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Anthony Cheung shares an honest account of his journey from a state school to working with some of the world’s largest hedge funds, and why his mission today is focused on access, education, and demystifying finance.

Anthony is Chief Content and Culture Officer at AmplifyME and former Head of Markets Analysis at Newsquawk. In this conversation, he reflects on social mobility, imposter syndrome, resilience, and how skills from elite sport translate directly into success in trading and high pressure careers.

This episode is a practical guide for students and early professionals who want to break into finance, build real credibility, and focus on what actually matters beyond prestige and perception.

He explains:
◽️ How a working class upbringing shaped his mindset and ambition
◽️ Why access to opportunity matters more than raw talent
◽️ Lessons from elite youth basketball that apply to trading and life
◽️ The real skills banks look for beyond grades and technical knowledge
◽️ How AmplifyME helps level the playing field for students globally

00:00 Introduction and Anthony’s background
01:34 From state school to Wall Street
05:57 Why giving back became his mission
10:59 Sport, discipline, and transferable skills
17:35 The founding story of Amplify.me
25:14 Becoming a public voice in finance
33:17 How students should prepare for finance careers
38:32 Would he do it all again
39:16 The questions people should ask more often
40:10 One lesson to take away

Anthony Cheung: 
◽️ Website: https://amplifyme.com/bio-anthony-cheung
◽️ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthonycheung10/

Harvey Bracken-Smith:
◽️ LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/harveybracken-smith
◽️ Instagram: https://instagram.com/harveybsmith
◽️ X (Twitter): https://x.com/harveybsmith_
◽️ Newsletter: https://personable.substack.com/
◽️ Website: https://www.personable.media/

Personable Podcast:
◽️ Instagram: https://instagram.com/personable.podcast
◽️ LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/personablepodcast
◽️ TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@personableclips
◽️ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7JOTYDER6m2FDrlhop4api
◽️ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/personable/id1671640111

Additional:
◽️ Fundraising: https://www.loulouracefoundation.org/donate

Personable is a podcast dedicated to helping listeners become the best they can be by learning from the world’s best in their respective fields. This mission is inspired by my mother, Louise, who encouraged me to become the best version of myself before she passed away from cancer in 2023. 

This content is for informational and entertainment purposes only and is not financial advice. Always consult a qualified financial advisor before making investment decisions. Investing involves risks, and past performance is not indicative of future results.

Support the show

Send a text

Founder and CEO of The Graduate Guide, Peter Wood returns to Personable to break down how graduate careers are changing, why traditional hiring is broken, and what it really takes to build ambition, confidence, and opportunity in a broken labour market.

Since first appearing on the podcast, Peter has scaled The Graduate Guide from a content driven community into a platform tackling the graduate skills gap head on, culminating in its acquisition by The Apprenticeship Group. His work sits at the intersection of education, startups, recruitment, and social mobility, with a clear mission to help people prove what they can do rather than where they come from.

In this conversation, Peter shares what he has learned about ambition, careers, community building, LinkedIn growth, venture capital, and why curiosity may be the most undervalued skill of the next decade.

He explains:
◽️ Why the graduate job market is fundamentally broken
◽️ How ambition gets lost and how to reignite it
◽️ What companies misunderstand about junior talent and AI
◽️ How The Graduate Guide evolved from content to acquisition
◽️ Why apprenticeships and upskilling are the future of work
◽️ How to use LinkedIn intentionally rather than chasing vanity metrics
◽️ What it really takes to stand out in a hyper competitive world

00:00 Returning to Personable and the Graduate Guide’s evolution
02:10 Solving the graduate career crisis
04:00 Why helping everyone is harder than it sounds
07:54 Building community instead of chasing brands
12:06 AI, skills gaps, and the future of junior roles
18:11 Apprenticeships, upskilling, and long term talent
22:20 Curiosity, boredom, and ambition
27:04 Social media, influence, and responsibility
29:26 Entering the VC and startup ecosystem
33:31 Outlasting competition and building momentum
37:56 What Europe needs to succeed in venture capital
40:12 Helping the average person unlock ambition
47:00 How LinkedIn actually works
53:42 Intentionality behind high performing content
1:02:38 Legacy, ambition, and long term purpose
1:09:44 One lesson to take away

