Metabolic Majlis

You may want to pull up a chair for this one.
  • 5.0 (3)
  • Health & Fitness
  • Updated Weekly

A recurring space for candid conversation with people who’ve built something real, because health and ambition were never meant to be discussed separately. 🎙️ Available on YouTube, Spotify & Apple Podcasts

Episodes

  1. 06/19/2025

    Reinventing Surgery: How Dr. Shafi Ahmed Streamed to 50 Million

    Join host Ali Hashemi in conversation with Professor Shafi Ahmed—a pioneering colorectal surgeon, teacher, entrepreneur, and humanitarian—who’s transforming medicine through live-streamed surgeries, augmented reality, and virtual reality. From training 45,000 students worldwide in real time to envisioning a global virtual medical school, Dr. Ahmed shares how he’s pushing the boundaries of clinical practice and education. 01:04 Welcome & Introductions 02:32 Evolving a Surgical Career 07:20 Driving Innovation in the NHS 12:05 Scaling Healthcare & Tackling “Death by Pilot” 20:44 Healthcare’s Biggest Obstacle: Change Management 29:44 Rethinking Medical School 45:01 Live-Streamed Surgeries & Going Viral 56:14 Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality & the Metaverse 1:06:44 Future-Facing Education Models 1:15:03 Entrepreneurship & Lessons Learned 1:20:29 Closing Thoughts

  2. 06/12/2025

    Gut Myths, Leaky Gut, and Brain-Body Secrets with Dr. Karan Raj

    Dr. Karan Rajan—surgeon, social media sensation, and gut-health educator to 10 million followers—joins Ali Hashemi to unpack some of the biggest myths about the gut. They discuss why we’re all “donuts,” how to manage IBS, the critical importance of fiber, and the surprising ways our microbes can influence our mood and metabolism. Dr. Rajan also shares insights on cutting-edge health tech, the future of personalized care, and the balance of practicing medicine in a modern, fast-changing world.00:51 Meet Dr. Karen, UK Surgeon & Gut Health Expert 01:20 The Gut as an External-Facing Organ: A Donut Analogy 02:30 Debunking “Leaky Gut”: Symptom, Not a Disease 04:00 Exploring the Gut–Brain Axis: Vagus Nerve & Neurotransmitters 07:00 Gut Health & Obesity: Beyond Willpower 08:00 Dietary Fiber Fundamentals: Fueling a Healthy Gut 09:00 Gluten, Probiotics, Prebiotics & Postbiotics: Fact vs. Fiction 10:00 Tracking Gut Health: Data, Food Diaries & Digital Tools 12:00 Integrating Tech & Trust: The Future of Personalized Healthcare 14:00 The Agency Chain: Turning Data into Actionable Outcomes 40:03 Bridging Gaps: Merging Public Understanding with Health Tech 44:00 Rapid Fire Q&A: Viral Content, Personal Challenges & Insights 48:17 Closing Thoughts: Empowering Patients & the Future of Gut Health

  3. 06/05/2025

    AI’s True Impact on Healthcare: Ali Hashemi Interviews Ali Parsa (Ex-CEO of Babylon Health)

    In this episode of The Metabolic Majlis, Ali Hashemi sits down with Ali Parsa— father, entrepreneur, former CEO of Babylon Health, and founder of Quadrivia AI — to dissect healthcare’s biggest challenges. They explore AI's promise (and pitfalls) in clinical practice, how payment models shape innovation, and what it takes to serve millions rather than privileged ones. Join us for a candid, insightful conversation about building a better, more equitable future for health. 00:39 Ali Parsa’s Background & Perspective 01:43 Why Early AI Implementations Failed 03:28 Resilience, Risk-Taking & Persian Tea 05:23 Government Cycles & The Unpredictability of AI 07:45 AI’s Promise vs. Its Dangers in Healthcare 10:02 Expanding Supply: Elastic Labor Through AI 19:34 Insurance Complexities & Payment Structures 24:00 Regulatory Gaps & Government’s Role 31:26 When VCs Help—and When They Hurt 35:48 Building ‘Human + AI’ Infrastructure 40:57 Owning the Entire Care Continuum 45:03 Scaling to Millions with AI 49:57 Healthcare for the Many 56:51 Final Thoughts

  4. 05/29/2025

    From Billion-Dollar Hospitals to Rethinking Healthcare: Ali & Ihsan’s Inside Look

