Your Onion

A star is born but not into acting or the modeling world as initially thought but into the medical insurance world. Amber Musson-Thorpe found her calling when she stepped onto the stage of medical insurance and hasn’t looked back since.  

One of my all-time favorite tracks was by a band called Madness, and the track was Driving In My Car. It reminds me of my teenage years, when I first got my driving license, and the freedom to escape the little village we lived in. I passed my test the first time. I was very thankful, I had ridden a motorbike the year before, just to get a true sense of what being on the road was all about and to get professional training also. Over the years, I have experienced driving situations that have shaken me up and which I have never experienced before, from having a burst tire on a motorway to having a child run out in front of my car to crashing into the back of another after being distracted by my kids in the back seat. These experiences really shake you up, and you handle the moment the best you can. Now think about your driving training before you took the test. Not much goes into what obstacles or situations might happen on the road, you just get tested on how well you can drive and maneuver a car. My next gues

Many of my guests go to University following their parent's wishes. They qualify and then move into employment.  After a while, they follow their heart or true calling and move into something they are genuinely passionate about. My next guest, Zewde Zewde, didn't follow the same rule book and started his side hustle while still studying. Taking him on a different path than his qualification would have done.  

My next guest is an ex-professional basketball player from Romania who joined his mum in Qatar 10 years ago. While waiting to sign up for a local basketball team, Serban Spirea fell into Real Estate, initially working for a company, then setting up his own. Join me as we follow his journey from landing on Qatar shores to seeing the Real Estate industry as it was and realizing he could make a difference based on his values in life.

A regular guest to Ginger Camel and its podcasts, from ThinkBigQatar to Doha Heat to finally being on Your Onion Podcast. Elsbeth Blekkenhorst-Tammes reinvents herself as often as she has been on our podcasts. A fantastic lady driven by her love for life and freedom, she runs her business to help professional women in Qatar succeed. Enjoy her story

A man who stands out from the blue-eyed blonde hair Swedish diplomatic service, Gautum Battacharyya brings his fabulous personality and holistic views on life, business, and politics to his role as Swedish Ambassador to Qatar and this podcast.

Tim Newnham, an ex-pat brat, plugged into electromuscular stimulation bringing great results in his own fitness for his clients and Doha Rugby Club.

I met my next guest Shefa Ali three years ago at a TEDxYouth talk at DPSMIS that she and I were presenting. There I was, nervous with my cue cards, and here was a confident lady standing tall, presenting about love and how she saw the world for future generations. Join me as I learn more about how and what makes this lady tick.

Saif Qazi is the Co-Founder & CEO of an MBA project that started eight years ago. You might have come across it. It’s called Urban Point,  Join me as we join Saif on his journey from Pakistan to Saudi Arabia to America to Germany, finally landing here in Qatar.

Some of us love the written word, and all that word can reveal in a sentence or paragraph is to inform, excite, to educate the reader. My next guest Sarmad Qazi went on that memorizing journey of the word. Join me as we explore his world of PR and communication.

My next guest loves the glitz and the glamour of the fashion industry and has the energy and fun to embrace that world. Please join me as we explore the world of Harriet Gyamfuah. You won't be disappointed.

My next guest is a prolific entrepreneur who, over 30 years or more, has built an empire that takes care of the society in Qatar. Abdurahman EP is the founder and Chairman of Care n Cure group of companies. An active and well-dynamic person, he also is the president of the Qatar Indian Association, a sports organization that aims at spreading sporting values to the Indian community here in Qatar. He was also my first guest on Doha Heat podcast way back in 2014, after he successfully launched the first BNI chapter here in Qatar.

When you meet people through business networking, you are generally only introduced to the person in the suit or dress representing this company and their position. What fascinates me is the real person behind all that, who has a passion that fills their spare time to the max. My next guest is Julia George, a Country Manager for a retail outlet by day and a bikini sculptor by night.

My next guest showed up in my world around 2011. He showed me an art world made up of precious stones and emeralds. Patric Rozario is an inspirational artist, always looking for ways to wow his audience to appreciate his art and introduce art in all areas of our lives.

When we look back to the time when education led to full-time work and hobbies were just fun to fill our spare time. Do we sometimes wonder what if it was the other way around? Some people have been fortunate to follow their hobbies into full-time passion and work. Others went the education, full-time work route to jump to their passion/hobby, which became their dream job. Fiorella Otero did just that.

I've known my next guest for the last 11 years, a previous host on Your Onion and guest John Shanlian, Founder & Managing Partner of The Hub Group. He reveals himself as a proud Canadian / Armenian serial entrepreneur, real estate expert, and someone who hates bosses, even himself sometimes.  

This week is Qatar Sustainability Week, a National Campaign which aims to engage the community in a wide range of sustainability-oriented activities, raising awareness among the wider community and showcasing the progress Qatar has made in the areas of sustainability.  Before, when I thought about sustainability, I, like most people, thought about the environment and recycling. With my next guest Dr. Sadriya Al-Kohji that perspective changed, as you will hear in this podcast.

Born in Qatar, moved to the US, lived there until the age of ten, then moved back to Qatar. In the words of Asmaa Al-Kuwari, that was a huge culture shock !!! Join me as I discover the internal and external struggles that Asma had to deal with to fit in with her family and culture back in Qatar and how she rediscovered her true self at University and beyond.

With over 28 years of experience in a range of leadership and management roles within Further & Higher Education across the UK and the Middle East, Richard Hollywood has been driving transformational change achieving performance and sustainability improvements and growth. But this wasn't the reason for being my guest today. This man achieved what I only dreamed of as a teenager, and that was to work in a music recording studio.  I had to have him come in and tell his story.  

A wise and beautiful soul who has been on a life journey giving to others and cats, at times forgetting to look after herself. Join me as I peel away Beverley Crowther's layers of life to reveal a shining star.