Social Confoes

Hosted ByDiego Ameerali & Jeanluc van Charante

Social Confoes is geared around getting the personal story behind a person that is inspiring others to do something for themselves. It is a social conversation that gets personal but also touches upon a specific topic of expertise.

Social Confoes is Live every Tuesday at 20:00 (Eastern Time) / 21:00 (Suriname Time):


All Episodes

Social Confoes 018 – Practice Active Mindfulness w/ Natasha Fong Poen

Diego and Jean-luc are joined on #SocialConfoes by Natasha Fong Poen. Natasha will take us on a journey from moving to the Netherlands, starting a corporate career, moving back to Suriname, and finally leaving corporate life behind to found Yogini Su.

You can also connect with Natasha

Episode Overview

  • 0:00 – Introduction
  • 3:57 – Why the interest in health?
  • 9:08 – How do you mentally prepare yourself for an intense 30-day challenge?
  • 11:15 – The calm Natasha vs the corporate rush Natasha
  • 15:38 – Takeaways from the corporate world that positioned you to start something yourself?
  • 21:25 – The story behind the yoga pose photo
  • 26:05 – Thought process on deciding what to study
  • 35:08 – The importance of environment in finding yourself
  • 38:14 – Thoughts on the ‘cult’ aspect of yoga
  • 40:42 – A memorable travel story
  • 45:39 – Misconceptions around yoga practice
  • 49:14 – The technical aspects of yoga
  • 57:17 – Quickfire
  • 1:00:27 – How can you use yoga to not get burned out in a corporate setting
  • 1:03:33 – Closing off

The Hosts

Feel free to join our Discord Server.

Social Confoes 017 – A Conversation with Chief Philosophy Officer: Anil Sadhoeram

Diego and Jean-luc are joined by Anil Sadhoeram to explore what it means to be a Chief Philosophy Officer and how he went from working at the big corporations like Oracle to working apart together from a tiny island in the Caribbean. We even explore some aspect of the startup world and the role technology plays.

You can also connect with Anil van Maretraite:

Episode Overview

  • 0:00 – Introduction: The Origins of Maretraite
  • 7:18 – The Process of Working at Big Corporations
  • 16:32 – How was the internet in the nineties compared to all the social networks we have now?
  • 21:51 – Government Organizations and the Corporate World
  • 30:15 – What do big companies do not have many big international training programs anymore compared to 20 years ago?
  • 39:17 – Chief Philosophy Officer
  • 51:20 – The role of the CPO at different stages of a business
  • 57:43 – Ethics and Smart Cities
  • 1:18:12 – Capitalizing on Working Apart Together Tribes
  • 1:26:21 – Closing off

The Hosts

Feel free to join our Discord Server.

Social Confoes 016 – Storytelling in Corporate Communications w/ Isaac Turner

On episode 16 of #SocialConfoes: Diego Ameerali and Jean-luc van Charante are joined by Isaac Turner to talk about journalism, digital marketing in the corporate world, the importance of brand storytelling with analytics, and some fun other topics.

You can also connect with Isaac:

Episode Overview

  • 0:00 – Introductions with a conference experience
  • 7:13 – How was the state of Social Media during your Journalism study?
  • 9:55 – Defining corporate communications
  • 14:57 – How important are writing skills?
  • 20:29 – What is a brand voice?
  • 22:26 – Storytelling in corporate communications
  • 28:24 – How would you handle when a company wants to make a 180 on their brand?
  • 32:10 – How relevant is digital marketing?
  • 36:59 – Strategies for solopreneurs
  • 40:24 – How do you get people to buy in and how practical is that?
  • 45:25 – How can organizations inspire their employees to be a brand ambassador?
  • 49:56 – How do you keep up with ever-changing trends in the industry?
  • 54:51 – The impact of Covid?
  • 1:03:49 – What are sought after skills?
  • 1:07:28 – Organic vs paid advertising?
  • 1:09:13 – Closing off

The Hosts

Feel free to join our Discord Server.

Social Confoes 015 – Finding Your Passion w/ Suleigha Winkel

On #SocialConfoes episode 15 we are joined by Suleigha Winkel to talk about working on a film set, podcasting, finding your passion and much more! She’s a co-founder and stylist at Margi Lifestyle and also directed the movie Lobi Singi.

