Episodes
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He calls himself a fairly normal guy from Pittsburgh that strayed a long way from home. He has been a mentor of tech founders for 30 years, and a father of kids for 11. The similarities are remarkable.
His day job has been to help create over 1,100 jobs while founding, financing, building and exiting three digital media companies. Prior to that, he was a Venture Principal at Capital Express, hosted MoneyHunt on PBS (pre- SharkTank), led over 1,500 people across 14 miles of open sea on kayak, and trekked 1,100 miles through the deserts of Saudi, Jordan and Syria… and A Line in the Sand ended up an Amazon Bestseller in the Middle East.
After a bit of a pandemic reset, Ihe is now actively investing and directly managing teams in digital media, entertainment, and consumer products. And painting watercolors with his daughter or playing rugby with his son.
Oh, and sometimes friends have to interpret for his special type of English. That’s it, up to now.
https://www.amazon.com/Line-Sand-Novel-Miles-Spencer/dp/1917185820
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Valentinos started an online Greek tutoring business while he was studying in the UK and has been running it for many years.
However, he comes from a bee-keeping family. Since 1983, they have been working professionally in the bee-keeping sector. Over all these years, thanks to their hard work and a love of bees, they have managed to build strong relationships with their customers, founded on trust. They take a responsible approach to the entire process of making honey from the hive to consumers, meaning they can ensure the high quality and authenticity of our honey.
Today, their company is one of the leading honey producers in Cyprus. In 2020 they opened a new, modern honey bottling centre. It is located near the village of Melini in Larnaca district. The new honey farm can also host several events like wedding parties and baptisms. It has two rooms where honey is processed and bottled, a video screening room where visitors can watch videos about our history and a reception area and tasting room. Their honey farm produces bee cosmetics, honey products and the famous Cyprus Honey “Oros Machaira”. Over recent years, the quality of their honey has been recognised, winning us international awards.
https://orosmaxaira.com/en/
https://www.theonlinegreektutor.com/x
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Thales Panagides graduated with an MBA in Entrepreneurship in 1998. He spent weeks searching for a job in the financial district of New York City and realized Wall Street wasn’t the right fit for a Cypriot who spent most of his summers on the beach. Uncertain about his future and how to leverage his business degree, he decided to visit his cousin in Brazil who just launched an Internet company. The plan was to spend a couple of weeks, but he ended up staying for ten fruitful years. Thales was offered a stake in his cousin’s technology company called Inova Tecnologias. Highlights included attracting venture capital and launching a B2B website selling high fashion Brazilian bikinis around the world. The bikini website drew media attention and was mentioned in publications such as the Wall Street Journal and Inc Magazine. He moved to Cyprus with his wife and two daughters in 2008 and launched a second ecommerce website focusing on gym wear. Today Inova Technologias employs 20 people and Thales continues to be one of the leading independent distributors of Brazilian bikinis and fitness wear in the world. Thales enjoys open water swimming, cycling and running. He’s also the author of 'Odessey to the Heart', an inspirational philosophical story of a man's journey to spiritual enlightenment who priorities meaning and not profit maximisation.
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Life is a journey and we all have our stories. Sharing those stories helps others be brave enough to break their own silences. Let's be kind to ourselves, each other and make this world a better place.
He has a desire for self development, mental health awareness and a budding passion to learn more about himself and others in order to make himself a better human being and in extension, help others be better human beings.
I met Rick during a Master Coach Training in Dubai and was fascinated by his stories about living in #Baghdad, #Afghanistan and countries in the Gulf. He was born in Canada and currently he is stationed in #Bahrain but who knows where he will be going next. We share the love for the Middle East and Gulf States because of their beautiful hospitality, their colors and their history.
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At just 21 years old, historian and author Schmidt has established himself as a dedicated truth-seeker. Since penning his 8-part educational series "History Bites" at age 12, Schmidt has made it his mission to inspire young minds and uncover the stories that shaped America.
With a number of exclusive interviews with household names such as Bob Shapiro, Megyn Kelly, Mike Tyson, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., O.J. Simpson, Donald Trump and many others, what lead him to his latest interview subject is a fascinating story.
His latest work, "Legal Gladiator," is the only biography of Alan Dershowitz, America's most controversial attorney.
Alan gave author Solomon Schmidt unprecedented access to his personal and professional life, and in Legal Gladiator, Solomon takes readers inside Alan’s most high-profile cases, including the notorious Trump trial.
He accompanies tours to England and Scotland and his biggest wish is to interview JK Rowling.
