We’re celebrating 100 episodes! So this week I’m sitting down with our producer Chirag Desai to celebrate this milestone and unpack some of the learnings.

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We’re continuing my conversation with Azzam Fakhreddin this week, where he tells me about his decision to shift focus to economics under the mentorship of Dr. Galal Amin and getting starting in the family hospitality business. Azzam also tells me about his involvement with the Jordan football team, which just qualified for its first FIFA World Cup in 2026.

I’m also excited to share that What I Did Next just completed 100 episodes! Next week, I’m sitting down with our producer Chirag Desai to celebrate this milestone and unpack some of the learnings.

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Chapters

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I’m joined today by Azzam Fakhreddin, a name familiar to many across the Middle East as a notable figure in the hospitality industry. On Part 1 of our conversation, Azzam tells me about his involvement in two significant projects, the book ‘Palestine, Memories of 1948’ and the feature film ‘Palestine36’, which is Palestine’s official entry to the 2026 Oscars. It stars iconic actors Jeremy Irons and Liam Cunningham and will be premiering in London later this month.

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0:00 Introduction

5:41 Family Legacy and Early Life

14:10 Palestine, Memories of 1948

21:24 Life After 50

22:25 The making of Palestine 36

33:11 Lightning Round

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AI is a topic that has come up many times over the years on the show, so today I’m sharing a special episode of Double-Take where I’m connecting the dots from some of our previous episodes on the philosophical, ethical and practical implications of our future AI world.

You’ll hear from author & AI expert Mo Gawdat on how we all need to be better role models for this nascent technology, actor Ramy Youssef on some of the implications for creators and filmmakers, Amazon’s Omar El Sahy talks about some of its practical applications and ad legend Tarek Nour asks some philosophical questions about our AI future.

Chapters

0:00 Coming up

1:10 Tarek Nour: The age of acceleration

7:18 Mo Gawdat: The scary-smart world of AI

20:45 Mona Hamdy: What do we want AI to do?

21:27 Ramy Youssef: The manipulation of soundbites

23:59 Omar Elsahy: The future of the workforce

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Continuing my conversation with Dr. Mona Hamdy to unpack the role of AI, and how the emerging world should prioritise its adoption. We talk about the ethical implications of technological advancements, and the need to close the gap between profit-driven AI development and our needs as a society. She also tells me about her work with Anomaly, the ‘Bitcoins and Birkins’ club, and upcoming launch of iConnections Middle East.

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Chapters

0:00 Where tech and humanity intersect

5:51 Navigating AI's Future Responsibly

9:23 Defining the Ethical Framework for Technology

15:15 The Global Race for AI Resources

20:07 The Bitcoins and Birkins Club

27:25 Launching Middle East Operations

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The word AI gets bandied about by everyone in everything today, and I’ve been wanting to unpack the opportunities and challenges our future world holds for us. So I’m delighted to welcome technology ethicist Dr. Mona Hamdy to the show this week.

On Part 1 of our conversation this week, we talk about her pivots, and how she found herself at this unique intersection of technology and human dignity.

Coming up next week on Part 2, I pick Mona’s brain on some of my questions on the future world of AI: have we unleashed something we don’t really understand? How does the emerging world prioritise its technology adoption?

Links:

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Chapters

0:00 Introduction

4:37 Childhood Experiences in Egypt

11:07 Philosophical Foundations of Technology

17:26 Early Career and Social Development

24:33 Balancing Family and Education

29:00 Her mother’s impact

37:56 The Future of AI and Its Implications

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One of the themes that often comes up on the show is giving back to the community. Today I wanted to highlight two guests who instantly come to mind when talking about giving back—the incredible heart surgeon, Sir Magdi Yacoub and META’s Regional Director, Fares Akkad. 

This episode is part of our new segment, Double-Take, where I take a deep-dive into a single topic and connect the dots between some of our best conversations.

When I spoke to Fares in late 2023, he had just come back from visiting the Za’atari Refugee Camp, where Meta has established a digital literacy program.

And while Professor Yacoub already had a distinguished career as a cardiothoracic surgeon, he’s leaving behind an even bigger legacy through his charity, Chain of Hope, building long-term impact on the lives of the children in developing communities.

Chapters

0:00 The theme of ‘Giving Back’ to the Community

0:50 Fares Akkad’s work with Za’atari Refugee Camp

5:03 Sir Magdi Yacoub’s legacy with Chain of Hope

8:24 Establishing Sustainable Hospitals

12:54 Community-Centric Healthcare

13:46 Rwanda: A New Hope

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Today I’m sharing the answer to another question I’m asked quite often: “how do you prepare for your interviews?”

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Author and commentator Omar El Akkad joins me this week to talk about his latest book “One day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This”. This is perhaps the most important book I’ve read in the last couple of years as it brought together all that I have been thinking, and feeling, about Western Liberalism.

Chapters:

0:00 Introduction to Omar El Akkad

02:10 Exploring identity and belonging

18:15 What opened Omar’s eyes to this?

24:20 The power of language and of social media

31:35 The role of individuals to effect change

36:15 The Lightning Round

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Media powerhouse Amy Mowafi returns to the show for Encore, where I check-in with your favourite alumni guests.

Since we last spoke, Amy has been leading and participating in various must-attend events across Egypt. She’s also been returning to her first love, writing, with her ⁠Substack⁠.

You can also catch my previous Encore conversations with adventurer Omar Samra, designers Nada Debs and Nadine Kanso, and entrepreneur Ahmed Alfi in your podcast apps, or on our website.

I’ll be back with a new guest next week, see you then!

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