This is a podcast about doing disasters differently, because our future demands it.
Join Elizabeth McNaughton in conversation with disaster experts from around the world. They’ll share stories and learnings from their work, all while discussing how we can change the way we do disaster preparedness, response and recovery to rise to the level of today’s climate challenges.
Elizabeth is a disaster specialist and founder of Disastrous, a professional development and innovation hub for those working in disasters. www.disastrous.co
UN Disaster Boss Kamal Kishore on risk reduction, leadership and our interconnected world
This special episode was recorded LIVE in Wellington, NZ.
Join Elizabeth as she speaks with Kamal Kishore, the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction and Head of the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), based in Geneva.
Kamal shares his experiences, from growing up in Delhi, to what drew him to disaster risk reduction, and his work around the world. They discuss how everything is interconnected, the importance of protecting our curiosity, and how most disasters are really crime scenes.
We hear Kamal’s leadership advice for future generations, his mindful reflections on societal resilience, and consider the only question that truly matters in this work we do: “How will it touch people’s lives?”
This episode enlightens and inspires. Enjoy!
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8 Jul 2025
Carl Hammington on health, mindset training, and doing hard things
In this episode, Elizabeth speaks with Carl Hammington, Academic Director at HealthFit Collective in Aotearoa New Zealand. Carl has over 20 years experience as an athlete, health presenter, podcast host, and fitness expert.
Carl shares learnings from high performance sport and how they apply to disaster response. They chat about resilience and how a training mindset can help us prepare for life’s challenges. Carl shares useful tips and simple physical tools for managing stress, like breathing techniques, and how having a growth mindset relates to positivity.
This is a relentlessly hopeful episode about how tackling hard things makes us stronger — something that our world needs right now! Enjoy.
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About HealthFit: HealthFit is more than just a gym. It's a community and a network of professionals rolled into one. HealthFit provides holistic support to help clients achieve their goals, from personal training, to physiotherapy, massage, their own unique small group training classes, and lifestyle coaching.
6 May 2025
Briony Rogers on resilient communities, systems change, and fire to flourish
In this episode, Elizabeth speaks with Professor Briony Rogers, based at Monash University’s Sustainable Development Institute. Briony is CEO of Fire to Flourish, a pioneering initiative partnering with fire-affected communities, researchers and philanthropy to co-create a model of holistic support for community-led disaster recovery and resilience building.
They discuss Briony’s journey as both an engineer and social scientist, and dig into her work on Fire to Flourish, which emerged after the 2019-2020 Australian bushfires. They discuss the innovative ways they’re engaging with communities, including participatory granting which allows them to decide how they’ll allocate their own support funds. They cover optimism, navigating change, and why centring relationships and taking the time to build trust matters so much to our work on the climate frontier!
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16 Apr 2025
Marco Toscano-Rivalta on human rights, disaster risk reduction, and finding harmony
Elizabeth speaks with Marco Toscano-Rivalta, Chief of United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) for Asia and the Pacific based in Bangkok. Across his career, Marco has worked with the UN and other international organisations in humanitarian relief, refugee protection, promotion and protection of human rights, justice administration, sustainable development and disaster risk management. He holds a law degree from the University of Bologna, Italy.
In this episode, Marco shares what it’s like to work at the United Nations including being at the negotiating table in 2015 when the pivotal Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction was reached. They discuss what makes great diplomatic leadership, and how creating true impact starts with understanding yourself as a human being. They touch on managing fear and stress, and even how narcissism plays a role in disasters. Marco advocates for stronger legal frameworks, education, and investment in disaster prevention and how investing in disaster risk reduction fundamentally supports human rights. Enjoy this conversation!
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11 Mar 2025
Hon Kiri Allan on crisis communication, localised knowledge, and bridging worlds
Elizabeth speaks with former Cabinet Minister and lawyer, Kiri Allan. Kiri was a member of Parliament in the New Zealand House of Representatives from 2017 to 2023, as a List MP and then representing the Labour Party in the East Coast electorate. She held the positions of Minister for Emergency Management and Minister of Conservation (Nov 2020-June 2022), and Minister of Justice (June 2022-July 2023), among others.
In this episode, Kiri and Elizabeth discuss what it’s like managing public communications during a crisis. Kiri shares personal stories of hardship and hope from responding to events like the Whakaari/White Island eruption, Christchurch mosque attack, COVID, and Cyclone Gabrielle. The conversation explores the importance of incorporating local and indigenous knowledge in disaster response, the integration of Mātauranga Māori into emergency management, and the investment and systemic changes needed for a more climate-resilient Aotearoa. Kiri also touches on the personal impact of her roles, the importance of vulnerability in leadership and sharing your story, and about her new book.
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29 Jan 2025
Megan Stiffler on leadership, inclusivity, and walking your own path
Elizabeth speaks with Megan Stiffler, Deputy Commissioner of Fire & Rescue NSW. Megan is a career firefighter and senior officer, leading the way for change in her industry, while leading Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) teams on deployment across large-scale events, and representing the sector internationally. She holds an MBA, is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, and her leadership was recognised as a Queensland Finalist in the 2020 Telstra Business Women's Awards.
In this episode, they discuss Megan’s journey from insurance desk job to joining the fire service, and how her family upbringing shaped her leadership skills. They dive into meaningful experiences with communities on the ground and how they influenced Megan’s perspective on effective disaster response. They speak about what needs to change in the industry, like resourcing, representation and gender diversity, and what it means to truly listen as a leader. They speak about how to process challenging times to grow, agree on the importance of advocacy and storytelling for change, and land on the power of walking your own path with confidence and humility. This one’s a goodie, enjoy!