Peter Wood:
◽️ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/petermwood_/?hl=en
◽️ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peter-m-wood/

Harvey Bracken-Smith:
◽️ LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/harveybracken-smith
◽️ Instagram: https://instagram.com/harveybsmith
◽️ X (Twitter): https://x.com/harveybsmith_
◽️ Newsletter: https://personable.substack.com/
◽️ Website: https://www.personable.media/

Personable Podcast:
◽️ Instagram: https://instagram.com/personable.podcast
◽️ LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/personablepodcast
◽️ TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@personableclips
◽️ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7JOTYDER6m2FDrlhop4api
◽️ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/personable/id1671640111

Additional:
◽️ Fundraising: https://www.loulouracefoundation.org/donate

Personable is a podcast dedicated to helping listeners become the best they can be by learning from the world’s best in their respective fields. This mission is inspired by my mother, Louise, who encouraged me to become the best version of myself before she passed away from cancer in 2023. 

This content is for informational and entertainment purposes only and is not financial advice. Always consult a qualified financial advisor before making investment decisions. Investing involves risks, and past performance is not indicative of future results.

Support the show

Send a text

Travel creator Mungo McCosh (70,000 followers) breaks down how living differently, thinking independently, and embracing discomfort can unlock freedom, creativity, and a global audience.

Mungo is the founder of Mungo TV, a rapidly growing travel and culture platform known for raw storytelling, sharp humour, and honest perspectives on places most people never see. From Mongolia to China, his work challenges curated travel, mainstream narratives, and algorithm driven thinking.

In this conversation, Mungo shares what he has learned about authenticity, social media growth, comedy, censorship, and why doing your own thing is still the most powerful strategy.

He explains:
◽️ Why going off the beaten track creates better stories and a better life
◽️ How to grow on social media without chasing followers or trends
◽️ The real mechanics behind viral content and audience growth
◽️ How humour, satire, and risk shape long term reputation
◽️ What living in China is actually like beyond Western media

00:00 Growing Up Across Cultures
02:10 Rejecting Curated Travel
04:00 From School Expectations to Independence
06:43 Starting Mungo TV
10:43 Being Recognised and Staying Grounded
14:11 How Viral Comedy Really Works
21:45 Turning Ideas Into Content
26:54 Making Better Videos
32:46 Why Niches Matter
40:55 Comedy, Free Speech, and Risk
53:52 Living and Creating in China
58:12 Legacy and Meaning
1:00:44 One Lesson to Remember

Mungo McCosh:
◽️ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mcmungo.tv/
◽️ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mungo-mccosh-a81954261/
◽️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@McMungoTV
◽️ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mcmungotv?_r=1&_t=ZN-91quCiznHni

Harvey Bracken-Smith:
◽️ LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/harveybracken-smith
◽️ Instagram: https://instagram.com/harveybsmith
◽️ X (Twitter): https://x.com/harveybsmith_
◽️ Newsletter: https://personable.substack.com/
◽️ Website: https://www.personable.media/

Personable Podcast:
◽️ Instagram: https://instagram.com/personable.podcast
◽️ LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/personablepodcast
◽️ TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@personableclips
◽️ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7JOTYDER6m2FDrlhop4api
◽️ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/personable/id1671640111

Additional:
◽️ Fundraising: https://www.loulouracefoundation.org/donate

Personable is a podcast dedicated to helping listeners become the best they can be by learning from the world’s best in their respective fields. This mission is inspired by my mother, Louise, who encouraged me to become the best version of myself before she passed away from cancer in 2023. 

