Best Statistical Literacy Podcasts (2025)

1
Enhancing Statistical Literacy | Stats + Stories Episode 375 55:36

Play Pause

20d ago55:36

55:36

Statistical literacy was described by Iddo Gal as "the ability to interpret, critically, evaluate and communicate about statistical information and messages". With that in mind, get ready to take a journey on all the ways our guests are promoting statistical literacy in this episode of Stats+Stories. Glickman/Lesser Interview Starts at 27:42Pedro C…

1
BONUS EPIOSDE: Driven by Data LIVE; Panel Discussion 3: Leading with a Legacy of Impact, How Data Can Change the World 51:21

1d ago51:21

51:21

In October 2025, Orbition Group hosted Driven by Data LIVE, where they welcomed 120 CDOs/Data Leaders to Tobacco Dock in London for a half day event, which included 3 panel discussions and some roundtable conversations. The third panel discussion saw Catherine King joined by; Paul Hollands, Chief Data & AI Officer, AXA, Johanna Hutchinson, Chief Da…

1
Holiday Survival Guide Part 2: The survey study edition 1:04:01

2d ago1:04:01

1:04:01

Does the temperature of your coffee six months ago really predict whether you feel gassy today? This week we dissect a new nutrition survey study on hot and cold beverage habits that claims to connect drink temperature with gut symptoms, anxiety, and more—despite relying on year-old memories and a blizzard of statistical tests. It’s the perfect cas…

1
The Art of Uncertainty | Stats + Stories Episode 376 31:19

7d ago31:19

31:19

News stories are filled with tales of risk and uncertainty. We're told the probable chance of a weather event or how likely it is that we might contract an illness. There's an art to telling stories with uncertainty that provides context and nuance that is often missing. That is the focus of this episode of Stats+Stories with guest David Spiegelhal…

1
Exploring Creative Data Visualization with Nadieh Bremer 43:38

8d ago43:38

43:38

In this episode, I sit down with Nadieh Bremer to talk about her new book, Chart, and the creative process behind her data visualization work. We discuss how she structures the book around a spectrum from straightforward charts to full-on data art, and why uncommon chart types can communicate nuance so effectively. Nadieh shares insights from her t…

1
BONUS EPIOSDE: Driven by Data LIVE; Panel Discussion 2: Making Data Count by Providing Tangible Value the Business Can Touch! 43:20

9d ago43:20

43:20

In October 2025, Orbition Group hosted Driven by Data LIVE, where they welcomed 120 CDOs/Data Leaders to Tobacco Dock in London for a half-day event, which included 3 panel discussions and some roundtable conversations. The second panel discussion saw Kyle Winterbottom joined by; Ranil Boteju, Chief Data Officer, Lloyds Banking Group Loretta Franks…

1
Ep92: The Great Obesity Myth w/Dr. Fatima Cody Stanford 49:28

6d ago49:28

49:28

Obesity is a chronic disease. So why are we still not treating it as such? Enter Dr. Fatima Cody Stanford, Associate Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital. Dr. Stanford is a global voice on obesity - redefining it as a chronic disease, not a personal failure. In taking us through the scien…

1
Thankful For A Bountiful Harvest - How Bountiful Was It And Who Produced It? | Stats + Stories Episode 45 (REPOST) 29:08

13d ago29:08

29:08

Linda J. Young is Chief Mathematical Statistician and Director of Research and Development of USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service . She oversees efforts to continually improve the methodology underpinning the Agency's collection and dissemination of data on every facet of U.S. agriculture. She works on the surveys designed to characteri…

1
The Future of Dashboards, Data Apps, and AI with Plotly's Chris Parmer 35:29

15d ago35:29

35:29

In this week’s episode, I talk with Chris Parmer, co-founder of Plotly, about how the company is integrating AI into the next generation of data visualization and analytics tools. Chris walks me through the thinking behind Plotly Studio, their new AI-native environment where natural language prompts generate real, auditable code for charts, dashboa…

