the weirdest podcast I've ever recorded

Author

Dan Pope
November 21, 2025

I woke up that morning, totally unaware how strange and wonderful my day was to become after 12.05pm.

In Farringdon, there’s a famous restaurant called The Quality Chophouse. Next door, I entered Quality Chopper House.

A bunch of absolute choppers. Top Quality Choppers. Tools on the tools. Malignant chain-smokin’ meatballs. Builders with repugnant attitude.

I’ve done many podcasts but this was one was just WEIRD.

The room was throbbing with Ick - everyone possessed the body language of school-lunch custard skin, the vacuous charm of chicken giblets rotting in the boiling mid day sun. A cold curtness arrested your bones.

The PR Managers ply you with vacant tick-the-box gooey platitudes “How are you?”, in reality, they’re thinking about their BARRY’S Bootcamp Trainer’s Ginormous Gianfranco and his girthy schlong.

The guest eventually arrives, Ivan Orkin.

Ivan walks in. Short Scrappy Doo Kinda Character. Half Pint Height, Full Pint Attitude. A New Yorker Yapper. “I’m a Fuckhha You Kinda Guy”.

Ivan famously featured on Chefs Table on Netflix - The New Yorker who famously created the best Ramen in Tokyo.

Ivan didn’t want to be there. I get it. Totally get it. You’re in London for 2 days on b2b interviews. It’s exhausting. It’s boring. It’s dull AF.

Every question, I asked was rallied back with empty one word answers. Ivan arms crossed like Fort Knox, Do Not Enter, Trespasses Not Welcome.

But, slowly, surely, easily, calmly, eventually, thankfully, happily… Ivan’s arms opened up… his shoulders dropped… I pried him open, his No Access Body Language became All Access.

Reflecting on the conversation, I love Ivan. I loved Ivan’s wonderful “Fuckaaaa Yuuuhhh” New York attitude.

But, bubbling below the bravado is some seriously sage Business Wisdom.

Ivan’s “Wisdom Is Prevention” Decision Making Magna Carta

If you’ve read waffle for a while, you’ll know, I love the Charlie Munger’s Inversion Rule.

To be smart, just avoid dumb.
To achieve success, just avoid mistakes.

or as Steve-Odd-Jobs (some Handy Man needs to use that as a brand name) says “Wisdom Is Prevention”.

Ivan keeps a booklet with all the bad decisions he’s ever made in the past. Ivan uses this as a magna carta for effective decision making in the future.

David Cleevely, Bocca Di Lupo founder, taught me something very similar.

  1. Write a Story of The Future

  2. Write a list of what could go wrong?

  3. Put it through Chat GPT or Claude.AI - ask it to unearth what could go wrong?

  4. Try very hard to avoid that future.

    After the poddy, I went to a cafe, over molten coffee, chundered out all the bad decisions I’ve made this year

    Highly cathartic. Deeply insightful. 

Some other musings from the week

Albert Roux: How To Solve The Curse of Perfection

Michel Roux’s father Albert Roux, the Man who trained Gordon Ramsay, Marco Pierre White, Marcus Wareing and many more famous chefs has a wonderful quote on perfection.

”Aim for a 10, be Happy with an 9, take an 8, don’t accept a 7”

Most people reading this beat themselves up if things don’t go absolutely perfectly.

Trust me, I’m the biggest culprit. A passport to neuroticism.

I love the idea of always aiming for 10, but taking an 8.

Ultimately, all you can do is your best.

Thanks so much for reading

Dan

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