Made in Dubai with Spencer Lodge
Spencer Lodge
Formerly the Unscripted Podcast with Spencer Lodge
Join Spencer Lodge as he connects with the most fascinating personalities in Dubai. A city that rose from the desert sands to become one of the most ambitious, innovative and inspiring places on Earth. Behind its glittering skyline are people with stories just as extraordinary - pioneers, dreamers and doers who dared to turn bold visions into reality.
Made in Dubai is where those stories are told. Hosted by Spencer Lodge, each episode is a front-row seat to conversations with the people shaping the UAE's future — from business leaders and record-breakers to cultural icons and creative disruptors.
But this isn't just about their success. It's about the journey - the risks they took, the challenges they faced and the moments that defined them. It's about the unique magic of Dubai: a place where ambition meets opportunity, where cultures from around the world collide to create something truly special and where anything feels possible.
Whether you're an entrepreneur searching for your next big move, someone curious about life in the UAE or simply in need of inspiration, Made in Dubai is your invitation to step inside this vibrant city and meet the people who make it remarkable.
If it was made in Dubai, you'll hear it here.
Join Spencer Lodge as he connects with the most fascinating personalities in Dubai. A city that rose from the desert sands to become one of the most ambitious, innovative and inspiring places on Earth. Behind its glittering skyline are people with stories just as extraordinary - pioneers, dreamers and doers who dared to turn bold visions into reality.
Made in Dubai is where those stories are told. Hosted by Spencer Lodge, each episode is a front-row seat to conversations with the people shaping the UAE's future — from business leaders and record-breakers to cultural icons and creative disruptors.
But this isn't just about their success. It's about the journey - the risks they took, the challenges they faced and the moments that defined them. It's about the unique magic of Dubai: a place where ambition meets opportunity, where cultures from around the world collide to create something truly special and where anything feels possible.
Whether you're an entrepreneur searching for your next big move, someone curious about life in the UAE or simply in need of inspiration, Made in Dubai is your invitation to step inside this vibrant city and meet the people who make it remarkable.
If it was made in Dubai, you'll hear it here.
Episodes
Mentioned books
May 17, 2019 • 52min
#18: Grant Cardone - The Secret to The 10X Rule, and why Dubai is the Perfect Example
This is one of my favourite episodes of the Spencer Lodge Podcast so far. Grant's first podcast interview in the region certainly didn't disappoint, but I'm not going to give anything away just yet. All I'm going to say is if you want the real secret to 10X thinking - then put this episode on immediately! Grant Cardone is a New York Times Bestselling Author, the #1 Sales Trainer in the world, and an internationally renowned speaker on leadership, real estate investing, entrepreneurship, social media, and finance.
May 8, 2019 • 52min
#17: Raza Jafar - Ending Child Slave Labour one Industry at a Time
Raza Jafar is a serial entrepreneur and a philanthropist. His focus is on investments with a fervent pursuit of economic, environmental and social sustainability. He's also the founder of the Global Sustainability Network - a community and platform that's passionate and committed to delivering Goal 8 of the 17 Global Goals: promoting sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all. This is one of my absolute favourite interviews with an incredibly inspiring person, that I have the privilege to call my friend.
Apr 29, 2019 • 56min
#16: Firas Al Msaddi - The Warrior that Went From Selling Shoes to Multi Million Dollar Real Estate
Firas Al Msaddi is the Chief Executive Officer of fäm Properties, one of the largest, most successful real estate brokerage firms in the UAE, and Executive Chairman of the fäm Group. At the age of 25, he founded the agency in 2009, built in the midst of the global economic crisis, and was driven by his unfaltering belief in the sustainability and endurance of Dubai. There are few people that have the kind of tenacity and drive that Firas does. A story of a young man that moved to Dubai to work in retail sales, eventually working his way into Real Estate and now leading an empire. I'm not going to give anything away about this interview - there are SO many incredible points in here. You have to listen to this.
Apr 18, 2019 • 26min
#15: Haider Khan - Building a Platform to Change the Real Estate Industry
With the Bayut Big Broker Event coming up next week here in Dubai, I had the opportunity to sit down and interview their Chief Executive Officer - Haider Ali Khan. With a fascinating background in tech and engineering, a knack for understanding the way that consumers behave, and knowing how to solve problems with the way we engage with real estate - this conversation was one that gave some great insights into Bayut and why they're so successful.
