The Grand Challengers Podcast Episode #36
Tables Turned Part 1 – Guests ask me questions on the podcast origin story, life choices and more
Special Episode
December 10th, 2024
Episode Teaser
Introduction
“… It is time for my guests to turn the tables on me! …”
I’m your host Peter Marcus Bach and this is the Grand Challengers Podcast, a show about inspiring individuals, who are stepping up to tackle the global challenges that our world is facing in their own unique ways. You’ve heard their stories, you’ve followed the fun banters and jokes, but today we are doing something different in this special episode of the podcast.
It is time for my guests to turn the tables on me with their own curious questions. So, sit back and enjoy, as I reflect on the podcast and its origin story, my own career decisions and attempt to answer my own questions thrown back at me. Please enjoy!
Guests featured on this Episode (in order of first appearance/mention)
All guests got to ask me questions! I have selected 22 questions and feature or reference certain other guests throughout the episode. You’ll hear more on a Part 2 of this special format coming some time in 2025!
- Janine Bolliger (Episode 14)
- Manuel Fischer (Episode 26)
- João P. Leitão (Episode 1)
- Martijn Kuller (Episode 3)
- Sofia Boarino (Episode 4)
- Fritz Kleinschroth (Episode 18)
- Abishek Narayan (Episode 7)
- Veljko Prodanovic (Episode 13)
- Mattheos Santamouris (Episode 16)
- Shubber Ali (Episode 25)
- Darcy Molnar (Episode 27)
- Markus Vogl (Episode 23)
- Danielle Dagenais (Episode 21)
- Arya Arabshahi (Episode 6)
- Belinda Hatt (Episode 20)
- Juan Pablo Rodríguez Sánchez (Episode 15)
- Françoise Bichai (Episode 22)
- Daniele la Cecilia (Episode 10)
- Ana Deletic (Episode 9)
- Anna Lintern (Episode 19)
- Jon Hathaway (Episode 24)
- Bill Hunt (Episode 33)
- Luis Angel Sañudo Fontaneda (Episode 32)
Resources Related to the Episode
- Production on the podcast started in the summer of 2022. I recorded episodes 1 to 5 in this period
- The Ivory Tower
- Mount Etna vs. Mount Vesuvius
- Bill Gates – if anyone has a connection or if you are listening to this and would like to be on the show, please do get in touch 😉
- The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) – if you’re listening to the episode and reading this, do get in touch as I’d love to do an episode with you!
- The 6 degrees of separation
- Master Yoda from Star Wars, the reference in Veljko’s question
- Follow The Grand Challengers Podcast LinkedIn Group
- Easter Egg: My wife Melisa was present when one of the questions was recorded, see if you can find her 😉
Episode Chapters
(Chapters are embedded in the episode for quick access, click this to expand and view all chapters and time stamps)
- 0:00 Preamble
- 0:21 Intro
- 1:36 Introducing the special episode
- 3:34 Why the podcast
- 5:28 The Ivory Tower
- 8:05 How long
- 9:37 Bloopers or not
- 11:54 A guest wishlist
- 15:41 An expanded guest wishlist
- 19:03 Effect of the podcast on oneself
- 21:24 How the podcast gives me hope
- 23:17 How have things changed across the production
- 26:41 Life and languages
- 28:43 Why Engineering, what else
- 37:22 Moving countries
- 41:18 Home is where the heart is
- 42:34 Staying in Switzerland
- 45:35 More general life advice
- 49:39 From my own PhD supervisor
- 51:25 My questions thrown back at me
- 51:45 If you had a magic wand?
- 54:09 Advice for young professionals
- 1:00:37 Wrap up – support the show
- 1:02:20 Outro
Connect with Me
Related Episodes
 | Episode #1 – Joao Paulo Leitao Engineers never say never and never say always – a new take on flood models (The first episode) |
 | Episode #3 – Martijn Kuller A game of planning, a set of maps and a match of nature-based solutions (Because he asked me about bloopers and asked me for advice 😀 ) |
 | Episode #9 – Ana Deletic From first flush and manholes to pendulums of stormwater, engineering and life (My PhD supervisor and long-time mentor) |
 | Episode #23 – Markus Vogl To give ‘space’ – from a library to collaborative urban transformation and rethinking the architect’s role (Because he owes me a beer :D) |
 | Episode #35 – Yannick Back The answers are beyond the “clouds” – the water-energy link for climate adaptation in a world of data ubiquity (The most recent guest before this special episode) |
Credits
- Hosted by Peter Marcus Bach, follow me on: X: @petermbach, Instagram: @petermbach87 or subscribe to my channel on YouTube: www.youtube.com/c/PeterMarcusBach/
- Intro/Outro Song: Astral Dance by Jimit (Check out more of Jimit’s tunes over on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0hc1IxPxpmUgEIZGGUGrvm?si=z_uif82xQoqAqUy8KpB7JQ)