More Than Work

This week’s guest is John El-Maraghy, non-profit professional, and Director at Archangel Raphael's Mission (ARM).

John is was born and raised in New Jersey where he is currently based. He started his career in impact consulting and then transitioned into non-profit. He made the move when during a time of self-discovery, he he realised he wanted to be of service. 

For John, it is important for him to believe in the mission of the organization that he is working for whether it is non-profit or for profit and in both his full-time job and his volunteering with ARM he has found that. 

ARM was founded to be a support system for people in need. After starting out as a food service organisation, they shifted their focus to health and hygiene interventions providing mobile showers and a mobile barbershop. 

Topics covered:

Career transition

Service to others

Finding your purpose

Treating others with humanity and dignity

Importance of being aligned with an organization’s mission in any type of work

How to get into volunteering

Note from Rabiah (Host): 

You won’t hear it but I had SO much trouble saying the name of the organization! Thank goodness for acronyms. I learned that Archangel Rafael is the patron saint of healing and the work that ARM does definitely serves that purpose. John and I spoke about ARM’s affiliation with a church but how the involvement of the church doesn’t extend to evangelism. It is so important that when any of us set out to do charitable work as individuals or organisations, that we remove personal gain from the objectives and that’s just what happens here. I mention it to John but one thing I really appreciated in our talk, besides how he is going about giving, is the respect he has for the people he is serving in the way he talks about them. It is something I’ve thought about again in editing. I volunteer for a charity that serves the homeless in London and often think about how people are treated depending on their social status.

Sorry it has been so long since the last episode. If you’re listening for the first time, I hope you’ll go back and listen to the 100+ episodes that have been published and join us next time!

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Find ARM

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/armgives

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/armgives

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/armgives

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@armgives

Website: https://arm.gives/

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Mentioned in this episode:

Lava Mae https://lavamaex.org/

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More than Work Facebook, Instagram, Twitter: @morethanworkpod Please review and follow anywhere you get podcasts. Thank you for listening. Have feedback? Email morethanworkpod(at)gmail.com!

This week’s guest is Rani Puranik, EVP and Global CFO of Worldwide Oilfield Machine (WOM). She is also the founder of a leadership coaching company and the author of a book that launched just the day before this episode dropped! 

At WOM, work is done around sustainability though environmentally responsible energy production and a focus on the people. We talk about sustainability and the broader definition making decisions for long-term in business.

Rani grew up in US and moved to India for singing at the age of 17. It wasn’t her first time in India though. There, she started own business, which teaches leadership through the power of dance. Eventually, she returned to the US and to WOM where she ended up creating an HR department when seeing the need in the business which was a focus on the human element of the business.

The self-described people person, which is evidenced from the start in our conversation recently published a book. “Seven Letters to My Daughters” was written as a gift to her daughters. 

Learn about Rani’s path from the US to India and back plus her focus on the arts, people and business. Also, get insights into the book you’ll end up wanting to read for sure. 

Note from Rabiah (Host): 

This chat surprised me because I didn’t know much about Rani other than what I read online and I knew right when I saw her on the Squadcast split screen that it was going to be a fantastic chat. I love that she used a spreadsheet to write her book! During editing, I was reminded of the positivity she brought to me on a particularly rough work day. Oddly enough, I had a similar day when I was editing and wish again that I’d shown up better though I wish others would too! Enjoy the listen and check out her book. I’m going to! Thank you for being here.

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Find Rani

Website: https://www.ranipuranik.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ranipuranik 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ranipuranik 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rani-puranik/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4g_tBTbqhrMDhyqs0Tn4OA?app=desktop 

Seven Letters to my Daughter (book): https://amzn.to/3OE76ua 

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Mentioned in this episode:

Steve Martin

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More than Work Facebook, Instagram, Twitter: @morethanworkpod Please review and follow anywhere you get podcasts. Thank you for listening. Have feedback? Email morethanworkpod(at)gmail.com!

This week’s guest is Christopher Kenna, founder and CEO North America at Brand Advance Group. 

In this open and honest chat we get into Chris’s life growing up in Northern England in care homes, his time in the Army, working as a TV presenter and then founding his own company. Listen for details. The story is best told by him!