1
BONUS EPIOSDE: Driven by Data LIVE; Panel Discussion 1: The Biggest Challenges in Data, Analytics & AI and How They're Being Tackled! 55:37

16d ago55:37

55:37

In October 2025, Orbition Group hosted Driven by Data LIVE, where they welcomed 120 CDOs/Data Leaders to Tobacco Dock in London for a half-day event, which included 3 panel discussions and some roundtable conversations. The first panel discussion saw Kyle Winterbottom joined by; Davin Crowley-Sweet, Chief Data Officer at National Highways Kelly Hum…

1
Holiday Survival Guide: How to talk about scientific studies around the dinner table 1:01:46

16d ago1:01:46

1:01:46

Does a little alcohol really make you speak a foreign language better? This week we unpack a quirky randomized trial that tested Dutch pronunciation after a modest buzz—and came to the opposite conclusion the researchers expected. We use it as the perfect holiday case study: instead of arguing with Uncle Joe at the dinner table, we’ll show you how …

1
Ep91: Pulling Up The Curtain: Patient Data Access, Health Literacy and Democratizing Information w/Brent Dial 54:26

19d ago54:26

54:26

A conversation with Brent Dial To Brent Dial, the pursuit of health is about three things: agency, education, and collaboration. And that’s exactly what Beek Health, the start-up he co-founded earlier this year, are all about. Beek are on a mission to revolutionize the bloated patient data process: reducing wasted time, resources and patient stress…

1
Beyond the Visual: How Tactile Maps Expand Data Accessibility 45:43

21d ago45:43

45:43

In this week’s episode, I welcome Jakub Wabiński and Vincent van Altena to the show to talk about their new book, Tactile Mapping. We explore how tactile and multisensory design can make maps—and data—more accessible for people with visual impairments and beyond. Jakub and Vincent share insights into how tactile maps are designed, tested, and used …

1
S5 | Ep 50 | Rebuilding Trust: How the ONS Is Turning Data Lessons into Lasting Change with James Benford, Director General for Economic, Social and Environmental Statistics at Office for National Statistics ... 50:59

23d ago50:59

50:59

In Episode 50, the season finale of Season 5 of Driven by Data: The Podcast, Kyle Winterbottom was joined by James Benford, Director General of Surveys, Economic and Social Statistics at Office for National Statistics, where they have a candid discussion regarding the turnaround job at hand after recent public scrutiny and high-profile errors. They…

1
Ep90: Rebuilding Medical Trust: Storytelling, Community and Health Equity w/ Dr. Katherine Gergen-Barnett and Cheryl Harding 57:40

28d ago57:40

57:40

A conversation with Dr. Katherine Gergen-Barnett and Cheryl Harding Healthcare is a matter of trust. Pouring their efforts into rebuilding the critical tenet of medical trust are family physician and prominent voice on health equity Dr. Katherine Gergen-Barnett and community champion and strategic advisor Ms. Cheryl Harding. Our two guests forged a…

1
Telling Stories with Maps: Allen Carroll on the Art of Map-Based Storytelling 29:46

29d ago29:46

29:46

Welcome back to the show! In this week’s episode, I chat with Allen Carroll, former Chief Cartographer at National Geographic and part of Esri’s StoryMapsteam. We talk about his new book, Telling Stories with Maps, which explores how maps can communicate meaning, emotion, and narrative. Allen shares his journey from analog map design to interactive…

1
S5 | Ep 49 | AI Innovation; Succeed by Letting the Business Lead with Adrian Estala, Field Chief Data & AI Officer at Starburst 48:21

30d ago48:21

48:21

In Episode 49, of Season 5 of Driven by Data: The Podcast, Kyle Winterbottom was joined by Adrian Estala, Field Chief Data & AI Officer at Starburst, where they discuss how to deliver successful AI innovation and transformation by letting 'the business' lead, which includes; Why we need to let business teams to lead AI innovation for meaningful tra…

