How much of where you get in life comes down to who you know?

In this episode of Game On: Life, Leadership & Laughs, Abhishek Shah, Moustafa El Chiati, and Fahmi Al Shawwa discuss networking, why it can feel uncomfortable, and what it takes to build relationships that last beyond a job or title.

They also explore mentorship, learning from other people’s experience, and why the right mentor may ask better questions rather than simply give you the answers.

What you will learn in this episode

• Why networking feels uncomfortable for so many people
• Whether networking can actually be taught
• How to build relationships beyond collecting contacts
• Why your network should extend beyond your job or title
• The value of helping people without expecting anything back
• Why mentorship often becomes more valuable later in your career
• What a good mentor can actually do for you
• What to look for when choosing a mentor

Key Moments

00:00 Why this conversation matters
06:00 Why networking feels so uncomfortable
09:00 Can networking actually be taught?
15:10 What makes a network actually valuable?
22:00 Does your network survive your job title?
25:20 Networking advice for the next generation
26:30 Why the right mentor can change your path
32:00 How do you choose the right mentor?

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Abhishek Shah
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Fahmi Al Shawwa
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What does it take to stay healthy, relevant, and adaptable as the world around us keeps changing?

In this episode, Abhishek Shah, Moustafa El Chiati, and Fahmi Al Shawwa discuss how they use health data, AI, wearables, and routines to make better decisions about their health, and where tracking can become too much, especially for children.

The conversation then moves into leadership and careers, exploring what happens when the people who helped build a company are no longer growing with it, why experience alone is not enough, and why curiosity, adaptability, and the ability to keep learning are becoming increasingly important.

What you will learn in this episode

• How AI and health data can reveal patterns you might otherwise miss
• Why wearables can improve discipline and accountability
• The habits that matter beyond health tracking
• Whether children should be using wearables at all
• Why leaders need to learn, unlearn, and adapt
• The difference between ten years of growth and one year repeated ten times
• How AI is changing what companies need from their people
• Why curiosity and hunger are difficult qualities to teach

Key Moments

08:00 Using wearables as a behavioural mirror
10:00 Preventative health and building better routines
12:20 Setting long-term health goals
15:10 Should children use health wearables?
20:00 When people stop growing with the business
25:00 Ten years of experience or one year repeated ten times?
26:20 Why adaptability matters more than ever
30:40 Why curiosity and hunger are hard to teach
35:20 Books, movies, and recommendations

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Abhishek Shah
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Fahmi Al Shawwa
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What should kids and leaders actually be learning today?

In this episode of Game On, Abhishek Shah, Moustafa El Chiati, and Fahmi Al Shawwa discuss Norway’s youth sports model, why early pressure can burn kids out, and whether range matters more than specialization.

The conversation moves into business and careers, asking what makes stronger leaders today: deep specialization, broad exposure, or the ability to keep learning across different stages.

What you will learn in this episode

• Why Norway keeps producing elite athletes
• How early competition affects children
• Why parents may be adding too much pressure
• The case for range over early specialization
• What generalists and specialists bring to business
• How CEOs change from 0 to 1 and 1 to 100
• Why some leaders thrive in crisis
• Books and frameworks mentioned in the episode

Key Moments

00:00 Getting older and changing perspectives
06:30 Norway’s dominance in the Winter Olympics
09:00 No competition before age 13
14:00 Parenting, sports pressure, and burnout
20:00 Why range may matter more than specialization
27:00 Generalists vs specialists in business
39:00 Building companies from 0 to 1 vs 1 to 100
44:00 Book recommendations and closing thoughts

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Abhishek Shah
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Fahmi Al Shawwa
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What should children actually be learning today?

In this episode of Game On, Abhishek Shah, Moustafa El Chiati, and Fahmi Al Shawwa talk through why they started the podcast and what they want it to become.

They revisit where the idea began and why documenting real conversations felt important.

The discussion moves into education. Are schools preparing kids for today’s world, or still operating on outdated systems?

They break down the gap between what is taught and what actually matters. Skills like sales, networking, public speaking, financial literacy, and self-learning.

The conversation expands into the business of education, comparing for-profit and nonprofit models, and questioning whether student outcomes or returns drive decisions.