Solomon's website: https://www.solomonschmidt.com/about-5
History Bites: https://historybites.com/whos-solomon/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAbyHftBkYK8VW6zClFKQWA
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When Cole Sjoholm was asked, "Would you go?" his answer transformed his life in ways he never imagined. In 2023, he embarked on an extraordinary journey, setting foot on all seven continents in just one year—solo. From the vibrant cities of Europe to the icy expanses of Antarctica, and from the sun-drenched landscapes of Australia to the bustling streets of the Far East, Cole completed 71 flights, covered 110,246 miles, and spent 167 nights exploring the world. This wasn't just about ticking items off a bucket list; it was about discovering a new way of living and filling his bucket with unforgettable experiences.
Discover the incredible story behind Cole's epic adventure and the profound lessons he learned along the way. His journey isn't just a travelogue—it's a testament to the transformative power of stepping out of your comfort zone and embracing the unknown.
Join Cole Sjoholm, mortgage lender, travel blogger, photographer, and public speaker, as he shares his remarkable experiences and insights. Dive into his story at http://www.mortgageguytravelstheworld.com and get inspired to start your own adventure today!
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I met Costa at the Cyprus Diaspora Forum (Thank you Paul Lambis) and started following him on social media. I am fascinated by his zest for life and how he enjoys everything he does whether it’s traveling the world, exploring Cyprus or dancing Salsa with his wife Anna.
Costa was born in Melbourne, Australia, and moved to Cyprus as an adult. In Australia, he studied psychology, psycho-neurosciences, politics and history at a bachelor level, followed by a master’s in international relations and law. He is the Director of CONSTANTi, a consultancy offering social and political analysis and advice, as well as conducting research and consulting in the fields of international relations, conflict, civil society, public diplomacy and project management. He worked as a European Project Office manager at the University of Nicosia for 2 years working on migrant integration and adult learning projects, and spent 14 years as policy and public diplomacy manager at the Australian High Commission. Costa is an advocate of the crucial and real power of civil society and social media, as well as being an active campaigner for human rights, gender equality, peace building and conflict resolution. He is a founding Board Member of the peace-building NGO Cyprus Academic Dialogue (CAD) Costa is also the Cyprus rapporteur for Freedom House and produces the Freedom in the World Report for the Republic of Cyprus, focusing on transparency and corruption matters, issues of democratic governance, freedom of speech, religious and minority rights, gender equality and other key markers for Cyprus.
https://constanti.org/
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Becky Lukovic is a 20 year veteran in the travel industry. She started On the Go Travel Company in Indiana in 2001 after an “aha” moment in Sorrento, Italy. Standing on a bridge overlooking the sparkling Bay of Naples, Becky realized planning independent and culture-centric travel was her passion. In the next 20 years, she would use that passion to design unique, custom adventures for her clients.
Becky developed an extensive book of luxury travel connections and became involved in the American Society of Travel Agents, held a position on the Mid-America Chapter board, and served on the national ASTA communications committee in the early 2000s.
In 2010, Becky rebranded her company as Bella Travel Planning, LLC. in Carmel, Indiana to reflect her passion for beautiful, engaging, life-changing travel. In the summer of 2015, she and her husband moved cross-country to beautiful Atlanta, Georgia to start a new adventure.
Becky designs adventures for her clients across seven continents ranging from private scuba dives in Costa Rica to tiger sanctuaries in India to the 2008 Summer Olympics in China to cruises at the bottom of the world – Antarctica. She is a specialist in Culinary travel, Wine tasting trips, Italy, France, South Africa, Adventure travel, Antarctica, Incentive trips and meetings, and girlfriend getaways.
Recently, Becky trekked in the mountains of Uganda to visit a family of Silverback Gorillas—what an adventure. She’s been on land in Antarctica photographing colonies on Penguins, and explored countless off-the-beaten path European Ski resorts and Christmas Villages. A well-crafted tasting menu with wine parings are her love language and she counts many hotel owners and general managers as personal friends. A quick google of her name will reveal how many times she’s been quoted for industry publications as well as being featured on the cover of Luxury Travel Advisor Magazine.
