The Internationalist

In this series's tenth and final installment, Julio discusses success, reaching the ‘top,' and the arbitrary nature of life as a CEO. He shares what he thinks our purpose is in pursuing goals, the nature of being at the ‘top,' and the sacrifices required. Delving deeper, Julio explains ‘warts and all,' his journey, and what keeps driving him into his next endeavors. He also discusses the loneliness and tribulations these pursuits bring us.

In the ninth episode of this series, Julio discusses "Triumph and Disaster: Two Impostors". In this chapter, he emphasizes the importance of maintaining a balanced perspective in leadership, particularly in the face of success and failure.Julio explains ‘triumph' and ‘disaster's' capability to be deceptive to our goals, impairing our judgement and stopping us from taking risks. He emphasises the significance of remaining vigilant in the face of success and not becoming excessively self-assured or complacent. He recommends that leaders not let failures discourage them but view them as opportunities to learn and improve.

In the eighth episode of this series, Julio discusses how our working lives have changed since the global pandemic, with hybrid working' apparent now more than ever. He discusses 'The Great Reassessment' and explores how we are now part of a new global and unplanned experiment that will frame our future working relationships.In this new segment of The Internationalist, host Julio Bruno takes time to sit down and share some leadership advice and stories outlined in his #1 bestselling book, Passion to Lead. He gives listeners some behind-the-scenes insights about writing and publishing his first-ever book. 

In this episode of The Internationalist, host Julio Bruno sits down with Ignacio Bachiller & Alexandre Perez, Co-founders of Fever. Fever is the leading global live-entertainment discovery platform that has helped millions of people discover the best experiences in their cities since 2014.Listen as the duo joins us in the studio to discuss Fever's rise and hard-earned success, their experience during the pandemic, and how they balance their lives running a unicorn company that leads the global live-entertainment industry.

In this episode of The Internationalist, host Julio Bruno sits down with Charles Crawford, the former British Ambassador to Poland, Serbia and Montenegro, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Julio and Charles discuss the political framework of Central and Eastern Europe after the Soviet collapse, and how that atmosphere has gradually led up to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. Charles outlines his own observations as a British ambassador in post-Soviet countries, including the attitudes of their people about ongoing Russian influence. They analyze President Vladimir Putin's patterns of hostility in the region and his imperialist motivations—as well as what it will take to stop him.

In this new segment of The Internationalist, host Julio Bruno takes time to sit down and share some of the leadership advice and stories that he has outlined in his #1 bestselling book, Passion to Lead. He gives listeners some behind-the-scenes insights about writing and publishing his first-ever book. In the seventh episode of this series, Julio shares and explains the importance of fine-tuning your ‘hard skills' and ‘soft skills' to succeed in your professional life. Discussing the difference between the left and right sides of your brain, Julio shares his own experiences with following his intuition and building a plan.to reach his goals.

In this episode of The Internationalist, host Julio Bruno sits down with Co-founder and Executive Director of the Arab Youth Climate Movement Qatar, Neeshad Shafi.Julio and Neeshad explore the climate change movement gaining momentum in the Middle East and the regional differences in activist practices. Neeshad explains his approach of collaborating closely with the government to fuel policy-oriented change. They discuss the importance of allowing young people to have a voice in government and the future of renewable energy in the Middle East.

In this new segment of The Internationalist, host Julio Bruno takes time to sit down and share some of the leadership advice and stories that he has outlined in his #1 bestselling book, Passion to Lead. He gives listeners some behind-the-scenes insights about writing and publishing his first-ever book. In the sixth episode of this series, Julio shares and explains the five attributes needed to advance in your career; curiosity, study, experience, performance, and the ability to act the part. He reflects on Socrates' famous quote, “I only know that I know nothing,” and the mantra's effectiveness when applied to your professional life. Julio highlights the importance of planning out your desired career path in order to move forward. 

