At the Coalface

In this episode, I catch up with Steve Viola. We last spoke on this podcast about 2 1/2 years ago when he shared his fascinating career in the Navy and as special warfare operator. Since that last conversation, I had been following Steve’s work advocating for opening up new treatment protocols for veterans suffering from trauma. We speak about the healing power of plants with psychotropic properti...

In this episode, I speak with Zsuzsanna Szelényi. Zsuzsanna shares with me her incredible journey at the heart of Hungary’s political transformation since the fall of the Soviet Union. She talks about the early days of Hungarian democracy and the levers used by Victor Orban to shape the country’s institutions towards a more authoritarian, illiberal form of governance. This was the subject of her a...

In this episode, I speak with Rahul Sharma. Rahul has had a fascinating international career in journalism, media, corporate and political affairs. He’s worked  at the Economic Times, Khaleej Times and Reuters among others, covering business and political stories, while also living in Hong Kong, Singapore and Sri Lanka. He has a unique perspective about China, watching the country rise while his n...

In this episode, I speak with Perry Boyle. Perry shares with me his multiple lives and how he reinvented himself as his life goals evolved and as his values broadened. We talk about his initial career in investment banking and private equity, his pivot to equity research, and then his decision to reframe his purpose towards scaling a successful NGO tackling acute poverty in Africa. Perry shares hi...

In this episode, I speak with Kamran Balayev. Kam is a lawyer specialised in human rights and international law. He grew up in Azerbaijan but has made London home. He divides his energy between commercial consulting projects and international transactions and his work on human rights. Kam is passionate about improving the political and legal structures that underpin business and enable individual...

In this episode, I speak with Scott Malcomson. Scott is an accomplished author, reporter, editor, foreign affairs analyst and investigator, with experience working in government advising leaders that have defined our era, as well as for the  private sector. He’s travelled all over the world to dive deep into the local dynamics of far flung places, from Latin America to Central Asia to the Pacific...

In this episode, I speak with Alberto Montrond. Alberto is originally from Cape Verde and moved to the US as a child. In our conversation, we explore what it meant to grow up in an environment with bullying,  racial and social  challenges. Alberto shares how he turned these negative forces into a source of strength and self-discipline thanks to martial arts, leading him to use this wisdom to serve...

In this episode, I speak with Journel Jospeh. Journel shares his fascinating story into the world of AI entrepreneurship. He grew up in Haiti and initially pursued a journalistic ambition. In the US, he moved into data science and saw opportunities for digital technologies to improve some of the disparities and inequalities with access to quality healthcare. We talk about the dangers and opportuni...

In this episode, I speak with Janine Di Giovanni. I first met Janine at a crisis simulation workshop as part of our degree programme at the Fletcher school and remember being struck by her energy, but also the ease with which she navigated the harrowing scenario of an ambassador needing to take immediate action as staff were caught hostage. Janine needs no introduction, she is one of the world’s m...

In this episode, I speak with Katarina Kavec. Katarina grew up in the drab setting of former Yugoslavia, where she had a window seat on the colours and choices available right across the border in Italy.  She shares with me the opportunities that came her way and those that eluded her... and the philosophy she developed to embrace whatever comes your way, to trust that everything will work out. I’...

In this episode, I speak with Anabel Bueno Santana-Dolenc. Anabel shares her unusual story growing up in a politically active family in Dominican Republic, who had to find refuge in the US for many years.  Her background provided the impetus to seek a path that would lead her to serve her country. Her calling was working in the UN and multilateral agencies, managing lending and donation programmes...

In this episode, I speak with Moges Gebremedhin. I’d long wanted to have a longer conversation with Moges after meeting him at an event where he was a panelist and we had a Q&A on his thoughts about the trajectory of East Africa where he grew up, between Ethiopia and Kenya, yet originally from Eritrea. Moges shares his story of multiple identities common to many people in the region, connected...

