Afleveringen
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Sami Kayyali is the founder and managing director of Rekarda, one of the most specialist communications businesses in the UAE. But the work he does is not what most people think. He is not building slides. He is sitting behind the scenes of the rooms where the most consequential decisions in the region get made, shaping how CEOs, government entities and multinational boards communicate before they walk into the moments that define their careers.
With over 20 years of experience, Sami has watched brilliant leaders with brilliant ideas lose the room, not because the idea was wrong, but because nobody had ever told them the truth about how they were coming across.
This conversation covers building a specialist consultancy from the ground up in Dubai, the hidden work behind high-stakes presentations, what AI is doing to leadership communication, and the one pattern he sees in every single boardroom that almost nobody is willing to talk about.
Timestamps:
0:00 Who Sami Kayyali is and the work that happens before leaders walk into high-stakes rooms
3:30 What brought him to Dubai and the gap in the market he spotted that nobody else was filling
10:00 How a presentation design business became a full strategic communications company
16:00 The moment he realised the problem was never the slides, it was always the thinking behind them
22:00 The biggest communication mistakes CEOs make and why nobody ever tells them
30:00 What actually happens behind the scenes before a major board meeting or investor presentation
38:00 Can you tell within minutes whether a leader is a strong communicator and what gives it away
45:00 How AI is changing executive communication and why most leaders are getting worse, not better
53:00 The Kernel, cybersecurity and why it is a leadership problem, not an IT problem
60:00 Failure, what success means to him now versus ten years ago and the advice that changed everything
66:00 Quickfire: favourite books, the worst phrase in any business deck, the most underrated communication skill, PowerPoint loved or hated, AI as a creative shortcut or a creative risk, and one thing every CEO should fix tomorrow
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Dennis McGettigan is the founder and CEO of McGettigan's, one of the most recognisable hospitality brands in the UAE. But the story behind it starts in Dublin, in a house with ten children run "like a business", where the kitchen was locked at 7pm and every kid got jobs and five pounds a week. His father started as a dishwasher on the QE1 at nineteen, bought his first pub for eight thousand pounds in 1964, and built a hotel empire across Ireland, the UK and eventually Dubai.
This conversation is about grit. The 2008 crash that left him with zero revenue and hundreds of millions in exposure. The international expansion he opened in three weeks and closed during Covid. And the personal side too: his wife Nicola's cancer and recovery, told through a racehorse and a moment at Royal Ascot that still moves him.
This is one of the most grounded, human conversations about what it actually takes to build something that lasts.
Timestamps:
0:00 Growing up one of ten in Dublin, a house run like a business, the kitchen locked at 7pm
6:30 His father: from dishwasher on the QE1 to a pub empire across Ireland and the UK
12:15 Why he would hire work ethic over a university degree every single time
14:00 The Burlington Hotel, the 2008 crash, and becoming a fireman putting out fires
18:30 How McGettigan's was born from one simple idea: a bar he wanted to go to himself
36:45 Where he got it wrong: New York, Singapore, Jakarta and the cost of moving too fast
44:00 The Β£70 million monster in JBR and the deal he signed right as the conflict began
52:18 Why he believes Dubai will bounce back bigger than ever
1:14:00 Nicola's cancer, a racehorse at Royal Ascot, and the moment that still moves him
1:04:00 Quickfire: one word for Dubai 2026 and the hardest phone call he ever makes
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Zijn er afleveringen die ontbreken?
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In 1981, a young Emirati woman convinced her father to let her travel to America to study. On her very first exam in a class of 75 Americans, she came first. That woman is now Vice Chancellor of the University of Sharjah.
Dr. Amina Al Marzouqi's story is one of the most inspiring journeys Spencer has covered on this show. After graduating in the US, she came home and was made deputy director of the UAE's entire primary healthcare system. She did her master's degree and went on to help build 106 primary healthcare centres that earned WHO recognition. Twenty four years in education later, she leads one of the UAE's most respected universities.
This conversation is full of wisdom. Dr. Amina talks about what university is really for, why a great teacher matters more than a famous institution, and why she believes students need less lecturing and more genuine interaction. She shares what it was like chairing her university's Covid response committee and supporting thousands of students through lockdown. She reflects on running a campus during the missile attacks, why students felt safer on university grounds than anywhere else, and the quiet strength the UAE revealed when it mattered most.
Timestamps:
0:00 How hard is it to be a student today with AI, mental health pressure and a region in conflict
1:30 Chairing the Covid response committee and what students needed most during lockdown
8:02 What university is really for: independence, critical thinking and self discipline
12:22 The teacher makes the subject: why a great lecturer matters more than a great university
18:13 Arriving in America in 1981, defying her father, and her first mixed classroom
22:24 The professor who saw her potential and the exam that changed everything
27:40 No management training, one year to get a master's, and building the UAE's healthcare system from scratch
31:48 AI as a tool not a threat and the careers students are not talking about yet
37:47 How the missile crisis made students more thoughtful and more mature
48:58 From mandatory cousin marriages to confronting a queue jumper: how UAE culture has shifted
51:31 The UAE's defence strength that nobody knew existed until it mattered
58:52 Defining success as impact and why she hates exams and textbooks
1:04:26 Quickfire Questions
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Known to millions as Mrs. Moneypenny from her 16 year Financial Times column, Heather has been an investment banker, executive search entrepreneur, Edinburgh Fringe performer, off Broadway actress, PhD holder, chartered accountant and now Provost of Heriot-Watt University Dubai, overseeing 5,500 students and 600 staff. She qualified as a chartered accountant three weeks before her 60th birthday. She borrowed Β£1.8 million personally to buy a business, then gifted it to her staff. She co-founded the 30% Club when women held just 12% of FTSE board seats. It is now 45%.
