The Good Intentions Podcast

Leila Rezaiguia is an executive coach and co-founder of Kompass Consultancy here in Dubai. 

Leila is hugely well respected and recognized in the region for her work with Arab female leaders and has 18 years of international experience building high-performance teams for top organizations, business schools and sporting teams.

Obviously I couldn’t wait to talk to her about coaching and we also had a fantastic conversation about living an intentional life, spiritual leadership and finding the right network.

I loved what she had to say about the issues that women face at work and how they can succeed and overcome them and we also talked about how positivity and acceptance are crucial to life and to leadership, especially during COVID times.

I left our conversation full on energy and inspiration and I'm sure you will do too.

Please enjoy our conversation.

Follow me, and the Good Intentions podcast:

https://www.instagram.com/kellyharvarde/

Find Leila Rezaiguia here:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/leila-rezaiguia/

Immerse yourself in some of the books we discussed: 

A New Earth - Eckhart Tolle

https://magrudy.com/book/a-new-earth-create-a-better-life-9780141039411/

The Four Agreements - Don Miguel Ruiz

https://magrudy.com/book/the-four-agreements-practical-guide-to-personal-freedom-9781878424310/

I am so excited about this week’s guest and I know you will be too. 

When the book The Sheikh CEO was released, it was hugely anticipated and took Dubai and the UAE by storm. 

It’s written based on the first hand experience of Dr Yasar Jarrar, who worked for the Executive Office of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum for many years, as well as interviews with people who worked (and continue to work) very closely with the Sheikh CEO.

The book is a carefully crafted tale of Sheikh Mohammed’s enterprising approach to running Dubai and is an engaging narrative about his penchant for risk-taking, even when the chips are stacked against him.

The book has been called a ‘must read’ not just for UAE residents but for anyone who aspires to be a great leader and i can’t speak highly enough about it. 

The book is about leadership. And it’s also about having a great vision, and making it happen. 

It’s about resilience, innovation, and creating future leaders. It is about public leadership and building effective governments in the emerging markets that can lead social and economic development. It is about leading in an uncertain world.

Dr Yasar Jarrar paints a story of a man and his vision that has transformed Dubai into the global city it is today. 

We spoke about why storytelling is crucial to leadership, how to win hearts and minds and why we should have hope for future.

I absolutely loved our conversation and I know you will too. Please enjoy it. 

Follow me, and the Good Intentions podcast:

https://www.instagram.com/kellyharvarde/

Find The Sheikh CEO here:

http://www.sheikhceo.com/the-book/

And buy the book here:

https://www.amazon.ae/Sheikh-CEO-Lessons-Leadership-Mohammed/dp/1785961101

If you’ve met Isobel Abulhoul, you will know that she is a force of nature, a pioneer and a true inspiration. She is perhaps best known for literacy – she co-founded Magrudy’s, the book store chain (and a UAE institution!) in 1975. 

In 2008, she founded the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature, the Arab World’s largest celebration of the written and spoken word. This beautiful event has gone on to win awards such as Best Festival, Best Family Day out and Favourite Festival – and I can testify that it’s an incredibly special space and the absolute highlight of my year, every year.

Isobel, who arrived in the UAE over 40 years ago, has been lauded with countless accolades including Cultural Personality of the Year by His Highness Sheikh Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, the Ruler of Sharjah and no less than an OBE by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth. 

This is in addition to others including an Arabian Business most influential woman award, and one which I just love: Femina’s Unstoppable Woman.

As the co-host of ‘Talking of Books’, broadcast weekly on Dubai Eye 103.8 FM, Isobel has now found an enjoyable way to spend Saturday mornings discussing the latest titles and interviewing authors from around the world.

Follow me, and the Good Intentions podcast:

https://www.instagram.com/kellyharvarde/

Find The Emirates Airline Festival of Literature here:

https://www.instagram.com/emirateslitfest/

Immerse yourself in some of the books we discussed: 

A Little Life - Hanya Yanagihara

https://magrudy.com/book/a-little-life-9781509818235/

Burnt Sugar - Avni Doshi

https://magrudy.com/book/burnt-sugar-9780241441510/

In Search of Fatima - Ghana Kharmi

https://magrudy.com/book/in-search-of-fatima-a-palestinian-story-9781844673681/

My guest this episode is Aakanksha Tangri.

She’s the founder of Re:Set, an online resource for tools and stories around education, parenting, mental health, gender and inclusivity. 

Its a wonderful platform that aims to dispel misconceptions and stigma and provide a safe, inclusive space that encourages dialogue. It’s full of incredible stories and resources and I really recommend that you take a look at it.

She’s also a journalist who worked for CBC news in Canada, CNN and Vice news - such an interesting background and foundation for her work at Re:Set.

