A Beirut podcast about the lives behind the noise

Because this is where we live, and the city shapes how people talk. Beirut is loud outside and often very quiet inside. We wanted a room in the middle of it where someone could slow down.

Recording in person matters to us. Sitting across from someone changes a conversation. Pauses feel safer. Answers get more honest.

No. Some guests grew up in the city. Others come from elsewhere in Lebanon, or from the diaspora, and pass through Beirut when we record. The city is the place of the conversation, not a filter on who can join it.

What connects the guests is not an address. It is a willingness to say what is true about their life, including the parts that do not fit a neat story.

They talk about pressure and burnout, about ambition and what it costs, about grief and faith, about leaving and coming back. They talk about work, family and the expectation to be fine.

These themes are not unique to Beirut, but the city gives them a particular texture. Living here asks a lot of people. Many guests describe learning to carry that weight without being crushed by it.

Each theme has its own page on this site, with every episode that touches it, so you can follow one thread across many conversations.

Nadine Zakhem (Nadz) hosts every episode. She lives in Beirut and leads each conversation with the same intent: listen first, ask carefully, and leave room for silence.

You can read more about her and why she started the show on the about page.

Much of the media made in the city, understandably, follows events. We follow people. There is no news segment, no political commentary and no debate format.

It is a single long conversation each time, in English, about what someone has lived through and what they learned from it.

Listen on Spotify or watch on YouTube. Follow Instagram for short clips you can send to a friend. Join the Reflection Circle newsletter if you want a quiet note when something new is out.

If you live abroad, our page for the Lebanese diaspora podcast audience may speak to you more directly. If language matters to you, see our page on the English podcast Lebanon listeners look for.