Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast Made in Dubai with Spencer Lodge
| Titre | Date | Durée | |
|---|---|---|---|
| #416: From Nissan to Louvre Abu Dhabi: Reda Raad on 27 Years of Making Brands Stand Out | 28 Sep 2026 | 01:09:25 | |
Reda Raad has spent the last 20 years shaping how one of the world's biggest car brands is seen across this region, and picked up international recognition along the way for his work putting the Louvre Abu Dhabi on the map. He talks to Spencer about the discipline he says most people are losing in the age of AI, and why some brands earn decades of trust in this region while others never get close. Timestamps 02:00 – Starting a new podcast and personal motivations 03:07 – Working with his father and their early professional relationship 08:06 – Childhood memories, growing up in Dubai, and family dynamics 13:07 – Starting at the bottom as an Assistant Account Executive 22:50 – A humbling lesson from his father about consistency 26:33 – Nissan's long-standing history and brand loyalty in the GCC region 33:23 – Founding TBWA and gaining Nissan's trust 39:48 – Understanding agency identity: "The Disruption Company" 45:00 – The role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in advertising and thinking 56:56 – Specific AI tools used in business (Omni, Claude, ChatGPT) 59:01 – Outdoor advertising and the Louvre Abu Dhabi case study 01:06:11 – Five key things to look for when choosing an advertising agency
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| #415: What Does It Actually Take to Build Landmarks Like Ain Dubai and the Royal Atlantis? | Dean McGrail, WSP | 21 Sep 2026 | 01:03:21 | |
Dean McGrail has spent over two decades building his career in the Gulf, and today he leads WSP's operations across the Middle East and Asia. He talks to Spencer about the humbling start that shaped his entire career, his approach to leading his team, and what it's actually taken, personally and professionally, to get to where he is now.
Timestamps 0:00 Introduction
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| #414: Jon Marchant: "The enemy isn't AI, it's mediocrity" | Ogilvy Middle East President | 14 Sep 2026 | 01:12:19 | |
Jon Marchant is Group President at Memac Ogilvy, part of WPP, leading 450 people across one of the region's biggest advertising networks after 27 years in the industry.
Timestamps 0:00 Introduction and imposter syndrome about the guest list Follow Spencer Lodge on Social Media: https://www.instagram.com/madeindubaipodcast/?hl=en https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61586194260076 https://www.instagram.com/spencer.lodge/?hl=en https://www.tiktok.com/@spencer.lodge https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencerlodge/ https://www.youtube.com/c/SpencerLodgeTV https://www.facebook.com/spencerlodgeofficial/
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| #413: Nick Watson built a special running chair and bike so his disabled son could race triathlons by his side. | 07 Sep 2026 | 01:13:01 | |
Nick Watson is a former Royal Marine who moved to Dubai in the late 1990s and later founded Team Angel Wolf, a nonprofit built around his son Rio, who is 23 and lives with a rare chromosome condition. The wider mission behind Team Angel Wolf, teaching communities and schools across the UAE what real inclusion looks like. Timestamps 0:57 Nick and Spencer meet after 21 years of near misses Follow Spencer Lodge on Social Media: https://www.instagram.com/madeindubaipodcast/?hl=en https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61586194260076 https://www.instagram.com/spencer.lodge/?hl=en https://www.tiktok.com/@spencer.lodge https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencerlodge/ https://www.youtube.com/c/SpencerLodgeTV https://www.facebook.com/spencerlodgeofficial/
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| #412: Why getting a health check once a year could save you a lot of money, and it might just even save your life | Dr. Hasan Alogaily | 27 Aug 2026 | 00:51:55 | |
Dr. Hasan Alogaily is a global expert in longevity, and he's here to cut through the noise. Peptides, supplement stacks and expensive therapies dominate the conversation online, but he says none of it matters if the basics aren't in place first. In this conversation, Hasan explains why lifestyle is the real foundation of a longer life, how often you should actually be getting your bloods checked, and why skipping your annual health check is a bigger risk than most people realise. Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 00:09 Longevity vs health span: what is the actual difference? 04:00 The longevity pyramid and why Dubai has it upside down 06:41 The patient on 37 supplements who was still smoking 07:29 Peptides, RCT evidence, and what the science actually supports 09:30 Blue zones: movement and food as a cultural norm 11:06 "Lifestyle doesn't sell. It's not sexy enough till you're 80." 11:28 Why the blue zones data may not be what we think it is 14:06 Mental well-being and why no supplement addresses it 15:25 What health span medicine actually challenges about standard practice 16:01 "In my medical school, I was never taught to write an exercise prescription." 18:00 Ozempic, BPC157, and what the peptide space actually looks like 19:17 1 in 3 people in this region have fatty liver 22:10 Why even 10 minutes in the gym changes your mortality risk 23:13 Why muscle mass is a bank account you draw from later 24:29 Zone 2 cardio and the Maffetone formula 25:51 Why walking uphill on a treadmill might be all you need 29:29 "If you have an Emirates ID card, I guarantee you've got vitamin D deficiency." 33:13 Spencer's Harley Street story: two surgeons, one MRI, opposite advice 35:10 Spencer reveals his own lifestyle and Dr Hasan says it's really good, then asks the one question that reframes everything. 38:19 Sleep in Dubai and what the Arabic language reveals about why it matters 39:27 Wearables: the only two metrics that actually tell you anything 44:40 Spencer's 4:30am wake-up and whether he is getting enough sleep 47:08 Spencer books his health check at the clinic 48:49 "Do not pass go unless you've done a health check once a year." 50:03 End
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| #411: She Rescued 682 Children | Hannah Badi, CEO of Himalayan Entrepreneur Resources | 17 Aug 2026 | 01:02:40 | |
She grew up in a community that Nepal doesn't count. Below all 126 castes. Girls in her village had no access to education, healthcare, or transport. From the age of 11, they were sold. Hannah Badi was nearly trafficked at 9 years old. She escaped at midnight with 32 girls and a stone in her hand. She went on to rescue 682 children. Her sister is now a minister of Nepal. This is one of the most powerful conversations Spencer has ever had.
Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction
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| #410: She Survived a Liver Transplant. Then Questioned If She Deserved It. | Nadia Musiuk Liver transplant survivor | 10 Aug 2026 | 01:14:45 | |
Her son was 12. While she was on the waiting list for a donor liver, he went home and Googled everything she was too scared to search. She came through the surgery. And then sat with a question that stopped everyone in that room. Dr. Kaiser Raja, her surgeon at King's College Hospital Dubai, is also in this conversation. And Spencer does something in this episode that Nadia did not know was coming.
Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction Follow Spencer Lodge on Social Media: https://www.instagram.com/madeindubaipodcast/?hl=en https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61586194260076 https://www.instagram.com/spencer.lodge/?hl=en https://www.tiktok.com/@spencer.lodge https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencerlodge/ https://www.youtube.com/c/SpencerLodgeTV https://www.facebook.com/spencerlodgeofficial/
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| #409: The Truth About Medical Insurance in Dubai That Nobody Tells You Until It Is Too Late | Sam Douglas, Insurance Broker of Beneple | 03 Aug 2026 | 01:22:20 | |
Most people in the UAE assume their company medical plan is there to look after them. Sam Douglas has spent 13 years on the other side of that assumption. Follow Spencer Lodge on Social Media: https://www.instagram.com/madeindubaipodcast/?hl=en https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61586194260076 https://www.instagram.com/spencer.lodge/?hl=en https://www.tiktok.com/@spencer.lodge https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencerlodge/ https://www.youtube.com/c/SpencerLodgeTV https://www.facebook.com/spencerlodgeofficial/
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| #408: Your Employer is Gambling with Your Gratuity | Safa Bouzidi, Managing Director of Daman Investments | 27 Jul 2026 | 00:58:30 | |
Most people in the UAE have spent years building a career and assuming their gratuity is sitting somewhere safe, waiting for them when they leave. Safa Bouzidi is one of the few people who will actually tell you what is happening to it. If you work in this country and you have never asked your company where your end-of-service money is, this is the conversation that will make you start. Timestamps 0:00 Introduction 1:11 Why gratuity was never designed to be your pension 3:31 The DIFC DEWS scheme and what changed 7:21 How your company has been using your gratuity as cash flow 9:20 The mistake most people make when they change jobs 17:31 Why companies are pushing back against the new scheme 21:51 The five approved providers and who is holding your money 28:23 The truth: your gratuity might not actually exist 31:58 Is Dubai actually built for you to retire in? 40:42 The freelancer and SME gap nobody is filling 44:19 Where financial habits really come from 48:18 Why fresh graduates spend before they save 51:36 Quick Fire with Safa Bouzidi
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| #407: THE CEO OF LEO BURNETT JUST CALLED OUT HIS OWN INDUSTRY | Nadim Ghrayeb, CEO of Leo Burnett | 20 Jul 2026 | 01:17:50 | |
We talked about what the advertising industry actually gets wrong, and why most agencies won't tell you. We got into Jaguar, Ferrari, data, creativity, and the uncomfortable truth about what really makes a campaign work. And then halfway through, he said something that had nothing to do with any of that. Sixteen years. That's how long he's been sitting with something most men in this part of the world would never say out loud. This is one of those episodes you don't skip to the end.
Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 00:44 The Audi Campaign Flop — His Biggest Career Mistake 03:42 What Agencies Actually Do Now 08:51 The Scale of Leo Burnett and Publicis 10:55 B2B vs. B2C Marketing 15:34 Sales and Marketing: Stop Working in Silos 19:06 Calling Out Digital Agencies 23:08 Billboards Are Not Dead 30:44 Data vs. Creative Ideas 36:16 The Cadillac Win — A Facebook Road Trip That Changed GM 39:45 Clients Who Refuse to Evolve 43:11 Jaguar and Ferrari: Where Did It Go Wrong? 51:02 AI in the Creative Industry 56:56 The CEO's Hidden Battle — 17 Years of Anxiety 1:02:06 Disconnecting to Lead 1:03:34 Corporate Culture and Career Fulfilment 1:05:15 Legacy and What Really Matters 1:09:25 Quick Fire — Two Decades of Advertising in 60 Seconds
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| #406: Success Has Nothing to Do with What You Build | Paul Evans, CEO of Solutions Leisure | 13 Jul 2026 | 01:29:46 | |
Paul Evans is the CEO of Solutions Leisure, one of the most recognised hospitality brands in the UAE with 23 venues across the region. But that is not the reason we brought him in. He grew up dyslexic and spent years being told he wasn't enough, and the decisions he made in his early twenties landed him in a UK prison cell at 21. What followed was years of searching for something he couldn't name, until his body made the decision for him. While building a business in Egypt, acute pancreatitis brought on by years of serious alcohol abuse put Paul in a coma for 77 days. He woke up with a different set of priorities and the kind of clarity that only comes when you have had to earn the right to still be here. This conversation goes places most successful people never go publicly. He talks about what accountability really looks like when you stop blaming everything else, about the real price of starting over from nothing, and about why a man who has built all of this still believes that success has nothing to do with what you build. Some conversations change how you think about things. Timestamps: 00:00 — Introduction Spencer introduces Paul Evans and Solutions Leisure. 19:30 — Growing Up: Dyslexic, Bullied and Written Off Paul on his childhood in Cheshire, being diagnosed with dyslexia, the bullying, a distant father, and the moment at 14 when he decided to prove everyone wrong. 25:36 — Going to Prison at 21 An altercation. A 12-month sentence. Six months served across Walton and Kirkham prisons in the UK. Paul on what he took from it. 31:07 — From General Electric to a Bar in Egypt After prison, Paul builds a successful career in sales at General Electric. Then makes an accidental £30,000 investment in a bar in Hurghada, Egypt and never looks back. 35:43 — The Spiral: When It All Started to Fall Apart The Egypt years. Running his father's diving business, managing his own bar, and the heavy drinking and long hours that quietly took everything to the edge. 38:20 — 77 Days in a Coma Acute pancreatitis. An emergency flight to England. Seventy-seven days in a coma while his family lived in Singapore. The most intense part of the conversation. 56:19 — Building Solutions Leisure: 20 Venues in Dubai Paul on arriving in Dubai, founding Solutions Leisure from scratch, and building one of the most recognised hospitality portfolios in the UAE. 1:10:12 — Finding Purpose and Getting a Life Coach What do you do when you have everything and still feel lost? Paul on finding direction, working with a life coach, and the advice he gives people who feel stuck. 1:13:38 — The Daily Practice That Changed Everything Three things. Every morning. The gratitude habit Paul picked up through coaching that he says shifted everything. 1:14:04 — Selling 50% of the Business Paul on the decision to sell half of Solutions Leisure to Sunset Hospitality, the timing, and why he has no regrets. 1:14:58 — How He Saved 400 Jobs During COVID The pandemic. The decisions nobody talks about. Paul on how he kept 400 people employed when most of the industry was collapsing around him. 1:20:57 — Quick Fire Round No alcohol. Daily gym. Surround yourself with the right people. Fast, unfiltered, and completely honest. Follow Spencer Lodge on Social Media: https://www.instagram.com/madeindubaipodcast/?hl=en https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61586194260076 https://www.instagram.com/spencer.lodge/?hl=en https://www.tiktok.com/@spencer.lodge https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencerlodge/ https://www.youtube.com/c/SpencerLodgeTV https://www.facebook.com/spencerlodgeofficial/
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| #405: Sami Kayyali: Most CEOs Are Terrible Communicators and Nobody Tells Them | 04 Jul 2026 | 01:11:46 | |
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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| #404: Dennis McGettigan, From a House of Ten in Dublin to Dubai's Biggest Pub Empire | 29 Jun 2026 | 01:21:59 | |
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 £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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| #403 From Top of Her Class in America to Vice Chancellor | Dr. Amina Al Marzouqi, a Life Built on Discipline and Service | 22 Jun 2026 | 01:10:25 | |
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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| #402: Stop Feeling Guilty. It Is a Wasted Emotion. | Dame Heather McGregor on Reinvention, Breaking Barriers and Why It Is Never Too Late | 15 Jun 2026 | 01:12:22 | |
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 £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 £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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| #401 "Dubai Is Not as Easy as You Think" | Jason Grundy, MD of Robert Walters on Hiring, Talent and the Truth About the UAE Job Market | 08 Jun 2026 | 01:11:32 | |
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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| #400: 8 Years. 400 Episodes. The Guests Spencer Never Forgot | Ashley Cain, Paul Griffiths, Rachel Conlan & Daniel Priestley | 01 Jun 2026 | 01:19:05 | |
