Load Bearing Podcast

Load Bearing Podcast

Money. Power. Business. And the absurd systems holding everything together. Load Bearing is Freakonomics meets global business—with less reverence and more real life. It investigates the hidden incentives, unusual people and questionable decisions shaping business and modern life. Every episode starts with a question. The guest helps investigate it. Most business podcasts discuss success once it has become a tidy story. Load Bearing is about what actually happened: the risks, near-disasters, impossible decisions, questionable coping mechanisms and the people quietly holding everything together off-camera. Hosted by Sheelam Chadha—an entrepreneur, investor, commercial real-estate executive, mother and professional carrier of far too many things. She has bought and sold some very large buildings. Hooray. And some small ones—not to discriminate. But the world is not just about bricks. Sharp questions. Global perspectives. Dry humour. Important subjects and inappropriate levels of honesty—with occasional interruptions from actual children.

Episodes

  1. 4d ago

    The Dutch Property Market Is Broken. Here’s Why. | Jan de Quay

    The Netherlands is taxing its investors away. Why, and what happens when the money leaves? Jan de Quay ran Savills in the Netherlands for 19 years, after 11 years at Jones Lang. We talk about rising taxes, government spending, investors moving elsewhere, a property market stuck between buyers and sellers, and why Jan thinks a slow crisis can be worse than a crash. We also get into Amsterdam's finances, where he would put money today, AI risk, European politics, China and what the Netherlands could look like in ten years. Chapters 00:00 From running Savills to walking away at 60 03:40 A slow crisis, not a 2008 crash 05:08 A government that cannot pass anything 06:52 The Dutch market everyone wanted to own 08:02 A 10.4% transfer tax and the end of FBI status 09:50 Why nothing gets built 10:35 The new rent band from 900 to 1,250 euros 12:26 Box 3 explained 14:05 75,000 rental homes gone in two years 15:36 Everybody loses and nobody changes it 17:19 Are the Dutch actually leaving? 19:39 Amsterdam's 300 communication advisers 20:42 The country our children inherit 24:16 Are owners finally selling? 25:02 An 80 million office, offers at 62 26:25 Sell, or hand the keys back 27:02 Why office to residential rarely works 28:49 Which Dutch cities still trade 31:27 Waiting for the crisis that unlocks the market 34:38 Why Jan avoids offices now 35:13 The AI danger zone 37:00 The case for secondary retail 40:43 Amsterdam is technically broke 41:27 Where are we in ten years? 47:00 Cynicism or realism?

  2. Sep 8

    The Future of the World, Wars and AI? | Caleb Cicek

    What happens when AI changes our jobs, fights our wars and becomes something we can't run our businesses, or our lives, without? Sheelam Chadha sits down with Caleb Cicek, Chief AI Officer at the Institute of AI, for a candid conversation about where all this is taking us. From the US-China technology race and Europe's dependence on foreign providers to robot soldiers and competition for energy, we explore who holds the power and what happens when they decide to switch it off. Then there's the human question. Are we becoming more capable, or simply handing over our ability to think? We discuss job losses, accountability, AI companions and "cognitive surrender": believing the machine because it sounds like it knows. I use AI every day and love what it makes possible. That doesn't mean I'm comfortable with everything that might come next. Some dark predictions, some disagreement and a few laughs, because you can be excited about the technology and still ask difficult questions. Recorded on 8 September 2026. Future scenarios discussed are predictions and opinions. CHAPTERS 00:00 Introduction 01:00 Caleb's story: engineer first, consultant second 04:37 What the Institute of AI actually does 05:47 Ethics, regulation and standards are not the same thing 07:47 Nobody types any more 08:31 "I wouldn't hire someone who can't use AI properly" 09:59 The regulation we missed on social media 11:57 Is AI good for us? 12:52 A robot in the house, and what it can see 14:29 Cognitive surrender 15:32 Idiocracy, and what we are losing 17:14 The EU AI Act and the December 2027 deadline 19:03 Should a model decide who gets a mortgage? 22:10 What happens to work 25:17 The AI race with China 27:03 What if another country switches you off? 29:40 Who actually controls AI 32:18 Which AI does he actually use? 37:20 Jobs, robots and manual labour 41:37 2030: robot soldiers and the war for energy 43:05 What he hopes for Follow Load Bearing for more: https://loadbearingpodcast.com

  3. Sep 2

    Germany Is Sinking. Spain Is Rising. Why? | Christopher Hütwohl

    What happens when AI collides with politics, productivity and Europe’s economic reality? Sheelam Chadha speaks with Christopher Hütwohl about Germany, technology, work and the ideas shaping our future. Load Bearing explores money, power, business—and the absurd systems holding everything together. More: https://loadbearingpodcast.com

  4. Sep 2

    Why Does Anyone Still Buy Paris CRE? | Paul Habert

    Is commercial real estate worth investing in when bonds yield 4%? Sheelam Chadha speaks with Paris real-estate expert Paul Habert about pricing, interest rates, AI and the future of property investment. Load Bearing explores money, power, business—and the absurd systems holding everything together. More: https://loadbearingpodcast.com

  5. Sep 2

    Why Real Estate People Are Going It Alone in 2026 | Damon Healey

    Damon Healey joins Load Bearing to discuss leaving corporate real estate, building an independent business, artificial intelligence, risk and the realities of starting again.

  • 5 Episodes

About

Money. Power. Business. And the absurd systems holding everything together. Load Bearing is Freakonomics meets global business—with less reverence and more real life. It investigates the hidden incentives, unusual people and questionable decisions shaping business and modern life. Every episode starts with a question. The guest helps investigate it. Most business podcasts discuss success once it has become a tidy story. Load Bearing is about what actually happened: the risks, near-disasters, impossible decisions, questionable coping mechanisms and the people quietly holding everything together off-camera. Hosted by Sheelam Chadha—an entrepreneur, investor, commercial real-estate executive, mother and professional carrier of far too many things. She has bought and sold some very large buildings. Hooray. And some small ones—not to discriminate. But the world is not just about bricks. Sharp questions. Global perspectives. Dry humour. Important subjects and inappropriate levels of honesty—with occasional interruptions from actual children.

Information

  • Creator
    Load Bearing Podcast
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    5
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Load Bearing Podcast
  • Show Website
    Load Bearing Podcast