In this episode of The Internationalist, host Julio Bruno sits down with sound and communication expert and founder of The Sound Agency, Julian Treasure.Julio and Julian explore the importance and underappreciation of sound, discussing the noisiness of everyday life and how the solution could be educating students on effective listening. They dive into the skills required for successful communication and how we can implement and strengthen these skills to improve our lives.Julian demonstrates his professional tips and tricks for being a powerful and authoritative speaker; outlining vocal variations, cultural differences, and understanding your audience.

In this new segment of The Internationalist, host Julio Bruno takes time to sit down and share some of the leadership advice and stories that he has outlined in his #1 bestselling book, Passion to Lead. He gives listeners some behind-the-scenes insights about writing and publishing his first-ever book. In the fifth episode of this series and the 2022 year's final episode, Julio shares some of his personal stories as an ‘economic migrant' from Spain, moving to the United Kingdom for new career opportunities. He advises on how to work hard and achieve your goals using ‘the 3Ps': Persistence, Perseverance, and Passion. Julio explains how these values allow for personal success in starting a new career, as well as how to sell yourself as a product to a company as a buyer.

In this new segment of The Internationalist, host Julio Bruno takes time to sit down and share some of the leadership advice and stories that he has outlined in his #1 bestselling book, Passion to Lead. He gives listeners some behind-the-scenes insights about writing and publishing his first-ever book. In the fourth episode of this series, Julio talks about experiencing change within your career and how embracing that change can help you stay on the path to your goals. He explains the difference between evolutionary and revolutionary change to help understand which transition is more favorable within a workplace environment and the benefits of admitting, “I don't know what I don't know.” Julio advises not to fear change but rather use change as a tool to assess your current state and evolve towards your overall goal—the pursuit of happiness. 

In this episode of The Internationalist, host Julio Bruno sits down with Senior Fellow in US Foreign Policy for the Chicago Council on Global Affairs and former diplomat with the US State Department, Elizabeth Shackelford.Elizabeth explains her time as a Foreign Service Officer in South Sudan during the outbreak of civil war and where she thinks the United States went wrong in diplomatic relations. They discuss how the U.S. government should address foreign human rights abuses and foster diplomatic solutions.Then, the focus shifts to Elizabeth's infamous resignation letter from the U.S. State Department, which was heavily critical of former president Donald Trump and his administration. They discussed the shortcomings of the Trump administration in defending human rights at home and abroad, as well as the decrease in support for the State Department, which caused long-term damage to the institution. Elizabeth and Julio then talk about Donald Trump's recent announcement that he is running for president again in 2024—and the possibility of re-election.

In this new segment of The Internationalist, host Julio Bruno takes time to sit down and share some of the leadership advice and stories that he has outlined in his #1 bestselling book, Passion to Lead. He gives listeners some behind-the-scenes insights about writing and publishing his first-ever book. In the third episode of the series, Julio outlines the importance of diversity and inclusion in the workplace. He shares his personal stories of witnessing and experiencing discrimination in his career, as well as some key concepts to understand equal representation at work. He gives expert insight on advocating for diversity as a leader and the positive results you will observe in your company from doing so.

In this episode of The Internationalist, host Julio Bruno sits down in his home studio with a recognized expert in landscaping architecture and his long-time friend, Manuel Gómez Anuarbe. Together, they talk through Manuel's journey, beginning as an economist and finding his true passion in gardening and landscape architecture. As a Spanish native, Manuel shares his favorite gardens in the United Kingdom and the uniqueness of English landscape architecture compared to other gardening styles around the world. He describes his love for gardens by reminiscing on his experience designing and creating “Jardin Alquímico de la Trinidad” in the Spanish village of Uclés, an alchemist garden based on the alchemist philosophy. Manuel shares his experience as the author of eleven books on landscape architecture and culture, including his insight on writing about the history of hermits living in gardens—for pay. He and Julio explore the importance of disconnecting from technology to live in the moment and foster creativity.