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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| #399 "The Doctor Is Not Always Right" | Hein Van Eck, CEO of Mediclinic Middle East on AI, Future of Hospitals, and Why Dubai's Doctors Are World Class | 25 May 2026 | 01:16:18 | |
"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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Follow Hein Van Eck on Social Media: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hein-van-eck-a632881a/ | |||
| #398 Katy Keenan, CEO of BCCD, on Rebuilding and Why Success in the UAE Takes Longer Than You Think | 18 May 2026 | 01:22:46 | |
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 – Why Spencer hates networking and what the Chamber is actually for 2:22 – The secret sales team: how the Chamber coaches members who hate selling themselves 5:38 – Her first day: the numbers were dire, the board wasn't diverse, she nearly walked 7:25 – From 13% to 50% female board and why diversity has to be earned, not forced 9:26 – Speed networking with a 3–5 week wait list: what that tells you about Dubai right now 12:18 – The old boys' club conversation: gender events, merit, and the allies that actually helped 17:17 – Lifelong volunteering, the Rashid Centre, and where her empathy really comes from 21:17 – Hyper helping mode, setting boundaries, and why she remembers every single person 27:25 – From deficit to record profit: the turnaround, Covid calls, and 6,000 government surveys 33:09 – Zero marketing budget and the editorial approach that worked 34:22 – Exiting members for bad behaviour and why psychological safety is non-negotiable 37:17 – The biggest mistake UK businesses make when they arrive in the UAE 42:54 – What "Made in Dubai" means to her and why her children were essentially made here 49:11 – The Liberated Woman, trailing spouses, and why mature women are better hires 51:32 – The hairdresser's advice at age seven: "Always have your own money" 58:48 – How the Chamber could support Spencer's school-building charity model 1:02:00 – Bullying, Rejection Sensitivity Dysphoria, and how being the outsider became her superpower 1:09:04 – Cranial sacral therapy, personal coaching, and a body "bracing for a car to hit you" 1:13:21 – UK media bashing Dubai and why the critics are the ones who wouldn't have made it anyway
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| #397: "It's Not If You'll Be Attacked, It's When" | Ossama, CEO of GBM on AI, Cyber War, and more | 11 May 2026 | 01:10:00 | |
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 – "A podcast virgin" Osama's first ever appearance 0:09 – Employees feeding company data into ChatGPT: the risk nobody talks about 2:11 – How generative AI actually works and why bias is already baked in 5:38 – The moment two AI agents invented their own secret language to hide from their supervisor 13:34 – Cyber-attacks quadrupled during regional conflict and why every company is a target 19:21 – How a demo system became a state actor's entry point 22:21 – The KPMG case: an entire system wiped with zero delete commands 25:56 – Password hygiene, the 14-day rule, and why you must never open junk mail in Outlook 28:39 – How to spot AI snake oil salesmen and the two questions that cut through the noise 30:13 – Deepfakes are already here and why trust will return to the room 47:10 – Made in Egypt, polished in UAE and why Dubai is harder than it looks 57:32 – If he started again at 21: invest in human welfare, not hype 59:35 – Leading from the trenches and the multiplier effect of great leadership 1:04:50 – Quickfire: rogue AI, the one question every CEO should ask, and more
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Follow Ossama El Samadoni on Social Media: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ossamae/ | |||
| #396: From 1 table to 112 Venues Across 26 Countries | Antonio Gonzalez, CEO of Dubai's Biggest Hospitality Group | 04 May 2026 | 01:16:08 | |
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 – What is Sunset Hospitality and the Dubai origin story 1:34 – February 28th: customers walking out mid-lunch and the moment everything changed 3:00 – Shock, acceptance, and action: leading 7,000 people through the unknown 9:32 – Why Dubai cannot be replaced and an honest forecast for the next 12 months 12:20 – Almost nobody has left — what Antonio is actually seeing on the ground 15:30 – Why he got into hospitality and how it actually started 17:50 – His father's influence, ten years in corporate, and why restlessness drove everything 22:00 – Cash is king, hotels in the wrong countries, and surviving the Arab Spring 24:15 – The Dubai Mall counter, the Westin breakthrough, and riding the 2012 wave 28:00 – Transactional vs. experiential hospitality and why one will never be automated 32:30 – Acquisitions, imposter syndrome, and building without an industry background 37:00 – Quickfire: non-negotiables, advice for corporate escapees, and gut vs. data 40:15 – Would he invest in hospitality right now? 41:15 – Surrender is never an option: planning A, B, and C under uncertainty 42:00 – The hardest part of the crisis: letting good people go
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| #395: 45 Years, 7 Tech Waves & a $1.5 Billion IPO at 71 | Fayez Ibbini on Building Alpha Data, AI & Why Retirement is a Lie | 27 Apr 2026 | 01:13:19 | |
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 – "A golden cage": why Fayez came for six months and stayed 45 years 01:28 – Abu Dhabi vs. Dubai and the mind-boggling speed of UAE transformation 06:34 – From electrical engineering to poultry imports to farming — finding what actually excites him 11:20 – Coding the Kuwait Stock Exchange in assembly language and the moment he realized talent has value 12:29 – His first client in the UAE: a video rental library, a 2,000-dirham cheque, and why he never cashed it 15:54 – Seeing every stand at CeBIT with a PC and making a decision that changed everything 17:17 – The seven waves of technology: mainframes to AI — and why AI is the tsunami, not the wave 21:36 – Why Alpha Data's greatest asset isn't talent — it's 2,200 relationships built on trust 23:00 – Life only makes sense in the rearview mirror: navigating the fog of action 26:00 – The three ingredients for success: passion, innate ability, and demand 28:00 – His controversial take: if you haven't started a business by 40, don't bother 29:24 – Why Fayez took Alpha Data public after 44 years — and the succession problem that forced his hand 34:00 – Deliberately leaving money on the table at IPO and why that was the smartest move 38:00 – The stock market chief's warning: "The sleepless nights start after the birth" 41:40 – Alpha Data's three core values: care for people, no red tape, and speed 45:15 – Overcoming introversion, shaking knees, and the demon in your brain that tries to protect you 50:00 – On giving back: why his model is teaching people to fish, not handing them fish 57:00 – AI compared to electricity: we are at the very start of it invading every aspect of our lives 1:00:25 – What AI can never replace: trust, the handshake, and the look in someone's eyes 1:02:40 – Quickfire: what money really means, the hardest decision he ever made, and a belief he's completely abandoned 1:04:24 – Why most people fail and his single biggest leadership lesson 1:09:11 – Why retirement is an invention of the industrial age — and what he's learning right now at 71
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Follow Fayez Ibbini on Social Media https://www.linkedin.com/in/fayez-ibbini-28382717/ | |||
| #394: "Technology Is NOT the Future of Education" - The CEO of 36 Schools, Alan Williamson on Education, Leadership & Sacrifice | 20 Apr 2026 | 01:35:12 | |
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 — 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 – Introducing Alan and what makes him different from most CEOs 01:15 – What is Taaleem? 36 schools, 50,000 students, and a 21-year story 03:42 – How Dubai's inspection system turbocharges school quality like nowhere else in the world 07:53 – The international teacher recruitment crisis and why Dubai still wins 11:52 – How to actually choose the right school for your child in Dubai 17:48 – Are UAE school fees good value? The honest comparison with UK independent schools 22:22 – Leading through geopolitical crisis: sleepless nights, a billion-dirham bet, and staying calm 28:00 – Growth anxiety, M&A opportunities, and being the knight in shining armor 33:02 – Should schools be doing more to help struggling parents and entrepreneurs? 41:52 – Growing up on a council estate in Shetland: where his drive really came from 50:47 – Feeling like an outsider at university and how rugby changed everything 54:30 – The biggest sacrifice he made to be successful: missing family to referee international rugby 58:32 – Would he do it all the same way again? His most honest answer 01:01:13 – When his working-class values clashed with running a profit-driven company 01:05:21 – His most unpopular opinion: technology is NOT the future of education 01:09:06 – What great teachers actually do that most people forget 01:13:19 – How to prepare children for jobs that don't exist yet 01:16:49 – University vs. apprenticeships: why one path is not better than the other 01:18:39 – Quickfire: are exams outdated, what skill matters more than grades, and who should Spencer interview next?
