In this episode, I sit down with Chris Salinas, a former U.S. Coast Guard officer whose career has spanned international security, maritime cooperation, and technology. Chris reflects on the experiences during his teenage years that first drew him toward a life of service, and how those early influences led him to the U.S. Coast Guard Academy. He shares how working alongside partners across cultures shaped his approach to leadership, trust, and international cooperation. We talk about his yea...
Jul 15
1 hr
In this episode, I explore Laura’s journey into the fascinating world of political risk insurance, a space that is exploding in relevance as business leaders grapples with an ever more complex geopolitical landscape. Laura shares her insights into the way businesses navigate political risk and the leadership and organisational blindspots she’s noticed. She then distils a few principles that the most geopolitically savvy firms follow. Recorded on 27 June 2024. Instagram: @at.the.coalface C...
Jul 1
48 min
In this episode, I sit down with Tjark Marten Egenhoff, a development and foreign policy leader whose life has been shaped by movement, service, and the search for belonging. Tjark reflects on growing up across countries and cultures, from revolutionary Iran to Argentina during periods of political upheaval. He shares how those early experiences, together with a strong sense of justice instilled by his family, shaped the way he sees the world. We talk about his path into politics, development...
Jun 17
51 min
In this episode, I sit down with Mariana Deluera, a geopolitical risk analyst whose life has been shaped by movement, adaptation, and the search for belonging. Mariana reflects on growing up across five countries as the daughter of a Mexican diplomat. She shares what it was like to become repeatedly uprooted and re-rooted, and how returning to Mexico as a teenager left her feeling both at home and like a foreigner. We talk about the influence of her mother and grandmother, two women whose ver...
Jun 3
47 min
In this episode, I sit down with Stephen Hunnewell, a former national security and irregular warfare practitioner whose career has spanned Special Operations, geopolitics, technology, and strategic competition. Steve reflects on growing up in a single-parent household, the values that shaped him early on, and the impact 9/11 had on his generation. We talk about the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the limits of overwhelming military force, and the mismatch between Western assumptions and local r...
May 20
1 hr
In this episode, I sit down with Gian Jones, a real estate investor, community builder, and congressional candidate. Gian reflects on growing up in the Rockaways in a single-parent household, taking on responsibility early as the oldest of three, and a childhood that was modest but grounded in strong family and community. He shares how he found his way into real estate, first as a way to make money, and then as a career. He also speaks about early financial success, losing much of it, and wha...
May 6
38 min
In this episode, I sit down with Daniel Freeman, a former U.S. Air Force intelligence officer, entrepreneur, and community builder whose life has been shaped by movement, reinvention, and the search for belonging. Daniel reflects on growing up in a military family, constantly adapting to new places while carrying a quiet sense of not fully fitting in. Over time, that same tension would shape his path through service, marriage, fatherhood, and a deeper journey of self-understanding. We t...
Apr 22
53 min
In this episode, I sit down with Barker Keith, whose career spans military service, law, and sovereign risk management. Barker reflects on growing up in Venezuela, and how his early, idealised view of the United States was challenged by friends who saw the world less through ideology and more through national interests. He shares formative experiences from his time in the U.S. Army, his transition into law and political risk insurance, and the complexities of structuring protection for intern...
Apr 8
44 min
In this episode, I speak with Siobhán MacDermott, a cybersecurity and public policy expert whose career spans Silicon Valley, global finance, and advisory. Siobhán reflects on an itinerant childhood and how constantly being the “new kid” shaped her relationship with risk, identity, and belonging. What began as an ambition to become an ER doctor took unexpected turns, from scouting mobile tower locations to eventually working at the intersection of cyber risk, geopolitics, and financial stabil...
Mar 25
54 min
In this episode, I sit down with Jay Truesdale, a geopolitical risk adviser and former U.S. diplomat and Navy Reserve officer whose career spans diplomacy, military service, and private sector leadership. Jay traces his sense of duty back to childhood, inspired by family stories of wartime service. That early call led him into diplomacy and the Navy Reserve, with formative experiences across Russia, Ukraine, and South Asia. We talk about the craft of diplomacy in the real world: building trus...
Mar 11
56 min
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