Deep See With Bilal

In this podcast, I talk about the non-controversial subject of race. Why do we use terms like African American and Black. What do they imply about people who are designated with that label? What are the correct terms to use? What does it mean for me? I hope you find this stream of thought useful. Bilal

In this podcast, I talk about taking my first proper work break in over a year. I've been busy with my start-up. But I've realised that taking a break is essential - not least to give your mind a rest. In the end, you'll be healthier and more balanced and hopefully it will positively impact others too. Enjoy the pod 

...a Liberal is a Conservative who’s been arrested" so said the author Tom Wolfe. It's quotes like this that make light of politics. I find them useful to remind us that we can take politics too seriously. In this podcast, I run through some funny quips that put politics in its place. Enjoy! Bilal

I’ve been thinking about how I react to news stories whether delivered through traditional or social media. Whatever the source, I often get upset by it. Why is that? In this podcast, I discuss this, and I describe how I tackle news consumption.  Thanks Bilal  

I'm not going to gloat about Liverpool winning the English Premier league for the first time in thirty years. Instead,  I talk about the lessons we can learn from a once-successful sports team regaining its success after decades in the wilderness. Hopefully, the non-sports fans will find the podcast as interesting as soccer fans.  Thanks Bilal  

It's the one year anniversary of our start-up, Macro Hive. In this podcast, I discuss the five main lessons I've learned along the way from the importance of trust in running a company to not getting outside investors to thinking as an open network rather than a closed shop. Enjoy Bilal  

In this podcast, I discuss the cyclicality of politics and crises based on two books I've recently read: "The Fourth Turning" by Howe and Strauss and "The Politics Presidents Make" by Skowronek. The idea is to look at political and economic regimes as seasons - where we start with the spring of hope and end with the winter of crisis. This is a recurring feature of recent history. According to this, on a long cycle, we started with the spring of the post-WW2 hope phase (first turning) and are currently in the crisis phase (fourth turning). Or according to political time, we started with the transformational Reagan years and are now in the disjunctive Trump crisis years. Either way, it makes little sense to extrapolate current crisis trends into the decades ahead, but rather we need to see the crisis as a precursor of the spring of a new more hopeful regime.   Hope you find it interesting

I got a big reaction to a blog wrote on the world before and after COVID. In this podcast, I expand on the topic. I talk about how boomers will be viewed differently, the shift out of cities, the decline of in-person events, the rise of fast food, and much much more.  Enjoy! Bilal

We’ve all played Monopoly. You go around the board, try to accumulate sets of properties build hotels and then drive everyone else into bankruptcy. It can often drag on and on, but it’s worth the wait if it means you defeat your siblings. But did you know that this celebration of monopolistic capitalism was actually based on a game that was meant to show the evils of monopolies?! Find out more in this podcast. I hope you find this helpful. You can subscribe to my podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, Overcast, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Just search for “Deep See With Bilal”. Also make sure to rate and review this podcast and enjoy!  Bilal  

I’m a huge fan of Oscar Wilde - the 19th-century Irish poet and playwright. He is perhaps the most quoted artist aside from Shakespeare. In this podcast, I pick out some of his best lines that touch on life, love and work. You can find a more complete list of quotes in this blog. I hope you find this helpful. You can subscribe to my podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, Overcast, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Just search for “Deep See With Bilal”. Also make sure to rate and review this podcast and enjoy!  Bilal

In this podcast, I talk about how the lockdown allows us to experiment with new ways of doing things. Given the scarcity of food, I think it's a great time to think about fasting as a result. As it happens COVID has also coincided with Lent - the time when Christian fasts and now Ramadan - the time when Muslims fast. Something there must something in the ether about this. The science has developed in recent years to suggest how fasting can improve your health. In this podcast, I run through the health benefits of benefits as well as the spiritual and self-development benefits as espoused in Judaism and Islam. I suggest how one can extract the best bits of all of these to try out a lockdown fast. Good luck!