This conversation covers all of it. Why she rejects guilt and regret as wasted emotions. What structural barriers actually stop women from getting ahead and how to dismantle them. Why Dubai's greatest advantage is not the skyline but the connectivity and free movement of capital and labour that Europe has quietly forgotten. And what she really thinks about the value of a university degree.
Heather also shares the story behind the Taylor Bennett Foundation, built to help Black and minority ethnic graduates break into professional services, funded from her own dividends, and the moment she knew it was working.
Timestamps:
0:00 Four failed engagements, a baby to feel anchored, and the unvarnished truth about having children
5:30 The queen of reinvention: why preparation meets opportunity and how Heather built her career in layers
7:11 Her one regret: not qualifying as an accountant sooner and why she finally did it at 59
11:19 Dubai versus Singapore versus Hong Kong: what makes this city different from every other global hub
15:46 Living through the missile attacks, what inflation and food security really look like from the inside, and who has barely noticed
21:18 Structural barriers, the 30% Club, and why three women in a room of ten changes everything
27:01 Borrowing Β£1.8 million, building Taylor Bennett, and then giving it all away
33:49 Mrs. Moneypenny: 16 years, 800 columns, and the barometer story that almost ended her career
39:25 The Taylor Bennett Foundation and why she measures success by impact not money
43:44 Selling out Edinburgh Fringe and performing off Broadway: the chapter nobody expected
52:22 Heriot-Watt Dubai: why they only teach subjects that lead to jobs and what universities are actually for
59:06 Entrepreneurship, incubators and why she finds young people today far more ambitious than her generation
1:01:24 Why she hates the word networking and what building social capital actually means
1:04:09 Quickfire: the best way into investment banking, what every future leader needs, and what Dubai understands that Europe has forgotten
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Most people arrive in Dubai thinking the opportunities will find them. Jason Grundy has spent 25 years watching that assumption play out badly.
As Managing Director for the Middle East and Africa at Robert Walters, Jason has seen every side of the hiring market. The candidates who oversell themselves. The companies that leave great people waiting a month for feedback and wonder why they lost them. The businesses generating AI written job descriptions that have nothing to do with the actual role. And the expats who land in Dubai assuming opportunities will fall into their lap, only to find one of the most competitive job markets on earth.
This episode covers what is really happening in the UAE job market right now, which industries are hiring, which have gone quiet, and when the bounce back comes. Plus the honest truth about Emiratisation, why culture retains talent more than salary, and why the best candidates are never on a job board.
If you are hiring, being hired, or just trying to understand where Dubai is heading, this one is worth your time.
Timestamps:
1:30 How Jason fell into recruitment and why one snap decision defined his entire career
6:40 How to choose the right recruiter, why trust matters, and what makes Robert Walters different
13:15 The Middle East versus Africa and the miracle of what this region has built in 50 years
17:30 Emiratisation: the honest answer, the real challenge, and the only playbook that works
23:50 What is hiring and what has gone quiet after the regional conflict
27:00 Jason's honest forecast: when Dubai will bounce back and what it will look like
31:54 Why badly trained interviewers are losing great candidates and how to fix it
36:32 AI in recruitment: what is actually happening, the quiet tap no bot can replace, and the one line that says it all
45:34 Why a third of candidates are hesitating and why two thirds are still saying yes to Dubai
53:40 Culture is the only real difference between companies that keep people and those that always hire
57:00 How to stand out as a candidate, what your LinkedIn is doing wrong, and why the CV is just the door
1:02:30 Degrees: do they still matter and what Jason told his own kids
1:07:00 Quickfire: red flags, overpaid professions, secretly dying careers, and Dubai versus Abu Dhabi
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Eight years. Four hundred episodes. And Spencer still can't quite believe it.
For the 400th episode, Spencer sits down to reflect on the podcast that has shaped him as much as he has shaped it and revisits four conversations that moved him, changed him, and that he hasn't been able to stop thinking about.
None of this happens without the people who have shown up every single week for eight years behind the camera, behind the scenes, behind every idea that made it to air. Four hundred episodes is built on trust and a team that believed in this long before the numbers did.
Spencer says these are the guests that educated him, challenged him, and broke his heart open. The ones that reminded him why this podcast exists in the first place not just to learn, but to feel, to connect, and to find hope in other people's stories.
There is a CMO who told their sales team something they didn't want to hear. A CEO who played the organ for the Pope and then went back to managing a quarter of a million passengers a day. An entrepreneur who built seven companies past a million dollars without a single penny of funding. And a father who counted his daughter's last breaths and then ran 109 miles in her name.
Four hundred episodes in and the conversations are only getting bigger, bolder, and more human. The next hundred starts now.
