At the Coalface

Hosted by Philippe Rose

Business Education ScienceInterviews guests

Website RSS feed

Episodes

122

Latest episode

Jun 2026

Language

EN-GB

About the show

At the Coalface is a series of conversations hosted by Philippe Rose. Philippe's 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 graduate school at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy of Tufts University.

Listen to episodes

60 recent

June 3, 2026Episode 12347 min

Mariana Deluera - Between Roots and Reinvention: Making Sense of a Changing World

In this episode, I sit down with Mariana Deluera, a geopolitical risk analyst whose life has been shaped by movement, adaptation, and the search for belonging.Mariana reflects on growing up across five countries as the daughter of a Mexican diplomat. She shares what it was like to become repeatedly uprooted and re-rooted, and how returning to Mexico as a teenager left her feeling both at home and like a foreigner.We talk about the influence of her mother and grandmother, two women whose very different life journeys shaped her outlook, as well as her path from immigration and asylum work into geopolitical analysis during the uncertainty of the COVID pandemic.In the latter part of the conversation, Mariana reflects on how living between cultures influences the way she thinks about geopolitical risk today, the importance of staying open to different perspectives, and why adaptability matters in a rapidly changing world.Recorded on 23 April 2026.Connect with Mariana on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/mariana-deluera-aa9626142.Instagram: @at.the.coalfaceAnd don’t forget to subscribe to At the Coalface for new episodes every two weeks.Help us produce more episodes by becoming a supporter. Your subscription will go towards paying our hosting and production costs. Supporters get the opportunity to join behind the scenes during recordings, updates about the podcast, and my deep gratitude!Support the show

May 20, 2026Episode 1221 hr 0 min

Stephen Hunnewell - Service, Narratives, and a Changing World Order

In this episode, I sit down with Stephen Hunnewell, a former national security and irregular warfare practitioner whose career has spanned Special Operations, geopolitics, technology, and strategic competition.Steve reflects on growing up in a single-parent household, the values that shaped him early on, and the impact 9/11 had on his generation. We talk about the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the limits of overwhelming military force, and the mismatch between Western assumptions and local realities on the ground.Drawing on years working alongside partners across the Middle East, Europe, and Asia, Steve reflects on how America’s role in the world has changed, the growing importance of narratives in modern conflict, and how technology and social fragmentation are reshaping competition from Ukraine to elsewhere.In the latter part of the conversation, Steve reflects on parenthood, family life, and what years focused abroad have taught him about service, community, and meaning at home.Recorded on 22 April 2026.Connect with Steve on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/hunnewellstephen/.Instagram: @at.the.coalfaceAnd don’t forget to subscribe to At the Coalface for new episodes every two weeks.Help us produce more episodes by becoming a supporter. Your subscription will go towards paying our hosting and production costs. Supporters get the opportunity to join behind the scenes during recordings, updates about the podcast, and my deep gratitude!Support the show

May 6, 2026Episode 12138 min

Gian Jones - You Can’t Serve If You’re Bought

In this episode, I sit down with Gian Jones, a real estate investor, community builder, and congressional candidate.Gian reflects on growing up in the Rockaways in a single-parent household, taking on responsibility early as the oldest of three, and a childhood that was modest but grounded in strong family and community.He shares how he found his way into real estate, first as a way to make money, and then as a career. He also speaks about early financial success, losing much of it, and what he learned from having to start again.We talk about his early exposure to politics, and how it shaped his belief that public service requires financial independence.Finally, Gian explains why he is running for Congress, what he believes government gets wrong about ordinary people, and what he hopes to change.Recorded on 20 April 2026.Connect with Gian on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/gian-a-jones-55713216.Instagram: @at.the.coalfaceAnd don’t forget to subscribe to At the Coalface for new episodes every two weeks.Help us produce more episodes by becoming a supporter. Your subscription will go towards paying our hosting and production costs. Supporters get the opportunity to join behind the scenes during recordings, updates about the podcast, and my deep gratitude!Support the show