Her mantra is “travel, like fine wine, should be savored as an experience and not gulped down in a hurry.”Becky is a former member of the Saveur Magazine Travel Advisory Board and is currently a member of The Vast adventure travel society and the Culinary Travel Community with Virtuoso. She holds many destination and resort specialist certifications and is a preferred advisor with Four Seasons, Relais & Chateaux, Belmond, Ritz Carlton, Luxury Collection, Blackberry Farms, and Mandarin Oriental just to name a few. With these partnerships, she can wow her travelers with upgrades, complimentary breakfasts, hotel credits, and special rates for your travels.
https://bellatravelplanning.com/
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Neil Laird is a multiple Emmy-nominated director of historical films for Discovery, BBC, PBS, History Channel, National Geographic, and many other networks. He has produced over 100 programs around the globe that feature crumbling Egyptian tombs, lost Mayan cities, and mysterious shipwrecks at the bottom of the sea.
He is a TV producer turned novelist and discusses his unique career journey and the creation of his comedic time travel novels like Prime Time Travelers. Neil shares how his background in the TV industry and his passion for ancient history and mythology inspired his writing. We dive into the challenges of transitioning from TV to writing, the differences between self-publishing and traditional publishing, and the critical role of marketing for authors. Neil also reflects on the power of storytelling, his awe-inspiring travels, and the balance between preserving historical sites and the passage of time.
He loves the world and especially the Middle East where he gets even more inspire to think and write
Don’t miss this insightful conversation packed with valuable takeaways for aspiring writers and storytellers.
https://www.neillaird.com/
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Elisa is a mother of 5 sons which she brought up mostly on her own and lived in Texas, Miami, Canada, France. She overcame extreme challenges and create a life that she loves.
In May 2016, she founded#happy2succeed, intending to bring awareness and wellbeing to body and mind. She inspires and and empowers women globally to discover their hidden power with a positive spiritual mindset method, to grow their Authentic Self, and powerfully fulfilled, to make an impact. Helping Women Globally with Kindness & Joy! #Body-Mind-Soul ELISA has served hundreds of individuals worldwide and created thousands of happy, empowered women.
Elisa’s advice is both inspiring and practical. She lavishes individuals with a combination of innovative personal solutions that spur miracle creation and profoundly personal advice that unlocks energy and sparks enthusiasm in dream lives. If you want to feel happy, experience inner peace, and infinite fulfillment on every day of your life, it is essential to determine what is your Life Purpose.
BUT first and foremost, you have to know YOURSELF. As Dr. Wayne W. Dyer said it so well: “Here you are in this intelligent system that has no beginning and no end, in which all of the galaxies move in harmony with each other. You must have shown up here for a reason!”
She truly believes that each one of us is born with a unique Life Purpose. To have a clear understanding of our life purpose is the ultimate way to guide you towards Happiness and Success. She likes to give the best tools and the most astonishing pieces of wisdom she’s learned in 30 years as a be-creative mother, as a parent with a dream, as an achiever with goal-set, and as a kind spiritual-being with love for a better and happier world.
https://elisacard.com/meet-elisa-card/
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Anna-Maria Athanasiou wrote her first books, The Waiting for Summer novels in secret, firstly because she never thought she’d finish them and secondly, it was a completely new territory for her. Throughout her life Anna-Maria had regularly created scenarios and stories in her head, thinking that one day she would finally put them down on paper. Eventually, in the September of 2011 she took the plunge and started to write down an idea that she'd been creating for almost ten years.
Waiting for Summer books one and two are the result of her small idea, and she finally had them published in September 2013 and June 2014. The love story and her characters, Sylvie and Nick, captured the hearts and enthusiasm of her readers, spurring Anna-Maria to carry on with her writing.
Anna-Maria has since been asked to collaborate with other authors on four charity anthologies and is an Inspirational Global Woman Nominee.
She lives in Cyprus and has two sons, a Golden Retriever and seven cats, and has penchant for cake, tea, whisky, wine and a healthy obsession with shoes. Anna-Maria loves the fantasy land of romantic fiction, and is passionate about bringing her stories and characters to life.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/author/B00IZNBTAY
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Stefan was born and raised in Switzerland. He studied economics in Zurich and ended up in business journalism and wrote for Finanz und Wirtschaft, Berner Zeitung, Tages-Anzeiger and Handelszeitung.
He loves to travel and started globetrotting as a young child with his parents. He has always been fascinated by planes and airports and became the founder and editor of aeroTELEGRAPH, an online platform all about planes, flying, airports etc.
He is the author of the book “Fascination Airport - The most beautiful airports and their stories” which is available on Amazon.
https://www.aerotelegraph.com/author/stefan-eiselin/page/169
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Susan spent 16 years gaining extensive corporate and management experience at a senior level in Equity Sales, Research and Corporate Marketing in investment banks DLJ, Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley and Citigroup. Passionate about helping people reach their full potential, she has developed training courses, facilitated development workshops and mentored high potential individuals throughout her career. Between jobs, she travelled to France to learn French and fell in love with Carcassonne where she spent the money that she had saved to buy a studio flat in London on a house.