Timestamps:
0:00 Spencer reflects on 400 episodes and introduces the four guests
3:56 Rachel Conlan on why the agency model is dead and referral is the most powerful tool in marketing
10:30 The five channels that actually work, how Binance grows without paid media, and the affiliate opportunity nobody told you about
29:00 Paul Griffiths on playing the organ for the Pope in front of 180,000 people
34:00 How Dubai Airport went from 30 million to 93 million passengers with fewer employees
40:00 Why airports are a hospitality business, not an infrastructure problem
35:33 Daniel Priestley's five step framework: thesis, outreach, suspects, the magic sentence, and the LAPS dashboard
51:00 Why you should never run ads before your business is already on fire
57:30 Ashley Cain: the moment Azalea Diamond Kane was born and his life felt complete
59:40 The diagnosis, the hospital floor, and the six months he would give the rest of his life to relive
1:05:00 The bell that never got rung and the relapse nobody saw coming
1:12:00 109 miles, the Yukon 1000, the length of Great Britain, and the reason behind all of it
1:13:00 Standing on a bridge and choosing to jump differently
1:17:00 Spencer's closing reflection on 400 episodes and what comes next
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"The Doctor Is Not Always Right"
Hein Van Eck is a healthcare actuary by training, a breed of thinker who sits at the intersection of data, ethics, and human behavior. He started in insurance in South Africa, was handed his career-defining job after answering a single ethical question correctly, and has spent the last 20 years on the provider side watching an industry transform in real time. He moved to Dubai in 2014 and hasn't stood still since.
As CEO of Mediclinic Middle East, Hein oversees six hospitals, 27 clinics, 4,000 babies born annually, and a workforce of doctors recruited from around the world not by headhunters, but by hospital directors who fly to the UK in winter specifically to sit across a candidate and ask: would I feel comfortable if this person treated my family?
That detail tells you everything about how he leads.
This conversation goes places most healthcare interviews don't. Hein talks honestly about the agency problem at the heart of modern medicine doctor has the knowledge, patient consumes, insurer pays and what happens when that system breaks down. He explains why Ozempic and Mounjaro might genuinely extend lives, not just shrink waistlines. He reveals an AI model that predicts, with 95% accuracy, which patient won't show up to their appointment. And he shares his vision of what a hospital looks like in ten years: a theatre complex, an ICU, and almost everything else happening at home.
If you think Dubai healthcare is second-tier, this conversation will change your mind.
Timestamps:
0:00 - 20 years at one company in Dubai: why Hein never needed to leave
2:00 - From actuary to hospitals: the agency problem at the heart of healthcare
5:00 - Post-Covid consumerism: why visits per person have doubled from four to eight a year
9:00 - Peptides, Ozempic, and the traffic light system: green, amber, and outright quackery
14:00 - Insurance, self-pay, and the moral dilemmas that arise every single day
21:00 - Collaborative management without consensus: how he leads 4 million patient interactions
25:00 - The mentor, the one ethical question, and how Hein got the job
28:00 - Payment cycles: 20 days in South Africa, 100+ days in the UAE and the hidden cash flow crisis
34:00 - How Mediclinic recruits doctors: hospital directors on planes, not recruiters on LinkedIn
40:00 - Spencer's spinal fusion story and the one doctor who made it human
47:00 - Hospitals as healthcare malls and why the big scary hospital is disappearing
52:00 - AI that predicts no-shows with 95% accuracy and ambient AI that frees doctors to look up
56:00 - In ten years, a hospital will be a theatre and an ICU and everything else happens at home
1:02:00 - The blue chair in every boardroom: every decision tested against what's best for the patient
1:07:00 - Quickfire: the biggest lie in healthcare, what scares him about AI, and the hardest truth about technology adoption
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Katy Keenan has turned the British Chamber of Commerce Dubai into one of the most respected business communities in the UAE 1,200 members across 29 sectors, a board that's now 50% women, record profits donated to charity, a 98% satisfaction rating, and a LinkedIn following that grew from 6,000 to nearly 33,000 with no marketing budget whatsoever. Just authentic storytelling, genuine relationships, and a woman who remembers every person she's ever met.
Katy was bullied at school. She spent her Saturdays caring for severely disabled children. She's supported women escaping domestic violence, trailing spouses who've lost their professional identity, and menopausal women being quietly pushed out of the workforce. Her hairdresser told her at age seven: "No matter how happy you are, always have your own money." She's never forgotten it, and she tells her daughters the same thing.
This is one of those conversations that moves between the boardroom and kitchen table, between hard business reality and the kind of honest human warmth you rarely get from a leader of her calibre. You get a masterclass on what it actually takes to build something real in Dubai and why the people who dismiss this city from afar are the ones who wouldn't have made it here anyway.
