At the Coalface

In this episode of At the Coalface, I sit down with Natalia, an entrepreneur and seeker whose story weaves together Russia, Ecuador, Canada, and beyond.

Born to a Russian mother and Ecuadorian father, Natalia grew up in Quito feeling like both an insider and an outsider. Her father, a doctor in the jungle, would return with stories from indigenous peoples that sparked her lifelong fascination with health, spirituality, and tradition. She went on to explore African-influenced practices like Candomblé in Brazil, connect with northern indigenous communities in Canada, and reflect on the Russian superstitions and esotericism that s...

In this episode, I speak with Gul Rukh Rahman, a woman whose life and work cross continents, cultures, and the fault lines of global politics.

Born in Pakistan and raised in countries including Libya and Saudi Arabia, Gul moved to the US for university before settling in Europe 15 years ago. She grew up in conservative Peshawar in the protective bubble of a military family, yet in a region marked by instability and violence, including bomb blasts during Eid celebrations. Family expectations came with tightly controlled choices for education and relationships, leading Gul to go on a hunger...

What does it take to rebuild your life, again and again, when the ground keeps shifting beneath you?

In this personal and wide-ranging conversation, Philippe sits down with Honey Al Sayed, a media pioneer turned executive coach, whose life has spanned seven countries, three wars, and countless reinventions. Born in Kuwait to Syrian parents, Honey's path was anything but linear, from escaping war as a teenager, to becoming the voice behind Good Morning Syria, to eventually rebuilding her life in exile.

Together, they explore:

In this episode, I sit down with Rob Palm, former U.S. Navy aviator, military diplomat, and now space tech executive, for a wide-ranging conversation on military diplomacy, reinventions and leadership.

Over a 29-year Navy career, Rob flew F-14s and later served as a Foreign Area Officer, advancing U.S. defence collaboration across Europe and the Middle East. Today, he’s helping to shape the future of space-based intelligence, leveraging radio frequency data at the cutting edge of the commercial space sector.

We explore how early life shapes worldview, what it takes to build mi...

In this episode, I sit down with Curtis A. Smith, a political thinker, author, and practitioner whose journey spans the worlds of media, finance, and direct community service. From a childhood steeped in conversations that challenged liberal orthodoxies, to feeding the homeless and working with youth in recovery, Curtis has developed a rich and personal understanding of power, injustice, and resilience.

We explore his early awakening to systems that weren’t as neutral as they seemed - race, governance, democracy - and how his African American identity evolved into a broader sense of African agency. We trace hi...

In this episode, I speak with Eileen Barber about her career in international development and the transformative years she spent in Colombia helping farmers improve their livelihoods. We explore the power of foreign aid programmes rooted in strong community engagement, and why it's just as important to communicate their impact back home to sustain political and public support. Eileen reflects on how shifts in U.S. political leadership disrupted this work and how she navigated a pivot toward more private-sector-oriented development. We discuss the evolving landscape of aid, and the resilience and adaptability required to keep making a difference...

In this episode, I sit down with Athanasia Shinas just hours after her graduation from The Fletcher School to reflect on her remarkable 28-year career as a senior military logistics officer. What begins as a conversation about career choices, from a childhood love of archaeology to joining ROTC, evolves into a deeply personal exploration of leadership, service, and growth. Athanasia shares how she fell in love with the mission, the challenges of commanding through complexity, and the importance of understanding what truly motivates people. We explore the power of the ladder of inference, what setbacks teach us, and learning...

In this episode, former Mexican diplomat Jorge Tuddón shares his journey into the foreign service and reflects on the unexpected influences, what he calls “angels”, that shaped his career path. He recounts the emotional weight and richness of serving as a mobile consular officer across the U.S., where he encountered the powerful and often untold stories of Mexicans abroad. Jorge also opens up about his pivot away from public service, choosing instead a more independent and creative path, one rooted in self-expression and personal growth. It's a conversation about identity, transition, and listening to the quiet signals that...

In this episode, Theo offers a deeply informed perspective on the conflict unfolding in the Great Lakes region of Africa. He unpacks the forces shaping the crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda’s role in it, drawing connections between colonial legacies, economic interests, and the personal influence of political leaders.

With the region still carrying the unhealed trauma of genocide and war, Theo reflects on what’s truly at stake. What kind of leadership is needed to break the cycle of violence and chart a path toward healing, justice, and stability?

In our...

In this episode, I speak with Derreck Kayongo, founder of the Global Soap Project, which recycles hotel soap for communities in Africa without access to basic sanitation. In a conversation that moves between the idealistic and the deeply personal, we explore the trauma that fuelled his entrepreneurial drive and the lessons he's learned as a change-maker. We talk about how embodying a brand—through clothes, words, and gestures—can inspire a movement. Derreck also opens up about confronting the shadows in his inner closet, and how the spectre of legacy continues to shape his path.

Recorded on 16 Apri...