Today, she is an experienced and professionally qualified corporate and executive coach, award-winning speaker, best-selling author and transformational trainer.
She is passionate about creating sustainable peak performance and success for clients by helping them increase their confidence, energy and impact.
In addition to one-to-one executive coaching and VIP strategy days, she runs a High Performing Woman program for women in business, bespoke workshops/speeches, an annual De-Stress and Assess retreat, and a series of corporate career masterclasses for clients such as Barclays Bank, Expedia, Jefferies, JP Morgan, Man Grp, Deutsche Bank and InvescoPerpetual.
https://www.tedlondon.com/about.html
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Tracy lives in Johannesburg, South Africa. After realising that she didn’t need to compete with the world for acceptance and belonging – that it was something within her – she was inspired to help others to do the same.
In addition to her work as a transformational catalyst and speaker, she is an independent financial consultant, as well as an accomplished photographer, specialising in portraiture.
In her spare time, she love connecting with her daughters, family and friends, spending time in nature and enjoying international travel. She is passionate about people, intrigued with how we relate to ourselves and each other, and drawn to the ocean of possibilities within each one of us.
In her book “UNLOCKED” she talks about being trapped in a passionless marriage. So, we become liars. We become liars trapped behind scriptures and moral facades. We learn to hide ourselves behind our reputations, as long as we look good to society. We put others, and their aspirations, before our own. We are taught that if we make a promise before God, then that covenant is cast in stone, even if your feelings do not align. That if you were once out of integrity, you can never go back. Even if it means you become a blatant, perpetual liar.We learn that there is no point of return; and no turning forward either. We learn that where we make our bed, we sleep. We learn that there is no justification solid enough to even tempt squeezing our new, evolved, wiser self through the cracks of a promise once made. We are told that we are warm when we are cold; that there are many things to be happy about, when we feel sad. When we cry out that we are hungry – hungry for more – we’re told we should be grateful for the fill we already have. We are told how to feel. And we are told how not to feel. We are moulded into an expectation of uniformity; homogenised into a fictitious ideal of normality.So, we stay. And we pretend. We mask and we ache. With a smile. We laugh when all we really want to do is cry. We close our eyes and focus on the positive and turn away from the knowing – a constant gnawing groan from somewhere deep inside of us. We tell ourselves that we’re being silly – a hopeless reiteration of what we’ve been told is silly. We turn a deaf ear to the loud hungry pangs from our gut.
https://www.tracyloubser.com/why-tracy/
https://www.amazon.com/UNLOCKED-Journey-Inward-Utter-Truth/dp/B08JDXG3DL
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Agni Scott was born and raised in Cyprus and is a multilingual actress whose first language is Greek. She spent the first 18 years of her life on the sunny shores of the Mediterranean island before moving to the United States to pursue higher education.
Agni Scott is known for Bridget Jones's Baby (2016), Persuasion (2022) and Spooks (2002) but we all fell in love with her in “Find me Falling”, the recent movie produced in Cyprus which is trending on Netflix.
Agni has an MFA in acting from Brandeis University and earned a BFA in acting from Florida International University in Miami.
She is married to Scott Handy and she is the mother of two children.
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Rania was born during the war in Beirut in 1975 . Her childhood education was in Beirut and she studied at the very prestigious AUB (American University of Beirut)
Her journey has taken her from Germany to the UK, to Saudi Arabia and the UAE and now, she lives with her beautiful family in Cyprus. She has learned to the importance of adaptability and continuous learning. She has a mind for business, values that were taught by her family as well as love for culture, art and island life.
Ranya is a seasoned businesswoman and educator with a diverse background in journalism, banking, advertising, and consultancy. She began her career as a journalist for the pan-Arab business magazine Al-Iqtisad wa Al-Aamal and later worked in the first E-banking department in Lebanon as a Customer Relationship Service Manager at Credit Libanais. She also gained experience in the advertising industry at Memac Ogilvy. Ranya founded Miza Advantage Consultancy in Lebanon and has taught at Zayed University in Dubai and Effat University in Saudi Arabia. She is a certified SAP ERP Associate and excels in business planning, strategy, CRM, and curriculum development. Ranya has been recognized for her excellence in teaching and is a founding board member of BPWESC, among other associations. Ranya likes to learn languages and is passionate about work-life balance, sports, art, fashion, business, travel, and music. Her motto is "empower herself to empower others."