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Follow Alan Williamson on Social Media: https://www.instagram.com/alanwilliamsonceo/ | |||
| #393: "I Gave Myself Cancer" | Dave Catudal on Stress, Health & The Power of the Mind | 13 Apr 2026 | 01:28:47 | |
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 – How Dave believes he gave himself cancer 02:46 – His brother's leukemia, his father's death, and a family shaped by illness 05:30 – Remembering his father Pierre: the man behind the legend 08:05 – What actually causes cancer? The mind-body connection explained 09:26 – The most powerful memory of his father (a story you won't forget) 12:08 – Regret, absence, and channeling grief into becoming your best self 16:25 – What he would say to his father if he walked in today 17:12 – The manifestation trap: why fixating on outcomes holds you back 21:36 – Stress as the number one trigger of illness — the science explained 24:08 – Information overload vs. real health education 27:44 – Why belief systems can be the most powerful medicine 30:34 – The three pillars every modern human needs to get right 34:01 – Why are we living longer despite living worse? 36:26 – Sleep decoded: deep sleep vs. REM and why that extra hour changes everything 41:31 – REM Plus: the supplement built for the overstimulated modern human 44:17 – Dubai vs. LA vs. Montreal: where entrepreneurs actually thrive 48:04 – From landscaping at 19 to supplements in Dubai: the full entrepreneurial journey 52:18 – His most costly business failure and what it taught him 54:28 – For Us: the two-product system taking Dubai by storm 58:35 – How to build a brand with a vibe you cannot pay for 01:01:31 – The single most important pillar of health (and the free tool to fix it) 01:03:19 – Dave's three daily non-negotiables 01:04:17 – Rock bottom: sleeping on a massage table in West Hollywood 01:07:26 – What he wants to be remembered for 01:10:39 – Why he calls himself an entrepreneur, not a supplement guy 01:11:26 – Quickfire: the habits aging you fastest, what to ban from modern life, and more 01:15:57 – The time he spent five nights in jail 01:16:52 – Will today's kids live shorter lives? 01:20:25 – The power of tribe: why who you surround yourself with is everything 01:20:25 – Peptides explained: what they are, how they work, and when to use them 01:23:46 – The Coke Zero debate: is the dose really the poison? 01:25:37 – The meaning of life, in one word
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Follow Dave Catudal on Social Media https://www.linkedin.com/in/davecatudal/ | |||
| #392: From Radio to 130M Followers | Alex Hirschi aka supercarblondie on Building a Global Brand | 06 Apr 2026 | 01:37:43 | |
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 – Introducing Alex Hirschi (Supercar Blondie) Follow Spencer Lodge on Social Media: https://www.instagram.com/madeindubaipodcast/?hl=en https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61586194260076 https://www.instagram.com/spencer.lodge/?hl=en https://www.tiktok.com/@spencer.lodge https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencerlodge/ https://www.youtube.com/c/SpencerLodgeTV https://www.facebook.com/spencerlodgeofficial/
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| #391 From Nurse to CEO | Kimberly Pierce on Leadership, Healthcare & Building a Culture of Care | 30 Mar 2026 | 01:07:30 | |
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 – From leaving school early to becoming a nurse
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| #390: From ADHD & Dyslexia to Building a Global Business | TheAquaman on Turning Struggles into Strength | 23 Mar 2026 | 01:29:25 | |
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 – Overcoming ADHD, dyslexia, and early rejection
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| #389: Inside Dubai's Most Prestigious School | Dubai College Headmaster Tomas Duckling on Education, Character & The Future of Learning | 16 Mar 2026 | 01:09:34 | |
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 – Introducing Tomas Duckling and Dubai College
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| #388: The Most Controversial Voice in Wellness? Barbara O'Neill on Natural Healing, Modern Medicine & Questioning Everything | 09 Mar 2026 | 01:16:53 | |
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 – Introducing Barbara O'Neill and why she sparks global debate
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| #387: Are We Finally Winning Against Cancer? Dr. Patrick on IL-15, NK Cells & The Pandemic of Cancer | 02 Mar 2026 | 00:55:29 | |
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 – First impressions of the Middle East and the crisis of trust 08:17 – What cancer really is and the role of the Natural Killer cell 14:08 – The warning: a possible pandemic of cancer in young people 16:47 – The T-cell COVID vaccine controversy 24:40 – IL-15: ranked the #1 molecule to cure cancer 29:07 – Breaking news: approvals in 33 countries and Saudi Arabia 31:06 – Immunity, aging, and the link to longevity 37:53 – The $10 blood test hidden in plain sight for 30 years 39:28 – Why camels and sharks don't get cancer 44:32 – From apartheid South Africa to billionaire inventor 48:13 – Turning $1 million CAR-T therapy into a $25,000 robotic solution 50:33 – Why the Middle East could lead the next biotech revolution
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| #386: Passive Blessings Over Passive Income: Fadie Musallet on Success, Faith & Giving Back | 23 Feb 2026 | 01:33:19 | |
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 – From wild youth in Miami to purposeful giving 03:13 – The power of kindness and leaving a legacy 08:43 – Lessons learned through loss and resilience 11:37 – Palestinian roots, love, and identity 18:13 – Moving to Dubai and starting over 23:54 – Building a medical distribution and brokering business 33:18 – Mastering networks, handling rejection, and closing deals 43:02 – Behind the scenes of Dubai Bling 58:25 – Launching FadieCakes and the business of desserts 1:04:50 – Founding The Giving Family and feeding communities 1:11:56 – Making volunteering part of everyday life 1:14:50 – Ramadan beyond fasting 1:23:18 – Regrets, growth, and defining success 1:25:32 – Passive blessings over passive income 1:28:26 – The challenges of fundraising in Dubai 1:29:41 – How you can help feed those in need
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| #385: From Trauma to Triumph: Dr. Gian Power's Journey of Resilience and Leadership | 16 Feb 2026 | 01:24:01 | |
Trauma changes you. For some, it becomes a weight that never lifts. For others, it becomes a catalyst. In this episode, Dr. Gian Power shares the deeply personal story that shaped his life and leadership journey. From childhood shyness and quiet ambition to navigating the devastating and unresolved murder of his father, this conversation explores how unimaginable loss can redefine purpose. Dr. Gian reflects on loyalty, trust, justice, and the emotional toll of public tragedy. He speaks candidly about grief, identity, and the difficult process of rebuilding while carrying unanswered questions. Beyond the personal story, this episode dives into the future of leadership. In a world rapidly shaped by AI and automation, Dr. Gian explains why human skills, storytelling, emotional intelligence, and authentic connection are becoming more valuable than ever. This is a powerful conversation about resilience, purpose-driven leadership, and the responsibility leaders have to build workplaces that are not just productive, but deeply human. A raw and thoughtful discussion on adversity, performance, culture, and what it truly means to lead with strength and compassion.