You can also connect with Suleigha:

Listen to her podcast: Hoe Duur is Passie (in Dutch)

Episode Overview

  • 0:00 – Introduction with some singing
  • 2:54: – The story behind Lobi Singi
  • 8:10 – Challenges around producing a film in the Netherlands and Suriname
  • 13:56 – Differences in production design, art design and background design
  • 17:04 – An experience in Indonesia
  • 20:22 – How do you decide what to do next?
  • 25:24 – Dancing in Paris
  • 35:11 – Stories behind fashion
  • 40:34 – The thinking behind Suleigha’s naming conventions
  • 45:47 – Podcasting: Hoe Duur is Passie
  • 56:24 – Where can people find the things you’ve created?
  • 1:08:55 – What sets your soul on fire?

The Hosts

Feel free to join our Discord Server.

Social Confoes 014 – Wiren, Suriname and the Oscars w/ Ivan Tai-Apin

Ivan Tai-Apin joins Diego and Jean-luc on episode 14 of #SocialConfoes to talk about events, acting and directing in Suriname. We talk about his journey and road to having his movie, Wiren, become the first-ever Surinamese submission to the Academy Awards. Ivan is a Surinamese actor, director, screenplay writer and producer. He is mostly known for his out of the box theater shows & plays. In 2016 he started a camera acting school in Suriname and is the managing director of It Goes Productions & Casting.

Did you know he has his very own Wikipedia page? Check it out for his full biography in film and theater.

You can also connect with Ivan:

Watch Wiren on Amazon Prime. You can watch it on Netflix if you are in the Benelux region.

Episode Overview

  • 0:00 – Introduction with Owru Yari stories
  • 5:36 – How was the film space in the Netherlands compared to Suriname 10 years ago?
  • 9:54 – Acting like in animal before filming or performing on stage.
  • 13:31 – What brought you back to Suriname?
  • 16:53 – What were the challenges you had to overcome?
  • 29:28 – Views on the maturing industry with the limited local scale we have in Suriname
  • 37:51 – How the submission to the Oscars went
  • 47:33 – Production costs and box office results of Wiren
  • 52:55 – What’s the ROI for companies for investing in a movie production?
  • 1:03:08 – How do you put yourself out there to network?
  • 1:10:20 – Closing off with recommendations for the film industry

The Hosts

Feel free to join our Discord Server.

Social Confoes 013 – No Code Caribbean, Piedata and Entrepreneur Stories w/ Sergio Pengel

Jean-luc an Diego have a talk with Sergio Pengel about studying and building a business in the US, tech developments in the Caribbean, the importance of basic start-up concepts such as MVPs, and development in the E-Commerce and No-Code space.

Founder of PIEDATA and Co-Founder DevTribe, Sergio discovered his passion for helping entrepreneurs optimize their digital adoption. He is an advocate for using technology in ways that humanize, unite and solve citizens centric problems. Born in Suriname, Sergio earned his undergraduate degree in Business Management from FVSU and pursued his MBA in International Business at Phoenix State University. He developed his grit and character working with the Government and Private sector adding value to corporations such as Georgia Lottery, Honda, CANTO, CARICOM and more.

Sergio’s impressive career highlights his vibrant leadership and Business network with a track record of overachievement in product development, professional services, and delivery management. Elected by community leaders, Sergio serves as an advisor to many international officials while continuing to promote the advancement of the Diasporic network to adopt STEAM (Science Technology Arts and Mathematics) to Caribbean Boys and girls to the international community.

You can also connect with Sergio:

Learn more about No Code Caribbean.

Episode Overview

  • 0:00 – Introduction to Sergio
  • 4:20 – How Sergio ended up in the United States and studied business
  • 16:34 – What thing you would to see integrated in the Surinamese educational system
  • 20:08 – Stepping into the world of entrepreneurship
  • 25:21 – Almost a millionaire on paper
  • 31:39 – How do you manage risk and did it change over the years?
  • 41:58 – What does Piedata stand for?
  • 55:48 – How do you deal with investors and people that have a stake in your company?
  • 1:03:46 – No Code solutions to actually start a business from home and build an MVP
  • 1:10:02 – Closing off with No Code Caribbean

The Hosts

Feel free to join our Discord Server.