This content is for informational and entertainment purposes only and is not financial advice. Always consult a qualified financial advisor before making investment decisions. Investing involves risks, and past performance is not indicative of future results.

Support the show

Send a text

World-famous adventurer BEAR GRYLLS reveals the TRUTH about success, failure, grief, and faith, and why resilience, family, and purpose matter far more than fame, money, or achievement.

Bear Grylls is a British adventurer, former SAS soldier, Chief Scout, bestselling author, and host of Man vs. Wild and Running Wild. He is one of the most recognisable survivalists in the world, having climbed Mount Everest, broken his back, and worked with presidents, prime ministers, and global leaders.

In this conversation, Bear goes far beyond survival and television to share the hardest moments of his life, including losing his father, enduring repeated failures, and how faith and family became his foundation.

He explains:
◽️ How losing a parent can become a source of strength
◽️ Why resilience is more important than talent or success
◽️ How repeated failure built his career behind the scenes
◽️ Why fame, money, and status never bring fulfillment
◽️ How faith helps navigate fear, doubt, and grief

00:00 Losing a Parent at a Young Age
02:10 Turning Pain Into Purpose
05:01 Fame, Presidents, and Staying Grounded
07:53 Why Success Never Comes From Things
10:20 The Trap of Validation and Recognition
12:19 Being Put in a Box by the World
15:41 Success as a Journey, Not a Destination
16:44 Why Character Is Built in the Valleys
18:55 The Failures No One Talks About
21:31 Faith, Doubt, and a Divided World
25:23 Family as the Ultimate Foundation
28:13 Why Bear Wrote The Greatest Story Ever Told
31:59 Living Faith Through Action
33:59 The One Lesson Bear Wants You to Remember
35:22 Closing Reflections

Follow Bear:
◽️ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/beargrylls/
◽️ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beargrylls/
◽️ X: https://x.com/beargrylls
◽️ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RealBearGrylls
◽️ Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@beargrylls?lang=en
◽️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/beargrylls
◽️ Website: https://www.beargrylls.com/

Harvey Bracken-Smith:
◽️ LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/harveybracken-smith
◽️ Instagram: https://instagram.com/harveybsmith
◽️ X (Twitter): https://x.com/harveybsmith_
◽️ Newsletter: https://personable.substack.com/
◽️ Website: https://www.personable.media/

Personable Podcast:
◽️ Instagram: https://instagram.com/personable.podcast
◽️ LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/personablepodcast
◽️ TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@personableclips
◽️ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7JOTYDER6m2FDrlhop4api
◽️ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/personable/id1671640111

Additional:
◽️ Fundraising: https://www.loulouracefoundation.org/donate

Personable is a podcast dedicated to helping listeners become the best they can be by learning from the world’s best in their respective fields. This mission is inspired by my mother, Louise, who encouraged me to become the best version of myself before she passed away from cancer in 2023. 

This content is for informational and entertainment purposes only and is not financial advice. Always consult a qualified financial advisor before making investment decisions. Investing involves risks, and past performance is not indicative of future results.

Support the show

Send a text

Stephen Roberts, Founder of Orgueil Capital (an investment vehicle with its North Star to quintuple capital) and former Partner at Horseman Capital, returns to Personable Markets for one of his most information packed conversations yet.

From dissecting the disconnect between AI headlines and real market performance to uncovering where the true returns have been hiding this year, Stephen brings decades of global macro experience to help investors separate noise from opportunity. In this episode, he explains why commodities and banks have outperformed while tech dominated the narrative, how the steep yield curve transformed UK and European financials, and why Asia and Europe have quietly delivered standout performance.

With sharp analysis across rates, geopolitics, employment trends and the coming wave of AI driven productivity shifts, Stephen breaks down the forces reshaping markets, the risks investors are ignoring and the structural changes likely to define the next decade.

