EP52: The Architecture | Who Designed the System? (Part III)

Richard Fitzgerald moved to Dubai from Ireland in 2012 knowing almost nothing about the region. Thirteen years later, he's built Augustus Media into one of the region's most recognized digital media companies, home to Lovin Dubai, Lovin Saudi, Smashi, and Odeum.  But this episode isn't really about the business. It's about what happened alongside it: marrying Hams, becoming a father, embracing Islam, and slowly becoming someone who needs thirty minutes of Arabic music in the car just to feel like himself.  We talk about why he believes pan-Arab content has never really worked, why he puts local people instead of borrowed celebrities at the center of his platforms, and what it costs to build ambitiously while still making space for a family.  This is a conversation about what happens when the place you came to build in starts building you back. We hope you find something to consider. Connect with the guest:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fitzyrichard/Powered by Podeo — Listen to this episode

In this episode, we sit down with Zahra Abdalla, founder of Cooking with Zahra, to talk about how food carries memory, identity, and belonging. Zahra grew up in Canada with Iranian and Sudanese roots, moved to Dubai at 24 with two suitcases, and has spent 22 years building a life and a platform here.We talk about the apricot tree at her grandmother's villa, why she films Persian and Arabic dishes in a modern kitchen on purpose, and what it means to feed her children a heritage they may never experience firsthand.We also get into the parts of building a business that rarely get shared: the ideas that didn't work out, questioning why she started, wanting to talk openly about wealth, and why she believes cooking from scratch is a luxury and we should be gentler about how people eat.Along the way, we touch on diaspora, motherhood, perfectionism in the kitchen, and how a dish can change shape across cultures and still be itself. As Zahra puts it, we are here, and we are here to stay.We hope you find something to consider.Connect with the guest:Website: https://cookingwithzahra.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/cookingwithzahra/Powered by Podeo — Listen to this episode

Dina Khuffash has spent 25 years in education, and she still remembers hating school as a student. She opens up about being diagnosed with ADHD as an adult, growing up in Jordanian public schools, and how she ended up delivering aid to wounded refugees during the Second Intifada as a 22-year-old with no plan at all, only to be pulled back into education again and again, almost against her own will.Now General Manager of New Century Education, overseeing eight charter schools and more than 8,000 students across Abu Dhabi and Al Ain, she talks about what it means to treat every student as her own child, why she refuses to place blame on any single part of a broken system, and why she believes rebuilding basic morality, not curriculum, is the real work ahead.This is a conversation about showing up for people who aren't yours to show up for.We hope you find something to consider.00:00 — Intro: Education as a mirror of society02:00 — Her own story: hating school, discovering ADHD, and a career she never chose11:40 — Volunteering during the Second Intifada, building an aid network at 2222:00 — Why teachers are undervalued, and the outsized influence they carry28:00 — Leading school transformation in the UAE, from inspections to charter schools39:55 — Morality over curriculum, and why "these are my children"Connect with the Guest:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dinakhuffash/?hl=enLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dina-khuffash/Website: https://khuffash.mePowered by Podeo — Listen to this episode

We sat down with Gianluca Chakra, founder of Front Row Filmed Entertainment, to talk about the invisible machinery behind the stories we watch.  We go beyond the red carpet and into the business of entertainment: how films actually get financed, why distribution deals shape scripts before a single scene is shot, and why the Arab world's biggest challenge isn't ambition or talent, it's ecosystem.  We talk about the myth of pan-Arab representation, why some regional stories travel internationally while others never leave their own market, and what it will take for the Middle East to develop a true creative identity of its own.  This is a conversation about who gets funded, who gets seen, and what it actually takes for a story to travel. We hope you find something to consider. Connect with the guest:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gianluca_chakra?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&stkn=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gianluca-chakra-3880b343/Website: https://www.frontrowent.comCompany Website: https://www.linkedin.com/company/front-row-filmed-entertainment-llc/posts/?feedView=allCompany Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/front_row_films?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&stkn=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==Powered by Podeo — Listen to this episode

In this episode, we sit down with Sajeda Shawa, Head of OCHA in the UAE, to talk about what it actually takes to carry humanitarian responsibility without becoming numb to it.  We go behind the headlines and into the machinery most people never see — the coordination, the negotiation, the seven hours it can take to get aid onto a plane, and the hundreds of people working around the clock to make that possible.  We talk about the role Dubai Humanitarian plays as the world's largest logistics hub, how crises get prioritized when funding falls short, and why Sajeda believes there's no such thing as life-work balance, only prioritization and a support system. We also trace her path back to her mother and father, and what it means to inherit a sense of duty rather than choose it.  This is a conversation about proximity to crisis, objectivity, and what it means to act instead of scroll past.  We hope you find something to consider.Powered by Podeo — Listen to this episode

