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In this episode, I speak with Guillermo de los Santos, a humanitarian fundraiser whose career began as an unintended detour. After studying international relations with hopes of working in diplomacy, Guillermo found himself stuck in telemarketing. What felt like a dead end became an unexpected training ground in persuasion, listening, and human motivation. A chance opportunity led him to UNICEF, where fundraising clicked as a way to combine purpose, creativity, and data. From there, he built a career across organisations such as Médecins Sans Frontières and UNHCR, developing an approach to fundraising that is both effective and ethical. We talk about how people decide to give, the tension between persuasion and manipulation, and why asking for money in humanitarian work is often misunderstood. This is a conversation about detours, curiosity, and finding purpose in work you never planned to do. Recorded on 9 January 2026. Connect with Guillermo on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/guillermo-de-los-santos-msc-oxon-mba-6a739310. Instagram: @at.the.coalface And don’t forget to subscribe to At the Coalface for new episodes every two weeks. Help us produce more episodes by becoming a supporter. Your subscription will go towards paying our hosting and production costs. Supporters get the opportunity to join behind the scenes during recordings, updates about the podcast, and my deep gratitude! Support the show

In this episode, I sit down with Mahendra Shunmoogam, a South African policy thinker working at the intersection of industry, trade, and climate diplomacy. Mahendra’s path spans HIV/AIDS activism, science and economic policy, government diplomacy, corporate affairs, and global climate governance. From working with Zackie Achmat at the Treatment Action Campaign to coordinating negotiations for the G77 at the UNFCCC, his career offers a rare perspective on how values travel across institutions. We talk about growing up in Cape Town as an Indian South African, the debates that shaped his worldview, and how questions of belonging later surfaced inside global negotiations. Mahendra reflects on the tension between the moral clarity of activism and the compromises required in multilateral diplomacy. We also explore how evidence enters policy, how companies really think about serving society, and what just international negotiations might look like for countries in the Global South. Recorded on 5 December 2025. Connect with Mahendra on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/mahendra-shunmoogam-b794a51. Instagram: @at.the.coalface And don’t forget to subscribe to At the Coalface for new episodes every two weeks. Help us produce more episodes by becoming a supporter. Your subscription will go towards paying our hosting and production costs. Supporters get the opportunity to join behind the scenes during recordings, updates about the podcast, and my deep gratitude! Support the show

In this episode, I sit down with Rob Palmer, corporate government relations executive and retired U.S. Air Force Reserve public affairs officer, for a wide-ranging conversation on leadership, influence, and the art of translating complexity across the worlds of politics, the military, and industry. Rob’s career spans trade association lobbying, military public affairs, NATO operations, and today the defence industrial base. Introduced to me by Rob Palm, his path offers a compelling parallel: not leadership from the cockpit or the field, but from the arenas where narrative, perception, and policy shape outcomes. We explore how upbringing and serendipity shaped his trajectory, what he learned negotiating across grey zones with politicians seeking clarity rather than detail, and how his Air Force Reserve service, including deployments to Bosnia and the Gulf, honed his ability to bridge perspectives. Recorded on 22 October 2025. Connect with Rob on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/robertppalmer. Instagram: @at.the.coalface And don’t forget to subscribe to At the Coalface for new episodes every two weeks. Help us produce more episodes by becoming a supporter. Your subscription will go towards paying our hosting and production costs. Supporters get the opportunity to join behind the scenes during recordings, updates about the podcast, and my deep gratitude! Support the show

In this episode, I speak with Emma N’Gouan Anoh. Emma shares her journey and insights as a seasoned development professional currently working at the UNDP in Djibouti. Emma traces the pull she felt towards development to conversations with her father when noticing the jarring inequalities in her home country of Ivory Coast. In our conversation, we discuss what stakeholder participation means in practice and the ingredients for realising positive outcomes in deep partnership with local institutions. Recorded on 30 September and on 10 December 2024. Connect with Emma on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/emma-n%E2%80%99gouan-anoh-373843169/. Instagram: @at.the.coalface And don’t forget to subscribe to At the Coalface for new episodes every two weeks. Help us produce more episodes by becoming a supporter. Your subscription will go towards paying our hosting and production costs. Supporters get the opportunity to join behind the scenes during recordings, updates about the podcast, and my deep gratitude! Support the show

In this episode, I speak with Dylan Monaghan, engineer, pilot, linguist, digital nomad, and author of Singlethreading. Dylan’s life is a study in reinvention: from a childhood in the Virgin Islands to an elite school in White Plains, from the discipline of the U.S. Air Force to the creative freedom of Japan. His story moves across cultures and identities, and somehow he has stitched these chapters into a coherent, deeply intentional way of living. We discuss the interplay between discipline and curiosity, and Dylan’s awakening to the idea that you are not your brain. He explains how the autonomous parts of the mind can be retrained and rewired, reshaping our perception of the world itself. We end with a reflection on identity, legacy, and what remains when all the titles labels fall away. Recorded on 9 October 2025. Connect with Dylan on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/dylanmonaghan. Dylan's book, Singlethreading, is available on Amazon: amazon.com/Singlethreading-Just-Thing-Doing-More/dp/1961513013. Instagram: @at.the.coalface And don’t forget to subscribe to At the Coalface for new episodes every two weeks. Help us produce more episodes by becoming a supporter. Your subscription will go towards paying our hosting and production costs. Supporters get the opportunity to join behind the scenes during recordings, updates about the podcast, and my deep gratitude! Support the show