1
Shingles Shot and Dementia: Could one vaccine protect your brain? 1:12:58

1M ago1:12:58

1:12:58

What do chickenpox and shingles have to do with your brain? This week, we dig into two 2025 headline-grabbing studies that link the shingles shot to lower dementia rates. We start in Wales, where a birthday cutoff turned into the perfect natural experiment, and end in the U.S. with a multi-million-person megastudy. Featuring bias-variance Goldilock…

1
No One is Poisoning Your Kids' Candy, Trust the Numbers | Stats + Stories Episode 206 (REPOST) 8:58

1M ago8:58

8:58

The costumes are ready and the annual opportunity to go out and harass your neighbors to get candy is once again upon us. Yes, it's time for Halloween. And along with Halloween comes the worry, the concern the fear that in fact, someone will be poisoning my kid’s candy. This is something that has lived with us for decades and we have someone today …

1
S5 | Ep 48 | Building AI for AI: How Trust Models and Data Marketplaces Are Changing the Game with Susan Laine, Chief Technology Officer (Data) at Quest Software 57:15

1M ago57:15

57:15

In Episode 48, of Season 5 of Driven by Data: The Podcast, Kyle Winterbottom was joined by Susan Laine, Chief Technology Officer (Data) at Quest Software, where they discuss the concept of building 'AI for AI', which includes; The state of data in the AI era and why garbage in equals disaster out How ‘AI for AI’ is helping organisations manage data…

1
Deciphering Dishonest Charts | Stats + Stories Episode 374 25:24

1M ago25:24

25:24

Data visualizations are everywhere, showing up in social media, in the news, and on company websites. With this onslaught, it can be hard to know what visualizations to trust. Learning how to navigate bad graphs and charts is a focus of this episode of Stats and Stories with guest Nathan Yau. Yau is the author of several books on data visualization…

1
S5 | Ep 47 | AI Readiness: What Comes Next for Data Teams and Their Careers with Mike Leverington, Senior Director of Data & Analytics at SkyScanner 54:02

1M ago54:02

54:02

In Episode 47, of Season 5 of Driven by Data: The Podcast, Kyle Winterbottom was joined by Mike Leverington, Senior Director of Data & Analytics at Skyscanner, where they discuss the evolving landscape of data analytics in the era of AI, which includes; How AI and GenAI are transforming not only the way we work but the way we think, impacting creat…

1
Scary Bridge Study: Can fear make you horny? 1:04:33

1M ago1:04:33

1:04:33

What if a haunted house makes your date look hotter? This week we dive into the infamous Scary Bridge Study — the 1970s classic that launched a thousand pop-psych takes on fear and lust. It’s the one with the swaying bridge, pretty “research assistant,” and phone number scrawled on torn paper. The study became legend, but how sturdy were its stats?…

1
The Age of the Supercentenarian | Stats + Stories Episode 229 (REPOST) 26:34

2M ago26:34

26:34

When American comedian and actor Betty White died, fans lamented the fact that she had just missed making it to her 100th birthday. They felt she’d been robbed of achieving a significant life moment. Some researchers think that this century could see more people making it to that moment and beyond. That’s the focus of this episode of Stats and Stor…

1
Ep89: A Much Overdue Revolution in Primary Care: Now or Never w/Dr Marla McLaughlin 51:43

2M ago51:43

51:43

Our primary care system needs an Overhaul. Leading the discussion is Dr. Marla McLaughlin, a national leader in care delivery innovation and CMO of apree Health. As a family medicine physician with decades of frontline experience, Dr. McLaughlin knows the value of primary care firsthand. As she says, its value lies in the strength and depth of the …

1
S5 | Ep 46 | Data & Digital and the Future of Healthcare with Ming Tang, Chief Data & Analytics Officer & Chief Digital & Information Officer at NHS England 48:53