Timestamps: 00:00 – Turning trauma into a catalyst for leadership
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| #384: Unlocking the Subconscious: Hypnosis, Trauma & Transformation with Ebrahim Turner | 09 Feb 2026 | 01:40:33 | |
Hypnosis is often misunderstood and dismissed as performance or placebo. In this conversation, Ebrahim Turner, widely known as the "billionaire hypnotist," breaks down what hypnosis really is and why it has become one of the most powerful tools for personal and professional transformation. From rewiring habits and addressing deep-rooted trauma to improving performance in business and high-pressure environments like Dubai, Ebrahim explains how the subconscious mind quietly shapes our behavior, decisions, and emotional responses. This episode explores why lasting change doesn't come from motivation alone, how trauma shows up in unexpected ways and why vulnerability is often the gateway to real confidence and success. A raw, practical conversation about anxiety, identity, perception, and what happens when external success no longer masks internal struggle. Timestamps
Show Sponsors: AYS Developers: A design-focused company dedicated to crafting exceptional homes, vibrant communities, and inspiring lifestyle experiences. https://bit.ly/AYS-Developers
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| #383: From External Success to Inner Struggle: Lousin Mehrabi in Conversation with Spencer Lodge on Rejection, Family Pressure & Finding Self-Worth | 02 Feb 2026 | 01:26:17 | |
In this conversation, Lousin Mehrabi sits down with Spencer Lodge for an open and reflective discussion that goes beyond surface-level success. Through thoughtful questioning, Lousin encourages Spencer to open up about the gap between external achievement and internal fulfillment and how family expectations, particularly his relationship with his father, shaped his drive and self-perception. Spencer reflects on navigating rejection, pressure, and self-doubt, and how resilience, forgiveness, and self-awareness helped him redefine success on his own terms. The conversation also explores the impact of parenting, gratitude, and meaningful connection on personal growth. Spencer shares lessons from his journey in sales, life in Dubai, and using success as a platform for purpose through charity work and storytelling, including a documentary focused on resilience and human impact. A grounded, honest exchange about turning pressure into progress and ambition into something that truly matters.
00:00 The Illusion of Success 02:54 The Weight of Expectations 06:09 The Burden of Shame 08:59 The Struggle with Self-Perception 12:00 The Relentless Pursuit of Achievement 15:05 The Challenge of Connection 18:10 The Impact of Family Dynamics 20:57 The Journey of Forgiveness 24:05 The Role of Parenting 27:10 The Power of Resilience 30:03 The Path to Financial Success 32:57 The Fear of Rejection 45:42 The Numbers Game of Rejection 48:10 Learning the Sales Process 54:51 The Journey Through Different Countries 57:39 Life in Dubai: A Personal Perspective 01:00:13 Helping Others: The Power of Charity 01:08:30 The Documentary: A Story of Resilience 01:13:42 The Inner Struggle: Balancing Success and Responsibility
Show Sponsors: AYS Developers: A design-focused company dedicated to crafting exceptional homes, vibrant communities, and inspiring lifestyle experiences. https://bit.ly/AYS-Developers
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| #382: From Plumber to £148M Exit: Charlie Mullins on Grit, Failure & Building an Empire | 26 Jan 2026 | 01:10:29 | |
Charlie Mullins is a deeply contradictory and complex figure - from a deprived council-estate childhood in south London to founding a plumbing empire, cashing out for £148 million and remaking himself as a global-living, politically outspoken tycoon. He embodies both the grit of old-school trades and the excesses of modern wealth. His post-sale life is marked by public provocation - from giant anti-Brexit signs to incendiary social media posts, and threats to relocate his wealth abroad which are now in force as he is here to get his residency. His journey offers a potent lens: success, escape, conflict, and reinvention, but also tension, moral ambiguity. He is confrontational, outspoken and a political provocateur.
2:40 – Charlie's childhood 6:03 – Plumber apprenticeship 09:56 – Bill, the man Charlie looked up to 17:28 – The importance of apprenticeships 20:22 – Success is simple 21:58 – Nearly going bankrupt 25:34 – Selling for 148 million 26:19 – Charlie's regrets 32:17 – People pay for quality 40:53 – London is unsafe 45:16 – The importance of having a job 50:08 – Coming to Dubai 54:15 – Favorite things about Dubai 57:31 – Youngsters don't have a future in the UK 1:02:53 – An opinion that would break the internet 1:04:43 – Harshest truth about success 1:07:25 – Charlie's message to Bill
Show Sponsors: AYS Developers: A design-focused company dedicated to crafting exceptional homes, vibrant communities, and inspiring lifestyle experiences. https://bit.ly/AYS-Developers
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| #381: The Accident That Changed How Cyrus Rustom Sees Risk, Discipline & Life | 19 Jan 2026 | 01:18:32 | |
This episode isn't about motivation. It's about perspective. Cyrus Rustom shares the moments that reshaped how he sees life — from joining the Marines at 16 to escape chaos at home, to surviving an accident he was certain he wouldn't live through, to rebuilding everything afterward. We talk about business failures, discipline myths, opening a company one week before Covid shut the world down and why real risk isn't danger — it's waiting for certainty that never comes. This conversation isn't polished or performative. It's about identity, loss, belonging, and what changes when you realise time isn't guaranteed. Some decisions aren't heroic. They're survival.
3:31 – Learning What Not to Do 5:28 – The Biggest Mistakes 09:35 – The Discipline Lie 12:37 – The Start of Boxica 14:32 - Worst Timing Possible 16:12 – Making People Feel Welcome at The Gym 24:05 – Entrepreneurship 24:52 – What is Success? 36:27 - I Joined the Marines at 16 39:35 – The World of the Marines 54:44 - Crushed Between Two Vehicles 1:01:42 - Perspective Saved Me 1:05:27 - Leaving Was Lonely 1:07:42 - I Wouldn't Change What Happened
Show Sponsors: AYS Developers: A design-focused company dedicated to crafting exceptional homes, vibrant communities, and inspiring lifestyle experiences. https://bit.ly/AYS-Developers
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| #380: Creators Are Losing Millions And This Tech Could Fix It | 12 Jan 2026 | 00:47:22 | |
From buying Bitcoin at $66 to tokenizing gas fields. In this episode, Sebastian Huth reveals the hidden lessons most people miss about crypto, tokenization, real estate and creator economy. Learn why leaving your crypto on exchanges is a huge risk, why infrastructure beats hype every time and how tokenization is about to change the way we own almost everything, including real estate and even energy. Don't miss the shocking stats about creators losing millions on streaming platforms and how Air channel could be the next game-changer.