April 22, 2026Episode 12053 min

Daniel Freeman - The Search for Belonging, Reinvention, and Second Chances

In this episode, I sit down with Daniel Freeman, a former U.S. Air Force intelligence officer, entrepreneur, and community builder whose life has been shaped by movement, reinvention, and the search for belonging.Daniel reflects on growing up in a military family, constantly adapting to new places while carrying a quiet sense of not fully fitting in. Over time, that same tension would shape his path through service, marriage, fatherhood, and a deeper journey of self-understanding. We talk about his 20 years in intelligence, what it revealed about how large systems really function, and why institutions so often drift away from the people they are meant to serve. Daniel also speaks candidly about leaving the military, hitting a personal low point, and the transformative role of therapy, recovery, and community in rebuilding his life. He shares how those experiences led him into entrepreneurship, where he now helps veterans build businesses with less risk while pursuing a broader mission around poverty, second chances, and access to meaningful mental health care. Recorded on 16 April 2026.Connect with Daniel on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/danieljfree/.Instagram: @at.the.coalfaceAnd don’t forget to subscribe to At the Coalface for new episodes every two weeks.Help us produce more episodes by becoming a supporter. Your subscription will go towards paying our hosting and production costs. Supporters get the opportunity to join behind the scenes during recordings, updates about the podcast, and my deep gratitude!Support the show

April 8, 2026Episode 11944 min

Barker Keith - Between Idealism and Interests: Law, Risk, and the Real World

In this episode, I sit down with Barker Keith, whose career spans military service, law, and sovereign risk management.Barker reflects on growing up in Venezuela, and how his early, idealised view of the United States was challenged by friends who saw the world less through ideology and more through national interests.He shares formative experiences from his time in the U.S. Army, his transition into law and political risk insurance, and the complexities of structuring protection for international investments. Drawing on decades of experience, Barker offers a behind-the-scenes view of how nationalism shapes outcomes, and what it takes to navigate risk in a world driven less by rules and more by interests.Recorded on 8 April 2026.Connect with Barker on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/barker-keith-329b1b8.Instagram: @at.the.coalfaceAnd don’t forget to subscribe to At the Coalface for new episodes every two weeks.Help us produce more episodes by becoming a supporter. Your subscription will go towards paying our hosting and production costs. Supporters get the opportunity to join behind the scenes during recordings, updates about the podcast, and my deep gratitude!Support the show

March 25, 2026Episode 11854 min

Siobhán MacDermott - Risk, Identity, and a Life Between Worlds

In this episode, I speak with Siobhán MacDermott, a cybersecurity and public policy expert whose career spans Silicon Valley, global finance, and advisory.Siobhán reflects on an itinerant childhood and how constantly being the “new kid” shaped her relationship with risk, identity, and belonging. What began as an ambition to become an ER doctor took unexpected turns, from scouting mobile tower locations to eventually working at the intersection of cyber risk, geopolitics, and financial stability.We talk about how she found her voice in high-stakes, often male-dominated environments, and the role risk-taking has played throughout her life.Siobhán also reflects on her current focus protecting children from the risks of social media, connecting her work today to her own experiences of vulnerability, parenting, and growth.TeenAegis is accessible at: https://teenaegis.com/portal/platform-danger.Siobhán mentions The Anxious Generation: https://www.anxiousgeneration.com.Recorded on 20 March 2026.Connect with Siobhán on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/siobhanmacdermott/.Instagram: @at.the.coalfaceAnd don’t forget to subscribe to At the Coalface for new episodes every two weeks.Help us produce more episodes by becoming a supporter. Your subscription will go towards paying our hosting and production costs. Supporters get the opportunity to join behind the scenes during recordings, updates about the podcast, and my deep gratitude!Support the show

March 11, 2026Episode 11756 min

Jay Truesdale - Purpose, Diplomacy, and the Craft of Understanding Risk

In this episode, I sit down with Jay Truesdale, a geopolitical risk adviser and former U.S. diplomat and Navy Reserve officer whose career spans diplomacy, military service, and private sector leadership.Jay traces his sense of duty back to childhood, inspired by family stories of wartime service. That early call led him into diplomacy and the Navy Reserve, with formative experiences across Russia, Ukraine, and South Asia.We talk about the craft of diplomacy in the real world: building trust with local leaders, listening far from Washington, and learning how countries actually work beneath the surface.Jay also reflects on his transition to the private sector, first helping bring political risk into the traditional business risk approach, and later leading two geopolitical risk consultancies. Drawing on frontline experience, he shares the frameworks he uses to help leaders think clearly about risk in a world where the old rules are rapidly breaking down.The book Jay mentions is The Captive Mind by Czesław Miłosz, published in 1953.Recorded on 6 March 2026.Connect with Jay on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/jrtruesdale/.Instagram: @at.the.coalfaceAnd don’t forget to subscribe to At the Coalface for new episodes every two weeks.Help us produce more episodes by becoming a supporter. Your subscription will go towards paying our hosting and production costs. Supporters get the opportunity to join behind the scenes during recordings, updates about the podcast, and my deep gratitude!Support the show

