Who Run the World

Rhea and Marilyn kicked off 2021 by binge watching the Netflix original series Bridgerton. In this episode Rhea shows off her knowledge on all things Shonda Rhimes (Grey’s Anatomy included), and we both express our undying (and unrequited) love for Bridgerton’s breakout star: the Duke.

Don’t forget to subscribe and follow us on Instagram @whorunthwroldpod

We’d also love to hear from you, who’s your favorite Bridgerton character? Were you surprised at the Lady Whistledown reveal? Write to us on [email protected]

Chloe Kattar is a historian, and is currently pursuing a PhD in history at Cambridge University, where she is writing her thesis that analyzes the intellectual history of the Lebanese civil war. Since the start of the Lebanese revolution on October 17th 2019, Chloe’s Instagram page @leb.historian has gained quite the following. Through her posts, she brings a new perspective to the Lebanese political and socio-economical crisis, adding historical parallels and explanations to her reporting. Chloe’s work struck a chord with so many Lebanese because official history books stop the day after the country gained its independence in 1943. In this episode, Chloe talks to us about the importance of history to revolutions, why women are missing from history’s pages, and what are some of the obstacles she herself has faced as a Lebanese woman in academia.

Don't forget to hit the subscribe button and follow us on Instagram on @whoruntheworldpod  and check our website: whoruntheworldpodcast.com.

As for many, Christmas 2020 looks a bit different for us - we won’t be traveling to see our families, or going back to Lebanon where we normally spend the holidays. So we thought it would be fun to take a little walk down memory lane and revisit gifts of time’s past. We asked our audience to share with us stories of the best and/or worst gifts they’ve ever received. This week, we took a listen to the voice notes you sent us, read the message you’ve written us, gave our comments, and remembered our own gifting stories - suffice it to say: hilarity and sweetness ensued. The ultimate Christmas super-fan, Marilyn’s partner, Hadi joins us on this episode, bringing with him his own colorful comments to the table. 

This holiday season, we do realize what a privilege it is to receive gifts and be with our loved ones. So to pay it forward, here are a few charities in Lebanon that are doing great work this Christmas and all year round - donate if you can:

Lebanese Red Cross

Impact Lebanon

Beit el Baraka

Offre Joie

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and Happy New Year everybody! See you all in 2021!

This week we are re-sharing one of our favorite episodes we recorded this year on the 5 love languages - A great listen for this holiday season!

With every passing week of social distancing our need for human connection grows, whether we are introverts or extroverts. In this episode, we share how we are getting and giving our dose of connection and care using the five languages of love.

We are also running our first ever giveaway. Head to our Instagram page @whoruntheworldpod, follow us, and share with us the best or worst gift you've ever received.  The lucky winner will be receiving three of our favorite books: Education by Tara Westover, Celestial Bodies by Jokha Alharthi and The Day Nina Simone Stopped Singing by Darina Al-Joundi.

Guilda Khoury’s concept store Mellow was one of the very first shops to open in Beirut’s design district Mar Mikhael seven years ago. After the August 4th Beirut explosion, which completely shattered Guilda’s store, Mellow was yet again the first to reopen in a ravaged Mar Mikhael. Guilda’s story is one of great bravery, perseverance and hope. She shares with us her emotional journey, telling us why she chose to stay in Beirut, where she gets her motivation from, and reveals the inspiration behind her latest collection, very aptly named Rising from the Dust. 

Mellow would not be open today if it weren’t for the following NGOs: @istandforwomen, @bedco_lb, @alfanarvp, and @marchlebanon

Guilda would also like to extend a big thank you to the Mellow community, who have been a constant source of love and support. You can follow Mellow on @lovmellow. 

If you’d like to get in touch with us to see how you can help Lebanon, write to us on [email protected] or reach out to us on Instagram: @whoruntheworldpod.

Blu Fiefer is a Lebanese-Mexican singer, songwriter, producer, director and pole dancer. We asked Blu to come on as a guest off the heels of her latest release Sint el Ew, which made the rounds on social media, having truly put its finger on the collective Lebanese angst in words that felt real to so many. We discussed everything from her creative process, to her dual identity and how arabic finally made its way into her art, to the power of being yourself and giving others a voice. 

Don’t forget to follow Blu on @blufiefer and us on Instagram @whoruntheworldpod. You can also write to us on [email protected].

As holders of Lebanese licenses, we quickly realized that the process of getting a UAE driver license was quite the ordeal. In this episode, we break down our road to driving (pun intended) by comparing and contrasting notes on the different tests we had to take and the colorful instructors we were paired with. It’s been quite the eventful month, so suffice it to say hilarity ensued on the podcast - who knew driving could be so funny. 

We’d love to hear your journey to driving, whether you just recently got your license, or if it’s a story from your teenage years. So make sure to write to us on [email protected], and follow us on Instagram @whoruntheworldpod.

In this episode, we take a deep dive into the Myers-Briggs personality test, its history, whether it is any more accurate than a horoscope reading and how it can help us improve our communication and collaboration with loved ones and colleagues alike. 

It might come as no surprise that Marilyn is a Commander personality type and Rhea a Campaigner personality type. You’ll have to listen to the episode to understand what that means and whether we agree. 

We’d love to learn more about your personality type, so please share them with us by writing to us on [email protected] or on our Instagram page @whoruntheworldpod.

In this episode, we are joined by our second ever male guest: Dr. Melhem Abou Alwan. Melhim tells us what it is like being a doctor in the middle of the pandemic, how his hospital coped under pressure and why he volunteered to be the only doctor in his team to examine COVID patients in the early days of the pandemic. Melhim’s story, like so many frontliner’s stories, is a stark reminder of the severity of the coronavirus, and why it is so important for all of us to practice safe measures until a vaccine is effectively distributed. 

Don't forget to hit the subscribe button and follow us on Instagram on @whoruntheworldpod  and check our website: whoruntheworldpodcast.com.

Did you know that people with deep and meaningful friendships live longer? Friendships are one the most undervalued but most important relationships. In this episode, we look inwards to explore and express the importance of keeping our tribe close. 

Rhea takes over hosting duties to interview Marilyn and her childhood best friend Tara Tyan. Through the story of their twenty-two year old relationship, we explore the meaning of friendship, how to get through rough patches and how to keep your friends close even if they live miles and miles away. 

We’d love to hear your stories of the important friendships in your lives! Write to us on [email protected] - or follow us on Instagram on @whoruntheworldpod, we’d love to hear from you!