In discussing the important work of Brand Advance Group which seeks to expand representation in advertising and companies’ reach to underrepresented communities, Chris is generous in talking about the reality of being a person of colour and an LGBTQ+ person both inside and outside corporate spaces. We also talk about inclusion of people with different abilities in this dynamic chat. 

In this episode we dig into:

• Representation of everyone in advertising
• DEI for brands and companies
• What it means to really be inclusive. Hint: it isn’t just hiring someone
• Pink, green, etc. “-washing” by brands
• Allyship and advocacy
• Taking care of yourself and others
• Creating opportunities where people can be successful from any background
• Chris’ own experiences and getting to where he is today

Note from Rabiah (Host):

Firstly, it has been a while. For quite a few reasons, I couldn’t get an episode edited or out for a while. I think I’ve sorted all of that. Thank you for being here whether you have been waiting a while or it is your first time.

I mention it in the episode but need to say more about the experience of meeting Chris for the first time. We both spoke at an event for a company that is actually under the same Groupe as where I work. I’d say it was by chance but I don’t think that much happens just by chance. I was added as a speaker last minute. Though I perform comedy a few times a week, I don’t give talks about me, about Multiple Sclerosis or about ableism but with a day to prepare, I did. It was clunky but ok. Then, I witnessed Chris talk about his life, his work and the world we are all living in. I was taken aback and had to have him on the podcast. I wanted more people to hear him. I wanted you to hear him, whoever you are. I’d love to hear what you think if you want to share. 

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Find Chris

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chriskenna/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chris.kenna/ 

Brand Advanced Group: https://www.wearebrandadvance.com/ 

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More than Work Facebook, Instagram, Twitter: @morethanworkpod Please review and follow anywhere you get podcasts. Thank you for listening. Have feedback? Email morethanworkpod(at)gmail.com!

This week’s guest is Maz Alexander, social worker, mental wellbeing coach, comedian and passionate entrepreneur.

Maz started out working as a social worker in adult social care. A thread you’ll hear in here story, and one to keep in mind as you listen, is that she listened to the advice of others when it made sense to and listened to herself as well when she decided on what work to pursue.

Before her time in social work, Maz got a degree in performance arts and gave acting a go. Coming out of that, she was always passionate about drama therapy and using performing arts to help people in recovery which has served her in social work and serves her in what she does today.

In 2018, she qualified in Transformational Coaching and she is a coach today while she also works part time in social work. We chat the difference between what a coach and a therapist can give you. Oh, and the time she had to refer a client not to a therapist but to a priest!

For those considering therapy or coaching, you may also be interested in what Maz says about how to choose the right provider for you. It starts with a consultation.

Outside of work, Maz is a stand up comic and a podcaster. In fact, there is a link below the the episode of her podcast “Kintsugi Queens” that the host of this podcast was a guest on! As a stand up comedian, Maz jokes about her life (which she says is a joke in itself). We cover all of this and more in this episode.

Note from Rabiah (Host): 

On the comedy circuit, I get to meet a lot of wonderful characters. There are gigs I look forward to because of who I’ll get to hang out with as we wait to take the stage. Maz is one of the people I always look forward to connecting with and I’m so glad we got to learn about each other more as we guested on each other’s respective podcasts. Enjoy the listen!

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Find Maz

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maz-alexander-318851a9/ 

Google “Maz transformational coaching”

Website: https://maztransformationalcoaching.com/coaching/ 

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Mentioned in this episode:

Whoopi Goldberg

Myron Golden

Rabiah on Kintsugi Queens podcast: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5zC7NK36kBF9ABKrz6QFBk?si=70f7105f99cf42ad

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More than Work Facebook, Instagram, Twitter: @morethanworkpod Please review and follow anywhere you get podcasts. Thank you for listening. Have feedback? Email morethanworkpod(at)gmail.com!

This week’s guest is Rich Wilson, stand up comedian and host of the podcast Insane in the Men Brain.

Rich did everything before he became a stand up comic having wanted to be a chef and then a mechanic. Eventually, he was a barman at Up the Creek and after some encouragement, took the stage. After about 20 years, he hasn’t stopped yet. The story is more entertaining with told by Rich so listen for more!