In this podcast, I take stock of six weeks of lockdown. How the world has become less noisy, yet digital distractions have become more present. I talk about how changes in our external circumstances often make only fleeting difference to our personal selves. Therefore, we need to put some effort on our internal lives and how the lockdown provides a great opportunity to do so. Thx. Bilal

In this podcast, I talk about my new distraction - cooking! One of the positives of the COVID lock-down is my appreciation of food and meals. I'm now preparing meals every day. It's not as hard as I initially thought. There are also deeper meanings around cooking that traditions like Zen Buddhism teach. I also discovered the poet Pablo Neruda's ode to onions! Enjoy Bilal

In this podcast, I discuss the increasing acceptance of wearing face masks, how I celebrated my birthday during lockdown and the newest members of our household - two hens! Bilal

In this podcast, I talk about how in this period of pestilence and pandemics, religions may provide some guidance. After all, religious texts are full of stories of plagues and sacrifice.  I discuss how Lent, Passover, and Ramadan can teach us about sacrifice, lack of food and personal growth.  Importantly, whether you are religious or not, there are tips and tricks within these traditions that had to cope with plagues on how to survive in our COVID era. 

I've been stuck in the house for over a week now and the coronavirus crisis is getting worse. In this podcast, I talk about the importance of using humour to stay sane, the zombie apocalypse and the wise of words of polar explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton. Bilal 

In this podcast, I talk about how I'm now working from home thanks to COVID. I discuss some of the communication tools we're using at Macro Hive to stay in touch with the team, how to stop blurring the line between work and home, the need to still exercise and the possibilities working from home opens up. Also, do send me any tips from any pros out there on have been doing this for a while. Thanks! Bilal

It's hard to think about anything but the coronavirus, so in this podcast I share my thoughts on life under COVID-19. I talk about stocking up on pasta, fear of shaking hands and how quickly we adapt to completely new ways of living. Feel free to share your feelings about life under the virus! Bilal

The coronavirus has clearly gone global. The number of cases and deaths in Europe and America is increasing. Markets are tumbling, and it all feels a lot more visceral than a few weeks ago when I last talked about the virus. In this podcast, I talk about my findings on pandemics from my readings, how I'm thinking about personal steps around the virus and whether authorities are over-reacting or not. Hope you find it useful. Bilal

In this podcast, I talk about how the scale of the climate change challenge is so large that I often feel paralysed into inaction. Yet there are small things you can do to make a difference. I discuss seven that have the added benefit of saving you money and making you healthier. Bilal.   

In this podcast, I depart from my normal policy on not talking about the latest news events, but I think that the outbreak of the coronavirus has some deeper meanings. More specifically, I focus on how we are reacting to the virus from our tendency to conspiracy and apocalyptic thinking to its reminder of our mortality.  I hope you find the podcast useful. Thanks for listening. Bilal

“Weniger Aber Besser. Less But Better” This was said by Dieter Rams and best sums up his approach. Rams was the Chief Design Officer at Braun, the German consumer products group, from 1961 until 1995. His approach has influenced much of today’s design thinking, most notably at Apple. In late 1970s, Rams asked himself “is my design good design?” and he answered with his ten principles of good design: 1 Good design is innovative 2 Good design makes a product useful 3 Good design is aesthetic 4 Good design makes a product understandable 5 Good design is unobtrusive 6 Good design is honest 7 Good design is long-lasting 8 Good design is thorough down to the last detail 9 Good design is environmentally-friendly 10 Good design is as little design as possible In this podcast, I discuss four that have resonated with me and how we can generalise them to apply to other parts of our life. I hope you find this helpful. You can subscribe to my podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, Overcast, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Just search for “Deep See With Bilal”. Also make sure to rate and review this podcast and enjoy!  Bilal  

If you read the personal writings of Bruce Lee, you’ll discover an incredibly deep individual. He was not only a master of the physical, but he was also a master of the spiritual. This is reflected in his famous quote: “You must be shapeless, formless, like water. When you pour water in a cup, it becomes the cup. When you pour water in a bottle, it becomes the bottle. When you pour water in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Water can drip and it can crash. Become like water my friend.” He elaborated on this by describing the “The Six Diseases” to avoid: The desire for victory The desire to resort to technical cunning The desire to display all that you have learned The desire to overawe the enemy The desire to play a passive role The desire to get rid of whatever disease you are likely to be infected with In this podcast, I talk about these and the journey Bruce Lee took to arrive at them. I hope you find this helpful. You can subscribe to my podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, Overcast, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Just search for “Deep See With Bilal”. Also, make sure to rate and review this podcast and enjoy!  Bilal

