In today’s episode, we’ll get to hear from Forrest Garvin, former U.S. Air Force NCO, creator of several technology startups, and founder of the PrepperNet community. Forrest had a front row seat during the Y2K crisis, working with computers that were expected to crash at the turn of the century. Even though he couldn’t understand why it was a big problem at the time, it was the initiation of his prepper lifestyle. With a desire to learn and protect his family, Forrest honed in on his survival s...
Dec 09, 2021•41 min
Eric Molinsky is the creator and host of Imaginary Worlds , a podcast exploring fictional worlds and works, the non-fiction stories behind them, and the communities around those stories. Born in Boston, Eric moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in animation for several years, thinking it was what he wanted. Eventually, he came to realize that his true passion was in crafting stories and “pieces of time.” Eric moved back to the East coast and started working for New York public radio and began...
Dec 06, 2021•20 min
Daisy Luther has learned the hard way how important preparation is. From debilitating poverty, to losing her father, to becoming a single mother, we follow Daisy on her story of suffering through extreme hardship. But we’ll also understand how she managed to survive and thrive in spite of it. Facing loss after loss Daisy never gave up, and now she is a successful author, the founder of TheFurgalite.com and TheOrganicPrepper.com, websites that gets millions of views and teach us how we can be mor...
Dec 02, 2021•48 min
After graduating from college and getting a corporate job, Chris Bello found himself unmotivated and looking for a new pursuit. Seeking inspiration, he read Rich Dad, Poor Dad and The Four-Hour Work Week , which led Bello to quit his job and take a one month hiatus to Asia. Afterwards, he returned and began working on his personal brand, working on a mailing list, website, and podcast simultaneously. Along the way, he also ended up working in real estate wholesale. Nowadays, he continues his man...
Nov 29, 2021•18 min
In this episode we sit down with John Basset, founder of Twin Mask and an avid LARPer. Live Action Role Play, or LARP, has been part of John's identity ever since he was in high school, but what is LARP? Well, it's a role-playing game where the participants physically portray their characters. The players enter a fictional world but interact with real objects, all while in character. I'll admit even that explanation confused me, so I traveled down to the LARP event to see what it was all about. ...
Nov 25, 2021•47 min
Christina Catalano is a noted human rights leader and founder of RISE. Although it started small, the RISE Anti-Bullying Initiative has grown to become one of the largest anti-bullying initiatives in the world. And Christina's influence doesn't stop there, in fact, she was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2020. But before the awards and accolades, her experience with bullying was personal. Growing up on the Jersey Shore, school was a place she felt isolated and attacked. https://www.theris...
Nov 22, 2021•20 min
In this episode of Finding Founders, we hear from Hala Taha, a leading podcast entrepreneur, founder, and CEO. Hala’s story shows a journey to realizing your self-worth in the face of post-9/11 obstacles, working without compensation, and failing time and time again. Hala started with a pretty “blessed childhood”, going with her father to work at the hospital, and was a bit of a tomboy. But, after 9/11 her life changed dramatically. In high school, she experienced a feeling of isolation and bein...
Nov 18, 2021•41 min
This is a followup episode with Maxwell Nee from High-Performing Coach . He teaches us how to make our businesses pandemic proof, how he's scaled his business, and the tools and strategies you need to start your own coaching business. If you'd like to grow your own podcast check out our coaching cohort --> The Pod30 A bit about Maxwell: Maxwell Née spent the majority of his life pursuing a stable career, which left him listless. After 5 years at his corporate banking job, Maxwell had a moment...
Nov 16, 2021•23 min
How can private cities use entrepreneurship to create social good? In this episode, we meet Erick Brimen, businessman, entrepreneur, and founder of the special economic zone, Próspera . At an early age, Erick came face-to-face with the social and financial disadvantages that most people face. And that experience would eventually lead to the visionary project of prosperity districts, where entrepreneurship is used to achieve common good. But Erick’s journey was not all glitz and glamour. From not...
Nov 13, 2021•52 min
In June of 2018, Dan was involved in “The Bucatini Dialogues: A Debate About Pasta Shapes”, a live event in which his controversial opinions about spaghetti would lead to a journey in creating his own pasta shape. From learning about the different types of flour to finding a factory which would take a chance on “the little guy”, Pashman’s 3 year journey would eventually lead to success and 'cascatelli,' a pasta which would beat day 1 expectations and go on to sell over 15,000 pounds in the first...
Nov 09, 2021•20 min
Today’s interview is, well, a bit different. This isn’t any guest, actually this is a pretty personal story. Today we’re talking to the co founder of my family, my grandmother, Dorothy Donner. This is my dad’s mom but she’s not just my dad’s mom. In fact my dad is one of ten kids, a frikin handful to deal with. She’s raised 10 kids, has lived through the great depression, numerous wars, and a global pandemic. She definitely knows a thing or two about life’s challenges. As we progress through her...
Nov 06, 2021•46 min
Navid Seyedali was born in Iran and eventually began living around the world in places such as the US, Europe, South America, and Southeast Asia. These travels developed within him an exceptional sense of empathy, which, over 25 years ago, led Navid to help establish and further the Child Foundation. The organization's mission is to educate children around the world. Initially Navid began as a volunteer, but became increasingly more active which culminated in his current position where he serves...