2:59 Buying Bitcoin at 66.99$ 6:35 Crypto is only the tip of the iceberg 7:32 How to tokenize a property 10:24 How to buy tokens 12:13 Why choose tokenization over the traditional way 15:51 You can tokenize anything 18:07 The process broken down 20:15 The importance of creating your own wallet 24:25 Air: Artificial Intelligence Radio 29:10 Content creators don't make enough money from traditional platforms 37:34 Redefining the audio space
Show Sponsors: AYS Developers: A design-focused company dedicated to crafting exceptional homes, vibrant communities, and inspiring lifestyle experiences.
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| #379: From Global DJ to Penniless in Dubai: Peter Doyle's Unbelievable Comeback | 05 Jan 2026 | 01:04:10 | |
Peter Doyle's life proves that success isn't a straight line and that sometimes, losing everything is the beginning of becoming who you're meant to be. From the worlds' top DJ booths and global stages to sleeping in the back of a Toyota Yaris in Dubai when things got really tough, Peter opens up about the highs, the lows and the moments that nearly broke him. With no passport, no money and no one coming to save him, he was forced to dig deeper than ever before. What followed was a complete reinvention; one built on discipline, faith and relentless self-belief. This is a raw, honest conversation about resilience, reinvention, and why it's never too late to start again.
2:30 - 6:30 The curious kid 6:32 – 14:27 From kid DJ to global opener 14:28 – 20:40 DJ-ing or the family? 20:41 – 29:03 Started a new life at 38 29:04 – 32:35 From DJ to asset management 32:36 – 44:33 Penniless in Dubai 44:34 – 1:04:10 The turning point
Show Sponsors: AYS Developers: A design-focused company dedicated to crafting exceptional homes, vibrant communities, and inspiring lifestyle experiences.
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| #378: The Episode That Never Nearly Happened.. | 29 Dec 2025 | 01:44:29 | |
This episode takes a look back on 2025 and lifts the lid on Spencer's journey so far as a long form content creator, podcaster, entrepreneur and incredible storyteller. In this episode Spencer speaks from the heart about the big names along the way and the impact of his show on his life, and the guests around him, including what doesn't show up on the highlight reel. From nearly quitting the show (more than once), to falling asleep mid-recording, to losing a full episode forever, Spencer opens up to us about the real emotional and operational reality of building a long-form meaningful podcast. Raj pulls back the curtain on how Episode 100 was secretly produced as a surprise, why the show pivoted from chasing big names to telling human stories and holding worthwhile conversations, to how "success" can still feel unachieved even when things look great from the outside. Raj and Spencer talk about redefining success as impact, kindness and consistency, the internal "me vs me" mindset and the moments that proved the show genuinely mattered — including an email from a listener that changed everything...
This is a behind-the-scenes conversation about: 2:30 - 5:58 The story behind the podcast 5:58 – 27:26 how Episode 100 was secretly produced as a surprise 27:26 – 49:39 The impact my guests have had on me 49:40 – 1:00:10 From Spencer Lodge podcast to Made in Dubai 1:00:10 – 1:13:10 Dubai's impact on spencer 1:13:10 – 1:17:00 Fear of failure 1:17:00 – 1:23:27 Falling asleep during a recording 1:23:27 – 1:25:00 2026 goals 1:25:00 – 1:44:28 Kindness isn't my superpower
Show Sponsors: AYS Developers: A design-focused company dedicated to crafting exceptional homes, vibrant communities, and inspiring lifestyle experiences.
Socials: Follow Spencer Lodge on Social Media https://www.instagram.com/madeindubaipodcast/?hl=en https://www.instagram.com/spencer.lodge/?hl=en https://www.tiktok.com/@spencer.lodge https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencerlodge/ https://www.youtube.com/c/SpencerLodgeTV https://www.facebook.com/spencerlodgeofficial/
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| #377: Why Hollywood Celebrities Fly to Dr. Adeel – The Truth Revealed | 22 Dec 2025 | 00:57:25 | |
| #376: Dubai's Real Estate Bubble? Sam McCone Predicts What Happens Next. | 15 Dec 2025 | 01:12:24 | |
This week's guest is Sam MCone, a lifelong Dubai resident and the visionary founder of McCone Properties. Having moved to Dubai at the age of two, Sam has a unique, ground-level perspective on the city's meteoric rise from a quiet trading post to a global powerhouse. His journey in real estate began as an agent, but his innate, level-headed resilience led him to build his own successful brokerage over the past 13 years. In this deeply personal episode, Sam opens up about the tough lessons learned from transitioning from being a tennis ace as a youth, to a top salesperson then to becoming a business owner. He shares invaluable insights on finding a niche in a saturated market of 9,000 brokerages and the uncomfortable but vital role of social media in building a brand. Beyond business, Sam gives a raw and honest account of his complex relationship with his past as a tennis academy student, the challenges that shaped him, and how it contrasts with his current extreme physical challenges, including his upcoming attempt to run 200km in 24 hours to raise 1 million AED for The Sparkle Foundation in Malawi.
01:40 - Growing Up with Dubai 05:30 - An Honest Audit of Dubai's Pros & Cons 09:53 - The Coming Real Estate Correction 17:29 - From Salesman to CEO 23:20 - Carving a Niche in a Crowded Market 42:12 – Running 200 KM in 24 hrs 45:01 – The Past Trauma 48:01 - Parenting Through the Lens of Past Trauma 56:40 - The Story Behind the 200km Run and self-worth
Show Sponsors: AYS Developers: A design-focused company dedicated to crafting exceptional homes, vibrant communities, and inspiring lifestyle experiences.
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| #375: Losing Everything, Running Further: Nico De Corato's Untold Dubai Story | 08 Dec 2025 | 01:01:06 | |
Join us on Made in Dubai as we sit down with Nico de Corato, an ultra-endurance athlete, entrepreneur who is passionate about the UAE. From ultra-marathons and mountain biking to freediving, jet skiing, and desert adventures, Nico's story spans resilience, discipline, and pushing beyond limits. In this episode, Nico shares: How he moved from Naples to Dubai and mindset behind his training ultra marathons, 200 km races and achieving the Dubai Sports Challenge Why sports are a lifestyle, not just a hobby, and that lessons from the unseen moments alone in the desert have made him who is today How setbacks and challenges can be used a positive motivator to set even great goals, even when no one was supporting him and thought he was seriously unwell (TBC) Perfect for anyone interested in Dubai, extreme sports, ultramarathons, personal growth, and balancing life and extreme challenges while making a home in Dubai. This episode is a deep dive into the life of someone who truly lives without limits. Tune in, get inspired, and discover what it really takes to conquer Dubai – on a mountain bike or alone in the desert.
03:30 – From Napoli to Dubai 09:10 – When everything that can go wrong, goes wrong 10:57 – Nico's health problems 13:31 – Nico breaking his sternum 16:20 – Coming to Dubai in 2004 17:11— Solo triathlon for the 49th UAE National Day 20:48 – 200 KM solo run 21:52 – Nico's mom passing away & honouring her 23:16 - Nico having no support when he first moved to Dubai 30:07 – Nico's mindset and discipline 42:45- Why do people hate Dubai? 48:56 – Nico's way of encouraging people to run 51:41: Nico's first run
Show Sponsors: AYS Developers: A design-focused company dedicated to crafting exceptional homes, vibrant communities, and inspiring lifestyle experiences.