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16 Dec 2024
Dan Neely on community development, design thinking, and Vanilla Ice
Elizabeth speaks with Dan Neely, Manager of Community Resilience and Group Recovery Manager at the Wellington Region Emergency Management Office–aka WREMO. Dan began his career in the Peace Corps in Honduras during the recovery from Hurricane Mitch, contributed to post-tsunami efforts in Sri Lanka with the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and since 2012 has led teams based in New Zealand reshaping Emergency Management through human-centered community development practices, with their resources being adopted across the globe.
In this episode, Elizabeth and Dan discuss the powerful role communities play in emergency response, and how WREMO’s Community Emergency Hub model enables local communities to support each other immediately after a disaster better, faster, and safer. They cover Design Thinking, the sector’s responsibility to ask better questions, and why building on existing community capacities and capabilities (a ‘strengths-based’ approach to Community Development) is imperative. They draw inspiration from Vanilla Ice and The Big Lebowski, agree that everyone in society is an emergency manager and why we should all ‘Provoke with love.’ Ultimately, they land on why they’re hopeful for the future.
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28 Jul 2024
Dr Carrie Timko Santos on diplomacy, purpose, and women in leadership
Elizabeth speaks with Dr Carrie Timko Santos. Carrie is currently based in Poland, working for American Red Cross, supporting the national Red Cross societies impacted by the Ukraine war and influx of refugees. Among her many roles, she has served as CEO of Entrepreneurs’ Organization, led international programs for the American Red Cross, and managed a $150 million portfolio in humanitarian donations for the U.S. Department of State. She is the mother of two grown daughters that she considers her best investment in the future.
In this episode, Elizabeth and Carrie cover the importance of diplomacy, gender disparity and what it’s like to be a woman in leadership. They discuss entrepreneurial mindsets, finding purpose through your values, and the power of bearing witness to others’ experiences. Carrie shares insights on the impact of storytelling in humanitarian diplomacy, and how the many threads in her own story have led her to this moment.
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7 Jul 2024
Richard MacGeorge on future studies, strategy, and trying new things
Elizabeth speaks with Richard MacGeorge, a futures expert and infrastructure financial advisor. Since the 1980s Richard has worked on projects around the world, including a time at the World Bank, focusing on financing infrastructure projects in low and middle-income countries. In 2011, he returned home to Christchurch, New Zealand on sabbatical to support earthquake recovery. He started pursuing a PhD in Futures Studies in 2020.
In the conversation, Richard introduces us to futures studies, and the concept of imagining multiple potential futures rather than making predictions. They discuss the power of generative AI, adaptive strategies, and the integration of foresight and backcasting in planning. They consider the need for long-term thinking in disaster management, and Richard shares his vision for green and living infrastructure as part of a holistic approach to recovery and resilience. They discuss Richard’s PhD studies, storytelling and his Vanishing Point comic, and also courage and the importance of trusting our intuition and inner voices.
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16 Jun 2024
Dr Kate Brady on pragmatism, community development & memento mori
Elizabeth speaks with her 'disaster buddy' Dr Kate Brady. Kate has a PhD in Public Health with a focus on disaster recovery. She is the National Recovery Adviser for Australian Red Cross Emergency Services and Senior Research Fellow at the University of New South Wales.
In this episode, they discuss why imagination isn’t always helpful, the pragmatic reality of systems change, and pros of asset-based community development. They touch on burnout, the emotional toll of recovery work and how it’s changed their world views. Kate tells us about her podcast, her newest research project, and what life was like juggling work with newborn twins during the pandemic. Elizabeth and Kate agree on the need for more support and training for anyone working in disasters.
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21 May 2024
Dr David Lallemant on risk, averted disasters, and The Little Prince
Elizabeth speaks with Dr David Lallemant, Assistant Professor, Disaster Risk Analytics at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, and Head of Disaster Analytics for Society Lab. David’s background is in earthquake sciences and engineering, predictive modelling, geostatistics, and reliability analysis, all supporting research into resilient societies. He supported recovery following earthquakes in Haiti (2010), Christchurch (2011), and Nepal (2015).
In this episode, Elizabeth and David discuss balancing both the built and social environments, risk mitigation, optimism biases, and finding hope amidst climate anxiety. They cover Black Swan events, counterfactual analysis, and how understanding what could have happened means we can celebrate important work of disaster preparedness; also how this idea led to David and his colleagues to launch the Averted Disaster Awards. They discuss the role of urgency, leadership, and even what life lessons can be learned from the classic book, The Little Prince.
Join our newsletter at www.disastrous.co (www.disastrous.co) for more resources and content mentioned in this episode.
6 May 2024
Dr Lucy Easthope on permacrisis, Hiraeth, and imagination
In this episode Elizabeth speaks with Dr Lucy Easthope, the UK’s leading authority on recovering from disaster and author of the book When The Dust Settles: Stories of Love, Loss and Hope from an Expert in Disaster.
They discuss the need for reflection time, the Welsh concept of Hiraeth (a feeling of longing and heart sickness for something lost), and the gap between policies and experience on the ground during disaster. They discuss control, truth, imagination, and their experience as parents; also how important it is to surround yourselves with support, and how nothing is ever unprecedented.
Join our newsletter at www.disastrous.co (https://disastrous.co/pages/podcast-disrupting-disasters-with-elizabeth-mcnaughton) for more resources and content mentioned in this episode.
24 Apr 2024
Welcome to Disrupting Disasters
This is a podcast about doing disasters differently. It's for people involved in disaster recovery, emergency management, crisis leadership, or for anyone interested in what we can learn together to disrupt disaster. Join Elizabeth as she introduces Disrupting Disasters.
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Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
1 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
19 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 39 / 100
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49
Social presence
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YouTube
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Engagement
71
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