In this episode, Stephen Roberts discusses:
◽️ AI hype versus reality and why investors are missing the real trades
◽️ Commodities surging and the return of a global materials cycle
◽️ Banks minting money from the steep yield curve
◽️ Europe and Asia outperforming and why valuations still look attractive
◽️ China tech recovery, Alibaba’s rebound and cloud dominance
◽️ AI’s impact on unemployment and future economic policy

⏱ Timestamps
00:00 Intro
00:31 Markets since last episode, volatility, tech noise and real performance
02:12 AI bubble debate and why the narrative is misplaced
04:10 Commodities surge across gold, copper and miners
06:25 Banks, yield curves and earnings doubling across the UK
09:38 Europe and Asia outperform while investors stay fixated on AI
12:14 Alibaba, Tencent and China’s cloud advantage
15:03 How Stephen evaluates winners, losers and sector momentum
22:39 Why interest rates determine everything in markets
26:04 US manufacturing push and Mayoshi Son’s investment plans
29:21 Rare earth leverage, Nvidia dependence and geopolitical tension
32:48 Private markets versus public markets, liquidity and risk
43:17 Commodities, banks and where Stephen sees opportunity
47:01 Potential triggers for market stress across rates and employment
52:44 Closing insights and long term positioning
53:12 Outro

📌 Resources
Stephen Roberts:
◽️ Orgueil Capital: https://www.orgueilcapital.com/our-story

Harvey Bracken-Smith:
◽️ LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/harveybracken-smith
◽️ Instagram: https://instagram.com/harveybsmith
◽️ X (Twitter): https://x.com/harveybsmith_
◽️ Newsletter: https://personable.substack.com/
◽️ Website: https://www.personable.media/

Personable Podcast:
◽️ Instagram: https://instagram.com/personable.podcast
◽️ LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/personablepodcast
◽️ TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@personableclips
◽️ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7JOTYDER6m2FDrlhop4api
◽️ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/personable/id1671640111

Additional:
◽️ The Draft (Sign up): https://thedraft.io
◽️ Fundraising: https://justgiving.com/crowdfunding/LouLouRacefoiundation?utm_term=PvByaxmdn

Personable is a podcast dedicated to helping listeners become the best they can be by learning from the world’s best in their respective fields. This mission is inspired by my mother, Louise, who encouraged me to become the best version of myself before she passed away from cancer in 2023. 

This content is for informational and entertainment purposes only and is not financial advice. Always consult a

Support the show

Send a text

Yoshi Yokokawa, co-founder and CEO of Alpaca, joins Personable with Harvey Bracken-Smith. Alpaca is a leading brokerage infrastructure and self-clearing fintech powering over 7 million brokerage accounts across 40 countries and backed by more than 170 million dollars in funding.

Before building Alpaca, Yoshi began his career at Lehman Brothers, experiencing the rise and fall of one of the most famous investment banks during the 2008 financial crisis. He went on to become a day trader, founded machine learning startups, and ultimately created Alpaca, a company redefining how global investing is built through APIs.

In this episode, Yoshi shares how he learned from both the boom and the collapse of global markets. He discusses why every generation forgets financial history, why real diversification fails in downturns, and how to stay grounded while raising hundreds of millions of dollars. Yoshi reflects on founder-market fit, emotional resilience, and what it means to build something that gives others financial freedom, the goal he has chased since childhood.

In this episode, Yoshi Yokokawa discusses:
◽️ What it was like working at Lehman Brothers during the 2008 crash
◽️ Why diversification is often a myth in real crises
◽️ Lessons from day trading and "street fighting" in the FX markets
◽️ How machine learning led to the creation of Alpaca
◽️ The realities of raising 170 million dollars in venture capital