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Kelly Groehler is a corporate communications executive in the U.S. and the creator, executive producer and host of The WTAF Show: Women. Travel. Art. Food. It’s the only women-first food & travel show out there – and a double entendre. Kelly created the show after seeing women are the travel,
food and art super consumers, yet 95% of food & travel shows are hosted by men. The stories they share on The WTAF Show are by women, about women, and told by women. Their episodes focus on the incredible creations by the top chefs and contemporary artists living and working in the places they visit. They share these stories via full episodes and shorts on their YouTube channel and Substack! And they have reels on IG, FB, Threads & TikTok.
https://thewtafshow.com/
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Petros Kkolas is a Digital Consultant in Engineering, working on mega projects in the UK and Greece. His expertise lies in Highways Engineering and the development of sustainable mobility solutions for the clients he serves. He is currently employed by ARUP, a global engineering consultancy with more than 19,000 employees and 94 offices in 34 countries. The company was founded by Sir Ove Arup, an Engineer, Philosopher, and Architect. The most significant project was the Sydney Opera House, where the principles of Total Design were applied.
In addition to his role at ARUP, Petros is also the Innovation Scout for the Midlands Region in the UK, responsible for promoting innovation activities in the region and engaging with start-up companies. Petros has also supported LGK Productions during the production of three documentaries with a primary focus on women. The three documentaries are:
Queens of Amathus - trailer linkQueens of the Commonwealth - trailer linkQueens of Cyprus. - trailer linkHe is currently responsible for all PR and Media Liaison activities in the UK and Cyprus. In his free time, Petros practices creative writing and poetry. He is working towards the publication of his poetry collection in Greek by the end of the year.
Travel is another passion that fuels his creativity and broadens his perspective. Petros has travelled to 25 countries and aims to reach 30 countries by the end of the year. Among all the places he’s visited, New York and Rovaniemi in Finland hold a special place in his heart. The bustling city life of New York (documentary premiere) and the serene beauty of Rovaniemi (chasing the northern lights at -30 degrees) have left indelible impressions on him.
In all these endeavors, Petros strives to bring together his diverse experiences and interests to create, innovate, and inspire. Whether it’s through engineering solutions, documentaries, podcasts, or poetry, he is committed to making a positive impact.
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I met Stelana at the Diaspora Forum (once more thank you Paul Lambis) and instantly liked her. She is genuine and very authentic.
Stelana Kliris is a South African Cypriot writer/director/producer and the founder of Meraki Films which is a production company based in Cyprus and established by Stelana as a banner for both her own films and those of local filmmakers, women in particular. The mission is to tell authentic stories that can travel to an international audience.
Stelana has a long-standing reputation on the island for being a reliable, persistent and hard-working professional. She has taken on multiple roles in local productions, but is most at home when she is writing, directing or producing.
Before establishing Meraki Films, she wrote, produced and directed the first independent feature film in Cyprus after the crisis caused State cinema funding to be cut in collaboration with AMP Filmworks and producer Marios Piperides, and with the generous support of the Pouroulis Foundation. Despite the low budget, COMMITTED went on to be distributed in multiple territories and optioned for a Hollywood remake. She also produced the award-winning feature film PAUSE, the feature directorial debut of Tonia Mishiali, under long-time collaborator AB Seahorse Film Productions with producers Andros Achilleos and Tonia Mishiali. She recently completed FIND ME FALLING, her second feature as writer/director and is working on several new projects under the banner of Meraki Films.
Find Me Falling has been translated to over 30 languages and will stream across 190 countries and over 260 million Netflix accounts, premiering on July 19.
https://www.meraki-films.com/new-page
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Talking to Andrea about how life doesn’t always turn out the way we expected it. After studying psychology in the UK and coming back to Cyprus, she realised that things were complicated. For fun she joins an open recruiting day for flight attendants at Emirates Airlines and gets accepted. Even though her father wasn’t thrilled with the idea, she moves to Dubai and spends five years working for one of the world’s top airlines, allowing her to travel and explore cultures in over 70 countries.
On top of it all, she gets to have Brad Pitt as a passenger in first class…
Today she works as a Marketing Manager at Harneys Fiduciary, a company she had joined in Dubai after she decided to end her flying career. She also organizes women’s retreats and the best way to find out more is by following Andrea on Instagram @being.andreachara
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