In this episode, I speak with Laurie Charlés. Laurie is a family therapist who has taken her expertise to regions in the throes of conflict, violence and fragility - countries where mental health concerns can be dire - yet the resources available to help are rudimentary. She’s helped coach and train the people who support vulnerable groups and victims of gender-based violence in places like DRC, B...

In this episode, I speak with Dr Peter Stanbury. Peter has developed a unique expertise over decades of guiding companies, international agencies, governments and civil society organisations on the politics of economic development in emerging markets. He’s helped these organisations design economic activities that take account of local dynamics, such as what happens to social structures when incom...

In this episode, I speak with Ernesto Gonzalez. Ernesto shares with me his incredible life trajectory, from modest beginnings in Chile to the inner workings of the UN’s Security Council. Ernesto grew up in poverty, where one pair of shoes had to last for an entire year. His story is one that combines focus and grit with openness to chance encounters - such as the offer to help pay for his stay in...

In this episode, I speak with Monica Smith. Monica shares how her upbringing in a family that moved frequently across the US and her experience of travelling and living abroad early on shaped her outlook on the world and softened her philosophical principles.  She talks about her career in the corporate world, her approach to succeeding in hierarchies and  lessons in global leadership as she helpe...

In this episode, I speak with Josy Joseph. Josy is proudly Indian, an acclaimed investigative journalist who uncovered a series of major corruption stories that have exposed systemic issues plaguing the very fabric of India’s democracy. In this conversation, we talk about the origin of the West’s romantic narrative of India, and how this vision is blinding many of us to dangerous  faultlines that...

In this episode, I speak with Jeffrey Fang. This is a bit of a different conversation today. Jeff is an accomplished corporate professional from Singapore, who decided to break away from the logical professional path of corporate promotions and step out to follow a path much more aligned to who he wanted to be and what his intuition was telling him. In this rather personal exchange, we explore how...

In this episode, I speak with Alexandra Vitard. Alexandra talks about the influence her multicultural, globetrotting background had on her life, and what happened when she came face to face with the realisation of what living with privilege meant. She shares how she brought the insights and skills honed in her early career in government to women who needed them. She was inspired by Nasim Taleb’s i...

In this episode, I speak with Alicia Pérez-Porro. Alicia is a a scientist working in the space of climate diplomacy. She trained as a marine biologist researching sponges, but her heart wasn’t really in research. A life-changing journey to Antarctica helped her discover her passion in science activism. We speak about her childhood connection with nature and the importance of role models in opening...

In this episode I speak with Aicha Pere. Aicha shares her story of growing up in Togo as a bookish, introverted girl, but inspired by her grandfather whose passion for agriculture and food set the foundations for her professional direction. Aicha talks about how she overcame her reserved nature to achieve elected leadership positions and become a trusted partner in agricultural projects, both in t...

In this episode, I speak with Hital Muraj. Hital grew up in Kenya as a 4th generation Indian in a well-to-do setting. But hers is a story of riches to rags, as her family suddenly ended up on the street. As a teenager, she had to drop out of school to earn a living. Hital shares how she eventually found her way into an IT career in Cisco, a position she used to bring access to technology to disadv...

Today I speak with Paula Fynboh. Paula shares her journey helping people with some of the most intractable social issues of our time, homelessness, gun violence and access to education. She shares how she’s observed our society has systems in place that tend to lock people in negative dynamics where even the most determined face unsurmountable odds to get their lives back on track. A lack of empat...

In this episode, I speak with Irene Mbari-Kirika. Irene shares her story of coming face to face with the challenges of young people with disabilities, and her journey to do something about it. Irene founded InAble over 16 years ago with the mission of helping the visually impaired in schools in Kenya with assistive technology. inAble has reached over 15,000 students, enabling them to learn and to...

Today, Siri and I speak with Kjell Bergh. Kjell’s life could really be a movie - about the American Dream, the power of seizing opportunities, of following one’s instinct and moral impulse, of being open to random encounters and willing to be helpful without expecting something in return. The story of the humble car salesman turned diplomat, peace broker and confidant of Kings and Presidents is un...