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LIFT | Leaders building a legacy

LIFT | Leaders building a legacy

By: Aïda Figuerola
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LIFT is hosted by neuropsychologist Aïda Figuerola, exploring how to build a legacy and lift others along the way. Each episode features changemakers sharing their stories, learnings, challenges, advice and vision for the new era. We talk about life, science, health, technology... but most importantly: humanity. How we can build a legacy, daily. New episodes every other week. Subscribe so you don't miss one.© 2026 Aïda Figuerola Social Sciences
Episodes
  • Can AI unlock Africa's potential ? | Sara Noureldin & Aïda Figuerola

    Can AI unlock Africa's potential ? | Sara Noureldin & Aïda Figuerola
    Oct 11 2026
    Sara Noureldin is the CTO of ANDA, where she's building mobility and fintech infrastructure for Africa. She's creating systems that enable economic dignity by microfinancing vehicles for drivers and using AI to map cities and build credit systems where traditional data doesn't exist. She was born in Sudan, raised in Saudi Arabia, and has lived across Portugal, Malaysia, and Spain. She studied computer engineering, earned a master's in IT management, and spent two years researching bioinformatics before moving into the real world to see tech create immediate impact. She believes proximity isn't always about geography, that careers should zigzag instead of follow linear paths, and that AI is finally arriving equally across the world for the first time. In this episode, she explains: • How AI fills the gap between what's possible and what exists in Africa • Why African cities share grammar but not vocabulary • How ANDA is building mobility and financial infrastructure across Africa Topics: Chapters 00:00:00 Introduction: Bridging the Gap Between Possibility and Reality in Africa 00:01:34 Welcome to LIFT: Meeting Sara Noureldin 00:01:52 A Childhood Across Continents: From Saudi Arabia to Spain 00:02:25 From Graphic Design Dreams to Computer Engineering 00:03:29 The PhD Pivot: Bioinformatics and Medical Discovery 00:04:41 Career Zigzag: From Research to Big Tech to Consulting 00:05:48 What ANDA Does: Microfinancing Mobility Across Africa 00:07:16 The Complexity of African Cities: Grammar vs Vocabulary 00:08:39 Leading Remotely: Proximity Beyond Geography 00:09:42 The Data Challenge: Working with Incomplete Information 00:11:33 Mapping the Invisible: Using GPS Data to Build Intelligence 00:12:47 AI for Financial Inclusion: Credit Scores for the Invisible 00:13:31 Building on Google Cloud: Telematics Meets Intelligence 00:14:15 The Team Behind ANDA: Small Company, Massive Impact 00:14:50 Skills for the Future: Taste, Adaptability, and Working Across Cultures 00:16:33 Four Languages, Four Continents: The Power of Multilingualism 00:17:05 The New AI Era: Equal Access Across the World 00:18:01 AI in Action: From Malawi Farms to Nairobi NGOs 00:19:20 Building Economic Dignity: The Legacy of ANDA 00:20:00 Closing Question: Meeting Trevor Noah and Translating Complexity Follow Sarah Noor Eldin: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sara-noureldin/ Company: andaafrica.com Follow Aïda Figuerola: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/afiguerola/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lift.talent/ Newsletter: https://lift-collective.com/en-en/newsletter Website: https://lift-talent.com Listen on: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@lift.podcast Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0ebUvY3vWlFjQgGsyFTazt Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.es/podcasts/fabc6285-52b1-490f-8795-c7aab6422c6d/lift-leaders-building-a-legacy
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    21 mins
  • Rockets, Asteroid Mining & The Moon | Federico Rossi & Aïda Figuerola