 In this new segment of The Internationalist, host Julio Bruno takes time to sit down and share some of the leadership advice and stories that he has outlined in his #1 bestselling book, Passion to Lead. He gives listeners some behind-the-scenes insights about writing and publishing his first-ever book. In the second episode of the series, Julio outlines the importance of planning your success. He shares some of his favourite quotes from the book, providing tips on creating your own plan for success and using it to guide you. Julio also shares some of his own stories from his time as CEO of Time Out, using methods of planning to get the company through the Covid-19 pandemic.

In this episode of The Internationalist, host Julio Bruno sits down with the former Managing Director and Greater China's Chief Representative Officer of the World Economic Forum, David Aikman, to discuss the digital nomad movement, China's zero-Covid policy, President Xi Jinping, and his new company ESG DAO.David begins by outlining his career journey from growing up in Montreal, Canada, to being a global CEO based in Phuket, Thailand. He talks about his introduction to globalisation, leading him to work for the International Olympic Committee, where he revolutionised the organisation's digital marketing. David then dives into his career with the World Economic Forum, working as the Managing Director—and then the Chief Representative Officer for Greater China. Together, they analyse China's zero-Covid policy. David gives his account of living in China during the pandemic, his thoughts on the West's portrayal of Chinese policies, and President Xi Jinping's declaration to stay ahead of the party indefinitely.Together, they discuss David's new company, ESG DAO, breaking down the meanings and logistics behind ESG (environmental, social, and governance regulations) and DAO (decentralised autonomous organisation) and how they combine the two to create a more equitable and sustainable world.

In this brand-new segment of The Internationalist, host Julio Bruno takes time to sit down and share some of the leadership advice and stories that he has outlined in his #1 bestselling book, Passion to Lead. He gives listeners at home some behind-the-scenes insight about writing and publishing his first-ever book. In this first episode, Julio outlines the importance of visualizing your goals and imagining yourself as the most successful version of yourself. He gives advice on how to listen to your inner-self and allow your desires to lead you to success. Julio also shares his personal experiences from his career journey and inspirational stories that helped him succeed—and how his journey and experiences can help you too.

In this episode of The Internationalist, host Julio Bruno sits down with Siân Berry, former Co-Leader of the Green Party and Member of the London Assembly, to discuss the current climate crisis. In this in-depth conversation, Julio and Siân explore the climate emergencies that have emerged within the past decade, including the government response to ozone depletion. Siân talks about the responsibilities of political leaders and governments to intervene and address severe climate incidents as well as the worsening environmental state. They move to discuss the importance of being involved in local government, as well as Siân's own admiration for the new wave of young activist movements advocating and creating meaningful policy change within the local and national government. Siân gives insight into the recently launched legal challenge against the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, over his decision to allow the police to use traffic cameras without consulting Londoners. She walks through the motivation behind the legal challenge and the dangers that citizens may face due to the Mayor's decision. Then, together Julio and Siân reflect on the human rights debate surrounding gender and sexuality, as well as society's acceptance of these identities.

Award-winning documentary filmmaker, writer, and presenter, Alex Bescoby, has a love of history, travel, and storytelling. He co-founded independent production company ‘Grammar Productions' to make innovative documentaries that delve deeper into history and how it affects the lives of people and societies around the world today. In 2013, he began work on his debut documentary, ‘We Were Kings'. Telling the incredible true story of Burma's lost royal family, filmed through three seismic years in Burma's history, it premiered at the British Library in 2017 and has since been broadcasted worldwide. Inspired by Sir David Attenborough's iconic First Overland expedition, he completed and documented his own expedition - ‘The Last Overland', crossing 23 countries in 111 days in a very badly behaved old Land Rover - which has been his greatest adventure to date. In this episode of The Internationalist, host Julio Bruno sits down with Alex Bescoby to discuss the incredible story of Burma's lost royal family, as well as his upcoming project, ‘The Last Overland'. Alex explains how an email calling for people to study Burmese and Thai history abroad led him to become an “accidental filmmaker” and describes the modern history of Myanmar and the 1989 democratic movement that initiated the name change. Then, Alex delves into his documentary and reveals how behind-the-scenes, unexpected events have changed the whole project, what - in the end - made it even a deeper and greater experience. Finally, he concludes by explaining how he treated the business model of filmmaking as an experiment, which ultimately led him to become a filmmaker, and tells why the fact that it was transforming gave him more room for creativity.

