At the Coalface
At the Coalface is a series of conversations hosted by Philippe Rose.
Philippe and his guests share stories about their life beyond the headlines of international affairs. They look for lessons learned about making an impact in the world as practitioners in diplomacy, international organisations, NGOs, journalism and the private sector.
Many of Philippe's guests are connected by their common experience of taking time away from work to attend Fletcher School's Global Master of Arts Programme.
Episodes
83 episodes
Ifeoma Okali - A lifelong pursuit of equality and justice in Nigeria and beyond
In this episode, I speak with Ifeoma Okali. Ifeoma shares her journey growing up in Nigeria, finding her way into the legal profession, animated by a strong sense of the importance of equality and protecting civil rights in a society that was s...
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Episode 84
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59:36
Adam Barbina - Where love is absent, power fills the vacuum: on geostrategy, bridging divides and living after cancer
In this episode, I speak with Adam Barbina. Adam shares his memories of growing up in rural Ohio in a hard working, religious and conservative family. After studying at a liberal grad school and living in New York City, Adam still remains conne...
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Episode 83
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1:02:44
Zack Peterson - Tackling childhood stunting door to door: a grassroots mission to change the world
In this episode, I speak with Zack Peterson. Zack founded 1000 Days Fund, an NGO addressing childhood stunting in Indonesia at a grassroots level with specially trained community health workers. Zack was working at the World Bank when he was co...
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Episode 82
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46:45
Carolina Neal - From Costa Rica to Missouri: a story of building roots by restoring buildings
In this episode, I speak with Carolina Neal. Carolina is originally from Costa Rica, a country with a deep connection to the wisdom of nature. Her grandmother, the powerful head of her family, had picked Carolina out among her many siblings for...
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Episode 81
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59:42
Nino Kalandadze - The new Iron Curtain and the Russian state capture in Georgia
Nino Kalandadze was one of our first guests on this podcast. Then, she spoke about her experience forged as a young politician while her country, Georgia, was fighting a war with Russia. In this conversation, Nino sheds light on the direction G...
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Episode 80
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57:26
Dana Dumitrascu - How to (re)discover our vocation and fill our inner void
In this episode, I speak with Dana Dumitrascu. Dana just published a book, How To Discover Your Vocation. In our conversation, we explore Dana’s backstory and how she grew into becoming a vocational coach. Her book helps people, young and exper...
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Episode 79
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44:18
Bernard Zongo - Shaping Burkina Faso with music and words, an unlikely journey from nothing to mining
In this episode, I speak with Bernard Zongo. Bernard’s story inspires me in so many ways. He grew up in a poor environment where the odds were stacked against him doing much with his life. His relentless determination to pursue education, with ...
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Episode 78
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1:18:45
Michael Brasseur - Robotics and AI for a digital ocean: lessons in leadership and innovation from a life at sea
In this episode, I speak with Michael Brasseur. Michael is a man of the seas, who’s made a living sailing the oceans for the US Navy and grappled with some of the most fascinating naval and security challenges of our time. Michael shares his le...
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Episode 77
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57:23
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Diana Chigas - Understanding corruption dynamics to unlock durable development in conflict areas
In this episode, I speak with Professor Diana Chigas. Diana is one of the foremost experts in international negotiation and conflict resolution. She has worked in El Salvador, South Africa, Ecuador and Peru and in the Georgia/South Ossetia peac...
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Episode 76
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1:01:20
Steve Viola - The hardest part was surrendering: working through trauma with plant medicine
In this episode, I catch up with Steve Viola. We last spoke on this podcast about 2 1/2 years ago when he shared his fascinating career in the Navy and as special warfare operator. Since that last conversation, I had been following Steve’s work...
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Episode 75
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55:03
Zsuzsanna Szelényi - On safeguarding democracy from the autocrat's playbook, lessons from Hungary
In this episode, I speak with Zsuzsanna Szelényi. Zsuzsanna shares with me her incredible journey at the heart of Hungary’s political transformation since the fall of the Soviet Union. She talks about the early days of Hungarian democracy and t...
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Episode 74
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53:44
Rahul Sharma - On the role of trust in foreign relations: a journalist's global perspective on politics and leadership
In this episode, I speak with Rahul Sharma. Rahul has had a fascinating international career in journalism, media, corporate and political affairs. He’s worked at the Economic Times, Khaleej Times and Reuters among others, covering busine...