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| #374: Chris Hemsworth, Big Ideas & Bayut: Sahar Khan on Building an Iconic Brand | 01 Dec 2025 | 01:10:52 | |
This week's guest is Sahar Khan, the dynamic Head of Marketing at Bayut. A foundational member of the team, Sahar joined Bayut in 2014 as one of its first sales employees and has been instrumental in building the brand into the UAE's leading property portal. With a innate passion for creative, out-of-the-box marketing since childhood, she has spearheaded some of the company's most iconic campaigns, including the landmark partnership with Chris Hemsworth. In this episode, Sahar takes us through her incredible journey from a salesperson in a small startup to leading marketing for a household name. She shares invaluable insights on building a brand in a unique market like the UAE, the evolution of her marketing strategies, and the delicate balance between sales and marketing teams. Sahar also opens about her leadership philosophy, the importance of staying true to one's principles, and how maintaining a clear mind through fitness is crucial to her success.
2:41 - Humble Beginnings at Bayut 4:04 - A Marketer from the Start 5:55 - Marketing in the UAE: A Unique Playbook 8:45 - Sales vs. Marketing: The Eternal Friction 11:55 - From Underdog to Market Leader 13:27 – Working with Chris Hemsworth 20:00 - Solving Industry Problems: Content and Verification 30:13 - Live Events vs. Digital Marketing Measuring the intangible impact of live events like the iconic B3 launch and the clear metrics of digital campaigns. 36:57 – Dubai's booming real estate market 42:51 - Where Big Ideas Come From 52:15 - Giving Back: More Than Money 55:10 - A Personal Conversation on Principles and Pain 1:08:09 - Starting Over: Lessons for Bayut 2.0 Show Sponsors: AYS Developers: A design-focused company dedicated to crafting exceptional homes, vibrant communities, and inspiring lifestyle experiences.
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| #373: From Bullied Kid to Global Leader: Sebastian Bates' Warrior Academy Story | 24 Nov 2025 | 01:04:07 | |
Sebastian Bates is a British entrepreneur, author, and martial artist best known as the founder of the Warrior Academy, a Dubai-based organisation dedicated to developing children's confidence, focus, and resilience through martial arts. With over 25 years of experience and a background in professional martial arts and extreme sports. He is the best-selling author of The Warrior Method and Not a Victim, host of the Warrior Academy Podcast, and founder of the Bates Foundation and the "Not A Victim" anti-bullying campaign, initiatives that reflect his commitment to empowering young people and fostering positive character growth worldwide. In this episode, Sebastian dives deep into the journey behind founding the Warrior Academy and the powerful mission driving its global impact. He discusses how early life challenges and experiences with bullying shaped his vision for empowering children through character development and martial arts. Listeners will hear insights on transforming victim mentality into resilience, the psychology behind bullying, and how celebrating a child as a victim can unintentionally disempower them. Sebastian also explains the Warrior Academy's unique approach to measuring the "3Cs"— Confidence, Conduct, and Concentration and why focusing on the lowest "C" drives transformational growth. The episode highlights inspiring testimonials from over 50,000 children who've been through the academy, explores the impact of the Bates Foundation across Eastern Africa, and reflects on how charity work and purpose-driven entrepreneurship can redefine personal and professional success.
02:53 – Sebastian's backstory and why he founded the Warrior Academy 10:20 – Turning testing times into success: using challenges as motivation for growth 14:46 – Symptoms of a victim mentality and practical steps to overcome it 20:56 – Building the Warrior Academy 40:08 – Understanding why bullying occurs and how to support bullies 42:34 – The Bates Foundation: the purpose behind it 56:50 – What drives Sebastian: finding purpose through meaningful impact 59:10 – The role of Dubai in accelerating the commercial growth of the business
Show Sponsors: AYS Developers: A design-focused company dedicated to crafting exceptional homes, vibrant communities, and inspiring lifestyle experiences.
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| #372: Creators, Brands, and AI: The New Rules of Influencer Marketing with Danny Agg | 17 Nov 2025 | 01:17:23 | |
This week's guest is Danny Agg, who leads Zodiac Global with a clear vision for growth, innovation, and excellence, serves as CEO overseeing the company's strategic direction, partnerships, and overall talent strategy. In this episode, Danny dives deep into the evolving world of talent management and influencer marketing. The conversation highlights the critical role of trust in building authentic brands and explores how creators can craft universal content that resonates across audiences and platforms. Listeners gain practical insights on how to get started as a creator and develop multiple revenue streams. The discussion also examines the rapid growth of the global creator economy and looks ahead to the rising influence of AI-driven creators.
03:40 – Zodiac Global: Talent Management & Influencer Marketing 08:10 – Selective Talent: Choosing the Right Creators 17:06 - Growing an Organic Audience Today 21:23 – How Content Resonates Globally 23:13 – How Creators Make Money 27:45 – How to Build Your Own Product 34:35 – Getting Started as a Creator 46:00 – AI Influencers: What's the Future? 57:50 – Danny Agg's Journey into the Creator Space & Personal Story
Show Sponsors: AYS Developers: A design-focused company dedicated to crafting exceptional homes, vibrant communities, and inspiring lifestyle experiences.
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| #371: Overnourished, Overwhelmed, and Underserved: Rethinking Health with Dr. Nas Al Jafari | 10 Nov 2025 | 01:06:07 | |
This week's guest is Dr. Nas Al Jafari, a leading Functional Medicine physician and founder of DNA Health in Dubai, renowned for his science-driven, holistic approach to health and wellness. With a focus on uncovering and addressing the root causes of chronic conditions, Dr. Al Jafari integrates the latest medical research with personalised care to help patients achieve optimal well-being. Passionate about empowering individuals to take charge of their health, he emphasises the importance of nutrition, lifestyle interventions, and integrative therapies. His expertise has earned him a reputation as one of the region's most trusted voices in functional and preventative medicine. In this episode, we explore Dr. Nas Al Jafari's personal journey into Functional Medicine and his approach to addressing the root causes of chronic conditions. He discusses lifestyle, longevity, and preventative health, as well as the evolving challenges of trust in modern healthcare. Dr. Al Jafari shares insights on overnutrition, hormonal optimisation, and emerging therapies such as exosomes and peptides. He also reflects on lessons learned from building his clinic, the four pillars of health, and his experiences practising in Dubai — offering a unique perspective on optimising well-being and transforming healthcare outcomes.
2:40 – Dr. Nas Al Jafari's Backstory 5:40 – Lifestyle, Longevity, and Functional Medicine 19:10 – COVID-19 as a Catalyst for Change 20:19 – The True Meaning of Longevity 28:28 – Championing Preventative Health 40:53 – The Impact of Being Overnourished 49:54 – DNA Health & Wellness Clinics: Lessons Learned 54:20 – Practicing in Dubai: Challenges and Opportunities
Show Sponsors: AYS Developers: A design-focused company dedicated to crafting exceptional homes, vibrant communities, and inspiring lifestyle experiences.