I’m always on the look-out for advice on management. In an earlier podcast, I discussed the ideas of Peter Drucker from his 1967 book “The Effective Executive”. This time, I thought I’d go 2,500 years back to the Chinese philosopher and statesman Confucius.   You may wonder what he had to say about management, but you have to remember he was a master of understanding how hierarchical structures worked. And what are companies except for a set of hierarchical relationships? So, I’ve gone through Confucius’ classic text “The Analects” and picked out the best lines that could be relevant for business leaders and managers in the podcast. Some of the lines include: Do not impose on others what you yourself do not want” And Avoid over-promising and under-delivering The good leader is at ease without being arrogant; the bad leader is arrogant without being at ease Surround yourself with people that are better than you A good manager helps others realise what they are good at, the bad manager helps them realise what they are bad at. Don’t be short-termist as you’ll not accomplish the big goals If leaders don’t act unethically, others won’t either even if it carried a reward I hope you find this helpful. You can subscribe to my podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, Overcast, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Just search for “Deep See With Bilal”. Also, make sure to rate and review this podcast and enjoy!  Bilal

In this podcast, I take lessons from the successful book authors on how to create enduring success. The lessons can be applied to all fields, not just writing. The lessons include doing the hard work of creating, focusing on the execution of ideas (not just accumulating ideas), refining your ideas, actually know your audience and understanding the importance of marketing, especially word of mouth. Enjoy Bilal

In this podcast, I talk about how the release of films like  Jurassic Park, The Lion King, and Forrest Gump are now closer to the moon landing than today. But my main subject is why I don't think January is the best time to make resolutions. It's better to wait till spring.  I hope you enjoy the podcast, and happy new year. Bilal

In this podcast, I talk about the 3 big things I learnt in 2019 - a year of big change for me. They include the kindness of people, the importance of sleep and the most valuable resource we have: time.  I hope you enjoy the podcast and happy holidays. Bilal

In this podcast, I talk about how elections reveal our increasingly tribal way of looking at the world. There are striking parallels between supporting a party and following a religion. Yet there is a healthier way to view politics. I discuss how and much more. Bilal

In this podcast, I start by discussing how sportspeople often lose because of their inner demons. Then, I discuss how our recurrent problems are more due to us than any outside forces. Finally, I give some tips on how to remedy this. Hope this helps. Bilal

In this podcast, I talk about how we tend to do things we find the easiest, while avoiding things that really need to take priority. This aversion to discomfort and pain is holding us back. It prevents us from really growing and having a less painful life. Bilal

In this podcast, I talk about how news is really a form of entertainment - a kind of giant reality show. What's worse it makes you upset, angry and helpless. Better then to focus on the events in your own life and share those with others.  Bilal

In this podcast, I talk about my new business, Macro Hive. I talk about the struggles of solitude, the accidental way we created a community and how helping others gives purpose. Thanks for listening Bilal  

In this podcast, I talk about how I'm finding my inner life returning to some semblance of normality at around 40 days after my mother's death. I discuss how focusing my mother's compassion, love, and humanity has helped in this transition. Bilal

I've been raised to value my brain over my body whether through family or broader educational culture. In this podcast, I talk about simple physical exercises to provide balance to this, the role of meditation and the importance of healthy eating especially in relation to gut bacteria. 

In this podcast, I talk about King Henry VIII and Brexit, the clocks going back for winter and the stages of our lives. There's a cycle to many things. We can learn to accept it. 

In this podcast, I talk about the parallels between losing a parent and leaving the corporate world. The maturity gained in taking responsibility in work life. The transition phase of being in my forties.  Feel free to reach out! Thanks Bilal

Hi I've been absent for a few weeks. My mother passed away, and I've struggled to record any podcasts. But now I feel up to voicing my experience. This podcast is a departure from my usual podcasts. It's unedited, not very polished and has me stumbling over my words as I talk about my mother passing away.  I also wanted to thank everyone who has tried to call me. I didn't feel up to speaking, but I appreciate you reaching out. Thanks Bilal  

There are some ways of thinking that I keep coming back to. One is what the Harvard educationalist, Howard Gardner, calls the “Five Minds For the Future”.These are the types of thinking or minds we all need to develop in the modern post-industrial world. He first wrote about this,  back in 2006, but I think it captured the future well.The five minds he described are the Disciplinary Mind,  Synthesising Mind,  Creating Mind,  Respectful Mind and Ethical Mind. In the podcast,  I delve into each in more detail. I hope you find this helpful. You can subscribe to my podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, Overcast, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Just search for “Deep See With Bilal”. Also make sure to rate and review this podcast and enjoy! Bilal

