• 462. Sanae Takaichi: Charisma, Control, and Geopolitical Consequences
    Feb 22 2026

    Check out host Bidemi Ologunde's new show: The Work Ethic Podcast, available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

    Email: bidemiologunde@gmail.com

    In this episode, host Bidemi Ologunde breaks down an intelligence-style, open-source psychological profile of Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi: her decision-making "action bias," ideological anchors, and the political risks of governing as a highly personalized brand. What does her "Iron Lady" reputation mean for crisis choices in a Taiwan-linked scenario? How might her push for faster defense build-up—and talk of constitutional change—reshape the U.S.–Japan alliance, the Quad, and trilateral security ties with South Korea and the Philippines? And as Tokyo–Beijing friction rises, can Japan strengthen deterrence without narrowing the region’s room for error?

    On the Bid Picture Podcast, I talk about big ideas, and Lembrih is one of them. Born from Ghanaian roots, Lembrih is building an ethical marketplace for Black and African artisans: makers of heritage-rich products often overlooked online. The vision is simple: shop consciously, empower communities, and share the stories behind the craft. Lembrih is live on Kickstarter now, and your pledge helps build the platform. Visit lembrih.com, or search “Lembrih” on Kickstarter.

    Support for The Bid Picture Podcast comes from Promeed, bringing "Silk Luxury for All." If you're building big dreams, don't sleep on your sleep. Promeed makes 100% mulberry silk pillowcases and bedding that feel incredibly soft, stay breathable, and are naturally gentle on hair and skin: less friction, fewer sleep creases, and a smoother morning. Their silk is OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certified, too. Upgrade your bedtime routine at promeed.com.

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    21 Min.
  • 461. Daniel Yoo
    Feb 19 2026

    Check out host Bidemi Ologunde's new show: The Work Ethic Podcast, available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

    Email: bidemiologunde@gmail.com

    In this episode, host Bidemi Ologunde sits down with Daniel Yoo, CEO and founder of FinMate AI, to explore what happens when deep wealth-management experience meets real, pre-hype AI expertise. Daniel shares lessons from serving as a Senior Financial Advisor overseeing $800M in client assets, how his Johns Hopkins research on AI forecasting shaped his view of markets, and why he built FinMate AI to help advisors boost productivity, strengthen client relationships, and improve retention. What can AI actually do for financial advisors today, and what's still hype? How do behavioral biases show up during volatility, and how should investors guard against them? What does "secure, compliant AI" really mean in financial services? And as economic forces keep shifting, what will the AI-enabled advisor look like in the next five years? Tune in for a practical, honest conversation on AI, investing trends, client trust, and the future of wealth management.

    Quick question: when you buy something handmade, do you ever wonder who made it, and where your money really goes? Lembrih is building a marketplace where you can shop Black and African-owned brands and learn the story behind the craft. And the impact is built in: buyers can support vendors directly, and Lembrih also gives back through African-led charities, including $1 per purchase. They’re crowdfunding on Kickstarter now. Back Lembrih at lembrih.com, or search “Lembrih” on Kickstarter.

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    21 Min.
  • 460. Preston Zeller
    Feb 19 2026

    Check out host Bidemi Ologunde's new show: The Work Ethic Podcast, available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

    Email: bidemiologunde@gmail.com

    In this episode, host Bidemi Ologunde sits down with Preston Zeller to explore what it looks like to build technology that supports, rather than replaces, real human connection at the intersection of faith, grief, and emotional wellness. From Preston's 15+ years in tech leadership and business exits to his work on Psalmlog, an AI-driven tool designed to help Christians access Scripture-grounded guidance without losing the human touch of discipleship, they unpack the promises and pitfalls of "faith-tech." How do you design AI with privacy, safety, and spiritual integrity in mind? Where's the line between helpful support and unhealthy dependence, especially when someone is lonely or grieving? And what practices can help all of us develop a healthier relationship with technology in everyday life?

    On the Bid Picture Podcast, I talk about big ideas, and Lembrih is one of them. Born from Ghanaian roots, Lembrih is building an ethical marketplace for Black and African artisans: makers of heritage-rich products often overlooked online. The vision is simple: shop consciously, empower communities, and share the stories behind the craft. Lembrih is live on Kickstarter now, and your pledge helps build the platform. Visit lembrih.com, or search “Lembrih” on Kickstarter.

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    49 Min.
  • 459. The Brief - February 17, 2026
    Feb 17 2026

    Check out host Bidemi Ologunde's new show: The Work Ethic Podcast, available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

    Email: bidemiologunde@gmail.com

    In this episode, host Bidemi Ologunde zooms in on three global "signals" from Feb 9–15, 2026: a trust stress-test for Western alliances at the Munich Security Conference, a stability-versus-reform showdown in Thailand's election and constitution referendum, and a quiet but pivotal resilience upgrade in global health as WHO prequalifies an additional novel oral polio vaccine supplier. What do these seemingly separate headlines reveal about the world’s new operating system, where credibility is measured in capabilities, legitimacy is negotiated in the rules, and preparedness depends on redundant supply chains? Are alliances becoming more transactional, and if so, what does that mean for deterrence and diplomacy? Can a government be "stable" while the constitution itself is up for renegotiation? And why might a vaccine manufacturing decision in one week matter as much as a summit speech?