⏱ Timestamps
00:00 Intro
05:00 Lehman Brothers culture in Japan
07:30 Early signs of the 2008 crisis
10:00 Bubbles, hedging limits and market behavior
12:30 Retail investors and emotional decision making
15:00 Why hedging depends on local context
17:30 Leaving banking and moving into day trading
22:30 Probability, discipline and trading mindset
25:00 First software attempts and meeting technical friends
30:00 What an API is and why it matters
32:30 Licenses, compliance and protecting customer assets
35:00 Raising 170 million and dealing with dilution
37:30 Convincing VCs and founder market fit
42:30 Japan vs Silicon Valley
45:00 Expanding financial access around the world
47:30 Hiring philosophy and values
50:00 Personal investing style and risk approach
53:00 Burnout, limits and staying balanced
56:00 Legacy, family and long term thinking
58:00 Final reflections
1:08:00 Outro

-

📌 Resources
Yoshi Yokokawa:
◽️ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yoshiyokokawa/

Harvey Bracken-Smith:
◽️ LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/harveybracken-smith
◽️ Instagram: https://instagram.com/harveybsmith
◽️ X (Twitter): https://x.com/harveybsmith_
◽️ Newsletter: https://personable.substack.com/
◽️ Website: https://www.personable.media/

Personable Podcast:
◽️ Instagram: https://instagram.com/personable.podcast
◽️ LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/personablepodcast
◽️ TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@personableclips
◽️ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7JOTYDER6m2FDrlhop4api
◽️ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/personable/id1671640111

Additional:
◽️ The Draft (Sign up): https://thedraft.io
◽️ Fundraising: https://justgiving.com/crowdfunding/LouLouRacefoiundation?utm_term=PvByaxmdn

Personable is a podcast dedicated to helping listeners become the best they can be by learning from the world’s best in their respective fields. This mission is inspired by my mother, Louise, who encouraged me to become the best version of myself before she passed away from cancer in 2023. 

This content is for informational and entertainment purposes only and is not financial advice. A

Support the show

Send a text

In this episode of Personable Markets, host Harvey Bracken-Smith and guest Luke Sloman analyze a defining week in global finance.
Nvidia hits a $5 trillion valuation, the Federal Reserve pauses rate cuts, and Trump and Xi Jinping outline a potential new trade framework that could reshape technology, agriculture, and rare-earth supply chains.

They explore the AI-driven surge in earnings from major tech firms, the growing dominance of the “BATMMAAN” stocks, and the UK’s controversial tax proposals ahead of the Autumn Budget. Harvey and Luke also debate whether record market highs represent sustainable growth or the early signs of an overheated AI bubble.

In this episode, they discuss:
◽️ Nvidia’s $5 trillion milestone
◽️ Record-breaking Q3 tech earnings
◽️ The rise of “BATMMAAN” in the S&P 500
◽️ Meta’s drop despite strong results

⏱ Timestamps
00:00 Intro
00:35 Market overview and key themes
01:30 Tech earnings recap: Alphabet, Amazon, Apple
04:15 Microsoft and Meta’s AI CapEx spending
06:30 Market reactions and investor focus
08:15 “BATMMAAN” replaces the Magnificent 7
10:00 Nvidia’s $5 trillion valuation
12:10 Blackwell chip demand and revenue pipeline
14:00 Fed cut pause and data blackout
16:20 Powell’s “driving in fog” comment
18:00 Market reaction and inflation outlook
20:00 Trump–Xi meeting breakdown
22:15 Tariff reductions and fentanyl agreement
24:00 Rare-earth exports and semiconductor access
26:30 Nvidia’s China opportunity
28:00 AI market dependence and interconnectivity
30:15 Global markets hit record highs
33:00 Is the AI boom sustainable?
36:00 Comparing investor outlooks: optimism vs caution
38:30 UK Autumn Budget preview
41:00 Labour’s £36B tax hole
43:00 Income freezes, property taxes, ISA reform
45:00 20% exit levy and millionaire migration
47:00 UK inflation and household pressures
49:00 Energy costs and cost-of-living effects
51:00 Brain drain: UK talent moving abroad
54:00 Oxford, Cambridge, and education quotas
56:30 Entrepreneurship culture: UK vs US
59:00 Global capital flows and foreign investment
1:01:00 Retail investors, social media, and sentiment
1:04:30 Market psychology: crash fears vs growth belief
1:07:00 Outlook for 2026 global markets
1:10:00 Key takeaways and lessons
1:15:00 Outro 

