Season 2 - Episode 6 : The impact of culture on work relationships

In Season 3 - Episode 3, I speak with the famous comedian duo Sundeep & Anand about the challenges of being in a long-term relationship. How do you keep the love alive and what do you when the spark is gone? Both Sundeep and Anand share their personal experiences with relationships and arranged marriages (from the Indian perspective) and explain what works and what doesn't anymore in a modern world. We also talk about the concept of open relationships as more and more couples in today's world are looking to open things up in their love life. And more importantly, how do you personally deal with such a request if your partner wants this?  An authentic and personal conversation with both Sundeep and Anand bearing insights to their private lives and how they deal with their romantic relationships. It is so wonderful to also discover the more serious sides of both comedians which we as the public don't often get to see! A wonderful conversation you don't want to miss!  

In Episode 2, I speak with Dr. Alessandro Lanteri, a professor, strategist, loving partner, and a proud father of a 1-year old daughter. During this conversation, Alessandro explains how he found love with his partner, the challenges they faced coming from different cultures and living in multiple countries, and the way they specifically make their love and relationship work.  When trying to extract what the secret recipe is which helps them keep their marriage working, Alessandro explains that it is a mixture of traditional values, personal characteristics, challenge, sacrifice, and being able to focus on oneself as a way to be better for the other. Another unique perspective how couples make relationships work.

In Season 3 of 'Red Flags Green Flags : Modern Psychology for Everyday Drama' we will dive into the intricacies of romantic relationships and marriage and identify what the red and green flags are within long-term relationships. Modern relationships are being challenged at so many different levels today, so it is important to identify the success factors of maintaining long-lasting love. Regardless if you are trying to look for love or are already in a long-term relationship, this season will help you understand how to make a romantic relationship successful by listening to the different strategies my guests apply to their relationships. In episode 1, I speak with Stella Xu (Associate Store Director for Gucci) about how she found love with her husband and how after getting married and having a baby they keep their love alive and stay focused on their marriage and their goals without losing sight of each other. Truly a fascinating talk and a great way to kick off Season 3!

In our final episode of Season 2, I speak with Mohammed Al Hakim (senior strategic sourcing manager) about work relationships in the Middle East. We discuss about the peculiarities of Middle Eastern business culture and practices and explore what one needs to learn to be successful in business in the region. The emphasis in this episode is on culture and how much people need to be aware of cultural differences when operating in an international environment. Red and green flags can be interpreted differently depending on one's cultural lens.

In this interesting episode, I speak to Nisheeth Pathak (Co-Founder and CEO of WeSoar - a workforce engagement and people analytics startup) about why people are less engaged in the workplace nowadays and how different generations have different beliefs about work. We specifically look at GenZ in the workplace and what their general attitude and relationship is to work. Should managers evaluate GenZ's commitment to the workplace with the same lens as older generations or should managers be more mindful of the priorities younger generations have when it comes to traditional jobs like sales, marketing and finance? Younger generations might have different aspirations than older generations and might not see work as defining of one's life. During this interview, Nisheeth not only speaks about HR challenges when it comes to managing and motivating a younger generation at work, but also shares his own struggles with his kids trying to guide them to what he believes is best for them. An interview many parents and managers I believe can relate to.

During this podcast, I speak with Karl Feilder, Chairman and CEO of Neutral Fuels the largest producer of biofuel in the Gulf, about how to identify toxicity at work. Karl, having successful started, run, and sold various companies in his lifetime, shares various personal experiences which help identity the traits of toxic bosses and characteristics of unhealthy work environments. We also decipher what people's behaviors say about themselves and how as a manager being too controlling or too observant could actually mean there are ulterior motives at play. We dive deep into the psychology of unhealthy behaviors (talking about narcissism, psychopathology, belittling, shouting, and discriminiation) at work and identify how to counter them if you decide to stay. All in all, a great discussion you won't want to miss! 

During this very engaging and personal episode, I speak with serial entrepreneur and investor LouLou Khazen about the red flags and green flags in Startups. The startup world is a very dynamic environment which is very different than most corporate work environments, and which comes with unique challenges. To be successful in a startup you need to be of a different breed. It requires a lot of mental toughness, determination, and to some degree even stubbornness and a tat of delusion. Neurodiversity is a common theme also in the startup world, with many highly successful entrepreneurs being neurodiverse themselves (e.g. ADHD, Autism).  Founder dynamics have a huge impact how the company is run and how it grows which can impact how employees experience work in both good and bad ways. High dynamics is a feeding ground for drama so it is important to learn how to deal with these dynamics effectively. LouLou shares some of her personal stories as an entrepreneur and explains what she learned from her experiences and how important grit and perseverance is to be successful. Understanding the red and green flags in startups can not only help you navigate the dynamic work environment more effectively, but also can help you succeed as an entrepreneur! 

In season 2 episode 2, I interview legal counsellor Candida Pinto about her personal experiences with bad management. Candida provides a phenomenological perspective of bad management in the workplace and the impact it can have on you emotionally and mentally. Through her stories we explore the characteristics of good and bad management and reflect on the impact bad management can have on employee performance and mental health. We also talk about the role of (organizational) culture and how it can facilitate bad management practices. During this interview we not only speak about red and green flags in management, but also discuss strategies how to deal with bad/toxic managers in the workplace. A story many of us can relate to. 

Welcome back everyone, kicking off 2024 with new episodes of drama for Season 2 of Red Flags Green Flags : Modern Psychology for Everyday Drama. I am super excited to showcase 6 amazing episodes about red flags and green flags at work.  We spend 2/3 of our lives at work and it is inescapable part of social life. If you experience drama at work, you cant just walk away from it (not without losing your job). Learning how to deal with red flags at work is super important for your career success and also to your mental health. One major cause for drama at work is office politics. office politics (or workplace/organizational politics as its often referred to) is present in every organization and often has a negative connotation to it. This is why many people refrain from engaging in organizational politics or why most business schools don't want to teach how to deal with politics at work. What many people don't realize is that office politics entails such a broad spectrum behaviors, most of them being very positive attributes. In this podcast you will learn about office politics and how to build your political intelligence.

In Episode 7, I speak to Tatyana Shin and Daria Smith about the modern dating world and cover various contemporary topics such as dating as a single mom, dating in 30s and 40s, and what monogamy means in a modern world and how willing you are to have an open relationship. We address the difficulty of having so many options in today’s world, from people to relationship formats, and we also deep dive into the reasons why people are giving up on dating all together. How to deal with trust issues and overcome the fear of getting hurt (again)? Maybe we should start falling in love with AI avatars and fictional characters instead? Also, we talk about why people are not feeling anything anymore. An emerging behavioral phenomenon which potentially can be explained by technology usage and changes in social behavior. Or could it be that you are asexual (Ace) or aromantic (Aro)? Episode 7 is the final episode of season 1 on modern dating and what a great way to end the season! An episode you don’t want to miss!