Little Big Humans is an honest conversation about raising a family and building a life on purpose - it’s part parenting show, part science podcast, made by two people who don’t always see eye to eye.
We started this because there’s a lot of parenting advice online, but for much of it, the claims aren’t backed by evidence. We wanted a place to ask, “what does the research really say, and what are its limitations?” - and then make decisions based on that, openly and with all the uncertainties.
So, a couple of times a month, we’ll have a conversation - a podcast and an essay - that looks at a real family decision through two different perspectives: the evidence and our own core values. We keep a public record of all our sources, so you can check our facts.
Here’s what you can expect from us:
We’ll simplify research. We’ll explain what the studies show, what they miss, and how it relates to a typical family.
We’ll share two honest viewpoints, even if we disagree (perhaps especially if we disagree). We’ll work through our differences to find something useful.
We’ll be upfront about the tough choices and uncertainties, with no sugarcoating.
We’re figuring this out as we go, and we invite you to join us on this journey.
Christina
Christina is a scientist who reads the fine print for a living. She earned a PhD in neurobiology from King’s College London. Her background in genetics taught her that the truth is often more complex and fascinating than it seems at first.
She became one of the youngest senior editors at The Lancet. Her job was to distinguish between rigorous studies and merely persuasive ones. She also played a key role in launching The Lancet Digital Health from the ground up. Today, she’s a software engineer at Amazon. She tackles global data-center challenges. Her instinct helps her find problems before others notice them.
On Little Big Humans, Christina brings the evidence and a healthy insistence on the caveats. When Tim runs off with a first-principles theory, she’s the one asking “compared to what? controlled for what? and does the research actually say that?” She isn’t here to tell you what to do; she’s here to show you what the studies can support, and where they go simply don’t support.
Why should you care? In a world of confident parenting, Christina knows it’s okay to show uncertainty. She shares the real evidence rather than offering a neat answer that isn’t true. Mum of four, English transplant, recovering perfectionist.
Tim
Tim is a self-taught director of data and analytics. He’s the person companies call when their data team is stuck and unsure where to start. His journey to this point was anything but straightforward. He grew up homeschooled on a hippie island off the west coast of Canada, where curiosity was the main teacher.
Before having kids, he spent years studying behavior change. He worked at Arianna Huffington’s Thrive Global and learned from experts like BJ Fogg, the Stanford researcher behind Tiny Habits, Adam Grant, and many others. He focused on how people actually change their behavior (spoiler: it’s not through willpower). Alongside this, he studied Eastern philosophy and Ashtanga yoga in Mysore, India, under the direct lineage of Sri K. Pattabhi Jois and R. Sharath Jois, along with many other teachers from both the East and West who influenced his worldview.
This blend of behavioral science and Eastern philosophy, along with first-principles thinking, is what he brings to Little Big Humans. His instinct is to question the norm, asking, “Why is this the standard?” He runs more philosophical and tends to overthink things until Christina brings him back to what the evidence actually supports.
Why should you care? Because most parenting advice comes from a narrow perspective. Tim’s advice comes from a uniquely broad range of experiences the lab, the mat, the startup floor, and a lifetime of curiosity. He’s open about where his intuitions end and the research begins. He’s a dad of four and a lifelong student of how to learn.
