The Mind Bank, a BBVA USA podcast, brings top insights from some of the sharpest minds across the United States. The topics will come from various areas and will cover different perspectives on issues that surround everyday life.

Michael Sandel is the Professor of Government at Harvard University and one of the most highly regarded and well-known philosophers in the world, his classes at Harvard are wildly popular and always fully packed. Last October he received the 2018 Princess of Asturias Award for Social Sciences because, according to the jury, he has “managed to transmit his dialogic, deliberative approach to debate to a global audience.” Sandel believes that faith in debate has been lost, which is one of the reasons why public discourse in democratic societies worldwide seems so empty. He explains: “We are afraid to talk with our co-citizens about big questions such as justice, what it means to be a citizen, and the common good because we are afraid we won’t agree,”.

Ranga Yogeshwar is one of the most popular scientists in Germany, a board member of several research institutions and founder of several scientific initiatives. He is a frequent star on German television and radio, where he has hosted numerous shows and debates. In his most recent book called “Next Exit: The Future” he analyzes how science and technology will transform our lives. Ranga Yogeshwar travels the world giving lectures on the challenges posed by innovations and how they are changing societies.

Tony Wagner is one of the most renowned experts working in education around the world. A high school teacher in the U.S. for more than a decade, he currently works at the Harvard Innovation Lab. For years he has advocated for a new approach to education. In fact, he is on the board of several educational institutions and public organizations. Wagner contends that the current educational model needs to change so that young people can build an assured future focused around what they want and what jobs are likely to exist. He argues that the role of schools needs to be reexamined, given that knowledge is now found everywhere, not just in the classroom, and consequently, educational roles are changing.

Dr. Elizabeth Kilbey is a leading clinical psychologist and collaborates as child psychologist with British Channel 4's "The Secret Life of 4, 5 and 6 Year Olds," an educational TV research experiment that glimpses into how children behave when grown-ups are not around. She is the author of “Unplugged Parenting,” a book that has helped hundreds of parents address key issues during the early years of their children’s development, especially related to the time they spend in front of screens. In her book, Kilbey offers tangible, practical advice to parents about how to unplug their children from devices so their online time doesn't become a problem.

Marcus du Sautoy is a writer, television host and mathematics professor at the University of Oxford. He is best known for hosting the BBC documentary “The Code”, which explains basic concepts regarding the historical use and meaning of numbers. He says: “Some scientists want to discover a theory for everything, while I look at it from a different perspective, from another place: articulating some limits, establishing some questions that science was never able to answer.”

For 30 years, Duncan Wardle worked for one of the most creative companies in the world: Walt Disney. It is his opinion that everyone is born creative. The problem is, at some point, someone told us that we are not. And we believed them. Wardle insists on the importance of re-connecting with the child we once were, and recovering creativity in all areas of life. "When we are trying to create great ideas, we have to play," he says.

Daniel J. Siegel is a medical doctor, professor of clinical psychiatry at the University of California School of Medicine in Los Angeles, co-director of the UCLA Mindful Awareness Research Center and executive director of the Mindsight Institute. With a positive vision, Siegel argues that adolescence is a very special time, emotions are sparked, social connections made, and searches start for what's new and creative essence: “Adolescents have passion, a feeling that everything matters. They have a deep capacity for collaboration between themselves, and the strength to try new things," he says.