Anthony Scaramucci was named Director of the White House Office of Public Liaison and Intergovernmental Affairs and later Senior Vice President. He was later appointed White House Communications Director under President Trump, a position that only lasted 11 days – a time frame famously known as one “Scaramucci”. He is an American financier, entrepreneur, and political figure. In 2005, he founded SkyBridge Capital – a global investment firm specializing in hedge fund solutions and opportunistic investment vehicles. SkyBridge also produces global thought leadership and networking forums, with events held worldwide known as the SkyBridge Alternatives Conference (SALT).In this episode of The Internationalist, host Julio Bruno sits down with Anthony Scaramucci to discuss the effects of tribalism in western politics and question whether society has lost the ability to debate. Anthony explains how the likes of Donald Trump use disinformation to attract the public and shares how he feels about Republican policies today. He expresses his opinion on the possibility of Trump being re-elected in 2024. Finally, Anthony delves into the current state of the cryptocurrency market and shares his thoughts on the future of the currency.

In this episode of The Internationalist, host Julio Bruno sits down with Sharron Livingston, founder and managing editor of The Travel Magazine.In this in-depth conversation, Sharron and Julio touch upon the heatwave that took over London, which saw record temperatures of 40 degrees and was the hottest place in the world for a few hours. Sharron looks back on her journey of becoming a  writer and setting up her own typist company in a search for freedom. She reveals how a trip to Calais to buy wine inspired her to write a pocket-sized guide, which after giving it to her family and friends, ignited her passion for travel writing and granted her the freedom she was searching for.  Julio and Sharron discuss how travelling the world helps you feel free and how budget airlines have made travelling accessible for everyone. Sharron discloses why her first trip to Calais is the most memorable one, reveals her expert travel tips, and explains why it is important to respect your fellow travellers. Together, they analyse the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the travel industry and how this factor, combined with Brexit, plays a role in the “travel chaos” currently occurring.

In this episode of The Internationalist, host Julio Bruno sits down with Naomi Smith, CEO of Best for Britain - the leading nonpartisan advocacy organisation committed to upholding internationalism in the UK. In this in-depth conversation, Naomi shares the inspiration behind the name ‘Best for Britain', explaining that it is possible to be a patriotic internationalist, even though people who advocate nationalism and self-interest have appropriated patriotism. She describes how ‘Best for Britain' was formed as a civil society campaign with a mission to stop Brexit by any democratic means, whether that was through a general election or a second referendum. Naomi touches upon how the campaign has since transitioned into a permanent organisation that advocates for internationalist values, open society and the benefits of free movement. Looking back on her childhood in Northern Ireland, she reveals how she became interested in giving power to marginalised and underrepresented groups to help redress the balance.Naomi shares her advice on running successful campaigns and criticises the ‘Remain' campaign during the Brexit referendum, which focused on logic and statistics, comparing this to the successful ‘Leave' campaign.

In this episode of The Internationalist, host Julio Bruno is joined by Gina Miller, political activist, founder of the True and Fair Party - which was launched by her own True and Fair Campaign in 2021, and co-founder of SCM Direct and MoneyShe.com.  In this in-depth conversation, Gina shares her thoughts on the current political turmoil in the UK, revealing how Boris Johnson is an example of the “weak and naive system we have”. She expresses the importance of the position of Prime Minister, and why the person who holds this position should represent the country as its best. She argues that the “first past the post” system should be replaced with a much fairer system, so people can actually see their vote reflected in parliament. She communicates that “even good people can be corrupted in positions of power” and explains how the True and Fair Party aims to clean up politics, modernise democracy and fight corruption to create a better policy-making culture.Together, Julio and Gina touch upon ‘R (Miller) v Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union', where Gina challenged the British Government over its authority to implement Brexit without the approval from Parliament. The High Court ruled in agreement with her, and in 2017 the Supreme Court upheld this ruling, despite the Government's appeal. She expresses the importance of having representative democracy, and how we elect people who express our interests, so they should be involved in the discussions. She reveals that despite receiving a lot of backlashes from the case, she would do it all again, as fighting for what you believe is right, is right!Finally, Gina debunks the myth that “women are not good investors” or “take fewer risks” and explains that women tend to have less confidence when it comes to finances. MoneyShe.com aims to educate and break down barriers of language and technical speech and encourages financial wellness.