Timestamps:
0:00 β Why Spencer hates networking and what the Chamber is actually for
2:22 β The secret sales team: how the Chamber coaches members who hate selling themselves
5:38 β Her first day: the numbers were dire, the board wasn't diverse, she nearly walked
7:25 β From 13% to 50% female board and why diversity has to be earned, not forced
9:26 β Speed networking with a 3β5 week wait list: what that tells you about Dubai right now
12:18 β The old boys' club conversation: gender events, merit, and the allies that actually helped
17:17 β Lifelong volunteering, the Rashid Centre, and where her empathy really comes from
21:17 β Hyper helping mode, setting boundaries, and why she remembers every single person
27:25 β From deficit to record profit: the turnaround, Covid calls, and 6,000 government surveys
33:09 β Zero marketing budget and the editorial approach that worked
34:22 β Exiting members for bad behaviour and why psychological safety is non-negotiable
37:17 β The biggest mistake UK businesses make when they arrive in the UAE
42:54 β What "Made in Dubai" means to her and why her children were essentially made here
49:11 β The Liberated Woman, trailing spouses, and why mature women are better hires
51:32 β The hairdresser's advice at age seven: "Always have your own money"
58:48 β How the Chamber could support Spencer's school-building charity model
1:02:00 β Bullying, Rejection Sensitivity Dysphoria, and how being the outsider became her superpower
1:09:04 β Cranial sacral therapy, personal coaching, and a body "bracing for a car to hit you"
1:13:21 β UK media bashing Dubai and why the critics are the ones who wouldn't have made it anyway
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Ossama El Samadoni leads GBM, one of the most respected technology organisations in the region, with over 300 employees, triple-digit million dirham revenue, and clients across the Middle East, Africa, Turkey and Russia. The disappointment that derailed his dream is exactly what built him.
But this isn't a story about career pivots. It's a conversation that should make every business leader in this city sit up straight.
Ossama has spent decades at the intersection of global technology and human vulnerability working with Dell, Oracle, HP, and IBM before taking the helm at GBM. He's seen cyber attacks quadruple during regional conflict. He's watched AI agents invent their own secret language when they detected they were being supervised. He's tracked state actors who wiped entire company systems without issuing a single delete command. And he's deeply worried that most leaders still don't understand what's already here.
This is a rare conversation Ossama's first podcast and he gives everything. No corporate script. No polished PR lines. Just a trench fighter who trusts primary information over secondary noise, believes technology should serve human welfare not just profit, and will tell you plainly: it's not if you'll be attacked, it's when.
Whether you're a founder, a CEO, or just someone trying to understand what AI is actually doing to our world this one will stay with you.
Timestamps:
0:00 β "A podcast virgin" Osama's first ever appearance
0:09 β Employees feeding company data into ChatGPT: the risk nobody talks about
2:11 β How generative AI actually works and why bias is already baked in
5:38 β The moment two AI agents invented their own secret language to hide from their supervisor
13:34 β Cyber-attacks quadrupled during regional conflict and why every company is a target
19:21 β How a demo system became a state actor's entry point
22:21 β The KPMG case: an entire system wiped with zero delete commands
25:56 β Password hygiene, the 14-day rule, and why you must never open junk mail in Outlook
28:39 β How to spot AI snake oil salesmen and the two questions that cut through the noise
30:13 β Deepfakes are already here and why trust will return to the room
47:10 β Made in Egypt, polished in UAE and why Dubai is harder than it looks
57:32 β If he started again at 21: invest in human welfare, not hype
59:35 β Leading from the trenches and the multiplier effect of great leadership
1:04:50 β Quickfire: rogue AI, the one question every CEO should ask, and more
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He opened his first venue from a counter so small it could barely fit a table. No hotel background. No hospitality degree. Just restlessness, a borrowed chef, and a bet on Dubai. Twenty years later, he runs 112 venues across 26 countries, employs over 7,000 people worldwide, and is navigating one of the most uncertain periods this city has ever seen.
In this episode, Spencer sits down with Antonio, founder and CEO of Sunset Hospitality Group, for one of the most grounded and honest conversations about business, crisis, and the enduring power of human connection. Antonio doesn't deal in corporate lines. He'll tell you that people were walking out of his restaurants mid-lunch on February 28th. That almost every day he asks himself "what the hell am I doing?" That the hardest part of running a business isn't competition or cash, it's the people decisions that feel unfair even when they're necessary.
But he'll also tell you something that very few business leaders are willing to say right now: that Dubai cannot be replaced. That nobody he knows has left. That those who stay, adapt, and plan for every scenario will emerge stronger on the other side.
Whether you're an entrepreneur wondering if now is the right time to invest, a leader trying to hold your team together through uncertainty, or someone who simply loves this city and wants to understand what's really happening on the ground, this conversation will stay with you.
Timestamps:
0:00 β What is Sunset Hospitality and the Dubai origin story
1:34 β February 28th: customers walking out mid-lunch and the moment everything changed
3:00 β Shock, acceptance, and action: leading 7,000 people through the unknown
9:32 β Why Dubai cannot be replaced and an honest forecast for the next 12 months
12:20 β Almost nobody has left β what Antonio is actually seeing on the ground
15:30 β Why he got into hospitality and how it actually started
17:50 β His father's influence, ten years in corporate, and why restlessness drove everything
22:00 β Cash is king, hotels in the wrong countries, and surviving the Arab Spring
24:15 β The Dubai Mall counter, the Westin breakthrough, and riding the 2012 wave
28:00 β Transactional vs. experiential hospitality and why one will never be automated
32:30 β Acquisitions, imposter syndrome, and building without an industry background
37:00 β Quickfire: non-negotiables, advice for corporate escapees, and gut vs. data
40:15 β Would he invest in hospitality right now?
