Ariane Tavakol
hosting & Speaking
I speak at events and moderate panels and conversations.
The Interval
A curated salon for curious people who want real conversation.
Call Me Sensitive Podcast
I explore the difference between what looks fragile and what actually is strength.
I've been doing this my whole adult life. It's my second nature.
I bring people into rooms where they can stop sounding like their LinkedIn profile and just talk like a human again.
"You don't even realize what she's up to, because it is done with such charm and grace. Then she asks the questions you didn't realize you wanted to answer. You don't ever want to stop talking."
— Tess Aziz, Head of Client Experiences
I grew up between continents before I knew that was unusual. Five cities, four countries, three continents, one early lesson: the person in the room who adapts fastest reads it best. I became very good at reading rooms. I became very good at asking the question nobody else thought to ask.
I've sat down with scientists, Olympians, Michelin-starred chefs, surgeons, artists, CEOs, and the occasional shark. What none of them expected was that the conversation would go where it went. That's not luck. That's practice.
This is what I do, in four forms.
The Positioning
I am a
host.
A host brings the right people into a room to explore a shared question, and helps keep the conversation real and grounded. I choose who is in the room and set the context for why we are gathered. My role is to hold the space steady enough for people to drop the performance and speak more openly than they usually do.
Recent Episodes
Maxine Nienow - Magic is something we create together
Laskaar - Pressure, Identity, Masculinity
Nadine Hunkeler - Why Investing Feels Hard
Dr. Ghavami - Beauty and Flawed Expectations
The unsaid.
Every episode.
The people who move the world forward are sensitive. They pay attention. They feel the room. They catch things early and know when to speak and when to wait. For a long time, that was something to tone down.
Now I think it's the whole point. This show is proof.
I sit down with people I'm genuinely curious about and see where the conversation goes. I don't send questions beforehand. I'm interested in what people actually think, not what they rehearsed on the way over.
WHAT I Do
Four forms.
One craft.
04
1-on-1 Work
Sometimes something shifts and you can feel it before you have language for it. The life you’ve built still works, but it doesn’t feel fully aligned anymore. You’re not in crisis, but you also know something needs to be looked at properly.
I work with a small number of people in this space. I use a framework that helps us map what’s going on clearly, but the work itself is very grounded and practical. We look at what’s actually happening, how it’s structured, and what needs to change to move forward with more clarity.
01
The Podcast
Call Me Sensitive is a conversation show about the intelligence people often mistake for weakness. It’s real conversations with real people about grief, money, identity, and what it costs to feel fully alive. Nothing scripted, nothing overly polished, just honest conversations as they unfold.
IN THE ROOM
What it
looks like.
"She's firm when she needs to be and caring when she needs to be. Powerful and strong. I am now light years away from where I was the first day I met Ariane."
— Joyce Amil, Entrepreneur, Fashion Stylist
"She has a natural talent for reading and understanding people. You know she's been
there too, so any advice she gives you, she has already used herself."
— Morgane K., Manager, Hotel Real Estate Advisory Services
"To know the right questions to ask, to get the best out of someone, is a real skill.
Ariane doesn't ask the usual questions. She reads you, sees the person underneath,
and identifies what makes you tick from the heart."
— Tess Aziz, Head of Client Experiences
"Our interview was the most fun of the day. You came with questions that were outside the box and unexpected. Your questions were deep and made me think."
— Richard Orlinski, French artist
THE INTERVAL
Each salon is built around one strong question that doesn't let people stay in polite territory. Not a networking event. Not a workshop. A structured conversation space where something slightly uncomfortable is allowed to surface.
The Interval is the room where the conversation you couldn't have at dinner finally happens. Small groups. Chosen deliberately. One question that matters more than it first appears.
Most gatherings protect people from each other. This one doesn't. It creates the conditions where something real becomes unavoidable.
FORMAT
Small group. In person. Zurich and select cities.
Who It's For
Scientists, artists, lawyers, entrepreneurs, people who read things.
How to Join
By invitation or direct inquiry. No application form.
What to Expect
To leave thinking about something you hadn't thought about before.
The Background
Ariane Tavakol
Courator. Interviewer. Host.
From Zurich, across Europe and three continents. I've lived between cultures since I was eight, which means I learned early that the fastest way to understand someone is to find the question they've never been asked before.
I've spent years bringing extraordinary people into conversation: entrepreneurs, Olympians, Michelin-starred chefs, surgeons, artists, scientists, and a few proper sharks. What I've learned is that the most interesting thing about any of them is never what's on their resume. It's what they've had to feel their way through.
I work with people and organizations who want to change what happens in a room. Whether that's a podcast, a panel, a private gathering, or a single conversation that finally says the thing.
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Host, Call Me Sensitive Podcast
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Founder, The Interval salon series
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Event moderator and panel host
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Worked with Action For Women, Breitling, Hotel Vitznauerhof, and others
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Based in Zurich. Available globally.
Worked with
Action For Women Breitling Essence Women House of Interiors House of Nomads BossLadies
Stay Connected
The thoughts that don't make it into the mic.