In this episode, I speak with Fredrik Norman, whose story captures Norway’s remarkable transformation, from a country built on fishing to one where new generations could freely choose their path. We spoke about navigating career choices in a rapidly changing economy, and Fredrik’s journey through the energy industry, a path we both share, before he moved into public service. We also touched on marriage in a two-career household, and how identity evolves as work and family life intersect. Outside of work, Fredrik is an extreme cyclist, finding balance and focus on long, demanding rides that take him far beyond the office. This is a thoughtful conversation about values, change and continuity. Recorded on 28 August 2025. Connect with Fredrik on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/fredriknorman. Instagram: @at.the.coalface And don’t forget to subscribe to At the Coalface for new episodes every two weeks. Help us produce more episodes by becoming a supporter. Your subscription will go towards paying our hosting and production costs. Supporters get the opportunity to join behind the scenes during recordings, updates about the podcast, and my deep gratitude! Support the show

In this episode, I speak with Nicodemus Ajak Bior, a former child soldier from South Sudan who defied unimaginable odds to become a scholar, public servant, and advocate for transparency. At just eight years old, Nicodemus was taken by rebels and thrust into a world of survival, separation, and loss. His escape, walking over hundreds of kilometres barefoot through war zones and jungles, marks the beginning of a story that is both harrowing and inspiring. From makeshift schools under trees in refugee camps to earning a degree at the Fletcher School, Nicodemus’s journey is one of profound resilience, human connection, and the power of education to transform lives. We talk about what it means to survive and rebuild, how hope persists even in the darkest places, and how leadership is forged by perseverance. Recorded on 26 August 2025. Connect with Nicodemus on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/nicodemus-a-bior-0948b291/. Instagram: @at.the.coalface And don’t forget to subscribe to At the Coalface for new episodes every two weeks. Help us produce more episodes by becoming a supporter. Your subscription will go towards paying our hosting and production costs. Supporters get the opportunity to join behind the scenes during recordings, updates about the podcast, and my deep gratitude! Support the show

In this episode, I speak with Professor Michael Klein, founder and co-editor of EconoFact and Professor of Economics at The Fletcher School. Michael has served as Chief Economist in the U.S. Treasury and as a visiting scholar at the Federal Reserve and the IMF. We discuss how sound economic analysis can cut through noise and polarization, and why clear communication of facts is critical for better policy. We talk about the motivation behind EconoFact, and how it helps bridge the gap between academic research and public understanding, offering accessible, evidence-based insights on today’s most debated economic issues.  This conversation explores the intersection of economics, policy, and public trust, and what it takes to communicate complexity with honesty and clarity in an age of information overload. Recorded on 10 September 2025. Connect with Michael on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/michael-klein-5979431 and at Econofact.org. Instagram: @at.the.coalface And don’t forget to subscribe to At the Coalface for new episodes every two weeks. Help us produce more episodes by becoming a supporter. Your subscription will go towards paying our hosting and production costs. Supporters get the opportunity to join behind the scenes during recordings, updates about the podcast, and my deep gratitude! Support the show

In this episode, I speak with Krystal Ramsden. Krystal was raised in an ultra-religious, homeschooled environment. Her early world was one of strict boundaries, until science, education, and the wider world cracked it open. What followed was a lifelong pursuit of knowledge and a career that has taken her from field camps in the Yukon to the geopolitical battlegrounds of mining finance and fragile states. Krystal also shares her parallel story of surviving abuse, and transforming trauma into advocacy and other practical initiatives.  We explore her expertise in the geopolitics of resources, how inequality, governance, and security converge in the global race for critical minerals. Recorded on 26 August 2025. Connect with Krystal on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/krystalramsden/. Instagram: @at.the.coalface And don’t forget to subscribe to At the Coalface for new episodes every two weeks. Help us produce more episodes by becoming a supporter. Your subscription will go towards paying our hosting and production costs. Supporters get the opportunity to join behind the scenes during recordings, updates about the podcast, and my deep gratitude! Support the show