In this episode of The Internationalist, host Julio Bruno is joined by Richard Bernabe, an internationally-renowned nature, travel, and wildlife photographer. In this in-depth conversation, Richard shares how he grew his interest and passion for photography through practice and dedication, and explains why he does not believe that people are born with a natural talent for photography. He delves into the journey of finding his niche in wildlife photography, explaining how he wants to show the real animal and not what the media portrays them as. Richard expresses the importance of wildlife conservation organisations, explaining how 50 years ago there were 200,000 lions on earth and today there are only 20,000. He shows how he's using his outreach through his photography and social media to shine a light on this and help support conservation efforts. Richard reveals his opinion on zoos and acknowledges that they help support conservation and maintain the population of wild animals, although he admits that he feels animals in the zoo lack the spirit of animals in the wild.As an IAATO ambassador, Richard explains why tourism, if done in the correct way, is so important for the environmental protection of the country and shares why summer is the best time to visit Antarctica.Finally, he chews over how social media changed the photography business, as creating a brand for yourself is now a contributing factor to becoming a successful photographer, meaning that they can no longer be anonymous.

In this episode of The Internationalist, host Julio Bruno is joined by Carlos Magdalena, tropical botanical horticulturist at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew in London.  In this in-depth conversation, Carlos shares his childhood memories and true inspirations for becoming a horticulturist, for example, Félix Rodríguez de la Fuente, who was a Spanish doctor, a naturalist, a self-taught biologist, and a broadcaster. Moreover, moving out to London made him conscious of the link between humans and destruction, especially thoughtless destruction of the planet, which is an undeniable issue in today's environment.Carlos claims that plants are not what people think they are - unlike inanimate objects, plants communicate using chemicals and fungi present in their roots, which is more complex than human communication. He argues that it takes at least several years of observation to understand how plants behave.Expressing his obsession with horticulture, Carlos explains how it allowed him to save the small water lily, which turned out to be the last 5 plants on the planet. By breaking the status quo and challenging science, Carlos shares his belief that there always has to be a way to save a plant by a thorough check-up of the influencing factors.Carlos puts plants as the source of philosophy and art, which reflects the creation of Buddhism (and a major role of the lotus flower), or impressionism by Monet painting water lilies. Therefore, he goes on to say that we need to stop the extinction of plant species, which is caused by our excessive farming and answers the question “what is progress?”.Finally, he reveals his favourite places in the world and explains why they are so important to him.

In this episode of The Internationalist, host Julio Bruno is joined by Peter Tatchell, a legendary human rights campaigner and director of the ‘Peter Tatchell Foundation' - an independent non-political party that seeks to promote and protect the human rights of people in the UK and beyond.In this in-depth conversation, Peter reveals his views on cancel culture and explains that everyone should have the opportunity to express their views, even though others may disagree with them, providing that they do not incite violence or harass others.Expressing his allegiance to the world and his passion for loving and supporting those who are struggling against injustices, Peter highlights his most notable campaigns, including the first mass movement of LGBTQ+ people in Britain. This was a protest against police harassment following the arrest of the leader of the Young Liberals, Louis Eaks, who was charged under an ancient 19th-century law that criminalised consenting same-sex behaviour and carried a maximum penalty of two years imprisonment. As well as a direct action movement that challenged police to arrest young LGBTQ+ people below the age of 21 who had signed affidavits admitting that they had sex before the consenting age, raising public awareness about the difference in the age of consent for heterosexuals and the LGBTQ+ community.Peter goes on to share his thoughts on the Ukrainian and Russian conflict, explaining that, in his opinion, the Ukrainian war is an extension of the oppression inside of Russia. He believes that Russia is shifting to be an imperialist force that seeks to interfere in the global affairs of other countries to erase Ukraine from the map to recreate the Soviet vision — advocating a traditional old-style Russian view of morality and family life where there is no space for the LGBTQ+ community.Finally, Peter touches upon his Netflix documentary ‘Hating Peter Tatchell' that provides a snapshot into his campaigns over the years, aiming to demonstrate that we are capable of making social change and emphasize that we don't have to accept the world as it is.

