Time, Fuel, & Money
Time, Fuel, and Money is a conversation for founders, investors, operators, and high-performers who want to understand the deeper forces that shape how we live, build, lead, and make decisions. Hosted by Deborah Moorad, Karim ReFaey, and Vassili Kotlov, the show blends neuroscience, psychology, business, energy, and human behavior—turning complex ideas into practical, emotionally intelligent frameworks.
Each week, we explore what really drives progress: alignment, awareness, relationships, incentives, momentum, and the hidden energy behind ambition. Through stories from biotech, venture capital, government, aviation, engineering, and everyday life, we break down how time, fuel, and money work together—and how they quietly shape careers, companies, and character.
This is not a hustle show. It’s a clarity show.
A place to think deeper, grow wiser, and operate with more intention—without losing your humanity.
New episodes weekly. Join us and rethink the rules.
Episodes
39 episodes
The Bio-Boom Waiting Game
Reactive founders, unrealistic timelines, and the art of listening before you leapSeason 2 | Episode 3Deborah is live from Advanced Therapies Week in San Diego, Vassili is on his way, and Karim is holding down the ...
Break the Pressure Loop
Doomscrolling, dopamine myths, and choosing real connection over noiseSeason 2 | Episode 2Season 2 continues with a familiar voice back in the conversation. Deborah Karim and Vassili open the year reflecting on wha...
Season 2 Begins Mastering What You Can Control
Fuel focus and building relationships when the noise is loudSeason 2 | Episode 1Season 2 opens with a reset.In this kickoff episode, Deborah and Karim reflect on JPM week and the quiet discipline it takes to...
BLPN: Delivery Wins. Help First. Build Anyway.
Fundraising, platform leverage, and the relationships that make biotech move.BLPN Series | Episode 4 of 4As JPM week approaches, we close the BLPN Series with a founder conversation that sits right at the intersect...
BLPN | Build Something That Actually Works
Technology, trust, and doing the work when no one is watchingBLPN Series | Episode 3 of 4As JPM Healthcare Conference week approaches, this episode of the BLPN Series shifts the focus from headlines and hype to wha...
BLPN: Bring your whole self. Build anyway.
Work-life harmony, failing earlier, and the human side of biotech.BLPN Series | Episode 2 of 4In the second episode of the BLPN Series, Deborah, Karim, and Vassili sit down with Chandima “Chandi” Bandaranayak...
BLPN a Find someone to help. Repeat.
Ego, resilience, and the community that moves biotech forwardBLPN Series | Episode 1 of 4As the industry moves into a new year and gears up for JPM Healthcare Conference week, this first episode of the BLPN Seri...
That’s a Wrap: Goodbye 2025
One word, letting go, and what it really means to move forwardEpisode 32 of Time, Fuel, & Money is a year-end reflection on growth, friendships, and the quiet work that happens between milestones.In this episod...
All about Hope: The Holiday Trap and the Way Out
Why “hope” can create anxiety, how agency changes the equation, and why sometimes the best move is no moveEpisode 31 of Time, Fuel, and Money lands in that strange pocket between Christmas and the New Year, ...
Seasons of Change: When Startups Become Empires
Ego, timing, and the real drivers of acquisition as a new deal cycle beginsEpisode 30 of Time, Fuel, and Money lands at a familiar inflection point: year-end dealmaking, shifting power, and a market quietly preparing for ...
Learning to Rest: Hustle Brains, GLP-1 Hype & the Art of Slowing Down
Why high performers struggle more with rest than with 14-hour workdaysEpisode 29 digs into why “time off” feels like an energy imbalance for founders, operators, and clinicians whose nervous systems are wired for motion. Deb, Kari...
Holidays, Hustle & the Quiet Pressure of Gratitude
How high performers navigate the emotional whiplash of “time off”Episode 28 sits inside the tension founders feel during the holidays: the brain wants motion while the calendar demands stillness. Deb, Karim, and Vassili unpack why...
Resentment & the Cost of Being Right
Why overexplaining drains relationships — and how to break the loopEpisode 27 explores a universal emotional tension: when someone insists on explaining something you already know. Deb, Karim, and Vassili dissect the psychology be...
Fuel, Fit & the Myth of the Mega Round
Why “more capital” rarely solves what founders think it doesEpisode 26 connects metabolic energy to startup runway — revealing why jittery capital spikes mimic caffeine crashes. The trio dissects the fantasy of the cookie-cutter S...
When Business Gets Personal: Expectations, Deception & the AI Mirror
How to stay yourself when the room gets weirdEpisode 25 dives into a week of misreads, mismatched intentions, and unexpectedly charged meetings. Deb, Karim, and Vassili unpack how character shows up before the pitch, why narrative...
Money, Timing & the Space Required to Think Bigger
How to know when money fuels you — and when it quietly starts steering youEpisode 24 unpacks a tension every founder feels: when does capital enable clarity, and when does it distort your mission? What begins as a riff on “money l...
Exits, Psychedelics & the Timing That Actually Moves Deals
A pragmatic blueprint for founders navigating partnerships, acquisitions & momentumEpisode 23 examines a billion-dollar psychedelic acquisition as a case study in how biotech deals truly unfold. Deb, Karim, and Vassili explore...
Grants, Incentives & the Game of Real Progress
Why some teams ship, and others stall — even with the same capitalEpisode 22 of Time, Fuel, & Money pulls apart the quiet dysfunction inside non-dilutive funding, state incentives, and slow-moving VC processes. Deb, Karim, and...
Lists, Limits & The Power of Not Knowing
How to plan without crushing your imaginationEpisode 21 explores the psychology and neuroscience of goal-setting for high performers.Deb’s rediscovered 10-year vision sheet sparks a deeper conversation about planning vs. pr...
Bureaucracy, Bandwidth & the Energy You Can’t Waste
A survival manual for the slow, political, frustrating parts of the systemEpisode 20 tackles the invisible drag on founders: slow decisions, broken communication, and emotional bandwidth leaks.Karim shares the sting of bein...
Character, Connection & What Investors Actually Feel
Why who you are matters more than your pitchEpisode 19 asks a simple question with enormous implications: Who are you beyond your pitch?Deb, Karim, and Vassili break down how character, emotional safety, curiosity, and pres...
Why 90% of Drugs Fail: Proteomics, Precision & the Hidden Fix
The quiet revolution reshaping drug developmentEpisode 18 continues the BIO deep dive with Chandima Bandara of Precision Quantomics, tackling one of biotech’s biggest truths: most drugs fail—not because the ideas are bad, but beca...
Inside BIO: Bullpen’s Money Ball & the Future of Founder Readiness
How founders win before the pitchEpisode 17 takes listeners behind the scenes at Bullpen’s “Money Ball” showcase at BIO International. This is where founders get sharpened—story, strategy, and scientific clarity—before hi...
Talent, Arrogance & the Fear Behind Both
Why the difference between brilliance and burnout is emotional awarenessEpisode 16 explores what we call “talent”—and why ego, fear, and environment determine whether it thrives or self-destructs. Using Formula 1 as the metaphor, ...
When the Mission Gets Priced Out: Ethics, Emotion & the Money Trap
Why founders lose themselves when the market bends the missionEpisode 15 of Time, Fuel, & Money exposes the emotional and ethical cost of building companies in systems where incentives don’t align with patient impact....