    Rockets, Asteroid Mining & The Moon | Federico Rossi & Aïda Figuerola
    Oct 5 2026
    Federico Rossi is the co-founder of Pangea Propulsion, where he's building the Aerospike rocket engine: a revolutionary propulsion system that makes access to space cheaper, more efficient, and rockets reusable. He believes the world works better when we collaborate instead of compete, and that space technology should serve mankind. In this episode, he explains: * Everything you should know about rockets * How rockets can be reusable and more efficient * Why the moon is becoming humanity's next hub for asteroid mining and Mars missions Topics: Chapters 00:00:00 Introduction: Eight Minutes to Space 00:01:09 Welcome to LIFT: Meeting Federico Rossi 00:02:16 From Baseball Dreams to Aerospace Engineering 00:04:52 Italy's Powerful Space Legacy 00:06:29 Learning at Avio: Conservative Space vs New Space 00:08:23 What Is the Aerospike Engine and Why It Matters 00:11:38 Rocket Basics: Size, Power, and Cost 00:14:27 Launch Sites: Why Location Matters in Space 00:16:56 The Power of a Rocket Launch: Light, Sound, and Soul 00:24:56 The New Space Revolution: Reusability and Efficiency 00:29:03 Why the Moon Matters: Helium, Hubs, and Asteroid Mining 00:32:46 Data Centers in Space and Climate Solutions 00:34:36 The Overview Effect: Why Everyone Should See Earth from Space 00:36:33 Career Advice: Hands-On Knowledge Over Academic Theory 00:39:00 Overcoming Challenges: Earthquakes, Intention, and Not Overthinking 00:42:36 Founding Pangea: From a Garage to 100 People 00:44:46 Building a Legacy: Making Access to Space Better for Mankind 00:46:00 Changing the World: From Competition to Collaboration Follow Federico Rossi: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/federico-rossi-pangea/ Company: https://pangeapropulsion.com Follow Aïda Figuerola: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/afiguerola/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lift.talent/ Newsletter: https://lift-collective.com/en-en/newsletter Website: https://lift-talent.com Listen on: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@lift.podcast Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0ebUvY3vWlFjQgGsyFTazt Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.es/podcasts/fabc6285-52b1-490f-8795-c7aab6422c6d/lift-leaders-building-a-legacy
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    47 mins
  • From BCG to building Nova: The 1% top talent global network | Ramon Rodrigañez & Aïda Figuerola

    From BCG to building Nova: The 1% top talent global network | Ramon Rodrigañez & Aïda Figuerola
    Sep 20 2026
    Ramon Rodriguez is the co-founder and CEO of Nova, the global talent network that connects the world's most talented people. He left a promising career at BCG to build Nova during COVID, nearly went bankrupt, and rebuilt the company into a merit-based platform that's changing how recruitment works in the AI era. He believes the world works better when the most talented people reach the right opportunities, regardless of where they were born. In this episode, he explains: • Why he left BCG to build Nova • How AI is transforming recruitment • The skills that matter most in the AI era • Why meritocracy is the foundation of a better world Topics: Chapters 00:00:00 Introduction: Connecting the World's Most Talented People 00:00:46 Welcome to LIFT: Meeting Ramon Rodriguez 00:01:12 What Nova Is and How It Differs from LinkedIn 00:02:21 Born During COVID: The Early Days of Nova 00:03:06 From Madrid to Columbia: Ramon's Academic Journey 00:04:40 Why BCG Was the Perfect First Job 00:07:13 The Tough Choice: Leaving BCG for Nova 00:12:06 Finding a Co-Founder Through Serendipity 00:14:32 Learning to Fail: From Football Dreams to Business 00:16:15 The Near-Death Experience: Almost Closing Nova 00:19:02 The Turnaround: From Crisis to Sweet Spot 00:22:38 AI Is Transforming Recruitment Today 00:25:57 The Skills That Matter Most in the AI Era 00:29:24 How AI Changed the Way Ramon Works 00:35:33 Raising Kids in an Uncertain Future 00:38:34 Career Advice: Build Things or Sell Them 00:41:29 Values Beyond the Title: Family, Responsibility, and Meritocracy 00:46:17 The Legacy: A World Based on Merit and Talent 00:47:46 Random Question: The Historical Figure He'd Most Want to Meet Follow Ramon Rodriguez: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ramonrodrigueznovatalent/ Company: https://novatalent.com Follow Aïda Figuerola: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/afiguerola/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lift.talent/ Newsletter: https://lift-collective.com/en-en/newsletter Website: https://lift-talent.com Listen on: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@lift.podcast Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0ebUvY3vWlFjQgGsyFTazt Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.es/podcasts/fabc6285-52b1-490f-8795-c7aab6422c6d/lift-leaders-building-a-legacy
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    51 mins
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