📌 Resources
Luke Sloman:
◽️ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/luke-sloman-87a6742a9/?originalSubdomain=uk

Harvey Bracken-Smith:
◽️ LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/harveybracken-smith
◽️ Instagram: https://instagram.com/harveybsmith
◽️ X (Twitter): https://x.com/harveybsmith_
◽️ Newsletter: https://personable.substack.com/
◽️ Website: https://www.personable.media/

Personable Podcast:
◽️ Instagram: https://instagram.com/personable.podcast
◽️ LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/personablepodcast
◽️ TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@personableclips
◽️ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7JOTYDER6m2FDrlhop4api
◽️ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/personable/id1671640111

Additional:
◽️ The Draft (Sign up): https://thedraft.io
◽️ Fundraising: https://justgiving.com/crowdfunding/LouLouRacefoiundation?utm_term=PvByaxmdn

Personable is a podcast dedicated to helping listeners become the best they can be by learning from the world’s best in their respective fields. This mission is inspired by my mother, Louise, who encouraged me to become the best version of myself before she passed away from cancer in 2023. 

This content is for informational and entertainment purposes only and is not financial advice. Always

Support the show

Send a text

Jamil Qureshi, one of the world’s leading performance psychologists and the first-ever official global psychologist for the European Ryder Cup Team, joins Personable with Harvey Bracken-Smith.

Having coached six world number ones and worked with 22 golfers inside the top 50, Jamil has helped shape champions across F1, the English Premier League, and the Ashes-winning England cricket team. Known for unlocking the “mindset behind mastery,” he shares how world-class athletes and leaders think, learn, and perform at their best — and why ordinary people can achieve extraordinary things through consistent habits and purposeful thinking.

In this episode, Jamil reveals the mental frameworks that drive elite performance — from how to handle pressure and failure, to cultivating consistency, self-reflection, and purpose. Drawing lessons from sport, business, and life, he explains how to manage energy over time, how learning trumps winning, and why the world’s best stay open-minded no matter how successful they become.

In this episode, Jamil Qureshi discusses:
◽️ The psychology of high performance — why mindset beats talent
◽️ Lessons from coaching Ryder Cup golfers, F1 drivers, and Premier League stars
◽️ How to build consistency of mind and control the controllables
◽️ Why failure is “part payment toward success”
◽️ The difference between seeking to impress vs. express
◽️ Purpose, discipline, and the small habits that build greatness
◽️ Open-mindedness and the culture of elite teams
◽️ Internal vs. external success — and how to align the two

⏱ Timestamps
00:00 Intro
02:00 How he became a psychologist after sport
04:00 Spotting real experts vs. self-proclaimed “gurus”
06:30 Learning through experimentation — obstacles instruct
14:00 Learning over winning — how to measure progress
16:30 Praising effort, not outcome
18:30 Ordinary people doing extraordinary things through discipline
30:00 How Jamil keeps learning from top athletes and CEOs
35:00 The mindset of world champions — talent and teachability
40:00 Why play and curiosity drive lifelong learning
44:00 Failure as the price of success
47:00 Leadership lessons from sport — creating winners who create winners
52:00 How to build open-minded teams
1:07:00 Outro

📌 Resources
Jamil Qureshi:
◽️ Website: https://www.jamilqureshi.com/
◽️ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamil-qureshi-494661a/

Harvey Bracken-Smith:
◽️ LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/harveybracken-smith
◽️ Instagram: https://instagram.com/harveybsmith
◽️ X (Twitter): https://x.com/harveybsmith_
◽️ Newsletter: https://personable.substack.com/
◽️ Website: https://www.personable.media/