2M ago48:53

48:53

In Episode 46, of Season 5 of Driven by Data: The Podcast, Kyle Winterbottom was joined by Ming Tang, Chief Data & Analytics Officer & Chief Digital & Information Officer at NHS England where they discuss the the governments 10-year strategy for the future of healthcare and the role that data and digital will play, which includes; From pharmacist t…

1
Choosing a College in the Era of Polarization | Stats + Stories Episode 373 27:23

2M ago27:23

27:23

Fall is admissions season at universities across the United States. As colleges work to recruit a new class, a new working paper suggests that politics might impact where students decide to go to school. That’s the focus of this episode of Stats and Stories, with guest Riley Acton. Riley Acton is an assistant professor of economics at Miami Univers…

1
S5 | Ep 45 | Climbing the Data & AI Literacy Ladder with Pete Williams, Director of Data at Penguin Random House and Greg Freeman, CEO at Data Literacy Academy 51:16

2M ago51:16

51:16

1
Ultramarathons: Can vitamin D protect your bones? 58:50

2M ago58:50

58:50

Ultramarathoners push their bodies to the limit, but can a giant pre-race dose of vitamin D really keep their bones from breaking down? In this episode, we dig into a trial that tested this claim – and found a statistical endurance event of its own: six highly interchangeable papers sliced from one small study. Expect missing runners, recycled figu…

1
Ep88: Prevention Before the ICU: Building Resilience, Surviving Crisis and Reimagining Healthcare w/Tom Swales 49:46

2M ago49:46

49:46

True health is only possible through prevention. Our guest this week is renowned physiotherapist, educator, and founder of the AMT System - Tom Swales. Tom has over 20 years of experience in orthopedic care, injury rehabilitation, and human performance - working with a huge range of people, from world-class athletes to the elderly. Yet in 2023, Tom…

1
Fiscal Policy, Data, and Democracy: Insights from Former CBO Director Doug Elmendorf 29:28

2M ago29:28

29:28

Welcome back to the show! In this week's episode, I sit down with Doug Elmendorf, former director of the Congressional Budget Office, to talk about the impact of government shutdowns, the challenges of fiscal sustainability, and the importance of independent statistical agencies. We discuss how shutdowns ripple through the economy and people’s live…

1
S5 | Ep 44 | From Loyalty to Literacy: Using Data for Good with Nick Blewden, Director of Data at Co-Op 51:11

2M ago51:11

51:11

1
Intl Prize Stat Winner Grace Wahba Legendary, Statistician & Mentor | Stats + Stories Episode 372 29:47

2M ago29:47

29:47

The international prize in statistics is awarded every two years by a collaboration among five leading international statistics organizations: the American Statistical Association, the Institute of Mathematical Statistics, the International Biometric Society, the International Statistical Institute, and the Royal Statistical Society. The prize reco…

1
From Data Literacy to Storytelling: Insights from The Little Book of Data 34:27

2M ago34:27

34:27

In this week's episode of the show, I sit down with Justin Evans, author of The Little Book of Data, to talk about what it means to truly think like a data person. Justin shares insights from his 20-year career in data and advertising, reflecting on why so many professionals struggle to embrace data and how his book helps break down those barriers.…

1
S5 | Ep 43 | Measuring for Success with Sarah Hardison, Product Director, Analytics Enablement at GSK. 43:17

2M ago43:17

43:17

In Episode 43, of Season 5 of Driven by Data: The Podcast, Kyle Winterbottom was joined by Sarah Hardison. Product Director, Analytics Enablement at GSK where they discuss the results from a research project on the investment and value in Data and AI that was conducted to support an MBA Thesis in partnership with University of Cambridge, which incl…

1
P-Values: Are we using a flawed statistical tool? 1:14:21

2M ago1:14:21

1:14:21

P-values show up in almost every scientific paper, yet they’re one of the most misunderstood ideas in statistics. In this episode, we break from our usual journal-club format to unpack what a p-value really is, why researchers have fought about it for a century, and how that famous 0.05 cutoff became enshrined in science. Along the way, we share st…