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Episode 73
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1:08:17
Perry Boyle - On living one's values, scaling the fight on poverty, investing in Ukraine's defence industry
In this episode, I speak with Perry Boyle. Perry shares with me his multiple lives and how he reinvented himself as his life goals evolved and as his values broadened. We talk about his initial career in investment banking and private equity, h...
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Episode 72
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1:18:13
Kamran Balayev - An international lawyer's quest to safeguard human rights and foster individual prosperity
In this episode, I speak with Kamran Balayev. Kam is a lawyer specialised in human rights and international law. He grew up in Azerbaijan but has made London home. He divides his energy between commercial consulting projects and international t...
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Episode 71
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48:20
Scott Malcomson - The hard-earned insights of an author, reporter, foreign affairs analyst on why international and local structures never win over one another
In this episode, I speak with Scott Malcomson. Scott is an accomplished author, reporter, editor, foreign affairs analyst and investigator, with experience working in government advising leaders that have defined our era, as well as for the&nbs...
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Episode 70
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1:28:34
Alberto Montrond - Lessons in service and diplomacy from Boston to Cape Verde
In this episode, I speak with Alberto Montrond. Alberto is originally from Cape Verde and moved to the US as a child. In our conversation, we explore what it meant to grow up in an environment with bullying, racial and social challe...
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Episode 69
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55:40
Journel Jospeh - Al Frontiers: The New Wave of Innovation Driving Entrepreneurship and Globalization
In this episode, I speak with Journel Jospeh. Journel shares his fascinating story into the world of AI entrepreneurship. He grew up in Haiti and initially pursued a journalistic ambition. In the US, he moved into data science and saw opportuni...
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Episode 68
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1:05:23
Janine di Giovanni - On giving a voice to victims of conflict
In this episode, I speak with Janine Di Giovanni. I first met Janine at a crisis simulation workshop as part of our degree programme at the Fletcher school and remember being struck by her energy, but also the ease with which she navigated the ...
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Episode 67
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53:55
Katarina Kavec - A journey in other people’s minds, as interpreter and psychotherapist
In this episode, I speak with Katarina Kavec. Katarina grew up in the drab setting of former Yugoslavia, where she had a window seat on the colours and choices available right across the border in Italy. She shares with me the opportuniti...
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Episode 66
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58:13
Anabel Bueno Santana-Dolenc - A lifetime of international experience and serving Dominican Republic
In this episode, I speak with Anabel Bueno Santana-Dolenc. Anabel shares her unusual story growing up in a politically active family in Dominican Republic, who had to find refuge in the US for many years. Her background provided the impet...
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Episode 65
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1:04:19
Moges Gebremedhin - On the importance of peace and stability to enable development to take roots
In this episode, I speak with Moges Gebremedhin. I’d long wanted to have a longer conversation with Moges after meeting him at an event where he was a panelist and we had a Q&A on his thoughts about the trajectory of East Africa where he gr...
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Episode 64
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55:31
Laurie Charlés - Healing trauma in conflict zones: capacity building in family systems therapy
In this episode, I speak with Laurie Charlés. Laurie is a family therapist who has taken her expertise to regions in the throes of conflict, violence and fragility - countries where mental health concerns can be dire - yet the resources availab...
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Episode 63
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57:06
Peter Stanbury - Getting things done in difficult places, on the political economy of unintended consequences
In this episode, I speak with Dr Peter Stanbury. Peter has developed a unique expertise over decades of guiding companies, international agencies, governments and civil society organisations on the politics of economic development in emerging m...
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Episode 62
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56:34
Ernesto Gonzalez - From oil painting in a Chilean favela to the UN Security Council
In this episode, I speak with Ernesto Gonzalez. Ernesto shares with me his incredible life trajectory, from modest beginnings in Chile to the inner workings of the UN’s Security Council. Ernesto grew up in poverty, where one pair of shoes had t...
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Episode 61
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1:02:56
Monica Smith - On navigating a career in the corporate world: have you forgotten the spices?
In this episode, I speak with Monica Smith. Monica shares how her upbringing in a family that moved frequently across the US and her experience of travelling and living abroad early on shaped her outlook on the world and softened her philosophi...
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Episode 60
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49:20
