Episodes

  • Abdel Wahed El Wakil

    Abdel Wahed El Wakil
    Feb 3 2026
    I‘m joined today by a legend of from the world of architecture, Abdel Wahed El Wakil. I sat down with him a couple of weeks ago in Doha, where he now lives, to document his incredible journey, his vision for architecture as an industry, and Islamic architecture in particular. Abdel Wahed has designed buildings around the world, including in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Paris and London. He also studied and worked under his mentor, Hassan Fathy, an architecture legend in his own right. We’ll be continuing our conversation next week, where Abdel Wahed tells me about the evolution of architecture and materials, so stay tuned! This episode is brought to you by: ⁠EFG Hermes One⁠, your one app for investing in more than 35 stock markets worldwide⁠. Star Investing today! Azza Fahmy Jewellery⁠ Chapters: 0:00 Coming up 10:42 Architecture's Purpose 19:10 Materialism vs Spirituality 23:21 Cultural Revolution 26:34 Designing for the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies 37:58 Reviving Community Spaces 41:40 Lightning Round Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    45 mins
  • Encore: Bobby Chinn

    Encore: Bobby Chinn
    Jan 27 2026
    I'm re-connecting today with celebrity chef & author Bobby Chinn. I first spoke to Bobby during the summer of 2021 in preparation for Season 2. That feels like such a long time ago, we were just 8 episodes in at the time, and we're now in our 6th year with more than a 100 episodes! You can listen to that episode in your podcast app or our website: https://www.at-media-group.com/what-i-did-next/bobby-chinn/ This episode is part of Encore, where I check-in with some of your favourite WIDN alumni. We’ll continue this segment with more of the show’s alumni next month, so stay tuned. Chapters 0:00 Coming up... 2:03 Bobby's dream project 4:00 Sustainable seafood 10:11 Crying on TV 15:21 Climate Change and Food Systems 24:43 Lightning Round Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    29 mins
  • Maria Shollenbarger on why destinations trend, and the future of travel

    Maria Shollenbarger on why destinations trend, and the future of travel
    Jan 20 2026
    We’re continuing my conversation with luxury travel journalist and editor Maria Shollenbarger. Today, we’re delving into the travel industry—how and why certain destinations trend over others, how preferences have changed since COVID, and the future of travel in the age of AI. In case you missed Part 1 of our conversation, you can watch it here: I’ll be back next week with a new Encore episode with all-round rockstar Bobby Chinn. This episode is brought to you by:⁠ EFG Hermes One⁠, your one app for investing in more than 35 stock markets worldwide⁠. Start Investing today: https://app.efghermesone.com/ Azza Fahmy Jewellery⁠: https://azzafahmy.com/ Chapters 0:00 Coming up... 2:30 Travel in a post-COVID world 5:56 The Impact of Social Media 7:22 The role of Airbnb 9:03 Life as a Travel Journalist 11:47 The evolution of luxury travel 16:37 Travel in the age of AI Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    27 mins
  • Maria Shollenbarger

    Maria Shollenbarger
    Jan 13 2026
    I’m excited to be kicking off the year with Maria Shollenbarger, travel editor at the Financial Times’ HTSI magazine. I got to know Maria last year at The Narrative Summit, where she was on a panel that I moderated. Maria has been with the FT now for 17 years and had always dreamed about working as a travel journalist. On Part 1 of our conversation, we unpack her journey traveling and living around the world. Maria has a sophisticated eye, an instinct for what travellers need and want, and we’ll her industry in a lot of depth on Part 2 next week, so stay tuned. This episode is brought to you by: EFG Hermes One, your one app for investing in more than 35 stock markets worldwide Azza Fahmy Jewellery Chapters: 0:00 Coming up 3:53 Early Career in Magazines 14:56 Moving to Europe 21:37 Life in Singapore 25:22 Reflections on an itinerant life Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    37 mins
  • Welcome to our 6th year!

    Welcome to our 6th year!
    Jan 9 2026
    We all know the value of looking back to understand our path. But as the world becomes increasingly uncertain, I wanted to open a new chapter on the show.In 2026, in addition to reflecting on the past, we’re also tackling the big questions about our future. I’ll be asking my guests how they're navigating the same anxieties and opportunities we all face, from AI to climate change to the changing world around us. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    2 mins
  • My conversation with EFG Holding’s Mohamed Abdel Khabir

    My conversation with EFG Holding’s Mohamed Abdel Khabir
    Dec 23 2025
    We’re closing out the year with a special episode with EFG Holding, and I’m joined today by the Group’s Chief Finance & Operations Officer, Mohamed Abdel Khabir. Mohamed joined the investment bank in 2008 and took on the CFO role in 2016. Earlier this year, he took on the additional responsibility of Operations, which includes Marketing, Technology & Administration. Mohamed has been actively involved in EFG Holding’s transformation from a MENA-based investment bank to its current avatar—a leading financial institution with a universal bank in Egypt and a leading investment bank in MENA. We’ll be back in the New Year with a bit of a refresh, new episodes with some amazing guests from across the region. In the meantime, you can catch up on episodes you might have missed here: Chapters 0:00 Coming up... 2:54 EFG Holding’s transformation 3:53 Regional strategy and global footprint 10:00 Lessons learnt from acquisitions 17:34 Leadership and fostering talent 23:04 Investor relations 25:51 ‘Resilience is not a choice’ 29:21 The Lightning Round Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    37 mins
  • Bonus: Mounir Nakhla on MNT Halan's high-RPM expansion into Turkey, the UAE & Pakistan

    Bonus: Mounir Nakhla on MNT Halan's high-RPM expansion into Turkey, the UAE & Pakistan
    Dec 16 2025
    Last week, Mounir Nakhla told me about his entrepreneurial journey with MNT Halan, and how the company has risen to become of the Africa’s fastest growing start-ups. On this bonus episode, Mounir talks to me about the strategy behind their recent expansion into 3 new territories — Turkey, the UAE & Pakistan. Watch my full conversation with Mounir here: This episode is brought to you by EFG Hermes One, your one app for investing in more than 35 stock markets worldwide. ⁠Start Investing Today⁠: https://app.efghermesone.com/ Chapters: 0:00 On this episode... 5:12 Consolidation vs. Expansion 8:36 The impact of geopolitical factors Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    9 mins
  • Mounir Nakhla

    Mounir Nakhla
    Dec 9 2025
    I'm joined today by entrepreneur Mounir Nakhla. Mounir is the co-founder & CEO of MNT-Halan, Egypt's fintech unicorn that has now served more than 8 million customers and recently expanded into the UAE, Turkey & Pakistan. Mounir launched his first company in 2010, which showed him the true potential of micro-financing to unlock economic potential. This led him to co-found MNT-Halan in 2021 with Ahmed Mohsen. Mounir is an old friend and I've always known him to be incredible disciplined and routine-based. So I wasn't surprised to see this translate into his role as a founder and CEO. He tells me how he pivoted to technology and fintech, and how he's grown as a leader as well. This episode is brought to you by EFG Hermes One, your one app for investing in more than 35 stock markets worldwide. ⁠Start Investing Today⁠: https://app.efghermesone.com/ 0:00 Coming up... 1:59 Early Influences and Education 9:46 Mentorship and Guidance 17:00 Embracing Technology 20:12 From micromanager to delegator 29:03 Personal Goals and Values 30:50 Well-being and Self-Care 32:52 The Lightning Round Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    36 mins