Apr 15, 2019 • 56min
#14: Umar Bin Farooq - One Failure isn't Enough to Make you a True Entrepreneur
They say that it's a sign of a true entrepreneur when someone is able to fail, stand up, brush themselves off, and keep going. There aren't many "Entrepreneurs" that I know of these days that are really able to live that in their day to day. Umar Bin Farooq, Founding Partner of One Broker Group, is one of those people who after spending many years in Dubai truly embodies the spirit of Entrepreneurship in this city, facing failure, betrayal, ups, and downs to grow his business into what it is today. This is a must listen for anyone interested in Real Estate and Entrepreneurship, packed with lessons and take-aways.
Apr 9, 2019 • 47min
#13: Andrew Burgess - Never Make your Own Content Again and Still Have World-Class Social Media Presence
What do you do in a world where massive billboards on motorways are ignored in favour of a smartphone screen, and nobody believes that your product actually looks like the one on your website? Andrew Burgess is an expert in helping brands to incorporate User Generated Content into their marketing and communications. He proves that there is an entire world of content at your consumer's fingertips and the content they truly value the most is made by other consumers - so it's about time businesses start taking advantage of it.
Mar 30, 2019 • 1h
#12: Siddharth & Mamta Varerkar - Startup Hustle Middle East on The Spencer Lodge Podcast
This interview is one that I was really excited about, because it gave me the chance to really dig into the world of podcasting with two other podcasters who are a bit further along in their journey than I am. It was amazing to have the chance to speak to them about the role that podcasting has played in their business and why they believe all businesses need to be using this and other content platforms to grow and develop! Siddharth is an established player in the startup ecosystem in the UAE, as well as a youtuber with 24,000 subscibers - well known for tech reviews and living in Dubai. Mamta is a very recognisable face on the agency marketing circuit here in Dubai, speaking at various conferences and leading campaigns for huge brands.
Mar 21, 2019 • 18min
#11: DanceFM with Gemma Sexton - My Radio Interview about New Years Resolutions and the Orphanage of Employment
It's a first, but I wanted to break up the show after 10 episodes and bring you an interview where I was the subject at a local radio station here in Dubai called Dance FM. I went in at the beginning of the year to speak about why the sales industry is a bit of an orphanage, maintaining New Year's Resolutions and goals in general, as well as advice that I still give to the senior leadership teams that I hire or report to me. I really enjoyed this interview at Dance FM and a special thanks to Gemma Sexton and the team for welcoming me on to the Beats & Bloggers segment of The Vibe with Gemma.
Mar 12, 2019 • 53min
#10: Mat Wilson - Digital Advertising is Killing Off the Cold Call Generation
Last week I spent some time catching up with a good friend of mine, Mat Wilson, CEO of Einstein Marketer; in Meribel in the French Alps. Skiing has always been something that we both gravitated towards, so it was wonderful to get the chance to meet up with him on the slopes. As you'll hear in the interview, we're in our hotel room in our ski gear, fresh off the slopes - discussing the state of the union of digital advertising through social media, using funnels, awareness campaigns, and lead generation tools. Mat is always going out of his way to shed some light on an industry that's often pretty mysterious - so make sure you're taking notes! I hope that you enjoy this interview as much as Mat and I enjoyed making it!
Mar 4, 2019 • 43min
#9: Harvey Bennett - Conscious Questioning and Artificial Intelligence that is Starting a Recruitment Revolution
Harvey Bennett is the Co-founder of an Artificial Intelligence, and Machine Learning based Recruitment tool used to determine whether or not a candidate is a good fit for an organisation, in terms of values, behaviour, or even work ethic. Harvey brings past experience as a startup founder with experience in scaling businesses through securing massive clients, high-quality investors, as well as building successful teams to do it. Harvey's approach to business, innovation, and mindset is a refreshing break from the modern-day belief that anyone is an entrepreneur. Harvey's journey of building this business from the ground up with his wife is an incredible story and I was so excited to have him on the show!