    Quick question: when you buy something handmade, do you ever wonder who made it, and where your money really goes? Lembrih is building a marketplace where you can shop Black and African-owned brands and learn the story behind the craft. And the impact is built in: buyers can support vendors directly, and Lembrih also gives back through African-led charities, including $1 per purchase. They’re crowdfunding on Kickstarter now. Back Lembrih at lembrih.com, or search “Lembrih” on Kickstarter.

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    17 Min.
  • 458. China's Decision-Quality, Escalation Ladders, and the Geopolitical Aftershocks of Elite Arrests
    Feb 14 2026

    Check out host Bidemi Ologunde's new show: The Work Ethic Podcast, available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

    Email: bidemiologunde@gmail.com

    In this episode, host Bidemi Ologunde takes listeners inside a rare moment when Beijing's usually sealed-off security apparatus is leaking signals to the outside world: a run of espionage-linked detentions and purges touching the PLA command pipeline, and even the state-finance sphere, including the reported downfall of Bank of China executive Lin Jingzhen. What does it mean when China's leadership allows public visibility into cases that would normally be buried? Are these arrests a sign of genuine counterintelligence panic, a political loyalty sweep, or both at once? And if some of the targets include high-ranking officers with real warfighting experience, how does that reshape risk calculations around Taiwan: deterrence, timing, and the chance of miscalculation? Bidemi also maps the second-order ripple effects: crisis communications with the U.S., signals to allies and rivals, procurement and readiness shocks, and the way "anti-espionage" politics can tighten across finance, tech, and society.

    On the Bid Picture Podcast, I talk about big ideas, and Lembrih is one of them. Born from Ghanaian roots, Lembrih is building an ethical marketplace for Black and African artisans: makers of heritage-rich products often overlooked online. The vision is simple: shop consciously, empower communities, and share the stories behind the craft. Lembrih is live on Kickstarter now, and your pledge helps build the platform. Visit lembrih.com, or search “Lembrih” on Kickstarter.

    Support the show

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    23 Min.
  • 457. Dammy Gbenro, PhD
    Feb 12 2026

    Check out host Bidemi Ologunde's new show: The Work Ethic Podcast, available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

    Email: bidemiologunde@gmail.com

    In this episode, host Bidemi Ologunde sits down with Damilola "Dammy" Gbenro, a Data Analytics and Machine Learning professional and talked about what it really means to build and maintain an online presence in the age of algorithms and AI. How do you utilize the benefits of social media without letting it consume you? What does online safety look like when your life is also your brand? And as AI reshapes trust, attention, and creativity, how do we protect our identities and our peace?

    Quick question: when you buy something handmade, do you ever wonder who made it, and where your money really goes? Lembrih is building a marketplace where you can shop Black and African-owned brands and learn the story behind the craft. And the impact is built in: buyers can support vendors directly, and Lembrih also gives back through African-led charities, including $1 per purchase. They’re crowdfunding on Kickstarter now. Back Lembrih at lembrih.com, or search “Lembrih” on Kickstarter.

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    1 Std. und 16 Min.
  • 456. The Brief - February 10, 2026
    Feb 10 2026

    Check out host Bidemi Ologunde's new show: The Work Ethic Podcast, available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

    Email: bidemiologunde@gmail.com

    In this episode, host Bidemi Ologunde breaks down the week of Feb 2–8, 2026, when an ancient idea, the Olympic Truce, collided with modern reality: AI-built platforms leaking identities, satellites and cyber defenses becoming battlefield "terrain," sanctions escalating into lawfare, and ceasefire language clashing with ongoing violence. What happens when "trust" becomes the scarcest resource online? Who controls connectivity in war zones: states or private networks? When do sanctions stop being diplomacy and start reshaping international justice? And in an era of drones, deepfakes, and cyberattacks, what does a "truce" even mean?

    On the Bid Picture Podcast, I talk about big ideas, and Lembrih is one of them. Born from Ghanaian roots, Lembrih is building an ethical marketplace for Black and African artisans: makers of heritage-rich products often overlooked online. The vision is simple: shop consciously, empower communities, and share the stories behind the craft. Lembrih is live on Kickstarter now, and your pledge helps build the platform. Visit lembrih.com, or search “Lembrih” on Kickstarter.

    Support the show

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    18 Min.
  • 455. Costa Rica Under Fernández Delgado
    Feb 8 2026

    Check out host Bidemi Ologunde's new show: The Work Ethic Podcast, available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

    Email: bidemiologunde@gmail.com

    In this episode, host Bidemi Ologunde breaks down an open-source, intelligence-brief–style profile of Costa Rica's president-elect Laura Fernández Delgado: her leadership signals, governing incentives, and the early indicators that will matter most once she takes office. What kind of decision-maker is she: technocratic operator, movement carrier, or both? How far can a security-first agenda go inside Costa Rica's institutional guardrails—and what would be the regional ripple effects? Does San José tighten alignment with Washington on counternarcotics, cyber, and migration, while still hedging with Beijing on trade and investment? And could deeper security mini-lateralism in Central America reshape the balance between "order" and democratic norms? Framed with the kind of structured analysis Bidemi has used for high-stakes audiences, this episode maps the geopolitical downstream effects, before the first 100 days write the story.

    Quick question: when you buy something handmade, do you ever wonder who made it, and where your money really goes? Lembrih is building a marketplace where you can shop Black and African-owned brands and learn the story behind the craft. And the impact is built in: buyers can support vendors directly, and Lembrih also gives back through African-led charities, including $1 per purchase. They’re crowdfunding on Kickstarter now. Back Lembrih at lembrih.com, or search “Lembrih” on Kickstarter.

    Support the show

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    20 Min.