Seen & Unseen Aloud: new episode

Humility and leadership - a weird but essential combo. Plus the outliers.

Natalie Garrett

Natalie produces and narrates The Seen & Unseen Aloud podcast. She's an Anglican minister and a trained actor.

The Pope, wearing white, kneels, crades a bare foot, and kisses it.

Pope Francis kisses the foot of a woman inmate of the Rebibbia prison.

Vatican Media.

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This week we think about leadership and humility as unlikely but essential bedfellows: Roger Bretherton exhorts us to look out for the outliers who bring something unique to the group; Graham Tomlin learns about humble leadership from Pope Francis and Elizabeth Wainwright calls out for a new style of leadership in a year of local, national and international elections.

Podcast

GodPod

Podcasts

Visionaries

5 September 2025

1 min read

Visionaries: Milton's indelible mark on poetry and politics

Jessica Martin discusses the writer's literary legacy with the GodPod hosts

Nick Jones

Nick is the senior editor of Seen & Unseen.

A painting of a young John Milton wearing a neck ruff.

National Portrait Gallery, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

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About this episode

In this episode of GodPod’s Visionaries series, we explore the profound impact of John Milton's personal life and Christian faith on his mighty literary works.

Milton's journey from a loyal servant of the crown to a passionate advocate for political reform and freedom of speech is deeply intertwined with his spiritual beliefs. His faith underpinned his writings and fuelled his desire to address the pressing issues of his time – shaping his approach to both poetry and politics.

Join Graham Tomlin, Jane Williams and – special guest - Jessica Martin, as they uncover how Milton's deep faith not only guided his personal life but also left an indelible mark on his literary legacy.

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