What I Did Next

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:

• iConnections 
• AiXplain

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

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

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. I talk to Omar about the larger themes that led to him writing the book, and his own questions of identity as a result of his experiences as an Arab writer in the West. Our conversation was powerful, intense and thought-provoking. 

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!

Another question I get asked often is “how do you select your guests?”Join me for a look behind-the-scenes at how I select my guests and some of the criteria involved.

We’re continuing my conversation with the talented mezzo-soprano Farrah Al Dibany, exploring the world of opera. 

Farrah tells me about her experiences and challenges of her work, including her transformative journey playing Carmen, and her commitment to introducing classical music to broader audiences. She also tells me about her artistic choices on stage, and how she prepares for her roles.

You can listen to Part 1 of our conversation here.

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Mezzo-soprano Farrah El Dibany joins me on the show this week. We cover her journey from discovering her passion for singing at 14, to her incredible performances, including the FIFA World Cup Final in Qatar and the celebration of the re-election of French President Emmanuel Macron in 2022. 

I had the opportunity to see Farrah perform in-person a couple of years ago, at the Manial Palace for Prince Abbas Hilmi’s museum festival.  She has a powerful voice and an incredible presence on stage. Farrah is dedicated and disciplined as only a performance singer or athlete can be. We also spoke of the nuances of being an opera singer and the challenges and joys her career brings her.

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It’s already been an exciting 2025 for What I Did Next. So this week, my producer, Chirag, and I decided to do a check-in and recap the last six months. 

We talk about the inspiring conversations, guests and events that have made up the year so far, as well as a look at what’s coming up. I also share a sneak peek into our next guest episode, so listen in to find out!

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I’m often asked how I got started with the podcast. On a special solo episode this week, I’m taking you behind the scenes to tell you how and why I started What I Did Next, and how it came together.