In this episode of The Internationalist, host Julio Bruno is joined by Suki Sandhu OBE, founder, and chief executive of Audeliss and INvolve. Audeliss is an executive search firm that helps businesses recruit diverse talent at a senior level; and INvolve is a global inclusion consultancy that champions diversity and inclusion in business.In this in-depth discussion, Suki shares his mission to increase diversity and inclusion across all levels of business, explaining his aim to accelerate the pace of change and representation for different communities by distributing wealth, which will allow minorities to have more influence in society.He shares his experiences of being LGBTQ+, explaining that around 62% of LGBTQ+ people “go back into the closet” when they start their first job; he reveals the inspiration behind the annual ‘OUTstanding Role Model List', which celebrates LGBTQ+ business leaders. Suki shares his perspective on the current abortion law debates in the United States, explaining how making abortions illegal will only perpetuate the cycle of income inequality as less privileged groups will not have equal access to specialist treatments.Suki then moves on to explain how the Black Lives Matter movement encouraged him to hold CEOs and businesses accountable for taking action on race inclusion by asking them to commit to setting targets at all levels and publish an annual public report. Finally, they delve into Suki's brand-new book ‘How To Get Your Act Together: A Judgment-Free Guide to Diversity and Inclusion for Straight White Men' which offers positive advice to support society's most influential group to create an inclusive environment for their employees, and have educated conversations about diversity.

In this episode of The Internationalist, host Julio Bruno sits down with Andrea Rasca, founder and chief executive dreamer of Mercato Metropolitano. London's first sustainable market, centered around building a community that understands the importance of nutritious and ample food for everyone.In this in-depth conversation, Andrea shares the moment he realized his passion for food could be his job and not only a way of living. He recalls how his trip to Japan showed him the importance of his Italian heritage and its strong marketing leverage, which inspired him to bring his culture to the country.  He shares his thoughts on the real value of food and why it being accessible, nutritious, and compatible with local cultures is equally as important as its taste.Andrea then moves on to explain the ways food can be a catalyst for more important issues and unite people. He stresses the significance of measuring the values of ethics in business and in life, explaining why he always wants Mercato Metropolitano to be an inclusive place that is economically accessible to all, so people can enjoy food and a drink for a price that is reasonable in their city. Lastly, Andrea shares the details of the many campaigns Mercato Metropolitano carries out to help people in their local communities.

For the first-ever episode of The Internationalist, host Julio Bruno is joined by Penny Richards, managing director of the Aspen Institute in the UK - an independent charity that supports and inspires leaders to transform themselves and their society. In this in-depth conversation, Penny shares her perspective on Russia's war in Ukraine. Reflecting on her time covering war zones for the BBC, she explains how technology and citizen journalism provide today's journalists with an enhanced ability to tell the stories on the ground. Penny describes how the unfiltered nature of the conflict gives us a unique understanding of what is happening.As a self-proclaimed “experienced wine user,” she touches upon some of her memories as the executive director at the Institute of Masters of Wine and reveals what contributes to making a good bottle of wine great!Finally, Penny explains the role Aspen UK plays in breaking down divisions and encouraging diversity of thought, by creating spaces for people to learn from one another and share in the joy of disagreement.