41:15 β Surrender is never an option: planning A, B, and C under uncertainty
42:00 β The hardest part of the crisis: letting good people go
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He arrived in Abu Dhabi in 1981 when roads turned to soft sand and ceilings collapsed because villas were built with saltwater cement. He came for six months. He never left. Forty-five years later, he just took his company public at a $1.5 billion valuation and he's 71 years old with zero plans to stop.
In this episode, Spencer sits down with Fayez Ibbini, founder of Alpha Data, one of the UAE's most enduring technology companies. From coding assembly language for the Kuwait Stock Exchange on 16-hour days, to pivoting from IBM mini-computers to PCs, to riding every wave from networking and the internet to cloud, mobile, big data, IoT and now AI. Fayez has been at the frontier of technology in this region for nearly half a century.
But this isn't just a business story. It's a story about passion over comfort, about the cost of obsession, about what it really means to build something that outlasts you. He'll tell you that if you haven't started a business by 40, don't bother. That retirement was invented to push you out. That AI is not another wave - it's a tsunami. And that the most expensive lessons in business are almost always about people.
Whether you're an entrepreneur at the start of your journey, a leader navigating the AI revolution, or someone who wonders what it looks like to still be curious and hungry at 71. This conversation will challenge everything you think you know about success, technology, and time.
Timestamps:
00:00 β "A golden cage": why Fayez came for six months and stayed 45 years
01:28 β Abu Dhabi vs. Dubai and the mind-boggling speed of UAE transformation
06:34 β From electrical engineering to poultry imports to farming β finding what actually excites him
11:20 β Coding the Kuwait Stock Exchange in assembly language and the moment he realized talent has value
12:29 β His first client in the UAE: a video rental library, a 2,000-dirham cheque, and why he never cashed it
15:54 β Seeing every stand at CeBIT with a PC and making a decision that changed everything
17:17 β The seven waves of technology: mainframes to AI β and why AI is the tsunami, not the wave
21:36 β Why Alpha Data's greatest asset isn't talent β it's 2,200 relationships built on trust
23:00 β Life only makes sense in the rearview mirror: navigating the fog of action
26:00 β The three ingredients for success: passion, innate ability, and demand
28:00 β His controversial take: if you haven't started a business by 40, don't bother
29:24 β Why Fayez took Alpha Data public after 44 years β and the succession problem that forced his hand
34:00 β Deliberately leaving money on the table at IPO and why that was the smartest move
38:00 β The stock market chief's warning: "The sleepless nights start after the birth"
41:40 β Alpha Data's three core values: care for people, no red tape, and speed
45:15 β Overcoming introversion, shaking knees, and the demon in your brain that tries to protect you
50:00 β On giving back: why his model is teaching people to fish, not handing them fish
57:00 β AI compared to electricity: we are at the very start of it invading every aspect of our lives
1:00:25 β What AI can never replace: trust, the handshake, and the look in someone's eyes
1:02:40 β Quickfire: what money really means, the hardest decision he ever made, and a belief he's completely abandoned
1:04:24 β Why most people fail and his single biggest leadership lesson
1:09:11 β Why retirement is an invention of the industrial age β and what he's learning right now at 71
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He grew up on a council housing estate in the Shetland Islands. His family were coal miners and civil servants. He had no connections, no privilege, and no clear path. Today, he runs one of the UAE's largest education groups β 36 schools, 36 nurseries, 50,000 students, and a publicly listed company worth over a billion dirhams.
In this episode, Spencer sits down with Alan Williamson, CEO of Taaleem, for one of the most refreshingly honest conversations about education, leadership, and the cost of ambition. Alan doesn't sugarcoat anything. He'll tell you that technology is not the future of education. That exam should be deleted overnight. That his biggest leadership flaw is not listening. And that for all his professional success, the person he feels he's let down most is his whole family.
From navigating a regional geopolitical crisis to making bold billion-dirham acquisitions, from the rugby field that gave him confidence to the boardroom decisions that kept him up at night, this is a conversation about what it really takes to lead at the highest level and what it quietly costs you.
Whether you're a parent choosing a school, a leader questioning your own values, or someone who built everything from nothing and wonders if it was worth it, this episode will make you think.
Timestamps:
00:00 β Introducing Alan and what makes him different from most CEOs
01:15 β What is Taaleem? 36 schools, 50,000 students, and a 21-year story
03:42 β How Dubai's inspection system turbocharges school quality like nowhere else in the world
07:53 β The international teacher recruitment crisis and why Dubai still wins
11:52 β How to actually choose the right school for your child in Dubai
17:48 β Are UAE school fees good value? The honest comparison with UK independent schools
22:22 β Leading through geopolitical crisis: sleepless nights, a billion-dirham bet, and staying calm
28:00 β Growth anxiety, M&A opportunities, and being the knight in shining armor
33:02 β Should schools be doing more to help struggling parents and entrepreneurs?
41:52 β Growing up on a council estate in Shetland: where his drive really came from
50:47 β Feeling like an outsider at university and how rugby changed everything
54:30 β The biggest sacrifice he made to be successful: missing family to referee international rugby
58:32 β Would he do it all the same way again? His most honest answer
01:01:13 β When his working-class values clashed with running a profit-driven company
01:05:21 β His most unpopular opinion: technology is NOT the future of education
01:09:06 β What great teachers actually do that most people forget
01:13:19 β How to prepare children for jobs that don't exist yet
01:16:49 β University vs. apprenticeships: why one path is not better than the other
01:18:39 β Quickfire: are exams outdated, what skill matters more than grades, and who should Spencer interview next?