In this episode, I speak with William Morrissey about his remarkable journey from a career in the special forces to leadership roles in the private sector. Bill reflects on pivotal moments in his path, when he chose to persevere through challenges, and when he decided it was time to cash his chips and move on. We explore how his military career shaped his approach to leadership, including his work setting up innovative counterterrorism practices and designing training programmes for international partners. Bill shares the lessons he carried forward into civilian life, emphasizing the values that remain constant across both worlds: adaptability, integrity, and cultural sensitivity. Recorded on 22 August 2025. Instagram: @at.the.coalface And don’t forget to subscribe to At the Coalface for new episodes every two weeks. Help us produce more episodes by becoming a supporter. Your subscription will go towards paying our hosting and production costs. Supporters get the opportunity to join behind the scenes during recordings, updates about the podcast, and my deep gratitude! Support the show

In this episode, I speak with Professor Jeffrey Taliaferro of the Fletcher School, a leading scholar of international relations and a key voice in the development of neoclassical realism. We explore the formative experiences that led him to study great power strategy and the complex relationships between great powers and their allies. Jeff reflects on realism’s resurgence after Russia’s annexation of Crimea, the degree to which international relations theories shape policy - or fail to - and how orthodoxies can create blind spots even for scholars. We close with his observations on teaching new generations of students and the enduring lessons of history for today’s world. Recorded on 21 August 2025. Connect with Jeff on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/jeff-taliaferro-3a403a/. Instagram: @at.the.coalface And don’t forget to subscribe to At the Coalface for new episodes every two weeks. Help us produce more episodes by becoming a supporter. Your subscription will go towards paying our hosting and production costs. Supporters get the opportunity to join behind the scenes during recordings, updates about the podcast, and my deep gratitude! Support the show

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 shaped her upbringing. We talk about the renaissance of indigenous wisdom and psychedelics. For Natalia, true healing comes through inner work, supported by the role of community, something all spiritual traditions share, and something she finds sorely lacking in Western culture, where people often suffer in isolation. Our conversation also explores her journey as an entrepreneur navigating political risk, the tension between intuition and control, and the resilience she forged through personal loss and reinvention. Recorded on 13 August 2025. Connect with Natalia on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/natalianavarre/. Instagram: @at.the.coalface And don’t forget to subscribe to At the Coalface for new episodes every two weeks. Help us produce more episodes by becoming a supporter. Your subscription will go towards paying our hosting and production costs. Supporters get the opportunity to join behind the scenes during recordings, updates about the podcast, and my deep gratitude! Support the show

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 strike to avoid dentistry school. Culturally hard to categorise and politically impossible to intimidate, Gul reflects on identity as a woman and a Muslim in the aftermath of 9/11, her decision to wear the hijab as a political statement, and the circumstances that prompted her to take it off. She chose activism over the safety of a corporate career, driven by a commitment to speak uncomfortable truths. Now teaching at the University of Geneva, Gul works far beyond the classroom, advising philanthropists and nonprofits, investigating where the money really goes, and exposing the darker side of “doing good.” We dive into silent philanthropy, the geopolitics shaping global giving, and how vast wealth from the Global South still flows into bank accounts in Switzerland and Dubai while the South continues to “beg” the North. This conversation blends biography, political critique, and a fearless look at philanthropy’s contradictions. Gul doesn’t pull her punches: and that’s exactly why you should listen. Recorded on 24 July 2025. Connect with Gul on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/gul-rukh-rahman-1b74604. Instagram: @at.the.coalface And don’t forget to subscribe to At the Coalface for new episodes every two weeks. Help us produce more episodes by becoming a supporter. Your subscription will go towards paying our hosting and production costs. Supporters get the opportunity to join behind the scenes during recordings, updates about the podcast, and my deep gratitude! Support the show

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: Honey’s extraordinary journey through conflict, migration, and media under authoritarian regimesHer time creating Syria’s most popular morning radio show, and navigating the “invisible lines” of censorshipThe quiet power of kindness, faith, and unexpected allies in times of upheavalHow being constantly uprooted shaped her identity, purpose, and relationship with resilienceThe emotional cost of endurance, and the importance of self-compassion and healingHer current work helping others find their voice as a communications and leadership coachHoney reflects on the pain and gift of reinvention, the legacy of trauma on the body and psyche, and the hope that even in the worst moments, “something good is going to come out.” Recorded on 17 July 2025. Connect with Honey on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/hasd and on her website, https://honey-and.com. Instagram: @at.the.coalface And don’t forget to subscribe to At the Coalface for new episodes every two weeks. Help us produce more episodes by becoming a supporter. Your subscription will go towards paying our hosting and production costs. Supporters get the opportunity to join behind the scenes during recordings, updates about the podcast, and my deep gratitude! Support the show

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 military partnerships across cultures, and how to balance diplomacy, defense, and business. We also talk about what it means to lead with emotional intelligence in high-stakes environments and what legacy looks like after decades of global service. Recorded on 27 June 2025. Connect with Rob on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/robertpalmjr. Instagram: @at.the.coalface And don’t forget to subscribe to At the Coalface for new episodes every two weeks. Help us produce more episodes by becoming a supporter. Your subscription will go towards paying our hosting and production costs. Supporters get the opportunity to join behind the scenes during recordings, updates about the podcast, and my deep gratitude! Support the show