What you will learn in this episode

• Why the current education system is being questioned
• The real skills schools do not teach
• How parents are rethinking success for their children
• The role of self-learning and curiosity going forward
• Why degrees still matter and where they are losing relevance
• The difference between for-profit and nonprofit education models
• How AI is already changing hiring and productivity
• What leaders need to expect from teams in an AI-driven world

Key Moments

00:00 Why the podcast started
01:00 The Sri Lanka idea
03:00 Defining success for the podcast
05:00 Rethinking success for kids
06:25 Education system at an inflection point
08:00 Skills not taught in school
10:40 Is a degree still needed
12:00 Self-learning and curiosity
22:00 AI and job disruption
31:00 Trust and the darker side of AI

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Abhishek Shah
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Fahmi Al Shawwa
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What are the moments that quietly change the direction of your life?

In this episode of Game On: Life, Leadership & Laughs, Abhishek Shah, Moustafa El Chiati, and Fahmi Al Shawwa talk about the decisions that shaped their careers and the unexpected paths that followed.

The conversation begins with childhood stories and the strange things we did growing up before moving into a deeper discussion about “sliding door” moments in life.

Fahmi shares the story of resigning from Dubai International Capital right after returning from his honeymoon. A decision that pushed him to build something of his own and still makes him reflect on how life might have looked if he had stayed.

Moustafa talks about leaving corporate banking at HSBC to join a young investment bank. A move that completely changed the trajectory of his career and eventually brought him to Dubai.

Abhishek reflects on getting into university despite not having the grades on paper and how that experience helped him discover his identity, build confidence, and shape the direction of his life.

The conversation then shifts to parenting in a digital world. The hosts debate screen time, gaming, attention spans, and whether video games are harming kids or building new cognitive skills that prepare them for the future.

Episode Highlights

00:00 The podcast finally gets a name. Game On
01:10 Strange things we believed and did as kids
04:10 The life moments that change your trajectory
06:00 Fahmi resigns from Dubai International Capital
09:00 Moustafa leaves corporate banking for investment banking
11:20 Abhishek’s unexpected university admission
16:00 Should young professionals quit or push through
20:00 Why friendships become harder as we grow older
28:00 Parenting challenge. Screen time and kids
34:00 Gaming, attention spans, and the future of learning

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Abhishek Shah
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Fahmi Al Shawwa
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Why do we quit things in life, and how do those moments shape who we become?

In this episode of Game On: Life, Leadership & Laughs, Abhishek Shah, Moustafa El Chiati, and Fahmi Al Shawwa dive into the uncomfortable but defining moments when you walk away from something. A job, a team, an opportunity, or even a belief about yourself.

What starts as a light conversation about the strange things we believed as kids quickly turns into honest stories about quitting jobs, confronting fear, navigating career pivots, and the lessons that only come from taking risks early in life.

They also explore why friendships become harder to build as we grow older, the difference between wide social circles and deep relationships, and how experiences, travel, and opening your home can shape meaningful connections.

From career courage to the realities of adult friendships, this episode blends humor, real stories, and thoughtful reflection on what actually matters as life moves forward.

Episode Highlights

00:00 The podcast finally gets a name – Game On
01:00 Weird things we believed as kids
04:30 The first time we quit something in life
06:00 Quitting your first job and what it teaches you
11:30 Betting on yourself and changing career paths
16:00 Should young professionals quit or tough it out
19:30 Why friendships get harder as we grow older
24:00 Marriage, kids, and how friendships evolve
28:00 Why inviting people into your home builds deeper friendships
36:00 Apple, AI, and whether innovation is slowing down

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Can you show your kids luxury and still raise them hungry, grounded, and ambitious?

In this episode, Abhishek Shah sits down with Moustafa El Chiati and Fahmi Al Shawwa for a properly candid chat on money, motivation, parenting, and the life lessons you only really learn when your back is against the wall.

They start with a viral parenting take (spoiling kids to “build ambition”), spiral into financial discipline (or the lack of it), and then land in sports, endurance, and what “fail better” actually looks like in business teams.

Chapters
00:00 The show with no name yet + why this recording took two tries
02:00 Quick intros: Abhishek Shah, Moustafa El Chiati, Fahmi Al Shawwa
03:00 The viral parenting take: show them luxury so they stay ambitious
06:00 What if you cannot maintain that lifestyle, do you adapt or break
09:00 Money decisions are values decisions, growth vs stability
11:00 Does more income actually make you happier after a point
14:00 Wanting more is human nature, so what is “enough”
20:00 First money lessons: early jobs, stocks, and learning the hard way
24:00 Sports patience: Virat finally winning, greatness takes time
31:00 Business pressure is real: high performers, team friction, and making payroll

Follow us on social
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gameonconversation/

Follow Abhishek Shah: https://www.instagram.com/abhss/
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