Talking With Noor

In this final episode of Series 1 (Yes, I am taking a break!) I speak to James Burnie, a Fintech and Regulatory lawyer in London. James demystifies crypto by explaining what the blockchain is, how crypto assets and smart contracts work, and whether it is all just a Ponzi scheme that is going to go up in smoke or a legitimate tool to the ever burgeoning financial tech armoury of the 21st century. Prepare to take notes...

In this episode of Talking With Noor, I talk to  Kato Wong,  a film director, actor, musician, fine artist and former medical doctor. Having struggled with the search for authenticity and the need to express himself creatively for years, Kato finally made a switch from medical doctor to artist and his life changed. Kato has worked for a wide array of institutions, including the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Arts Council, University College London, the Soho House Group, Creative United and Blain Southern Gallery. He is also an experienced coach public speaker.He talks to me about his journey, finding himself, the Zen teachings that helped him, his latest projects such as his award-winning short film Saturn, and his passions and inspirations. Find Saturn on his website: katowong.com and his profile on Instagram, @katowongartist.

Welcome to the 12th (Correction: It's not the 11th!)  Episode of Talking With Noor. My guest is Daniel Konrad-Cooper, a London-based movie producer I've known for several years. Daniel has worked in film production over the last 16 years, helping produce 11 theatrically-released features including Dunkirk and Red 2. He even turned down work on Mission Impossible to found his successful independent film company, Rather Good Films. Recent successes include Burn Burn Burn, Dead in A Week (or your Money Back) and The Man in the Hat.  On top of these fabulous achievements he also makes time to be on the BAFTA and BIFA jury panels, among others. We talk about the art of storytelling through film, the British film industry today,  which new talents to look out for, and how to keep calm and keep adventuring...

As Spring begins on this Mother's Day I, Noor Kadhim, talk with my friend of two decades Johanna Luyssen in her hometown of Paris about choosing to be a single mother at the age of 35 in an era where it can still be argued that we live in  'a man's world'. We talk about freedom, feminism, journalism, and writing her second book, Si Je Veux, that has been published in France to critical acclaim this year, on her journey from childhood  to motherhood.

Welcome to Talking With Noor. I am your host, Noor Kadhim, an international disputes lawyer in London. I talk to interesting people about interesting and often topical subjects. In this tenth episode of Talking With Noor, I talk to Dr Kathleen Robertson, about what might be going on in Putin's mind, US defence strategy, and how history can teach us a lesson in this war. Dr Robertson is an internationally recognized strategy consultant to senior leadership in government and corporations, advising on war risks, counter terrorism and deployment of strategy across departments, from the naval department to the army. She was also the chair of the NATO industrial advisory commission and advisor to five US presidents. Kathleen offers her unique insight into wargaming, combat tactics, what the stance of the US and of NATO is in this war, why taking our eye off the ball for almost a decade has cost the West dearly, and what might come next for Ukraine and the rest of the world.

In this ninth episode of Travels with My Friends, I speak to portrait photographer Frederic Aranda, a friend whom I have been lucky to know since our days at Oxford together long ago, when I was a co-editor of the student magazine, the ‘Isis'. Freddie is very humble, so I will be his cheerleader here: he has won all sorts of amazing photography awards and you may even glimpse his work on billboards these days if you're lucky, at Kings Cross St Pancras station as you get off the Eurostar from his home country, France. He has photographed the great and the good from members of the royal family, famous politicians, film, sport and music stars, and whole groups for full page and cover spreads in well-known fashion magazines such as Vogue and Harpers Bazaar. We talk about all his exciting photography stories, his tips for taking a good portrait photograph, his favourite photographs, and much more in this impromptu podcast taken over a cup of tea and some delicious cake at my home, after almost burning down the house!For the photographs explained and described, visit fredericaranda.com 

Welcome to the Christmas edition of Travels with My Friends, where I am lucky to be joined by Simon O'Hagan! Simon is my next door neighbour, a Radio Times journalist, and previous Times and Independent editor, and we live in the liberal and literary borough of Hampstead in London.  Today, Simon has invited me over for a jacket potato and Christmas cake, over a cup of tea, as we talk about his time starting out at his local paper in Kent before landing his first big role on the sports desk at the Times where he stayed for ten years! He then went onto the Independent, and during this time he honed his skills as an editor on many different sections. Simon talks to me about life working at a newspaper and the challenges facing the industry over the decades, how to be a good editor, skills and tips for being a great writing, which journalists he would spend his Sunday reading, and a lot more. Have a great Christmas everyone, and pick up the Christmas edition of the Radio Times – and pay special attention to Simon's carefully edited Radio pages!