Socials: Follow Spencer Lodge on Social Media https://www.instagram.com/spencer.lodge/?hl=en https://www.tiktok.com/@spencer.lodge https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencerlodge/ https://www.youtube.com/c/SpencerLodgeTV https://www.facebook.com/spencerlodgeofficial/ Follow Dr. Nas on Social Media https://www.instagram.com/dr_nas_wellness/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/nasr-al-jafari-072a4626/?originalSubdomain=ae | |||
| #370: The Rapid Evolution Of Cypto & Is Society Moving To Cashless A Good Thing Or A Bad Thing? | 03 Nov 2025 | 01:03:39 | |
This weeks guest, Karl Mohan, is a seasoned fintech and crypto executive, currently serving as General Manager for APAC and MEA and Global Head of Banking Partnerships at Crypto.com. With over two decades of experience across traditional finance and emerging technologies, Karl is known for bridging the gap between banking and blockchain innovation. Passionate about financial inclusion and responsible crypto adoption, he advocates for regulation that supports innovation, security, and trust, helping Crypto.com make cryptocurrency accessible to everyone.
In this episode, we explore how technology and regulation are shaping the future of finance, with a focus on the rapid evolution of crypto and digital payments. We discuss why Dubai has emerged as a leading hub for the industry, comparing its regulatory landscape with more democratic societies. We also look at the growing integration of crypto with traditional banking and consider the global shift toward cashless societies.
06:19 – New technologies changing the way we pay and invest 11:25 – The evolution of technology and the role of regulation 14:40 – Why Dubai has become one of the leading crypto financial centres 22:18 – The risks of crypto and how regulation and security are improving trust and confidence 34:57 – The Crypto.com x Trump Media deal and its impact on direct and indirect crypto investment 46:34 – The future of cash, societal behaviours, and the role of crypto 52:26 – Pros and cons of a cashless society and the rise of alternative payment systems
Show Sponsors:
AYS Developers: A design-focused company dedicated to crafting exceptional homes, vibrant communities, and inspiring lifestyle experiences.
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Follow Karl Mohan on Social Media https://www.linkedin.com/in/karlmohan | |||
| #369: How AI Is Going To Change Video Content, Dealing With Haters & The Future For Mo Vlogs | 27 Oct 2025 | 01:14:10 | |
This week's guest is Mo Vlogs, social media personality who has made a name for himself as one of Dubai's most prominent YouTubers and vloggers. Renowned for his daily vlogs, Mo offers viewers a window into the opulent lifestyle the city is known for, from luxury cars and high-end real estate to exclusive events and behind-the-scenes glimpses of Dubai's fast-paced culture. In this episode, Mo Vlogs sits down to share his journey from humble beginnings to becoming one of Dubai's most recognizedYouTubers. He reflects on the importance of enjoying what you do, the impact of social media and mobile technology, and how AI is shaping creativity. Mo opens up about his biggest financial mistakes, the mindset needed to excel, and the excuses people make that hold them back. He also talks about the power of self-reflection, staying consistent in your work, handling critics, and what the future holds for Mo Vlogs and his content.
02:10 – How Mo started out 15:11 – The role of AI in video 22:45 – The start of creating something rewarding 45:50 – Doing the work: Applying yourself and being consistent 59:38 – Dealing with the haters: It only hurts when you start to believe 01:04:00 – The future for Mo Vlogs
Show Sponsors:
AYS Developers: A design-focused company dedicated to crafting exceptional homes, vibrant communities, and inspiring lifestyle experiences. Socials: Follow Spencer Lodge on Social Media https://www.instagram.com/spencer.lodge/?hl=en https://www.tiktok.com/@spencer.lodge https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencerlodge/ https://www.youtube.com/c/SpencerLodgeTV https://www.facebook.com/spencerlodgeofficial/
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| #368 What You Can Get In Dubai That You Can't Get Anywhere Else | 20 Oct 2025 | 01:01:33 | |
This week's guest is Firas Al Msaddi, the founder and owner of fäm Properties, Dubai's most technologically advanced real estate company and a multidimensional force shaping the future of the city's property market.
A Syrian-born entrepreneur and author, Firas has redefined what it means to lead in real estate, combining deep market expertise with data, proptech, and integrity-driven leadership. From trading shoes as a child in Homs to building one of the region's most trusted real estate platforms, his journey reflects relentless grit and visionary execution.
In this episode, Firas Al Msaddi joins Spencer to share the mindset and principles behind building one of Dubai's most successful real estate empires. He opens up about the values of hard work, trust and creating lasting client relationships, explaining why money naturally follows value.
Firas breaks down the true skill behind effective selling, reflects on his best and worst investments, and discusses why Dubai continues to attract ambitious people from around the world. He also offers a compelling vision forthe city's future, one defined by innovation, transparency, and unstoppable ambition
01:07 – Backstory: Firas Al Msaddi 11:31 – Buying into his philosophy 19:36 – Outperforming the competition by delivering more value to clients 30:37 – The younger generation and shortcuts: Mastering your trade takes time 35:54 – The sales process: Two schools of thought - commission-driven vs product-focused 48:30 –The future of Dubai (long-term vision)
Show Sponsors:
AYS Developers: A design-focused company dedicated to crafting exceptional homes, vibrant communities, and inspiring lifestyle experiences.
Socials:
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| #367: The CEO Shaping Tomorrow's Dubai – Farhad Azizi on Wealth, Innovation & What Money Can't Buy | 13 Oct 2025 | 01:34:00 | |
This weeks guest is Farhad Azizi, CEO of Azizi Developments, the real estate arm of the Azizi Group in Dubai, where he also serves as Vice Chairman. Educated in the U.S. with a bachelor's from the University of Tulsa and an MBA from Suffolk University, he later established ventures in Germany before returning to Dubai to lead Azizi Developments, founded in 2007. Under his leadership, the company has delivered thousands of homes across prime locations like MBR City, Palm Jumeirah and Dubai Healthcare City, becoming one of the city's leading developers. Named among Forbes Middle East's "Most Impactful Real Estate Leaders" (2024) and credited with driving the firm to win "Middle East Property Developer of the Year" (2023), Azizi is recognised for a leadership style that emphasizes customer focus, transparency, and innovation. In this episode, Farhad Azizi, billionaire CEO of Azizi Developments, shares his remarkable journey from his upbringing in Afghanistan and Dubai to studying in the United States and building one of the UAE's most successful real estate empires. The conversation explores both the challenges and opportunities of working within a family business, his experience taking over and driving the company's growth, and the personal changes he made following the passing of his sister. Azizi reflects on life's hardest lessons, the balance between wealth and fulfilment and his views on leadership, legacy and the role of innovation, AI and technology in shaping the future of real estate. He also opens up about his greatest accomplishments, biggest mistakes and whether his success could have been achieved outside Dubai. 2:10 – Farhad's backstory: from his birthplace Afghanistan to attending university in Tulsa, USA 12:50 – Working in the family business 32:58 – What money can't buy: life's hardest lesson 56:02 – From humble beginnings 58:42 – Burj Azizi: building the second tallest building in the world 1:13:13 – Quick fire questions 1:18:05 – Innovations in real estate, technology and AI, adapting to younger buying habits 1:28:52 – Trends damaging Dubai's reputation
Show Sponsors:
AYS Developers: A design-focused company dedicated to crafting exceptional homes, vibrant communities, and inspiring lifestyle experiences.
Allsopp & Allsopp: Redefining real estate, through cutting-edge technology and setting new standards for seamless, elevated customer experience. Keep moving with Allsopp & Allsopp. https://bit.ly/Allsopp-and-Allsopp
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