We talked about her love of news, shining a light on shame and being a Dubai baby who has returned to the UAE. It was such a great conversation - I hope you enjoy it.

Follow me, and the Good Intentions podcast:

https://www.instagram.com/kellyharvarde/

Find Re:Set here:

https://www.instagram.com/resetfest/

What if you could turn philanthropy on its head, and make giving to charity easy, simple, and part of everyday life? We’d solve a lot of problems in the world, right? Well that’s exactly what my next guest has done - to incredible effect.

My guest this week is Jad Toubayly, CEO and Co-Founder of Idealz. 

Idealz is an ecommerce store which sells self-branded sports clothing and stationery. You sign up to the app, and with every purchase you can win a prize  - and we’re talking huge prizes here - I live in hope of landing a Mercedes G Wagon!

Every customer who opts to donate the item they’ve bought to Dubai Cares gets given an extra ticket entry into the prize draw. 

This incentive system is widely used by the retail industry to promote sales, and was re-purposed by Idealz to create a formidable method of promoting corporate social responsibility. 

The popularity of this impressive start-up has resulted in substantial contributions to Dubai Cares and is already inspiring other SMEs to follow suit.

I had a great chat with Jad about business, creativity and what gets him out of bed in the morning. He’s extremely modest when it comes to his business achievements - this is despite being in the Arabian Business 40 under 40 list and being on his eleventh business start up. I’m curious about what drives hugely successful business people and Jad was honest and open about challenges and why gratitude and smiles are what makes him tick, more than a balance sheet.

I hope you enjoy our conversation. 

Follow me, and the Good Intentions podcast:

https://www.instagram.com/kellyharvarde/

Find Idealz here:

https://www.instagram.com/idealz/

Immerse yourself in some of the books we discussed: 

How to Build a Billion Dollar App - George Berkowski

https://www.amazon.com/How-to-Build-Billion-Dollar-App-audiobook/dp/B01N4WQRQA

This week my guest is Karalynn Thomson, founder of The Animal Agency, the UAE’s only professional animal agency providing models and actors of every colour, shape and size to the region’s growing media and advertising industry.

Karalynn also runs the fantastic initiative Reading Dogs UAE, which encourages school children to become confident readers by reading aloud to pet dogs. 

Research shows that reading with dogs improves children’s reading fluency by up to 30 per cent. It also offers them a whole host of social and emotional benefits too.

Obviously I was very keen to talk to Karalynn more about this and she was extremely generous with her time, especially given that she’s just moved house, and has new baby - a gorgeous four month old daughter, who made a guest appearance half way through our chat.

We had a wonderful conversation about animals and pets, what they can can teach us, and as an added bonus, I got to meet Minnie the Great Dane. What a great day. 

Follow me, and the Good Intentions podcast:

https://www.instagram.com/kellyharvarde/

Find Reading Dogs UAE here:

https://www.instagram.com/readingdogsuae/

Find The Animal Agency UAE here:

https://www.instagram.com/animalagencyuae/

Immerse yourself in some of the books we discussed: 

The Book Thief - Marcus Zusak

https://www.amazon.com/Book-Thief-Markus-Zusak/dp/0375842209

Shantaram - Gregory David Roberts

https://www.amazon.com/Shantaram-Gregory-David-Roberts/dp/8365282313

Quiet - The Power of Introverts in a World That Won't Stop Talking

https://www.amazon.com/Introverts-Talking-TURTLEBACK-SCHOOL-Prebound/dp/B00QPHBJGQ

From the very first day I started this podcast I knew that I wanted to explore the wisdom of animals and how our relationship with them can guide us and help us to grow. 

So when a client of mine posted about an equine leadership session that they’d taken part in, I just had to interview the coach. 

So my guest this episode is Kelly Eide. Kelly is a corporate strategist and a leadership coach who works with business leaders and CEO at the highest level. And she does this in an unusual way - she uses herds of healing horses.

By taking people out in to nature and using natural horsemanship, she helps business leaders’ to practice how they lead in a truly unique way. 

I knew that horses were blessed with unique skills when it came to intuition and Kelly taught me so much more about what these incredible and powerful creatures can teach us. 

Horses live in herds. They set and respect boundaries. They are authentic. And above all, they look out for one another. Was there ever a better time than now to tap into their power?

My conversation with Kelly was nothing short of magical as she opened my eyes to accelerating our lives with horsepower. Please, enjoy her incredible experience and wisdom. 