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This episode explores the connection between mind and body, the truth about stress and illness, and why Dave believes: "You either make yourself sick⦠or you make yourself healthy."
In this episode, Spencer sits down with Dave Catudal, a serial entrepreneur, health coach, and supplement formulator whose life has been shaped by loss, resilience, and a relentless pursuit of understanding the human body.
After watching his younger brother battle leukemia for six years and losing his father to cancer at just 46, Dave's life took a destructive turn. However, those same experiences became the foundation of his mission: to understand how the body heals and why so many people fall ill in the first place.
When Dave was diagnosed with cancer himself at 23, he wasn't shocked. He believed years of stress, trauma, and negative thinking had played a role in his illness.
From hitting rock bottom in Los Angeles, living in a garage and sleeping on a massage table, to building multiple businesses in the health and wellness space, Dave's journey is a powerful story of transformation.
In this conversation, Dave breaks down the fundamentals of health that many people overlook, including nervous system regulation, gut health, sleep, stress, and the hidden impact of modern lifestyles.
Timestamps:
00:00 β How Dave believes he gave himself cancer
02:46 β His brother's leukemia, his father's death, and a family shaped by illness
05:30 β Remembering his father Pierre: the man behind the legend
08:05 β What actually causes cancer? The mind-body connection explained
09:26 β The most powerful memory of his father (a story you won't forget)
12:08 β Regret, absence, and channeling grief into becoming your best self
16:25 β What he would say to his father if he walked in today
17:12 β The manifestation trap: why fixating on outcomes holds you back
21:36 β Stress as the number one trigger of illness β the science explained
24:08 β Information overload vs. real health education
27:44 β Why belief systems can be the most powerful medicine
30:34 β The three pillars every modern human needs to get right
34:01 β Why are we living longer despite living worse?
36:26 β Sleep decoded: deep sleep vs. REM and why that extra hour changes everything
41:31 β REM Plus: the supplement built for the overstimulated modern human
44:17 β Dubai vs. LA vs. Montreal: where entrepreneurs actually thrive
48:04 β From landscaping at 19 to supplements in Dubai: the full entrepreneurial journey
52:18 β His most costly business failure and what it taught him
54:28 β For Us: the two-product system taking Dubai by storm
58:35 β How to build a brand with a vibe you cannot pay for
01:01:31 β The single most important pillar of health (and the free tool to fix it)
01:03:19 β Dave's three daily non-negotiables
01:04:17 β Rock bottom: sleeping on a massage table in West Hollywood
01:07:26 β What he wants to be remembered for
01:10:39 β Why he calls himself an entrepreneur, not a supplement guy
01:11:26 β Quickfire: the habits aging you fastest, what to ban from modern life, and more
01:15:57 β The time he spent five nights in jail
01:16:52 β Will today's kids live shorter lives?
01:20:25 β The power of tribe: why who you surround yourself with is everything
01:20:25 β Peptides explained: what they are, how they work, and when to use them
01:23:46 β The Coke Zero debate: is the dose really the poison?
01:25:37 β The meaning of life, in one word
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What does it really take to build one of the most powerful personal brands in the world?
In this episode, Spencer sits down with Alex Hirschi, known globally as Supercar Blondie, one of the most successful automotive content creators and entrepreneurs today.
But behind the supercars and global audience of over 130 million followers is a very different story.
From moving to Dubai in her early twenties with almost no money to struggling to afford meals while surrounded by luxury, Alex's journey is built on risk, resilience, and unexpected breakthroughs. What started as a side hobby filming cars while working in radio quickly turned into a global phenomenon when she discovered that raw, authentic content outperformed highly produced videos.
Within a year of quitting her job, she had already built a multi-million audience.
Today, her brand spans content, media, and business, including SBX Cars, a global luxury car auction platform that generated $15 million in its first year. But success didn't come without cost.
In this conversation, Alex opens up about the realities behind the spotlight. From navigating the public breakdown of her 22-year relationship to battling Hashimoto's disease, anxiety, and depression, she shares what it really takes to rebuild both a business and yourself.
Timestamps
00:00 β Introducing Alex Hirschi (Supercar Blondie)
03:05 β Moving to Dubai with no money and starting from scratch
07:20 β From radio presenter to filming cars on the side
11:15 β Why raw content outperformed high production
15:40 β Quitting her job and hitting 4 million followers
20:25 β Building a global brand and scaling a team worldwide
25:10 β The reality behind social media success
30:45 β Breaking into a male-dominated industry
36:20 β The rise of viral content and key turning points
42:55 β Launching SBX Cars and building a new business
48:30 β The pressure of success and personal sacrifice
54:10 β Navigating heartbreak and rebuilding after her relationship
59:35 β Mental health, burnout, and self-awareness
01:05:20 β Living with Hashimoto's disease
01:10:15 β Prioritising health and personal growth
01:15:40 β The future of her brand and business empire
01:20:05 β Lessons on resilience, authenticity, and starting againFollow Spencer Lodge on Social Media:
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How do you go from leaving school early to leading one of Dubai's top hospitals?