Personable Podcast:
◽️ Instagram: https://instagram.com/personable.podcast
◽️ LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/personablepodcast
◽️ TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@personableclips
◽️ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7JOTYDER6m2FDrlhop4api
◽️ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/personable/id1671640111

Additional:
◽️ The Draft (Sign up): https://thedraft.io
◽️ Fundraising: https://justgiving.com/crowdfunding/LouLouRacefoiundation?utm_term=PvByaxmdn

Personable is a podcast dedicated to helping listeners become the best they can be by learning from the world’s best in their respective fields. This mission is inspired by my mother, Louise, who encouraged me to become the best version of myself before she passed away from cancer in 2023. 

This content is for informational and entertainment purposes only and is not financial advice. Always consult a qualified financial advisor before

Support the show

Send a text

In this episode of Personable Markets, host Harvey Bracken-Smith and Luke dive into surging global markets as the S&P 500 hits record highs. They explore international outperformance, Magnificent 7 earnings, gold and silver rallies, Fed rate cut expectations, and key geopolitical shifts like the Trump-Xi meeting and US-Canada tariffs.

Luke Sloman, a third-year Business and Management student at the University of Exeter, joins Personable for his fourth appearance while studying abroad at the University of Sydney. Originally from Tokyo until age 13, he moved to the UK for boarding school, focusing his studies on finance-related modules.

Luke shares sharp insights on real-time market trends, analyzing interconnected economies, AI-driven valuations, and trade policies. The duo discusses whether a market crash looms, balancing risks like overvaluation with opportunities in today’s volatile landscape.

In this episode, Luke Sloman discusses:
◽️ Global market rallies: S&P 500 vs. KOSPI, DAX, and Nikkei
◽️ AI and tech overvaluation: bubble risks in semiconductors
◽️ Commodity surges: gold at $4,500/oz, silver short squeezes
◽️ Fed rate cuts: employment focus, market impacts
◽️ US-China trade: tariff pauses, agricultural deals
◽️ Trump’s Asia strategy: ASEAN summit, Japan/South Korea talks

⏱ Timestamps
00:00 Intro 
04:43 South Korean reforms: trading fee cuts, Lee Jae-myung
05:30 UK FTSE 100: overseas earnings, commodity tailwinds
06:45 Gold at $4,500/oz: hedging, historical highs
07:30 Silver short squeeze: mechanics, leverage impacts
20:00 Market liquidity: VC saturation, government incentives
23:14 Fed rate cut: 98% chance for 25 bps on October 29
26:00 Employment focus: labor softening, inflation trade-offs
27:06 Tariffs as bargaining: US worker benefits, Apple case
28:30 Job market struggles: AI displacing graduates
31:00 Human-AI synergies: workplace collaboration
43:47 Trump-Xi meeting: trade war de-escalation
45:00 Framework agreement: tariff pauses, ag purchases
1:00:00 Government shutdown: 24th day, data delays
1:04:49 JP Morgan study: missing best days cuts returns
1:05:19 Staying invested: long-term importance
1:07:39 Retail sources: X, YouTube, Reddit for edges
1:09:00 Closing: market accuracy, critical thinking

📌 Resources
Luke Sloman:
◽️ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/luke-sloman-87a6742a9/?originalSubdomain=uk

Harvey Bracken-Smith:
◽️ LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/harveybracken-smith
◽️ Instagram: https://instagram.com/harveybsmith
◽️ X (Twitter): https://x.com/harveybsmith_
◽️ Newsletter: https://personable.substack.com/
◽️ Website: https://www.personable.media/

Personable Podcast:
◽️ Instagram: https://instagram.com/personable.podcast
◽️ LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/personablepodcast
◽️ TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@personableclips
◽️ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7JOTYDER6m2FDrlhop4api
◽️ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/personable/id1671640111

Additional:
◽️ The Draft (Sign up): https://thedraft.io
◽️ Fundraising: https://justgiving.com/crowdfunding/LouLouRacefoiundation?utm_term=PvByaxmdn

Personable is a podcast dedicated to helping listeners become the best they can be by learning from the world’s best in their respective fields. This mission is inspired by my mother, Louise, who encouraged me to become the best version of myself before she passed away from cancer in 2023. 

