The Swedish Clown (s02e17: Björn DAHLMAN, Clowns Without Borders)

Any speechwriter will corroborate that you can use the art of self-deprecation to engage an audience in ways that cannot be achieved through other rhetorical tricks. But if you adopt the wrong tone, it can come across as inauthentic, unfunny, and - worst of all - creepy. It takes a surprising amount of thoughtfulness, skill and intelligence to make yourself the subject of derision.

Clowns are the monarchs of self-mockery, and today's guest is the King. The Frog King, to be precise. Björn Dahlman's story takes him from the suburbs of Sweden to the mountains of the Middle Kingdom, where he performed the first ever Clowns Without Borders project in China. And in a culture where it is very difficult to celebrate your mistakes, he teaches us all a valuable lesson in the dignity of laughter.