Can a civil servant really shape billion-pound budgets and shift national policy? JD explores this with Kirsten Horton, a middle manager in the UK civil service, whose journey from prairie schoolteacher in Edmonton to policy insider in Westminster, brought her to one of the most underrated high-impact career paths in the effective altruism world. Kirsten unpacks the painstaking work of navigating government bureaucracy.

🔗 Full Transcript And Links: http://christiansforimpact.org/episodes/kirsten-horton

🔗 2026 D.C. Conference Sign-Up: https://www.christiansforimpact.org/2026-conference-dc

🔗 2026 London Conference Sign-Up: https://www.christiansforimpact.org/2026-conference-london

In this short episode, JD shares what's next for the Christians for Impact podcast, which is relaunching at a steady bi-weekly pace. JD also shares a few things the podcast has taught him along the way. The next episode releases on July 1st.

Should Christians earn as much money as possible in order to give it to the poor? How much good could you do? Is this path dangerous? JD explores this theme with Tommy Kumpf, a quantitative trader at Susquehanna International Group in Philadelphia.

🔗 Full-Transcript-And-Links: http://christiansforimpact.org/episodes/tommy-kumpf

🔗 Earning to Give Profile: www.christiansforimpact.org/earning-to-give-profile

Samuel Dupret, Research Manager at the Happier Lives Institute, discusses why improving wellbeing in global development can be a highly effective career choice, and why using evidence-based research to measure impact is key. He also talks about how pursuing a career in this field can lead to both personal fulfillment and global impact.

🔗 *Links/Transcript*

All Links: https://www.christiansforimpact.org/episodes/samuel-dupret Samuel's Org: https://www.happierlivesinstitute.org/ World Happiness Report: https://worldhappiness.report/ed/2025/giving-to-others-how-to-convert-your-money-into-greater-happiness-for-others/

⏳ *Topics*

00:00 – Intro

02:30 – Does Money Actually Buy Happiness?

04:50 – The Science of Measuring Happiness: Meet the "Welby"

21:20 – Should Christians Care About Happiness—or Embrace Misery?

34:20 – The World's Best (and Worst) Charities for Your Dollar

43:20 – Critiques of Measuring Happiness (HLI's Methodology Under Fire) 44:20 – Can We Really Compare Happiness Across Cultures?

47:20 – Spillovers: Is Happiness Contagious?

48:50 – GiveWell vs. Happier Lives Institute: Who's Right?

52:10 – Are Happiness Units Really Created Equal?

56:20 – What Did Jesus Mean by "Blessed Are the Poor"?

58:05 – Does Measuring Happiness Mean Some Lives Are Worth More? 1:02:50 – Why Christians Might View Happiness Differently

1:05:05 – Careers That Actually Make the World Happier

1:07:40 – Why "Follow Your Passion" Is Terrible Advice

Henry Kaestner, co-founder of Sovereigns Capital and the Faith Driven movements, reveals his journey from Wall Street wealth to radical, faith-driven generosity. We discuss: how can impact investing help alleviate global poverty—especially in Africa? Should I impact invest or give effectively? Should I help locally or globally? Does God need us? Should we encourage other Christians to be generous?

📌Additional Links: www.christiansforimpact.org/episodes/henry-kaestner

⏳ Topics

03:42 – Wall Street to Radical Faith

08:08 – God Doesn't Need Your Money

09:04 – Investing Boldly for Jesus 15:35 – Is "Solving World's Problems" Arrogant?

22:58 – Local Poverty Isn't Most Urgent

26:46 – Africa: Massive Crisis, Tiny Investments

29:29 – You'll Answer to God for Investments

34:43 – Your Neighbor Isn't Next Door

37:09 – Church Must Step Up After PEPFAR

44:03 – Should Christians Just Give Instead?

45:29 – Effective Giving Crushes Impact Investing

46:31 – Does Impact Investing Excuse Selfishness?

49:03 – Entrepreneurship: Idol or Godly Call?

55:45 – Real Revival Starts With You

57:39 – God Wants You on Your Knees

📌Additional Links: www.christiansforimpact.org/episodes/henry-kaestner

Why donating £23+/month to effective animal charities does even more good than going vegan, and why you might consider doing both. Thom also shares the challenges and rewards of starting a charity (FarmKind), how to maximize your impact for animals, and career advice.

🔗See here for a full transcript with links.

See here for FarmKind's Compassion Calculator

Highlights include:

00:00 Intro to FarmKind
1:30 Thom's Journey
3:05 Why Thom went Vegetarian
05:48 The Role of Scripture and Jesus
07:44 Good Stewardship of Creation
08:40 Henry the Pig
11:13 "Aren't Animals Treated Well?"
13:20 Hens
13:50 Pigs
16:00 Chicks
18:33 "But what about Jesus eating fish? Peter told 'Kill and eat'"
20:52 People vs. Animals
22:38 "Offset" Meat-Eating By Donating £23 Monthly
26:08 How to help 50,000 Animals a Year
32:52 Most Effective Animal Charities
34:55 Farmkind's $300m Goal
40:00 Charity Entrepreneurship
43:10 Who should found a charity?
43:57 Earning to give for animals?
44:46 Policy work for helping animals?
46:00 Career advice for lawyers
46:57 General career advice for helping animals
48:03 General impact-minded career advice

Development economist Colin Aitken unpacks the freezing of PEPFAR, whether aid programmes are effective, balancing radical altruism and concern for others with mental health, and how to think about money.

See here for a full transcript with links.

Highlights include: