Fat Tony's Podcast

Some conversations feel like opening a secret door behind the everyday world. This one does. Stephen Wolfram joins us to trace how a teenage physicist became a toolmaker, language designer, and explorer of the computational fabric of reality—then shows why strategy, not bravado, is the quiet engine behind ambitious work. We start with the leap from Oxford to Caltech and what an international physi...

Disruption sounds exciting until it wrecks your margins and burns your runway. With innovation veteran Costas Papaikonomou, we get practical about what actually works: protecting your core with calendar-driven updates, growing into real openings, and saving transformation for when the house is truly on fire. We unpack how to make change feel inevitable by aligning ideas with the line you already h...

The digital world we inhabit grows more complex by the day, with threats evolving at breakneck speed. In this profound conversation, I'm joined by the legendary hacker known as Gummo - a figure whose journey from desperate teenager to Bitcoin billionaire to digital guardian defies easy categorization. Gummo's story begins with heartbreak. Left alone at 13 after their mother's death,...

Ever wondered why traditional education still looks largely unchanged since the industrial revolution? Chris Rawlinson, founder of 42 Courses, takes us on a fascinating journey from his days as an Ogilvy advertising executive to revolutionising online learning through behavioural science. Rawlinson explains how applying advertising principles to education led to a breakthrough approach - creating...

What happens when a data analytics expert trades boardrooms for bedtime stories? In this captivating conversation, Megan Preston Meyer reveals her remarkable journey from corporate number-cruncher to children's book author with a fascinating twist. For over a decade, Megan worked in analytics and supply chain management, helping companies extract value from their data. Yet beneath this corpor...

What if the greatest threat to creative careers isn't competition but rather the rapid advancement of technology itself? In this thought-provoking conversation, wordsmith Leila Johnston pulls back the curtain on the real world of freelance writing. Leila's journey from journalism to digital copywriting reveals the psychological challenges of freelancing – the constant pitching, the perpe...

Join us as we uncover the intriguing journey of Emanuel Derman, a pioneering figure in quantitative finance. Emanuel shares his compelling transition from a physicist to a quant, offering a firsthand look at how Wall Street came to embrace PhD physicists as essential contributors. Through entertaining anecdotes and insightful reflections, Emanuel illustrates the evolution of the quant profession f...

In this episode we're joined by Raphael Douady, a pioneering academic who transformed his career from proving complex mathematical theorems to becoming one of the first academic quants on Wall Street. Discover how Raphael navigated the challenges of transitioning between diverse fields, from academia to the space industry, and ultimately into finance.  He shares fascinating anecdotes about ca...

Discover the transformation of English wine from a laughingstock to a globally respected industry with our special guest, Henry Jeffreys. Henry is a celebrated drinks journalist and author. He has written for the Guardian, the Spectator, and most recently been editor at the Master of Malt blog. He is also the author of several books, including Empire of Booze, and Vines in a Cold Climate. In this...

Dr. Michael J. Bonner takes us on a fascinating journey from his early studies in classical and oriental languages to becoming a leading expert in Iranian history and a political advisor. We uncover the transition from academia to politics, driven by his early political engagement. Bonner's new book, "In Defence of Civilisation," born out of the COVID lockdowns, offers a critical re...

In this episode, we’ll be talking to Porkchop Express, who is known on Twitter for her love of killer boots, sardonic wit, and passion for Dostoevsky. Porkchop is going to be schooling us on how Dostoevsky's works can change your life. From the existential crises depicted in "Notes from Underground" to the moral conflicts of "Crime and Punishment" and the spiritual redempt...

Episode Summary Marc A. Ross is the Founder and Chief Communications Strategist at Caracal, a global geopolical communications consultancy. He is also a Communications Director for the Center for AI Policy, based out of Washington DC. If that wasn't enough, he is also the founder of Brigadoon, which connects thought leaders and entrepreneurs through unique international events and salons.  Ma...

Wall Street Legend Jim O’Shaughnessey is an Investor and (Ad)venture Capitalist, currently serving as the CEO of O'Shaughnessy Ventures. He is also the founder of O'Shaughnessy Asset Management, an asset management firm that was later acquired by Franklin Templeton.  As if that wasn’t enough, He has also written several books, including the bestsellers What Works on Wall Street, and How...

Joan Shields returns to discuss how her experience as a nurse during the early AIDS epidemic in New York in the 1980's prepared her for Covid, the mistakes that were made amongst policy makers, and what we can learn to help us prepare for future pandemics.  We walk through the timeline of events, with particular emphasis on Nassim Taleb's Precautionary Principle paper, which was publishe...

Joan spent her career working as a nurse and witnessing first hand the problems within the medical establishment before retiring and taking up growing her own organic produce. She has become wildly popular on Instagram for her recipes, and tips for eating healthier. She has since come under fire from shills for her anti GMO stance. Joan talks to us about her journey in healthcare, growing her own...

Ernest is a Chemical Engineer my profession, a Classicist and Renaissance man by nature. Ernest was a start up engineer for 5 years and lived in 20 different countries and started up 15 different processes, working in Gas Processing design and sales. He joined fat Tony's to talk about the future of energy, the benefits of a classical education, tarot, Harry Potter, and more...  Fat Tony'...

Shay Hill joins Fat Tony's to talk about safety. Shay is an industrial safety and compliance expert, and is also the founder of foundationsafety.com, a skills based incident prevention consultancy. Shay is  a man of many talents, most recently having released his new book; Make Rules Without Making Enemies: How to Draw the Lines Without Drawing Fire. It was an absolute pleasure talking with S...

Sara Lapsley on mental health, and why undiagnosed psychopathy might be one of the biggest challenges facing society today.  Fat Tony's is more than a podcast - it's a community. Join our community at FatTonys.net .

Hello and welcome. This is a short introduction to tell you about the history of Fat Tony's, and what this podcast will be all about.  Fat Tony's is more than a podcast - it's a community. Join our community at FatTonys.net .