The final episode of Reel Talk Season 1 ends on a high note with the inspirational Ayad Nasser. Born in the small seaside village of Ouzaii, Ayad suffered hardship from an early age, growing up during Lebanon’s Civil War and compounded with his parents splitting.
Despite these obstacles, Ayad embarked on a solo journey that led to tremendous success and took him to Monaco, Europe, South America, and the US before returning to his beloved Lebanon.
After establishing a boutique development and investment company and seeing the chaotic, deterioration of the country, he took it upon himself to initiate a project to beautify his home village, Ouzaii, which had become one of Beirut’s worst slum areas. Today “Ouzville”, as it has been renamed, is a symbol of colour and hope thanks to the collaborative efforts of Ayad’s partner, Russian artist, Viktoria Latysheva, who with world-renowned street artists revived Ouzaii and created a legacy for all to share.
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In this episode of REEL TALK I give you a glimpse into SESOBEL, an organisation whose people represent the very, very best of Lebanese values – a depth of compassion, sincere kindness, unlimited understanding and pure decency - values that continue to be the glue that hold the people and the country together despite it suffering the worst times in its history.
SESOBEL was founded in 1976 in the midst of Lebanon’s civil war, one of the harshest times in Lebanese history, by two determined and infinitely empathetic women, Yvonne Chami and Fadia Safi, to gather, care for and educate the most disadvantaged, deformed and rejected children in the country. They did this out of a VOW of LOVE. So, make yourself a cup of tea or coffee and sit back and prepare to be inspired by the powerful stories from the students, the teachers and the founders.
Disclaimer: This episode was originally recorded as a video file and has now been uploaded in audio format. We apologise for the audio quality and have enhanced this in our new season.
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This week on Reel Talk we interview an interesting young member of the Lebanese diaspora who deicded to leave Lebanon at 14, and start a new life halfway around the world in the USA. Charbel Daoud, A.K.A CJ, is now a 21-year-old aeronautical engineering university student in Atlanta, Georgia but whose ties to Lebanon remain as strong as ever.

In this episode I interview CJ about the moving decision behind his family’s decision to send him to the USA, the hardships and benefits of adapting to a new culture and country as well as more current issues including the diaspora votes in the 2022 elections and how it felt to return to Lebanon after 7 years. I encourage you to set aside some time to join me and CJ on a journey into his life that will leave you feeling inspired.
Disclaimer: This episode was originally recorded as a video file and has now been uploaded in audio format. We apologise for the audio quality and have enhanced this in our new season.
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This is possibly the most confronting REEL TALK interview I have had to conduct. Not only because my conversation with Joyce Azzam, the first Lebanese woman to complete the Seven Summits, and one of few Arab women to climb Mount Everest, left me in awe of this woman’s accomplishments and her courage. And, not because I agreed to having two tyres harnessed around my waist so I could pull them up a mountain in the Cedars at an altitude of more than 2000 meters, just so I could experience the extreme training regime she is currently enduring for her next challenge, the 1000km Antarctic Expedition.
The reason I found it challenging, was because we delved deep into the real issues that Joyce faced growing up with a syndrome that resulted in her being bullied and humiliated as a child which led to her battles with suicide and depression. But through it all she found a great advocate in her brother George, and discovered her passion and purpose. This extraordinary story filled with inspiration and emotion, wonder and joy, excitement and drama will lift your soul and fill you with hope and courage. You are in for a roller-coaster of an episode.
Disclaimer: This episode was originally recorded as a video file and has now been uploaded in audio format. We apologise for the audio quality and have enhanced this in our new season.
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The fourth episode of Reel Talk is a delightful, wholesome and heartwarming story set in the stunning mountains of Maaser El Chouf, where a small community project by the name of Al-Fundok, operated by the eccentric and dynamic Yola Noujaim, is giving back to the area in order to enrich the small town.

Yola tells us about the history of Al-Fundok from the 50s up until the present day and the many changes it underwent, the delicious food cooked everyday using local ingredients from their garden, including a vegan shawarma! Yola also tells us about her background as an architect and the 'Jabalna' Festival as well as the extraordinary Dabke Festival that happens every year. And finally, Yola and Daizy share some touching moments of Australia and Yola's time working there.
Disclaimer: This episode was originally recorded as a video file and has now been uploaded in audio format. We apologise for the audio quality and have enhanced this in our new season.
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Today’s episode on Reel Talk features an interesting and in-depth interview with British artist Tom Young who currently lives in Lebanon. Tom’s work depicts the stark contrast between Lebanon’s beauty and tragic crises over the past few years, often exhibited in old buildings which he tries to preserve and bring back to life.
In this episode, we discover why Tom came to Lebanon, the reasons for not leaving despite all the difficulties, his renowned paintings and exhibitions across Lebanon, from the Hamam Al-Jadeed in Saida to the Rose House. We also uncover the real truth behind Lebanon’s independence and the historic women’s march that took place, all while Tom shares his love, affection, admiration, respect and concern for Lebanon’s past, present and future.
All footage displaying Tom Young, either himself or his work, is credited to his website, http://www.tomyoung.com/home, and his Facebook and Youtube pages.
Disclaimer: This episode was originally recorded as a video file and has now been uploaded in audio format. We apologise for the audio quality and have enhanced this in our new season.
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I’m excited today to be sharing with you my second episode of “REEL TALK” with a heartwarming story featuring Containers Of Love founder Sumeya Hamieh and two delegation members from The Netherlands, physiotherapist Astrid Vaassen and physical and manual therapist Birgit Schmitz. In this episode we discover Containers of Love’s remarkable project “I Matter” project which focuses on helping children, adults and families with special needs who have been abandoned and left to suffer by a failed Lebanese health system.
In my interview with Sumeya she talks about the various programs that her NGO has initiated and highlights her recent visit to Lebanon with Birgit and Astrid who also share their experience about visIting Lebanon for the first time and their plan to come back. We delve into the stories of patients and the special cases that we saw during our day with them.
Disclaimer: This episode was originally recorded as a video file and has now been uploaded in audio format. We apologise for the audio quality and have enhanced this in our new season.
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I'm excited today to be launching my new show “Reel Talk” with an extraordinary story featuring American educator and artist Brady Black, who lived in Beirut from 2014-2022. Brady’s remarkable “Community Murals” are famous all over the world, but his most important work was the mural he created with Art of Change to honour the victims of the tragic August 4, 2020 Beirut Port explosion.

In my interview with Brady he describes the audacity it took, the risks of imprisonment and the defiant determination that drove him to do something that would not let Lebanon or the world forget the 230-odd people killed in that blast. We delve into his personal life and why he chose to spend 8 years of his life in Beirut; why he and his wife adopted an orphan; and how his murals have brought light, focus and change to marginalised communities.

Disclaimer: This episode was originally recorded as a video file and has now been uploaded in audio format. We apologise for the audio quality and have enhanced this in our new season.

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