Follow me, and the Good Intentions podcast:

https://www.instagram.com/kellyharvarde/

Find Kelly here:

https://www.instagram.com/experiencetrueleadership/

http://www.trueyoume.com/index-me

Immerse yourself in some of the books we discussed: 

Finding Your Way in a Wild New World - Martha Beck

https://www.amazon.com/Finding-Your-Way-Wild-World/dp/1451624603

The Tao of Equus - Linda Cohen

https://www.amazon.com/Tao-Equus-Journey-Healing-Transformation/dp/B004J24Y1G

What the Robin Knows - Jon Young

https://www.amazon.com/What-Robin-Knows-Secrets-Natural-ebook/dp/B005MZN22G

If you’ve ever wondered why you have certain aches and pains, or why you can’t shake certain behaviours, this episode is for you.

My guest this week is Anna Mitchell - a kinesiologist. If you’re wondering what kinesiology is don’t worry - I was a little hazy about this myself until I met with Anna.

In a nutshell, kinesiology is the science of human movement. It uses muscle testing to identify imbalances in the body's structural, chemical, and emotional make up.  It can reduce stress and pain, improve performance at school, work and home, be beneficial in sports and relationships. Its simply a great tool to promotes health and wellbeing. 

Sounds brilliant, doesn’t it? I had a fascinating chat with Anna as she explained more about how it works and how our body has each and every tool it needs to heal itself. We just need to listen to it.

Follow me, and the Good Intentions podcast:

https://www.instagram.com/kellyharvarde/

Find Anna here:

https://www.instagram.com/kinesiologydubai/

Immerse yourself in some of the books we discussed: 

Talking to Strangers - Malcom Gladwell

https://www.amazon.com/Talking-Strangers-Should-about-People-ebook/dp/B07NDKVWZW

Touch for Health - John Thie 

https://www.amazon.com/Touch-Health-Complete-Spiral-bound-John/dp/B00546CQS4

Educate Your Brain - Cathy Brown

https://www.amazon.com/Educate-Your-Brain-Kathy-Brown/dp/1938550005

Heal Your Body - Louise Hay

https://www.amazon.com/Heal-Your-Body-Louise-Hay/dp/0937611352

The Dominance Factor - Dr Carla Hannaford

https://www.amazon.com/Dominance-Factor-Knowing-Dominant-Learning/dp/0915556405

My guest this week is Zach Holz. Zach is a teacher, a finance expert, a serial expat and a general all round brilliant human being. You might know him from his blog: The Happiest Teacher, or from his weekly columns in The National newspaper here in the UAE. 

He’s one of those great people who is on a constant quest for self-improvement, who in the process also wants to share what he’s found with others.

We talked about his relentless positivity, what being an expat has taught him, how we can best help our children navigate technology and how his zealous attitude to savings and investment has given him financial freedom. 

His enthusiasm is completely infectious and we had such a great conversation. I left him feeling inspired and uplifted - I hope you do too.

Follow me, and the Good Intentions podcast:

https://www.instagram.com/kellyharvarde/

Find Zach here:

https://www.thehappiestteacher.com/

https://www.instagram.com/thehappiestteacher_zach/

Read his columns for The National here:

https://www.thenational.ae/topics/Author/Zach%20Holz

Immerse yourself in some of the books we discussed: 

Digital Minimalism - Cal Newport 

https://www.amazon.com/Digital-Minimalism-Choosing-Focused-Noisy-ebook/dp/B07DBRBP7G

Atomic Habits - James Clear

https://www.amazon.ae/Atomic-Habits-life-changing-million-bestseller/dp/1847941834

Our surroundings can impact us on a deep level - our home, after all, is the space that we wake up to in the morning and that we return to each night. How can we make sure that these spaces lift us up and really enrich our lives?

My guest this episode is Emilie Jacob - the incredible woman who runs the boutique interior design studio Stella and the Stars. She’s known for her signature style: lots of colour and bold spaces.

My home is testament to my love of Emilie’s style and I’m definitely not the only one - her work is in demand all across the UAE. 

Emilie says: “Our home is the place I am going to spend every single day, so it should be a beautiful, cosy place that I enjoy getting back to at the end of each day.” 

We had a brilliant conversation about creativity and where it comes from, and how her chaotic childhood drives her longing to creating safe and beautiful spaces. It’s honest and full of Emilie’s gorgeous energy. Enjoy.

Follow me, and the Good Intentions podcast:

https://www.instagram.com/kellyharvarde/

Find the wonderful Stella and the Stars: 

https://www.instagram.com/stellaandthestars

Immerse yourself in some of the books we discussed: 

Lean In - Sheryl Sandberg

https://www.amazon.com/Lean-Women-Work-Will-Lead/dp/0385349947

How Social Media is Ruining Your Life - Katherine Ormerod

https://www.amazon.com/Social-Media-Ruining-Your-Life-ebook/dp/B07D2F92S3

Becoming - Michelle Obama

https://magrudy.com/book/becoming-9780241334140/