In fact, the entire episode is funnier and more poignant than I can make it in this write up. We chat about:

• Rich’s career in comedy
• Comedic influences
• Louis CK
• Insane in the Men Brain and mental health
• Learning from doing the podcast
• Saying yes
• Music, television and TK Maxx
• Aging
• And more…

Note from Rabiah (Host): 

I laughed while editing this episode…a lot. It was so cool to sit down with Rich, virtually, and have this chat. I have a bad track record when it comes to the people I put up on a pedestal sometimes but since a lot of times, Rich is already on a stage, the pedestal isn’t too far a reach and he is really great. I’m excited that listeners will get to know him and also, a few interactions with his wife, fellow comedian Kate McGann added to the levity. I think sometimes things got more serious than expected but if you’ve listened before, you know that’s part of it. And do let us know what you said “yes” to after listening! 

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Find Rich

Instagram: https://instagram.com/iamrichwilson 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/iamrichwilson 

Website: https://www.richwilsoncomedian.com/ 

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Mentioned in this episode:

Kate McGann: https://www.instagram.com/katemcgannarang/ 

Eddie Murphy: https://www.facebook.com/EddieMurphy 

Richard Pryor: https://www.richardpryor.com/ 

Louis CK: https://www.instagram.com/louisckx/

The Artist’s Way: https://www.theartistswaybook.com/ 

Insane in the Men Brain: https://play.acast.com/s/insaneinthemenbrain 

Islington Radio: https://islingtonradio.co.uk/ 

Shazam: https://www.shazam.com/ 

Philip Simon: https://www.philipsimon.co.uk 

Vix Leyton: https://www.vixleyton.co.uk/ 

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More than Work Facebook, Instagram, Twitter: @morethanworkpod Please review and follow anywhere you get podcasts. Thank you for listening. Have feedback? Email morethanworkpod(at)gmail.com!

This week’s guest is Stefania Licari, actor, comedian, producer and medical doctor.

She attended drama school, became a doctor working in anaesthetics and intensive care, and went to clowning school in Paris. We get into all of this and how empathy towards her colleagues, patients and the audience really tie it all together.

During the pandemic, Stefania has a unique experience both working in medicine and as an actor doing online performances. She got through it with a mindset shift that she shares which would be useful for anyone at any time, even outside lockdowns.

We start with her reflections on her first Edinburgh Fringe in 2022. She is currently revamping her one-woman show, Medica, and taking it to the Vault Festival in London.

We chat about:

• Empathy and impact on patients
• Empathy as it occurs in acting
• Her love of the audience
• Pursuing both a medical career and a theatre one
• Having the right people around at the right time
• Performing as an actor and a comic
• The impact of Philippe Gaulier

Note from Rabiah (Host): 

You’ll hear that I almost saw Stefania’s show at Edinburgh. It was a wonderful and stressful time when I was at Fringe for a week. I loved the flying I did and helping a friend and loved seeing shows. I also performed more than I expected to and missed shows I wanted to see. I still have one person I have meant to write to since August to apologise! Stefania and I became online friends via Twitter and Instagram and I have been thrilled to see how her show has progressed. I’ll be there to see the updated version in February and can’t wait. One of the best parts of being involved in entertainment is being able to celebrate the talents of others while also being assured enough in yourself to do so. I am so happy Stefania is teaching me that. 

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Find Stefania

Website: https://www.stefanialicari.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/licaristefania/ 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/stefanialicari 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/licaristefania/ 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCe7fzGcBE_oSyuwdW2ncRPA 

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Mentioned in this episode:

Philippe Gaulier: https://www.ecolephilippegaulier.com/ 

Chris Head: https://www.chrishead.com/ 

Kristine Landon-Smith: https://kristinelandonsmith.com/ 

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More than Work Facebook, Instagram, Twitter: @morethanworkpod Please review and follow anywhere you get podcasts. Thank you for listening. Have feedback? Email morethanworkpod(at)gmail.com!

This week’s guests are James Cameron and Joe James from True Strays. True Strays is an Americana band. 

