The Good Intentions Podcast

Monica Malhotra is the founder and CEO of The Gaggler, an online publishing platform that provides regionally relevant content with diverse points of view, and authentic storytelling. She’s a passionate entrepreneur, always looking for ways to create something with a positive impact and this passion led her to start businesses in education and more recently in online publishing with The Gaggler. M...

Shereen Qutob is absolutely fascinating - she enables organizations to understand and tap into their true talents - their teams.  She helps high performance cultures in an age of constant disruption and as a self proclaimed Corporate Alchemist, her mission is bring humanity back to the workplace one conversation at a time. Shereen says: We’ve been lied to as a humanity. That life is hard. That not...

Bashayer Arif is an Emirati writer, and the author of a wonderful new children’s book - The Secret Life of Dubai’s Street Cats. Her book about three street cats exploring the city of Dubai is about cats (obviously!) but it’s also a beautiful story of friendship and forgiveness. We discussed the profound power of storytelling, why empathy is so important, and the danger of seeing the world in black...

Gaj Ravichandra is an International Career Path Strategist and Executive Coach, Organizational Psychologist, and the Co-founder of Kompass Consultancy here in Dubai. Humans hate uncertainty and Gaj’s insights on how to navigate what are most definitely very uncertain times right now were just brilliant.  We talked about neuroscience and upgrading our operating software - which was fascinating, we...

Marcus Smith is a phenomenon..I’d go as far as to say he’s almost superhuman! He’s an extreme athlete who ran 30 marathons in 30 days and he did this just 9 months after being hit by a truck when he was out cycling. I told you - he’s superhuman! Marcus has an Ultra mindset - and he’s full of great advice for how people can live their best lives and end every day better than they were yesterday. If...

Leila Rezaiguia is an executive coach and co-founder of Kompass Consultancy here in Dubai.  Leila is hugely well respected and recognized in the region for her work with Arab female leaders and has 18 years of international experience building high-performance teams for top organizations, business schools and sporting teams. Obviously I couldn’t wait to talk to her about coaching and we also had a...

I am so excited about this week’s guest and I know you will be too.  When the book The Sheikh CEO was released, it was hugely anticipated and took Dubai and the UAE by storm.  It’s written based on the first hand experience of Dr Yasar Jarrar, who worked for the Executive Office of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum for many years, as well as interviews with people who worked (and continue to w...

If you’ve met Isobel Abulhoul, you will know that she is a force of nature, a pioneer and a true inspiration. She is perhaps best known for literacy – she co-founded Magrudy’s, the book store chain (and a UAE institution!) in 1975.  In 2008, she founded the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature, the Arab World’s largest celebration of the written and spoken word. This beautiful event has gone on...

My guest this episode is Aakanksha Tangri. She’s the founder of Re:Set, an online resource for tools and stories around education, parenting, mental health, gender and inclusivity.  Its a wonderful platform that aims to dispel misconceptions and stigma and provide a safe, inclusive space that encourages dialogue. It’s full of incredible stories and resources and I really recommend that you take a...

What if you could turn philanthropy on its head, and make giving to charity easy, simple, and part of everyday life? We’d solve a lot of problems in the world, right? Well that’s exactly what my next guest has done - to incredible effect. My guest this week is Jad Toubayly, CEO and Co-Founder of Idealz.  Idealz is an ecommerce store which sells self-branded sports clothing and stationery. You sign...

This week my guest is Karalynn Thomson, founder of The Animal Agency, the UAE’s only professional animal agency providing models and actors of every colour, shape and size to the region’s growing media and advertising industry. Karalynn also runs the fantastic initiative Reading Dogs UAE, which encourages school children to become confident readers by reading aloud to pet dogs.  Research shows tha...

From the very first day I started this podcast I knew that I wanted to explore the wisdom of animals and how our relationship with them can guide us and help us to grow.  So when a client of mine posted about an equine leadership session that they’d taken part in, I just had to interview the coach.  So my guest this episode is Kelly Eide. Kelly is a corporate strategist and a leadership coach who...

If you’ve ever wondered why you have certain aches and pains, or why you can’t shake certain behaviours, this episode is for you. My guest this week is Anna Mitchell - a kinesiologist. If you’re wondering what kinesiology is don’t worry - I was a little hazy about this myself until I met with Anna. In a nutshell, kinesiology is the science of human movement. It uses muscle testing to identify imba...

My guest this week is Zach Holz. Zach is a teacher, a finance expert, a serial expat and a general all round brilliant human being. You might know him from his blog: The Happiest Teacher, or from his weekly columns in The National newspaper here in the UAE.  He’s one of those great people who is on a constant quest for self-improvement, who in the process also wants to share what he’s found with o...

Our surroundings can impact us on a deep level - our home, after all, is the space that we wake up to in the morning and that we return to each night. How can we make sure that these spaces lift us up and really enrich our lives? My guest this episode is Emilie Jacob - the incredible woman who runs the boutique interior design studio Stella and the Stars. She’s known for her signature style: lots...

In this episode we meet Eda Gungor, the founder of SEVA - which you will previously have known as Life n One in Jumeirah 1. SEVA is a wellness centre, a vegan cafe and a concept shop, but it’s so much more than that - it’s a beautiful oasis of calm and tranquility with a garden to die for! I chatted to Eda, who started Life n One six years ago, in that very garden, and we had a brilliant conversat...

In this episode we meet Fiona Day, an intuitive consultant and an energy healer. Fiona operates on a completely different level - in a different dimension in fact - so being in her presence and learning more about her amazing abilities was absolutely fascinating. I arrived at her lovely home to be met by a dog, a cat, and a house rabbit (there may be a few miaows in the background!) and for an ani...

My guest for you in this episode is Reza Alavi, the founder of Real Pilates, a true Dubai business success story.  With a mission to enrich people’s lives, Reza turned his back on his conventional career to start the Real Pilates studio, and his journey from corporate life to wellness is a fascinating one. I first discovered Pilates and Reza’s amazing Jumeirah One studio about five years ago - I w...

From an early age, Clinical Psychologist Dr Saliha Afridi knew that she wanted to change the world. What began as a desire to heal evolved into helping people to help themselves and today Dr Saliha leads The Lighthouse: a community mental health clinic based in Dubai. I was so thrilled to sit with Dr Saliha in the beautiful space she’s created in the heart of Dubai. We talked about everything from...

As a counsellor and self-development coach, Helen has dedicated her life to helping others. From her Dubai-based business Mindful Me, she is a guide and mentor, running courses and retreats that aim to nourish the souls of those who attend them. Spending time with Helen is always a pleasure. She has an energy and outlook that belies her 70 years and wisdom pours out of her. We talked about travell...