In this short Thanksgiving special, I am lucky to be invited to the cosy Manhattan apartment of Jerry Tokofsky and his wife Karen Oliver, for turkey and all the trimmings, and delicious pumpkin pie. As the lights brighten over the dark New York skyline outside, Jerry tells me about how he got into the film business as a boy growing up in Brooklyn, and became beloved of all of the Hollywood Golden Era stars, from Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracey, to Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart, to Frank Sinatra and so many more. Jerry talks to me about making his most famous film, Glen Garry Glen Ross, and about the friends he made along the way.You may have to forgive the sound quality of this podcast just as you would for an old black and white film. Technological hiccups apart, this was a truly nostalgic and twinkling journey into all that is bygone and nestled within the nostalgia of a truly splendid age that will never be replicated. Jerry is one of the ambassadors, the gems, of that age, and I thank the stars our paths crossed at JFK airport some years ago that I am able to capture some of his stories here.

In this sixth episode of Travels with My Friends, my dear friend, the 'Queen of Portobello Road', Hilary Proctor invites me for Jewish bagels and tea. Some times in life you meet people who are bursting with positivity, life, talent, generosity and beauty and you just want to snatch them up and put them in your pocket forever. Hilary is one of those gems. Today she talks to me about how she went from being the daughter of a German Jewish refugee father and Russian immigrant mother who made their way from having nothing in London after the war, to raising two children on her own as a teenage mother, and now to having three thriving, decades-old fur and vintage trades on London's most beloved of roads, Portobello Road. Like the Portobello Road, Hilary is characterful and had so many stories, from the time that Lauren Bacall came trying on top hats, Pierre Cardin went on a shopping spree with her, and Catherine Deneuve came hunting for crocodile bags. Rich or poor, famous or not, Hilary has always been the same down to earth vivacious lady and this is what makes her truly special, along with her Mary Poppins handbag of delights. I hope you enjoy this episode, it was a joy to record.

Have you ever wondered what happens at Eton, the elitist black box which has educated and formed the likes of Boris Johnson, David Cameron, and many of the politicians controlling our country today? Wonder no more. In this timely episode, I speak to my Ugandan British friend Musa Okwonga, an internationally acclaimed writer, poet and political commentator and Eton alumnus. Musa decamped from London to Berlin several years ago where he has found increased freedom to publish his work and research-based political opinions in the form of columns for the press (such as the Times and New York Times), as well as on his podcast, and more recently in his books (fiction and non fiction) . We focus on 'One of Them', his eloquent and searing expose (published earlier this year) of his time at Eton on an assisted place, as one of only 2 black men in his class of over 1200. If you're keen to hear Musa's eye-opening perceptive on British politics, and what might now happen in the wake of Brexit if we are not careful, please listen to this important conversation and share. But if you're of a fainthearted disposition or would rather not know, maybe it's best to turn away...

In this episode, I speak to Chris Heron, founder of London's only boutique rowing and personal training studio: The Engine Room. Tucked away in a Grade A Listed church a stone's throw from Regents' Park, don't let the stained glass windows fool you: there are beasts inside. Those monsters are Chris and his elite athlete rowing team, waiting to give you a full body transformation. In this episode Chris talks about how he got into rowing, his personal fitness journey, building a unique concept with Engine Room, the Olympics, how to train for and win sports championships, tips for athletes and beginners alike, and much more.

In this special episode of Travels with My Friends I chat to my friend Dave Weston just ahead of his next song release, Life of Riley, which he treats us to a sneak preview of. 'Dynamo' Weston, as I call him, talks life, music, sport, and how to 'run your own race', be it training for a marathon or running your first 5KM, getting into cold water therapy, meditation, staying positive and avoiding anxiety, mastering intermittent fasting, and being part of a solid community in London even in the most trying of times. This one's gold: please share, rate and review!

In this second episode of Travels with My Friends, I talk to Doctor Mena Kadhim about diet and nutrition, and its links with heart disease and Type 2 Diabetes. Mena busts the myths about the so-called healthy low-fat diet we have been recommended incorrectly to follow for decades, what is bad and good cholesterol and the causes of diabetes, why we should instead be eating a high fat animal-fat based diet for health and longevity purposes, which foods we should avoid and why, and much more. 

In this pilot episode of Travels with My Friends, I speak to a longtime family friend, the buoyant and unique Saad Al-Shybani. Over a cup of Iraqi chai, we chat about Saad's life growing up in Iran, Iraqi culture, what brought him to Glasgow, his travels around the world while in the oil industry and what made him give it up for the property world, some tips and tricks for 'making it' in property, and his three tips for living a fulfilled, happy and balanced life.