In this episode, Spencer sits down with Kimberly Pierce, CEO of King's College Hospital Dubai, whose journey into leadership was anything but planned.
From describing herself as a "bad girl at school" who left before finishing year ten to returning to night school to earn her qualifications and pursue nursing, Kimberly's story is one of resilience, grit, and purpose. Starting as a cardiac nurse in the UK and later rebuilding her career from scratch in Australia, she was repeatedly pushed into leadership roles by mentors who saw potential she didn't yet see in herself.
Today, she leads one of the region's most respected hospitals but still considers herself a nurse at heart.
In this conversation, Kimberly shares her approach to people-first leadership, why culture matters more than strategy, and how genuine care for staff directly impacts patient outcomes. From navigating crises like the Dubai floods to leading complex medical innovations and building high-performing teams, her leadership style is rooted in empathy, accountability and action.
Timestamps
00:00 β From leaving school early to becoming a nurse
03:10 β Starting over and building a career in healthcare
06:20 β Mentors who pushed her into leadership
09:45 β From nurse to CEO: an unexpected journey
13:30 β Leading with empathy and building strong teams
17:10 β Why culture matters more than strategy
21:05 β Handling crises and leading during the Dubai floods
25:40 β The realities of leadership and decision-making
29:15 β Innovation in healthcare: AI, robotics, and patient care
33:50 β The competitive healthcare landscape in Dubai
38:20 β Attracting top global talent
42:10 β Women in leadership vs people empowerment
46:00 β Balancing pressure, responsibility, and resilience
50:25 β The future of healthcare and medical innovation
55:10 β Inspiring the next generation of nurses and leaders
58:30 β Defining legacy and impactFollow Spencer Lodge on Social Media
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What if the challenges you were given were actually your biggest advantage?
In this episode, Spencer sits down with Ahmed Ben Chaibah, an entrepreneur who turned ADHD and dyslexia into the very traits that fueled his success. What many see as limitations, he learned to use as a competitive edge.
From early struggles in school to building a business empire spanning 33 countries, Ahmed's journey is a story of resilience, persistence, and redefining what success looks like.
This conversation goes beyond business. It explores the mindset required to keep going through rejection, the role of environment and opportunity in places like Dubai, and why discipline matters more than motivation when building something long-term.
Ahmed shares lessons from failure, the importance of branding and location in scaling a business, and how social media has played a key role in expansion. He also reflects on purpose, giving back, and why true success is not just about wealth, but impact.
Timestamps
00:00 β Overcoming ADHD, dyslexia, and early rejection
03:10 β Discovering entrepreneurship and first business steps
06:25 β Building a water park business across 33 countries
10:40 β Why Dubai creates unique opportunities for entrepreneurs
14:15 β Cultural mindset, government support, and business growth
18:30 β Breaking expectations and choosing a different path
22:05 β Lessons from failure and business setbacks
26:10 β The power of persistence and obsession
30:20 β Branding, location, and scaling a global business
34:45 β Leveraging social media for growth
39:10 β Navigating partnerships and challenges
43:50 β The emotional side of entrepreneurship
48:30 β Discipline vs motivation: what actually drives success
52:40 β The role of self-belief and mental resilience
57:15 β Giving back and building a purpose-driven life
1:02:30 β Why success is more than money
1:07:45 β Future trends in wellness and entrepreneurship
1:12:10 β Leaving a legacy and empowering the next generationFollow Spencer Lodge on Social Media:
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What should schools really be teaching the next generation?
In this episode, Spencer sits down with Tomas Duckling, Headmaster of one of the most prestigious schools in the UAE, to explore the pressures shaping modern education, the role of parents in an increasingly competitive system, the impact of technology and AI on learning and why the future of education must focus on building good humans, not just high achievers.
Tomas' path into education was unexpected. After travelling the world in his early twenties, he began working at a North London school supporting refugees and immigrant communities. What started as a temporary role quickly became a calling, launching an international career that took him from Brunei to Aiglon College in Switzerland, one of the world's most expensive schools.
Now leading Dubai College, Tomas believes schools should focus on far more than exam results. His mission is to develop character, empathy, kindness, and leadership, preparing students not just for academic success but to become good humans who can make a meaningful impact on the world.
Timestamps:
00:00 β Introducing Tomas Duckling and Dubai College
02:05 β The history of Dubai College and why it's so oversubscribed
04:15 β Removing the debenture system and creating merit-based admissions
07:12 β Tomas' unconventional journey into teaching
10:03 β From London classrooms to international schools in Brunei
13:48 β Teaching at Aiglon College in Switzerland
17:10 β How global experiences shaped his philosophy on education
21:02 β Why academic results alone are not enough
24:30 β The importance of character, kindness, and empathy in schools
27:18 β The pressures parents place on modern education
31:05 β Comparing the UK, European, and UAE education systems
34:12 β The future of learning in a world shaped by AI
38:20 β Why human skills will matter more than ever
42:45 β The Edge Curriculum: teaching empathy, design, and entrepreneurship
47:30 β Encouraging students to solve real-world problems
50:15 β Bullying, kindness, and creating positive school culture
54:40 β The role of sport, extracurriculars, and resilience
58:10 β The debate around homeschooling and social development
01:02:20 β Diversity and multicultural education in Dubai
01:05:15 β The real purpose of education in the 21st centuryFollow Spencer Lodge on Social Media:
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Modern medicine has achieved incredible breakthroughs. But what happens when someone challenges the entire system?