In this episode of Something to Consider, we sit down with Kuwaiti interior designer and founder Meshary, whose story-led approach to space and design has gained recognition across the region.But this conversation is not only about design.It is about the search for self in the space between expectation and alignment. It is about growing up feeling misunderstood, choosing a path that was not always understood, building a creative business, leaving home and carrying it with you while trying to grow somewhere else.Together, we talk about family, sacrifice, Arab identity, Kuwaiti hospitality, creative ambition, gatekeeping in the design industry, the emotional cost of building something of your own, and what it means to create work that reflects who you are, not just what looks beautiful.At its heart, this is a conversation about home, belonging, and the courage it takes to design a life that actually feels like yours.We hope you find something to consider.Connect with the guest:Website: www.mesharyalnassar.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mesharyalnassar/Powered by Podeo — Listen to this episode

Aleena Khan is the co-founder of CTZN Cosmetics, a homegrown beauty brand she built alongside her sisters that has since scaled into the US market — one of the most competitive beauty markets in the world. But this conversation goes far beyond lipstick. We talk about growing up in a multigenerational matriarchal household in LA and Dubai, what it actually looks like to build a business with family (the romanticised version vs. the reality), and why CTZN chose to tackle inclusivity in a category everyone else overlooked: nude lipsticks. Aleena also shares how she built Full Disclosure, a podcast and founders community designed around growth and genuine connection, and the intentional strategy behind every single move she made to build it. This is a conversation about observation, patience, and building things that actually mean something. We hope you will find something to consider. Connect with the guest:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aleenank/Full Disclosure Podcast: youtube.com/@FullDisclosure-PodcastCitizen Cosmetics: https://www.instagram.com/ctzncosmetics/ If you enjoyed the episode please subscribe leave a review. It genuinely helps us grow this platform!Powered by Podeo — Listen to this episode

In this episode of Something to Consider, we sit down with Reem Madkour, co-founder of Dardasha and the Arab Child Summit, for a deeply personal conversation about language, identity, belonging, and what it means to raise Arab children in a world that rewards English.Together, we unpack the quiet disconnect many Arabs feel growing up between cultures, languages, and expectations, especially those raised in private school systems, diaspora communities, or westernized environments where Arabic slowly became secondary. What began as a personal effort to help her son build a stronger relationship with Arabic eventually evolved into Dardasha, a platform creating Arabic books, toys, and experiences designed to make the language feel joyful, lived, and emotionally connected rather than intimidating or academic.More than a conversation about Arabic, this episode reflects on what happens when an entire generation grows up feeling “in between” and the responsibility of intentionally passing something deeper on to the next generation.We hope you will find something to consider. Connect with the guest:Website: https://dardasha.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/dardashakids/ACS: https://arabchildsummit.orgPowered by Podeo — Listen to this episode

Fashion is never just fashion.In this episode of Something to Consider, we sit down with Palestinian designer Zaid Farouki for a deep conversation about identity, power, heritage, and the psychology of dressing.From couture and Arab fashion to Palestinian storytelling and the symbolism behind clothing, this conversation explores what garments really do to us emotionally and psychologically.Why do certain clothes make us feel powerful?Is fashion self-expression, performance, protection… or permission?Zaid opens up about:- Growing up Palestinian in diaspora between Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt- How women shaped his understanding of identity, resilience, and strength- Why fashion is inherently political- The role of Arab heritage in modern luxury fashion- Masculinity and femininity in Arab culture- Designing clothing that empowers rather than objectifies- Why Palestinian identity is far bigger than symbols and stereotypes- The emotional role of grandmothers in preserving culture and memory- Fashion as armor, storytelling, and cultural preservationThe conversation also dives into the commercialization of Arab identity, the responsibility of representation, and how Palestinian artists and designers navigate global visibility while remaining authentic to themselves.If you’re interested in fashion psychology, Arab culture, Palestinian identity, luxury fashion, storytelling, or the intersection of art and politics, this episode is for you.We hope you find something to consider.Connect with the guest:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zaidfarouki/Website: https://zaidbyzaidfarouki.comPowered by Podeo — Listen to this episode

Systems are not abstract villains, they are repeated agreements.In the final part of this trilogy, we examine the incentives that shape culture: what we reward, what we tolerate, and what we normalize.From burnout and virality to outrage, beauty standards, and the attention economy, this episode challenges a structural question:Where are we reinforcing what we claim to oppose?Because systems are sustained by unconscious repetition and transformed by conscious interruption.We hope you find something to consider.Powered by Podeo — Listen to this episode