I spoke with the guys in December of 2022. So, when they talk about “next year”, they mean this year, 2023. They are going on tour so check them out in the UK! If you’re not in the UK, then listen to them online.

The childhood friends were recording their debut album when the pandemic hit in 2020 and had to figure out how to move forward. They launched a Kickstarter campaign and found success there and that they already had some great fans in their corner.

Both of the guys work full-time jobs outside of the band and then focus on the band during nights and weekends! One is a roofer and one is a primary school teacher. You’ll need to listen to find out who does what.

Topics we get into:

• Pursuing creativity after the day job ends
• Musical influences and Americana
• Songwriting and lyric subject-matter
• Live performance
• The importance of collaborating versus working alone
• Entertaining and bringing people together through music

Note from Rabiah (Host): 

You’ll hear at the end how I met True Strays. This was a fun chat because they guys were super giving and thoughtful with their answers but also because it took me back to my days at Piratepods, my first podcast, where friends and I spoke to musicians. I have tickets to see the band later in the year and can’t wait. Enjoy the chat and check out their music!

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Find True Strays

Website: trustrays.com 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/truestrays/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/true_strays/ 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/truestrays 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiTnmZC4kocsdBRH-6YQqzg 

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Mentioned in this episode:

Rob Heron and the Tea Pad Orchestra: https://teapadorchestra.co.uk/ 

Ann Liu Cannon: https://www.instagram.com/annliucannon 

Spiritual Bar: https://www.spiritualrecords.co.uk/ 

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More than Work Facebook, Instagram, Twitter: @morethanworkpod Please review and follow anywhere you get podcasts. Thank you for listening. Have feedback? Email morethanworkpod(at)gmail.com!

This week’s guest is Sharon Glassman, designer, songwriter and founder of Smile Songs. 

The Colorado-based Smile Songs incorporates all of Sharon’s talents into a line of musical cards and gifts. In addition to containing original music by Sharon, Smile Songs products are unique because they use QR codes to deliver the sound which is better for the environment than traditional musical cards that utilize plastic parts for example. Though QR codes are common place after 2020, she started using them in 2013 and we chat about that.

In college, Sharon majored in journalism school. She then got accepted into law school and made a deal with her dad that she would defer for a year and attend. She ended up taking an entirely different path! 

Prior to founding Smile Songs, Sharon had a hybrid career. She was a voice over artist. She was also a writer for the ads department at MTV Networks where she applied her love of music to the ads she and the team worked on and created. After working at MTV, she performing and telling stories on stage, touring the country. Meanwhile, she was acquiring skills, teaching herself digital illustration, print production and music production.

Musically, Sharon has had another path having previously joined community orchestra. Then, through a misunderstood Craigslist ad she became the fiddler of a country rock band. Now she is in an all-woman bluegrass project called Five Foot Betty.

Topics we cover:

• History of QR Codes
• The story of Smile Songs and the ideation process that went into creating the products and business
• Incorporating creativity into a career
• Writing and telling stories on stage
• Songwriting
• Trusting your gut and making hard decisions

Note from Rabiah (Host): 

After getting off of the recording call with Sharon, I was so excited I would get to listen back to our conversation. It was such a joy to hear about the path she took to get to where she is today and it already sounds like we’ll need to speak again because she has so much in the works. We share a passion for sharing stories and it was a true pleasure to get to hear hers and to share it with you, the listener. 

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Find Sharon

Website: https://smilesongs.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/smile_songs/ 

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Mentioned in this episode:

Spalding Gray: https://www.spaldinggray.com/ 

Eric Bagosian: http://100monologues.com/ 

Tales of Whatever: https://www.facebook.com/talesofwhatever/ 

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More than Work Facebook, Instagram, Twitter: @morethanworkpod Please review and follow anywhere you get podcasts. Thank you for listening. Have feedback? Email morethanworkpod(at)gmail.com!

This week’s guest is Tamara Doerksen, multi-preneur, published author, yoga and meditation and mindfulness teacher, and a career transition and entrepreneur coach. She’s also the founder of the non-profit organization, Lonny’s Smile.