In this episode, I speak with Nelly Arocha Dagdug. Nelly shares her professional journey working for Mexico’s government on improving transparency in the electoral process and then in the field of information disclosure. Her story gives a fascinating insight into Mexico’s shift towards a more pluralistic political system and the cultural shock that came with it. Our conversation switches gear to explore the other dimension of Nelly’s life, her passion for yoga and meditation that eventually became Nelly’s second career as a coach and meditation teacher. She talks about how she explored her self-awareness and how she...

In this episode, Lasha Kasradze shares his journey from growing up in the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic to witnessing the chaos following the collapse of the Soviet Union and eventually moving to the United States as a teenager.

The conversation explores how his experience of straddling cultures and striving to integrate shaped his worldview, fuelled his drive to survive and thrive in the U.S., and led him to entrepreneurial ventures across different fields. Over time, Lasha found his niche as an international affairs analyst and media producer.

He reflects on how his perspectives have...

In this episode, I speak with Sang Yeob Kim. Sang shares his experience growing up across cultures, being exposed to Latin America as a child. This planted the seed for him to return as an adult to work as a diplomat, initially working for Chile. In our conversation, Sang shares his secrets about navigating high stakes diplomacy at the UN and, at the other end of the spectrum, about delivering results in the field for the UNDP. This episode is full of pearls of wisdom and lessons learned in the real world, explained in beautiful stories and metaphors.
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In this episode, I speak with David Kovar. David shares his thought leadership in the field of cybersecurity and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles forensics. David’s work addresses cyber crime and informs domestic and international policies on these important  yet often poorly understood topics. David shares his philosophy about bringing the temperature down, finding a common language and translating complexity into frameworks that enable constructive action and effective collaboration. We also explore how to manage life reinventions and how to engage with people whose perspectives are antithetical to our own.

Recorded on 20 December 2024.

Connect with David on...

In this episode, I speak with Professor Kelly Sims Gallagher, Dean of the Fletcher School. In our conversation, we explore how Kelly’s early life and exposure to air pollution shaped her desire to dedicate her life to environmental issues. Kelly shares the insights of her research on China in the late 1990s and her realisation that China would become a world leader in climate issues, both as emitter and as clean technology superpower. We talk about how the Global South can compete in the clean tech space and how the new US administration’s withdrawal from the Paris Agre...

In this episode, I speak with Olena Tregub. Olena shares her fascinating trajectory, growing up in Soviet times and witnessing her country’s independence. The relative immaturity of the political landscape at the time prompted her to get involved politically at a young age. Olena shares the unique role that civil society plays in Ukraine and its power to affect deep change. Her organization, NAKO, is focusing on improving transparency and governance in military procurement, with great success. Join me for this rare behind-the-scenes perspective on the inner workings of Ukraine’s government administration.

Recorded on 17 December 2024.
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In this episode, I speak with Professor William Moomaw. Prof. Moomaw is a world renowned expert in sustainable development. He has been a long-time contributor and lead author for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, including in 2007 when the IPCC was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Prof. Moomaw has changed the worldview of many of his students as part of his teaching at the Fletcher School. He’s inspired a number of us to make profound changes to our relationship with nature and to refocus our professional direction accordingly. I’m honoured to be hosting Bill on this podcast and...

In this episode, I speak with Jeff Dodson. Jeff shares his life and leadership lessons from his multiple careers, first as an investment banker working on Wall Street, then in the beverage industry, then pivoting to the executive search business, and most recently as a high school teacher. In our conversation, we reflect on what characterises the best leaders, what they think about in the shower, why leaders struggle to let go, how to manage a pivot, and what it’s like being a teacher.

Recorded on 19 November 2024.

Connect with Jeff on LinkedIn at linkedin.co...

In this episode, I speak with Jivan Gjorginski. Together we dive into the complexities of diplomatic efforts to regulate biological and toxins weapons that Jivan has been spearheading. We also touch on his earlier work on lethal autonomous weapons. Jivan reflects on his personal journey, straddling Macedonia and Canada, and how his drive for calming things down guided his decisions and career.

Recorded on 2 October 2024.

Connect with Jivan on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/gjorgjinski. Jivan's podcast, "Diplomacy, Light", is available on Spotify.

Instagram: @at.the.coalface

And don’t forget to...

In this episode, I speak with Ifeoma Okali. Ifeoma shares her journey growing up in Nigeria, finding her way into the legal profession, animated by a strong sense of the importance of equality and protecting civil rights in a society that was still very male dominated. We talk about her experience of 12 years working  for the UN International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and the role of international law in bringing closure for victims of  horrific conflicts. We conclude our conversation on what she found out about the state of Nigeria, in particular its judicial system, on her return, and ho...

In this episode, I speak with Adam Barbina. Adam shares his memories of growing up in rural Ohio in a hard working, religious and conservative family. After studying at a liberal grad school and living in New York City, Adam still remains connected to his roots and understands conservative viewpoints, wishing more people could see both sides. We talk about his career break into geostrategy consultancy and how the private sector grapples with geopolitical issues. Adam reflects on his difficult journey with health, his sense of gratitude, and how it’s shaped who he is today.

Recorded on...