In this episode, Spencer sits down with Barbara O'Neill, one of the most talked-about and polarizing figures in the global wellness space. Loved by many and criticized by others, Barbara has built a massive following by encouraging people to question mainstream health advice and explore natural approaches to healing.
Barbara shares her perspectives on topics that continue to spark discussion around the world. From the body's ability to heal itself, to diet, detoxification, gut health, pregnancy nutrition, and why she believes many people misunderstand the role of modern health care.
This episode explores the thinking behind her views on PTSD, COVID-era health policies, folic acid, fasting, colon cleansing, and hormonal health. Whether you agree with her or not, her perspective has sparked millions of conversations across the wellness world.
Timestamps :
00:00 β Introducing Barbara O'Neill and why she sparks global debate
03:15 β Escaping a violent marriage with six children
08:40 β The turning point that led her into psychiatric nursing
12:05 β Observing the limits of conventional treatment
16:30 β The belief that the body can heal itself
20:10 β Why she encourages people to question mainstream health advice
24:20 β Childhood environment and long-term health
28:15 β Diet, gut health, and disease prevention
33:40 β Her views on PTSD and emotional trauma
38:05 β COVID-era policies and public health debates
43:10 β Detoxification, fasting, and colon cleansing
48:20 β Coffee enemas and natural detox practices
52:40 β Pregnancy nutrition and the folic acid discussion
57:30 β Hormones, aging, and natural balance
01:02:40 β Longevity and modern lifestyle diseases
01:07:15 β Are doctors extending life or extending sickness?Follow Spencer Lodge on Social Media:
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Cancer is not a foreign invader. It is a failure of defense.
In this episode, Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, surgeon, scientist, inventor and one of the most influential figures in modern medicine, lays out a radical idea: your body already knows how to defeat cancer. The question is whether we are activating it⦠or suppressing it.
Born in apartheid South Africa and driven by what he calls a duty to fight for the underdog, Dr. Soon-Shiong went from performing complex surgeries in Los Angeles to inventing Abraxane, a breakthrough nanoparticle chemotherapy now used worldwide. But he believes chemotherapy was only chapter one, Chapter two is immunity.
He breaks down the role of the 450 million year old Natural Killer cell and why it may be the missing piece in cancer prevention, then dives into IL-15, once ranked the most promising molecule to cure cancer and now approved in 33 countries, with new ground in lung cancer treatment in Saudi Arabia.
Dr. Soon-Shiong also shares his warning of a coming "pandemic of cancer," the controversy around COVID vaccine development, the overlooked $10 blood test hidden inside routine labs that predicts mortality risk, and how camel nanobodies, AI and robotics may democratize treatments that once cost $1 million.
If you care about longevity, cancer prevention, or the future of medicine, this episode matters.
Timestamps:
00:00 β First impressions of the Middle East and the crisis of trust
08:17 β What cancer really is and the role of the Natural Killer cell
14:08 β The warning: a possible pandemic of cancer in young people
16:47 β The T-cell COVID vaccine controversy
24:40 β IL-15: ranked the #1 molecule to cure cancer
29:07 β Breaking news: approvals in 33 countries and Saudi Arabia
31:06 β Immunity, aging, and the link to longevity
37:53 β The $10 blood test hidden in plain sight for 30 years
39:28 β Why camels and sharks don't get cancer
44:32 β From apartheid South Africa to billionaire inventor
48:13 β Turning $1 million CAR-T therapy into a $25,000 robotic solution
50:33 β Why the Middle East could lead the next biotech revolution
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Success looks impressive. Impact feels different.
In this episode, Fadie Musallet shares his transformation from a troubled youth in Miami to a purpose-driven entrepreneur and philanthropist in Dubai. This is not just a business story. It is a story about redemption, faith, resilience, and choosing to build a legacy that serves others.
This conversation explores what really shapes a man. The losses that humble you. The rejection that sharpens you. The family roots that anchor you when success tries to pull you off course.
At the heart of this episode is impact. The founding of The Giving Family charity, feeding thousands during Ramadan, and the philosophy he calls "passive blessings over passive income." In a world obsessed with scale and status, Fadie challenges the audience to ask a harder question: What are you building that will outlive you?
Timestamps:
00:05 β From wild youth in Miami to purposeful giving
03:13 β The power of kindness and leaving a legacy
08:43 β Lessons learned through loss and resilience
11:37 β Palestinian roots, love, and identity
18:13 β Moving to Dubai and starting over
23:54 β Building a medical distribution and brokering business
33:18 β Mastering networks, handling rejection, and closing deals
43:02 β Behind the scenes of Dubai Bling
58:25 β Launching FadieCakes and the business of desserts
1:04:50 β Founding The Giving Family and feeding communities
1:11:56 β Making volunteering part of everyday life
1:14:50 β Ramadan beyond fasting
1:23:18 β Regrets, growth, and defining success
1:25:32 β Passive blessings over passive income
1:28:26 β The challenges of fundraising in Dubai
1:29:41 β How you can help feed those in need
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