    Join Ali Hashemi and Dr. Ihsan Almarzooqi as they reflect on a decade of building hospitals and healthcare ventures across the UAE. From deploying multi-billion-dirham investments to facing insurance pushback, they pull back the curtain on the challenges of innovation in a risk-averse environment. They discuss everything from Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi’s unique model to why outcomes-based care still struggles to gain traction. If you’re a healthcare founder, investor, or industry insider, this conversation offers a raw, unfiltered look at what it really takes to transform healthcare in the region.00:46 The Maglis Culture & Bringing Community Insights to Healthcare 02:50 Building Hospitals & Billion-Dirham Projects: The Mubadala Era 05:28 Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi: Crown Jewel vs. Profit Goals 08:30 Copy-Paste Challenges of Overseas Hospital Affiliations 10:55 Risks, Ambition & Why You Can’t Innovate Without Building 14:00 Facing Insurance Pushback & Realities of Scaling Diabetes Care 20:05 Why Outcomes-Based Care Hasn’t Taken Off (Yet) 22:07 Closing Thoughts & Looking Ahead

  5. 05/22/2025

    AI Hype in Healthcare—Cutting Through the Noise with Naveen Rao

    In this episode of Metabolic Majlis, we dive deep into the limits of AI in healthcare. Our conversation with Naveen unpacks how AI tools grant us access to massive amounts of information—but fall short on understanding the nuance and context of human interaction. We cut through the hype, share hard-won lessons from early mistakes, and discuss why human intuition remains irreplaceable in clinical practice. 00:41 Episode Context & Recap 01:06 Calling Out the BS in Healthcare AI 01:45 Wearing Multiple Hats: Investor, Builder, & User 02:13 Lessons from GluCare: Mistakes & Learnings 04:05 The AI Hype Cycle & Replacing Doctors 08:00 Building Better Tools with Human Intuition 11:00 The Future of AI in Clinical Practice

  6. 05/15/2025

    AI’s Next Wave & Healthcare: Naveen Rao on Large Models & Startups

    In this edition of the Metabolic Majlis we dive into Naveen’s remarkable journey from his early days at Duke and Stanford to pioneering ventures in computational neuroscience and AI chip innovation. He unpacks how the brain’s natural efficiency inspires modern tech, why human intuition still trumps pure algorithmic predictions in medicine, and what the future holds for AI agents and causal modeling. Whether you’re a healthcare professional, tech enthusiast, or entrepreneur, this episode delivers real insights without the BS. 01:28 Intro & Episode Overview 02:13 Guest Background & Early Beginnings 04:06 Tech Inspirations & Brain Efficiency 07:17 From Academia to Entrepreneurship 15:11 Building AI Chip Innovation: Nirvana 21:10 Deep Learning & AI Evolution 28:13 AI in Healthcare: Tools, Intuition & Automation 35:03 Future Trends: AI Agents & Causal Modeling 42:16 Global Perspectives: Middle East Opportunities 52:17 Closing Thoughts & Next Steps

  7. 05/08/2025

    From Spacewalks to Startups: Astronaut Scott Parazynski on Exploration & Innovation

    Astronaut Dr. Scott Parazynski shares his extraordinary journey from emergency medicine to multiple spacewalks—and how those experiences shaped his approach to problem-solving in startups. He reveals the mental and physical demands of spaceflight, the critical importance of team collaboration, and his vision for the future of aerial mobility. Prepare to be inspired by stories of resilience, risk management, and the profound impact of seeing Earth from orbit. 00:38 Childhood & Growing Up Overseas 01:28 From Physician to Astronaut 05:01 First Flight Experiences 07:01 Why We Go to Space 09:59 Health Challenges in Orbit 13:02 Transition to Entrepreneurship 19:06 The Fragility of Earth 22:25 Long-Duration Spaceflight Effects 29:00 Risk Management vs. Risk Taking 37:44 Learning From Failure 39:01 Building Onward Air 48:49 Hospital-at-Home & Future Tech 50:44 What’s Next on Scott’s Bucket List

  8. 05/01/2025

    Metabolic Majlis Introduction Episode

    In this inaugural episode of Metabolic Majlis we unpack why the traditional “majlis” matters for healthcare change in the GCC. You’ll learn about the majlis as a decision‑making forum in policy and health, gain insight into two founders’ deep operational backgrounds, and understand the urgent metabolic‑health challenges facing the GCC. We also preview upcoming conversations with world‑class experts who bring practical solutions and bold perspectives to the table

  • 8 Episodes

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

A recurring space for candid conversation with people who’ve built something real, because health and ambition were never meant to be discussed separately. 🎙️ Available on YouTube, Spotify & Apple Podcasts

Information

  • Creator
    You may want to pull up a chair for this one.
  • Years Active
    2025
  • Episodes
    8
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © You may want to pull up a chair for this one.
  • Show Website
    Metabolic Majlis