Parents will know that as soon as their child is born, they subconsciously plan their child’s path to Harvard, MIT, Oxford, Cambridge or one of the other top universities. The thinking goes that by attending a top university, a world of opportunities will open up especially in the jobs market. But is this true? In this podcast, I look at studies that give a surprising answer to this question. I hope you find this helpful. You can subscribe to my podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, Overcast, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Just search for “Deep See With Bilal”. Also, make sure to rate and review this podcast and enjoy!  Bilal

In economics, there has always been a big debate about what drives economic growth. In the end, economists have assumed that positive “shocks” to an economy just kind of happen. However, there have been some thinkers who looked inside the black-box and focused on entrepreneurship. The three most interesting thinkers have to be Max Weber – known was his idea of the “Protestant Work Ethic”  , Joseph Schumpeter – famed for his concept of “Creative Destruction” and Frank Knight who worked on differentiating uncertainty from risk. I’ll elaborate on each on this podcast. I hope you find this helpful. You can subscribe to my podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, Overcast, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Just search for “Deep See With Bilal”. Also make sure to rate and review this podcast and enjoy!  Bilal

I often think back to Shakespeare's plays for pearls of wisdom on life. One of my favourite pearls is to think of his biggest plays as representing the three stages of life, thus: Youth represented by Hamlet Adulthood represented by Macbeth Old age represented by King Lear I elaborate on each in this podcast and discuss what we can learn about how to live (or not to live!) our lives accordingly.  Hope you find this helpful. You can subscribe to my podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, Overcast, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Just search for “Deep See With Bilal”. Also make sure to rate and review this podcast and enjoy!  Bilal    

We live in an era that worships the individual superstar – whether in the business world think Elon Musk, Steve Jobs and Jack Ma or in culture think Luke Skywalker, Batman and Dwayne ‘the Rock’ Johnson. But is it true that superstars make the difference? More specifically should companies focus on hiring stars over other traits? We have an answer. MIT’s Alex Pentland has conducted extensive studies on individuals and team dynamics in business settings. And the punchline was that the quality of interactions, not the quality of the individuals that mattered. In this podcast, I go through his findings in more detail I hope you find this helpful. You can subscribe to my podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, Overcast, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Just search for “Deep See With Bilal”. Also make sure to rate and review this podcast and enjoy!  Bilal

There are a bewildering array of diets: GI, Atkins, Paleo, Ketogenic, Dukan, Scandinavian LCHF, Banting, Bulletproof, South Beach. It goes on and on.  All of these have there strong advocates and so it’s hard to decide which one to opt for. Thankfully, the work of Professor Valter Longo,an expert on ageing, cuts through these all to find the best diet to live long and healthy. I summarise the main findings of his "longevity" diet, which include suggestions like eating mainly vegan to time restricted eating. 

We tend to think of time in one simple way - that time is an arrow. So we're constantly moving forward. Often this can us feel unhappy with where we are. But there are alternative ways of thinking of time. In this podcast, I discuss four: Time becomes events.  Expanded presence. Cyclical time.   No past or future.  Hope you find this helpful. You can subscribe to my podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, Overcast, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Just search for “Deep See With Bilal”. Also make sure to rate and review this podcast and enjoy!  Bilal

On this podcast, I talk about pick-pocketing.  I’ve researched the subject and learned how pickpockets operate, how to avoid them and what precautions to take. I’ll share my findings, which include how: Pickpockets often look at victims shows to assess how wealthy they are Most acts happen at doors whether on trains or entrances and exits to busy buildings. The classic technique for a pickpocket is to bump into the victim when the train lurches. Hopefully, the advice on the podcast will help you avoid a nasty experience while on holiday. I hope you find this helpful. You can subscribe to my podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, Overcast, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Just search for “Deep See With Bilal”. Also, make sure to rate and review this podcast and enjoy!  Bilal

Before starting Macro Hive – my own research business, I worked for over twenty years in large banks. And the finance sector is notorious for being male-dominated.  As a man, it’s easy to shrug this off, or at best attend a few workshops on implicit bias and think you’ve done your bit. But it doesn’t sit well with me. At a very personal level, I have a daughter I want her to face a level playing field when she enters the workforce. So, I often think about what can men do to make a difference? Well, I’ve looked at many studies on this subject and found there are four common ways men hold women back at work. In this podcast, I discuss what they are. I hope you find this helpful. You can subscribe to my podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, Overcast, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Just search for “Deep See With Bilal”. Also make sure to rate and review this podcast and enjoy!  Bilal