February 25, 2026Episode 11658 min

Andres Boaz Munoz Mosquera - History in the Blood, Service in the Present

In this episode, I sit down with Andres Boaz Munoz Mosquera, a former Spanish military officer, NATO legal adviser, professor of international law, and spiritual caregiver, whose life has been shaped by war, democracy, and service.Andrés describes himself as “the product of three wars”: the Spanish Civil War, Spain’s colonial conflicts in North Africa, and the war in Bosnia in the 1990s. His family history carries the trauma of exile under Francisco Franco, a grandfather imprisoned in concentration camps, a father who returned to Spain through the Foreign Legion, and a childhood where politics were largely left unspoken.We talk about his decision to join the military and what it meant to be trained not just as a soldier but in constitutional law. From there, he takes us to Bosnia in 1994, where serving under the United Nations exposed him to both the limits of peacekeeping and the realities of bureaucracy in wartime. Later, working within NATO, he saw how institutions function under pressure, and why he still believes international cooperation is necessary.In the final part of the conversation, we shift to a different kind of service, Andres's call to accompany people at the end of life.The book Andres mentions is ”Seeking in the Company of Others – The Wisdom of Group Spiritual Direction”, written by Roslyn G. Weiner (https://www.bu.edu/sth/seeking-in-the-company-of-others-the-wisdom-of-group-spiritual-direction-by-dr-roslyn-g-weiner-sth0103/).Recorded on 6 February 2026.Connect with Andres on LinkedIn at Andres Boaz Munoz Mosquera | LinkedIn.Instagram: @at.the.coalfaceAnd don’t forget to subscribe to At the Coalface for new episodes every two weeks.Help us produce more episodes by becoming a supporter. Your subscription will go towards paying our hosting and production costs. Supporters get the opportunity to join behind the scenes during recordings, updates about the podcast, and my deep gratitude!Support the show

February 11, 2026Episode 1151 hr 5 min

Iman Kamel - An Inquiry into Resisting, Transforming, Being

In this episode, I sit down with Iman Kamel, an Egyptian filmmaker, writer, artist and creator, whose work explores inner resistance, transformation, and living between worlds.Living between Germany and Egypt, Ima’s path spans dance, visual art, film, and international relations. Her films blur the line between documentary and fiction, using embodied storytelling to explore fear, rebellion, and belonging.We talk at length about her book, Quantum Leaps & Lost Socks, where she brings together personal narrative, ancient wisdom, and “quantum” metaphors to explore transformation, interconnectedness, and what she calls the “holographic being.” The book reflects the same concerns that run through her films: how inner life shapes reality, and how meaning emerges through everyday experience.Ima's book: https://www.holographicbeing.com/quantum-leaps-lost-socks-bookRecorded on 16 January 2026.Connect with Ima on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/iman-kamel-1a720425/.Instagram: @at.the.coalfaceAnd don’t forget to subscribe to At the Coalface for new episodes every two weeks.Help us produce more episodes by becoming a supporter. Your subscription will go towards paying our hosting and production costs. Supporters get the opportunity to join behind the scenes during recordings, updates about the podcast, and my deep gratitude!Support the show

January 28, 2026Episode 11455 min

Guillermo de los Santos - Fundraising for Good: On Ethical Persuasion

In this episode, I speak with Guillermo de los Santos, a humanitarian fundraiser whose career began as an unintended detour.After studying international relations with hopes of working in diplomacy, Guillermo found himself stuck in telemarketing. What felt like a dead end became an unexpected training ground in persuasion, listening, and human motivation.A chance opportunity led him to UNICEF, where fundraising clicked as a way to combine purpose, creativity, and data. From there, he built a career across organisations such as Médecins Sans Frontières and UNHCR, developing an approach to fundraising that is both effective and ethical.We talk about how people decide to give, the tension between persuasion and manipulation, and why asking for money in humanitarian work is often misunderstood.This is a conversation about detours, curiosity, and finding purpose in work you never planned to do.Recorded on 9 January 2026.Connect with Guillermo on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/guillermo-de-los-santos-msc-oxon-mba-6a739310.Instagram: @at.the.coalfaceAnd don’t forget to subscribe to At the Coalface for new episodes every two weeks.Help us produce more episodes by becoming a supporter. Your subscription will go towards paying our hosting and production costs. Supporters get the opportunity to join behind the scenes during recordings, updates about the podcast, and my deep gratitude!Support the show