MetaLearn Podcast

Nelson Sivalingam is the Founder and CEO of HowNow, a learning platform that helps organisations onboard and upskill their teams in the flow of work. In this episode we discuss: - How Nelson learned film and video production by following his curiosity - How to learn more effectively at work and what HowNow does to facilitate this- The skills Nelson believes people need to thrive in the 21st century Whatever career path you’re on, this episode will give you some great insights into how you can learn more effectively on the job to improve your performance.

David Perell is a writer and educator on a mission to transform our relationship with information. In this episode we discuss: - The future of media and David’s idea of Naked Brands - Why identity is the key to transformative learning experiences - Why knowledge workers should train more like athletes and how to do it This conversation will give you a fresh perspective on learning and teach you how to leverage the power of the internet to accelerate your career. 

Martin Schmalz is an Associate Professor of Finance at Oxford’s Saïd Business School. He is also the co-author of the book The Business of Big Data: How to Create Lasting Value in the Age of AI. In this episode we discuss: - The mainstream narrative around AI and what you actually need to know - The uniquely human skills you should be developing to thrive in a world with AI- How the business of big data affects your privacy and what to do about it Regardless of your understanding of AI, this episode will give you a lot to chew on and get you thinking critically about the way you learn and live with technology.

Alex Dunsdon is an Investment Partner at Saatchi Invest, Chief of Staff at e-commerce platform RedBrain and all-round curious person. In this episode, the main theme is the overlap between understanding your self and doing great work. We discuss: - Alex’s recent career shift and the personal realisations behind it - My experience in the last year and what I’ve learned about how I work- The power of imagination and why ideas rule the world This conversation will be really useful if you’re looking to make a career change but even if you’re happy with what you’re doing there’s loads of great insights that will help you do better work and question the world around you.

Eric Partaker, Co-Founder of Chilango and High Performance Coach, discusses the problem with most personal development approaches, the relationship between identity and habit formation, integrating high performance into all areas of life, reaching full potential, the power of influence, prioritizing sleep for productivity and health, networking and seizing opportunities, building habits, and perseverance as CEO of Telango.

Eric Partaker, Co-Founder and CEO of Mexican restaurant chain Chilango and a High Performance Coach, discusses building career capital at McKinsey and Skype, the art of branding at Chilango, and how Chilango became one of the most successfully crowdfunded businesses of all time.

Josh Kaufman is an entrepreneur and the bestselling author of The Personal MBA, The First 20 Hours and How To Fight a Hydra. In this episode we discuss: The benefits of fiction and non-fiction for promoting behaviour change Dealing with practical concerns when pursuing your dreams The skills that Josh stuck with after writing the First 20 Hours This was a wide-ranging and multi-disciplinary conversation with lots of great insights whether you want to start your own business or learn a new skill.

Niko Bonatsos is the Managing Director at General Catalyst Partners an early stage venture capital fund specialising in Series A and B tech startups. In this episode we discuss: How Niko harnessed the power of serendipity as a student in multiple countries Why Niko wants the founder he invests in to be learning animals and how he identifies this The current state of the conversation in Silicon Valley We also discuss Niko’s investment in Snapchat which IPOd with a $28 billion valuation so this was a great episode packed full of useful insights about all things tech.

Steve O’Hear is a leading technology journalist for Techcrunch where he focuses on European startups, companies and products. Steve has written for some of the world’s top publications and has also started a company himself, co-founding the London and Prague-based startup Beepl, In his role as CEO there, Steve helped the company raise its first round and develop and launch its product A man of many talents he also wrote and directed the critically acclaimed documentary 'In Search of the Valley', which was released in back in 2006 spending one month visiting and talking to many of the valley's biggest personalities. In this episode we discuss:  How technology has affected journalism and changed the rules of the game Steve’s tips and tricks for asking good questions to get the types of answers you’re looking for in an interview The current state of the global tech ecosystem and whether we’re in a bubble or not  We also discuss Steve’s experiences as a founder and filmmaker, which makes this episode a wide-ranging and multidisciplinary one. So whether you’re curious about the state of the global tech industry, how journalism is evolving or what it takes to make the most of an interview, this episode has you covered.

Venkatesh Rao is an author, consultant and the founder of the hugely popular blogs Ribbon Farm and Breaking Smart. Ribbonfarm is a multidisciplinary blog focused on strategy and decision-making, while Breaking Smart is devoted to in-depth explorations of the emerging digital economy. Venkat is also the author of the highly acclaimed book on decision-making, Tempo, and offers consulting services in organisational development, strategy and executive coaching, working with a number of prestigious clients like famed VC firm Andreesen Horowitz. In this episode we discuss:  - Venkat’s lessons about the creative process from years of writing on his two blogs - The conditions needed to generate insight from conversation and how Venkat works with the likes of Marc Andreesen from Andreesen Horowitz - Why dialectic is the driving force of any good relationship and a healthy society   This conversation was a lot of fun to record and it was great to chat to Venkat while he was visiting here in London! Whether you want to have more insightful conversations or know what it takes to run a hugely popular blog, this episode has you covered.