All my life I’ve been forecasting financial markets – first at big banks like JPMorgan, Deutsche Bank, and Nomura, and now at my own research firm – Macro Hive. Throughout, I’ve always felt like it’s a fool's errand. Can I seriously predict the future? In the end, I make peace with myself that my objective is not always to be right, but to be right more often than being wrong. But more importantly, the fear of being wrong is always driving me to research how to become a better forecaster. As it happens some of the best work in this area has been done by the American Political scientist Philip Tetlock. He summarised his work in the excellent book called “Superforecasting: The Art and Science of Prediction“. In the book, he lists ten commandments to forecasting well, which include Focus on questions where your hard work will pay off. Break big problems into smaller ones.  Strike the right balance between inside and outside views.  Strike the right balance between under- and overreacting to evidence.  Acknowledge the counter-arguments.  I run through these and the rest in this podcast. I hope you find this helpful. You can subscribe to my podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, Overcast, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Just search for “Deep See With Bilal”. Also, make sure to rate and review this podcast and enjoy!  Bilal  

I’m a huge fan of Oscar Wilde. He was the 19th-century Irish poet and playwright and is perhaps the most quoted artist aside from Shakespeare. It helps that he was incredibly witty, but it’s the honesty and truth behind the quotes that have made them endure. So in this podcast, I’m going to share some of his best, including: “Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.” “I love talking about nothing. It is the only thing I know anything about.” “Men always want to be a woman’s first love – women like to be a man’s last romance. “ “Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much.” "Children begin by loving their parents. After a time they judge them. Rarely if ever do they forgive them.” You can find a more complete list of quotes in this blog. I hope you find this helpful. You can subscribe to my podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, Overcast, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Just search for “Deep See With Bilal”. Also make sure to rate and review this podcast and enjoy!  Bilal

Dale Carnegie was the best-selling author of the 1936 classic. How to Win Friends and Influence People. His other classic written in 1948 was How to Stop Worrying and Start Living.  He wrote it because in his own words he "was one of the unhappiest lads in New York". On this podcast, I run through some of his principles and tips laid out in the book. These include: “Don’t stew about the future. Just live each day until bedtime”. The next time trouble hits, think what’s the worst that can happen, mentally prepare for the worst, then calmly try to improve upon the worst Once decided, act – don’t think about outcomes “Unjust criticism is often a disguised compliment. It often means you have aroused jealousy and envy” “Count your blessings – not your problems!” I hope you find this helpful. You can subscribe to my podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, Overcast, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Just search for “Deep See With Bilal”. Also, make sure to rate and review this podcast and enjoy!  Bilal

Even though I'm a Liverpool fan, I have to admire Sir Alex Ferguson. He managed the English soccer club, Manchester United, from 1986 to 2013. During that time, he won the league a record 13 times, which was considerably more than the next most successful manager of an English club: Liverpool's Bob Paisley, who won the league six times. In total, he won 38 footballing trophies  - which on some measures makes him one of the best coaches of any sport of all-time. So what was the secret of his success? Based on interviews of him and on his own writings, I've found a number of traits that stood out. On this podcast, I discuss them. They include his desire for constant renewal, a strong work ethic, prioritising the team over individual stars, focusing on the next win, being decisive, obsessing about football and sheer passion.  I hope you find this helpful. You can subscribe to my podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, Overcast, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Just search for “Deep See With Bilal”. Also, make sure to rate and review this podcast and enjoy!  Bilal  

Recently I’ve had my head stuck in old books of wisdom like the works of Plato, the bible and the Bhagavad-Gita. I thought I’d extract lessons from these ancient texts that could be useful for the hyper-modern world of today. It really did jolt me awake. What stood out were the constant exhortations not to be so self-centered. This touched me because I think I’ve fallen into the trap of over-focusing on me, whether it’s finding health hacks, optimising my productivity or finding personal happiness. It’s all about me, me, me and not about others. In this podcast, I summarise some of the key lessons and describe how we can rebalance our lives to think more about others. For more detailed notes click here.  I hope you find this helpful. You can subscribe to my podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, Overcast, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Just search for “Deep See With Bilal”. Also make sure to rate and review this podcast and enjoy!  Bilal