In this episode, I speak with Zack Peterson. Zack founded 1000 Days Fund, an NGO addressing childhood stunting in Indonesia at a grassroots level with specially trained community health workers. Zack was working at the World Bank when he was confronted with the pernicious creep of stunting that was about to affect his daughter - and he decided to jump out and start his NGO. 1000 Days Fund has had incredible results, even with the painstaking work of tackling malnutrition household by household, challenging the conventional model of dumping food aid on people. Being in Zack’s presence to record this co...

In this episode, I speak with Carolina Neal. Carolina is originally from Costa Rica, a country with a deep connection to the wisdom of nature. Her grandmother, the powerful head of her family, had picked Carolina out among her many siblings for her smarts and sent her for higher education. Carolina’s life was destined for high political office, but love got in the way and she ended up in Joplin, Missouri. Carolina shares her fascinating reinvention, the way she connected the many dots in her life, and started restoring historical buildings with her husband, with an incredible impact on...

Nino Kalandadze was one of our first guests on this podcast. Then, she spoke about her experience forged as a young politician while her country, Georgia, was fighting a war with Russia. In this conversation, Nino sheds light on the direction Georgian politics have taken, as a capture of state institutions is under way by interests aligned with Russia. The upcoming Parliamentary elections and the question of whether a peaceful transfer of power can occur will mark a turning point in the country’s history. Nino argues her country may fall behind a new Iron Curtain, reshaping Europe’s futu...

In this episode, I speak with Dana Dumitrascu. Dana just published a book, How To Discover Your Vocation. In our conversation, we explore Dana’s backstory and how she grew into becoming a vocational coach. Her book helps people, young and experienced in life, shed the conditioning we’ve all inherited about work and jobs, and look at vocation in a new way. Dana’s framework is practical and involves building on our natural inclinations to regain agency over what we choose to do. Her toolkit helps fill a void in meaning that individual pursuits never fully satisfy. Her advice...

In this episode, I speak with Bernard Zongo. Bernard’s story inspires me in so many ways. He grew up in a poor environment where the odds were stacked against him doing much with his life. His relentless determination to pursue education, with a sprinkle of help along the way, led him to blaze a path in local development, urbanism, humanitarian interventions in conflict zones and more recently, in stakeholder management for the mining sector. And this is far from the whole story: Bernard is accomplished in sports, theatre, music and writing, and has used his talents to shape po...

In this episode, I speak with Michael Brasseur. Michael is a man of the seas, who’s made a living sailing the oceans for the US Navy and grappled with some of the most fascinating naval and security challenges of our time. Michael shares his leadership lessons from decades of building winning teams, summed up as having a vision, clear values and a strong culture. He talks about his journey of injecting imagination and creativity in NATO to incorporate robotics and AI as a resource multiplier in the Persian Gulf in record time: this is the story of Task Fo...

In this episode, I speak with Professor Diana Chigas. Diana is one of the foremost experts in international negotiation and conflict resolution. She has worked in El Salvador, South Africa, Ecuador and Peru and in the Georgia/South Ossetia peace process, facilitated inter-ethnic dialogue in Cyprus and in Central and East Africa. She co-directs the Corruption, Justice and Legitimacy Project that aims to improve the effectiveness of anti-corruption programming in fragile and conflict-affected contexts. In our conversation, we reflect on the evolution of the field of negotiation to encompass social factors such as identity and narratives, and the importance...

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 properties, Steve’s own journey with these modalities, and his work today helping veterans with the hard part - integration. We wrap up by discussing entry pathways for people seeking to improve their mental well...

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 acclaimed book, Tainted Democracy, published in 2022. Zsuzsanna talks about her personal trajectory as a lifelong politician and how she dedicated her career to issues of human rights, migration,  and development, the bedrock of Eur...

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 native India was undergoing its own transformation. We talk about his early career, his pivot to the private sector and advising top corporate leaders, India’s elections and conclude with musings about leadership.

Recorded on 13...

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 his outrage at the threats to the liberal rule based order by autocracy, and how he decided to put all his life experience to use in setting up an investment bank focusing...

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 prosperity: he took this to heart when he decided to run for Mayor of London  a few years ago. I was delighted to catch up with Kam and record this conversation.

Recorded on 29 April 2024.

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 Islands, speaking to rebels and guerrilleros. In our conversation, we reflect on what forces have shaped his life, his early encounter with racial issues and political violence, his fascination with empires and with the...

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 his community. He shares his journey into electoral politics to drive change to Cape Verde. And how he’s today putting all of his skills to work in science diplomacy as S...

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 opportunities of AI, in particular for the global South, and reflect on the raw intensity of life as an entrepreneur with no safety net.

Recorded on 8 March 2024.

Instagram: @at.the.coalface
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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 most experienced and acclaimed war reporter, more than that: a human rights reporter. Janine has dedicated her life to giving a voice to those caught in the middle of ma...

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’m moved by the fits and starts of Katarina’s life, and how it all seems to have been for a reason: the moment everything came crashing down at 18, the f...

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 agriculture at a very young age, and later in development cooperation. Following an assignment as Ambassador for Dominican Republic at the Organisation of American States, she was recently appointed by her c...

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 by similar challenges yet also divided by complex affiliations and loyalties. We talk about  what factors matter most in the trajectory of development of these countries, the tra...