This content is for informational and entertainment purposes only and is not financial advice. Always consult a qualified financial advisor before makin

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Dr. John Harpham, historian, Harvard PhD, Duke graduate, and author of The Intellectual Origins of American Slavery — a book nominated for the History Pulitzer Prize — joins Personable to explore the intellectual and moral foundations of one of history’s greatest wrongs.

From growing up in New Orleans to studying at Harvard and teaching across America’s top universities, John shares how a decade-long journey through rare books and political thought reshaped his understanding of human morality, freedom, and the legacy of slavery.

In this episode, John explains how he turned from a student of ideas into a scholar of history — and how studying slavery changes the way we understand ourselves.

He breaks down why slavery wasn’t just an economic system but an intellectual one, shaped by the moral reasoning, theology, and politics of its time. The conversation explores race, freedom, cancel culture, moral relativism, and the timeless need for critical thinking.

In this episode, Dr. John Harpham discusses:
◽️ Falling in love with books and scholarship at a young age
◽️ The leap from consumer to producer of knowledge
◽️ How he researched 16th–17th-century texts to trace slavery’s origins
◽️ Slavery as both an economic and intellectual institution
◽️ How moral “attention” shifts across history — and why that matters

⏱ Timestamps
00:00 Intro 
00:34 Why John loves books and writing
05:00 Producing knowledge and the discipline of research
11:30 Growing up in New Orleans and confronting history
15:00 Remembering vs. erasing — how to deal with the past
17:00 The moral lessons of slavery and self-reflection
20:20 Monuments, commemoration, and moral complexity
25:00 Cancel culture and freedom of thought
32:00 Race, economics, and the origins of slavery
39:30 The moral logic that justified slavery
43:00 Moral relativism vs. moral absolutism
47:00 Why critical thinking is democracy’s foundation
49:30 How academia can protect reason and open debate
53:00 Lessons learned from writing for a decade
54:00 The biggest takeaways from studying slavery
57:00 Being nominated for the History Pulitzer Prize
59:00 Legacy, teaching, and what’s next — Volume Two
1:02:00 One thing every listener should take away

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📌 Resources
Dr. John Harpham:
◽️ Page: https://www.ou.edu/cas/classicsandletters/people/john-harpham

Harvey Bracken-Smith:
◽️ LinkedIn:  https://linkedin.com/in/harveybracken-smith
◽️ Instagram:  https://instagram.com/harveybsmith
◽️ X (Twitter):  https://x.com/harveybsmith_
◽️ Newsletter:  https://personable.substack.com/

Personable Podcast:
◽️ Instagram:  https://instagram.com/personable.podcast
◽️ LinkedIn:  https://linkedin.com/company/personablepodcast
◽️ TikTok:  https://tiktok.com/@personableclips
◽️ Spotify:  https://open.spotify.com/show/7JOTYDER6m2FDrlhop4api
◽️ Apple Podcasts:  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/personable/id1671640111

Additional:
◽️ The Draft (Sign up):  https://thedraft.io
◽️ Fundraising:  https://justgiving.com/crowdfunding/LouLouRacefoiundation?utm_term=PvByaxmdn

Personable is a podcast dedicated to helping listeners become the best they can be by learning from the world’s best in their respective fields. This mission is inspired by my mother, Louise, who encouraged me to become the best version of myself before she passed away from cancer in 2023.

This content is for informational and entertainment purposes only and is not financial advice. Always consult a qualified financial advisor before making investment decisions. Investing involves risks, and past performan

Support the show