I chatted with Tamara from her home in Toronto, Canada. She started her career at a global consulting company where she spent 25 years. Around 2010, an initiative of the company around community contribution and responsibility, along with some personal circumstances with ailing parents, set Tamara off on her path to founding her own non-profit. You’ll hear the entire story around Lonny’s Smile which helps kids with congenital heart defects including the absolute synergy that led to choosing Camp OKI, the benefactor of the non-profit.

Through her work with Great Big Sea’s Murray Foster, Tamara ended up working in film production and then collaborating with Darren Portelli at Crazy D’s Prebiotic Sparkling Sodas. In talking through Tamara’s career transitions, we delve into having faith in oneself, transferable skills and our abilities to pursue various occupations within our careers. 

Tamara uses yoga and meditation to ground herself and give her space. And, she is certified to teach both! Some just practiced these things during the pandemic, others like Tamara got certified!

Main topics:

• Having multiple facets to your career
• Processing grief over time
• Non-profit work and founding a non-profit
• Yoga and mindfulness practices
• Saying “yes” and pursuing what you love

Note from Rabiah (Host): 

I have had a chance to speak with quite a few people and sometimes I have a different connection with them. In this case, Tamara and I both lost a sibling though at very different times in our lives under different circumstances. (TW: we talk about the death of a sibling.) Her honouring her brother through a non-profit organization is something I really wanted to chat with her about and then we had a lot more to talk about too! Enjoy!

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Find Tamara

Tamara’s Website: https://www.tamaradoerksen.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/tdoerksen 

Insight Timer: https://insighttimer.com/tamaradoerksen 

Lonny’s Smile Website: https://lonnyssmile.org/ 

Lonny’s Smile Twitter: https://twitter.com/lonnyssmile 

Lonny’s Smile Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lonnyssmile

Lonny’s Smile Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lonnys.smile/ 

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Mentioned in this episode:

Murray Foster: http://www.murrayfoster.ca/about/ 

Darren Portelli: https://twitter.com/darrenportelli 

City of Toronto: https://www.toronto.ca/ 

Salvation Army Canada: https://salvationarmy.ca/ 

Paul Newman - Hole in the Wall Gang: https://www.holeinthewallgang.org/ 

David Sedaris: https://www.davidsedarisbooks.com/ 

Anderson Cooper: https://edition.cnn.com/audio/podcasts/all-there-is-with-anderson-cooper 

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More than Work Facebook, Instagram, Twitter: @morethanworkpod Please review and follow anywhere you get podcasts. Thank you for listening. Have feedback? Email morethanworkpod(at)gmail.com!

This week’s guest is Diana Indries, the founder of Better Topics Card Games.Better Topics born out of Diana’s interest in relationships and learning to communicate within those. Relationships are very important to her. So important In fact, that she recently moved from England back home to Romania. 

Diana believes the keys to a great relationship are communication and fun. She also believes that anyone can have a great relationship if they want to!

Diana and her husband started working on Better Topics well ahead of 2020 but really saw the need once people were locked in with each other and didn’t know where to start communicating. Prior to working full time on this company, she was working in the NHS. After a successful Kickstarter campaign, she quit her job to pursue Better Topics.

In the past, Diana and her husband played other card games for couples and realised that none of them did much to increase communication. A lot of them were not even games but just questions that could only be answered once. They sought to remedy that and ask questions that can be repeated over time as their answer would change.

In founding her own business, Diana discovered her creativity. And, it is on her days off that her creativity is the most inspired. Hear her story, what her company is about and her advice on relationships. 

Topics covered:

• The importance of setting aside specific time to spend together as a couple
• How better communication can lead to behaviour changes that allow people to provide what each other need
• Having fun in a relationship
• Leaving a 9-to-5 and starting your own business in an area you’re passionate about; that’s relationships and games in Diana’s case
• Discovering creativity in yourself

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Find Diana

Better Topics website: https://www.bettertopics.com/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BetterTopicsOfficial 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bettertopics/ 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BetterTopicsOf 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BetterTopicsCardGameforCouples 

Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/dianaindries/better-topics-the-dating-game

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More than Work Facebook, Instagram, Twitter: @morethanworkpod Please review and follow anywhere you get podcasts. Thank you for listening. Have feedback? Email morethanworkpod(at)gmail.com!