Social Confoes 012 – Developing the Caribbean and its Potential w/ Gyanno van Kanten

Our guest tonight on #SocialConfoes is Gyanno van Kanten from the island of Curacao. Gyanno studied in Tilburg and came back to the Caribbean with the ambition to help develop its potential. We’ll talk about studying in Europe, running a business in a small market, social media and online marketing, and most likely touch on sports, national pride and branding the Caribbean as well.

You can also connect with Gyanno:

EdgeUp Marketing:

Episode Overview

  • 0:00 – Introductions with some apple juice
  • 3:48 – An encounter in Tilburg
  • 8:09 – Things you learned in university that you apply today
  • 16:37 – Why did you choose Curacao?
  • 21:55 – What would you advice future students that will be graduating
  • 30:30 – First impressions of Curacao
  • 34:27 – Why do people want traditional work experience first?
  • 39:06 – Is the education system broken?
  • 45:55 – How did you put yourself out there in Curacao?
  • 52:32 – Should you invest in a drone?
  • 1:03:11 – What do you think is required to build a Caribbean community?
  • 1:17:17 – Closing off

The Hosts

Feel free to join our Discord Server.

Social Confoes 011 – Scaling Startups in the Asian Markets w/ Reuben Noronha

Diego and Jean-luc are looking forward to having Reuben Noronha as our #SocialConfoes guest this week to talk about finding opportunities and starting up businesses. This social conversation will touch on different topics ranging from building and scaling businesses in South East Asia to finding opportunities in the crypto space. We might even jump into talking about creating content, productivity and/or even a little bit of music.

Reuben has spent the last few years building and scaling business in Asia. He built his first company, Nivaasa, in 2013 and ran it for two years. After that, he had the opportunity to build and scale multiple businesses at Zilingo. He enjoys the 0 to 1 phase and finding new ways for businesses to monetize.

Check out Reuben’s Podcast where he speaks to people about their experiences and learnings over the last 10 years. From PhDs to Musicians, Consultants to Entrepreneurs, you’ll hear from a diverse set of people who are doing really interesting things, at the same time, and figuring it out along the way.

You can also connect with Reuben:

Episode Overview

  • 0:00 – Good morning from Singapore
  • 3:30 – What should people know about Singapore?
  • 7:40 – Tell us about your first startup in India
  • 21:13 – What does 0 to 1 mean in a startup?
  • 25:55 – Economic vs Cultural freedom in Singapore
  • 41:41 – Transition from your own startup to working at another startup
  • 50:04 – Bootstrapping principles that young entrepreneurs should look at or ignore
  • 55:30 – At what point did you know you were ready to leave the startup?
  • 1:00:03 – Crypto Q&A
  • 1:17:06 – What’s next for Reuben?
  • 1:20:52 – Closing off

The Hosts

Feel free to join our Discord Server.

Social Confoes 010 – Emotional Intelligence, MBTI and the Story of Sheetal Sujan

On this very insightful episode of Social Confoes, Jean-luc and Diego are joined by Sheetal Sujan. She is a co-founder of Lybra Training, Coaching and Consulting in Paramaribo, Suriname. She develops and facilitates tailor-made trainings for organizations in areas of self-development, team development, leadership development, customer service, communication, team building and emotional intelligence. Furthermore, she has more than 12 years of experience as a personal and professional development trainer and her goal is to positively motivate individuals to strengthen their true talents and skills, overcome their challenges, and get the most out of their personal and work life.

She is passionate about helping individuals and teams thrive in their personal and work relationships, steering individuals to understand the personal impact they make on their lives and the lives of others.

Check out Lybra and sign up for their next classes.

You can also connect with Sheetal through her socials:

Episode Overview

  • 0:00 – Introduction with some tears
  • 5:33 – How Sheetal ended up in Suriname?
  • 11:26 – A deeper appreciation of Indian culture through Suriname
  • 23:32 – Making her husband take the MBTI test
  • 30:15 – What did the our results tell you about us
  • 37:04 – A deeper look at perceivers and judgers in MBTI
  • 45:30 – How do you prevent yourself from abusing your powers
  • 53:57 – Taking the business from offline to online during Covid
  • 1:18:41 – MBTI demographics, Is there an age restriction?
  • 1:28:01 – Thoughts on why women cancel more often?
  • 1:33:25 – Closing off

The Hosts

Feel free to join our Discord Server.