The Beirut Banyan

About The Beirut Banyan

Storytelling and conversations, from Beirut and beyond. Subscribe from your preferred podcast platform. Support us through Paypal or Patreon.

Publisher

Ronnie Chatah

Category

society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

25 Jul 2019

Latest episode

22 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

10 of 524 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   22 Oct 2026TRANSCRIPT

   The Active Listener with Rida Mawla (Ep.447)

   Host Elias Kassem interviews Rida Mawla about cultivating trust and discussing sensitive topics to unlock the therapeutic benefits of podcasting.

2. 

   16 Oct 2026TRANSCRIPT

   The Art of Debate with Albert Kostanian (Ep.446)

   Host of LBCI's Vision 2030, Albert Kostanian, shares insights on hosting, mediation, and navigating debate tension in this interview.

3. 

   7 Jun 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Cry My Brother with Hassan Merhi (Ep.445)

   Hassan Merhi, author of Love During Revolution, shares profound reflections on loss, belonging, and the meaning of home in this interview.

Inside a recent episode

The Active Listener with Rida Mawla (Ep.447)

Published 22 Oct 2026 · Transcript excerpt

[…] And it, I think, paved the way for what came next because I was, like, reading and understanding what happened to me and all that. So that's the, you know, the first phase was about, I guess, self-reflection. And it was conscious, but at the same time, like, as though it's a, I don't know, like an evolutionary, it's like fight or flight thing, go process on your own and then come back. And after this year passed, I told myself, OK, I'm ready to go back now. And I had that time to prepare my return to Lebanon because, you know, there's so much logistics involved, like the chair, the car, the house, the driver. […]

Who has been a guest on The Beirut Banyan

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Rida Mawla
• Albert Kostanian
• Hassan Merhi
• Sarah Yassine
• George Wardini

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

523,139

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.8 / 5

52 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

44 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 78 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

63

Social presence

97

YouTube

93

Engagement

92