather events ripple across the world. We will discuss the state of the humanitarian field today, the biggest concerns, the reality of funding cuts on the ground, the Ebola situation as its unfolding, preparation (or not) for the forthcoming Super El Niño, and how you can work in this field and keep your faith in extremely challenging times. 

To help us understand the state of the humanitarian field, we are delighted to welcome Nicola Upham, who is director of humanitarian strategy and delivery for Save the Children, but she is not speaking on behalf of Save the Children, she is speaking as a leader in the field. Nicola has been working for humanitarian organizations for nearly two decades, and prior to this worked in recruitment and even had a stint at Coca-Cola in sales. She’s seen it all across her career, and we’re so grateful for the opportunity for a birds-eye-view into the humanitarian profession, from a person doing the hard work supporting the most vulnerable. 

Please do join us for this unique opportunity, especially as Nicola is really busy right now, dealing with the world’s crisis. It’s all happening this Friday, 29th May 2026, and the livestream kicks off at 8am UK, 9am EU, 11am UAE, 12.30pm IN, 2pm TH, 3pm SG, 5pm AEST. Streaming across various locations, and no doubt about it, we’d love your support. 

The Sh*t Show is a Livestream happening every Friday, where Andrea T Edwards, Dr. David Ko, Richard Busellato and Joe Augustin, as well as special guests, discuss the world’s most pressing issues across all angles of the polycrisis, working to make sense of the extremely challenging and complex times we are all going through, plus what we can do about it. Help us move the needle so we can change the name of the show to something more genteel when (or if) it is no longer a sh*t show. 

#TheShitShow #UncommonCourage 

You can find me Andrea T Edwards | The Digital Conversationalist and Welcome - Uncommon Courage - An Invitation. 

My book Uncommon Courage, an invitation, is here https://mybook.to/UncommonCourage 

My book 18 Steps to an All-Star LinkedIn Profile, is here https://mybook.to/18stepstoanallstar