Nov 01, 2021•17 min
How many chances do we have in life, and what do we do with them? In this episode of Finding Founders, we answer this question with Jay Clue, an accomplished conservationist, explorer, and photographer. Jay began his life as a troublemaker and a bit of an outcast, narrowly escaping jail time on a couple of occasions. He turned things around, studying graphic design in college, working as an art director on ad campaigns, and going to London to get a master’s and Ph.D. Jay eventually fell in love ...
Oct 29, 2021•50 min
For many Americans, debt is a serious issue. A recent study found that the average American holds $53,897 in personal debt. Jason is trying to destroy debt with his new company, Relief. But he didn't always start with these altruistic intentions. His first entrepreneurial endeavor at 12 was hustling kids at lunch with three card monte. Eventually he'd enter the sales world realizing he had the gift of gab, but he soon realized that he was in that world for the wrong reasons. He didn't want his l...
Oct 25, 2021•30 min
How much do we value stability? We discuss the answer with Karen Bradfield, a former engineer for Procter & Gamble turn founder of Adventures in Baja. Karen was born in England, and though the ocean was freezing, she still felt drawn to it, constantly swimming or sailing. After finishing her studies she worked a few conventional jobs, but always felt like something was missing. She wanted to dedicate more time to the ocean. Throughout her journey Karen has lived in Australia, Southeast Asia,...
Oct 21, 2021•50 min
Hey this episode is going to be a bit different. I’m usually the one doing the interviewing, but this time I’m on the other end of the mic. A former Finding Founders editor, Nathan Tower, invited me on his podcast, the Phasey Wave show. He did a great job of bringing my story to life! We talk about my weirdest experiences with guests, my founding philosophy, building teams, insulting high profile podcasters, and the future of Finding Founders. Subscribe to the Phasey Wave show here! https://www....
Oct 19, 2021•19 min
How do we discover our purpose and find work that fulfills it? In this episode of Finding Founders we discuss the answer to this question and more with Philipp Moser. He is an established tour guide, diver, and owner of Cabo Trek. Philipp was born in Austria and always loved nature, the ocean specifically. Following the conventional path, he studied to be a mechanical engineer and worked in product development. But he wasn’t happy. So Philipp quit his job and moved to Australia, working side job...
Oct 14, 2021•1 hr 6 min
After Sana Javeri Kadri earned their IB diploma from UWC Adriatic, she worked as a Documentary Filmmaker for P.R.I.D.E India in Maharashtra, India and was a freelance photographer for Kadri Consultants Pvt. Ltd in Mumbai, India before attending Pomona College. While pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Visual and Performing Arts, she accumulated an array of experiences during college. At 23 years old in 2017, Sana Javeri Kadri used $3,000 from her tax refund to start sourcing and selling ethically far...
Oct 12, 2021•16 min
Is there a relationship between visual arts and discipline? For today’s episode we had the chance to spend the whole day with Enrique Bascón, a multidisciplinary artist based in Cabo San Lucas where he has his art studio and gallery. Born and raised in the Basque country in Spain, Enrique’s journey was not always about art. From wanting to follow his own rules and making his own path as a kid, to seeking financial stability, Enrique has always wanted freedom. Throughout his journey he’s studied ...
Oct 07, 2021•1 hr 7 min
Raby Gueye emigrated from Senegal at the age of 7 to the United States. Her early childhood emphasized the importance of education, primarily due to the necessity to translate for her family. Her experience translating to teachers, doctors, and even cable/utility companies all reinforced the necessity to pursue an education and eventually lead her to become the first woman to graduate from college in her family. During this time, she once again learned about the college process (applications, fe...
Oct 05, 2021•22 min
In this episode, we hear from Andrew Rea, the creative mastermind behind the Babish Culinary Universe . He’s amassed over 9 million subscribers on YouTube alone, but the scale of his community is far from what’s most interesting about this interview. With his humor and piercing honesty, Andrew shares a story of continuous self-improvement. Losing his mother at age 11 and enduring secondary school with no friends, he was dealt a handful of painful challenges early on in life. Upon graduating film...
Oct 01, 2021•55 min
I’m here with Jay Clue, a conservationist here in Cabo San Lucas and today we’re going to talk about something a little different. Graffiti, specifically how Medieval Blackletter, a type of font, became a part of Mexican culture and how it became the building block of modern graffiti style. I know what you’re thinking. Medieval font? Modern graffiti style? How do those two have any connection at all, especially being centuries apart? I was perplexed as well, but I’ll let Jay explain it all from ...
Sep 28, 2021•9 min
Who doesn’t love bacon? Today we sat down with Heat Laliberte, the owner and founder of One Arrow Meats, a Vancouver based, small-batch, hand-cured, naturally smoked, hormone-free bacon company. One Arrow is more than just bacon. It represents Heat’s indigenous heritage, his goals, and his ability to overcome obstacles. Spending his childhood in Saskatchewan, the Cree-Metis Chef has called Vancouver home since 2002. After a youth that consisted of running away, racism, and struggling with his id...
Sep 24, 2021•1 hr
When was the last time you saw an advertisement for cigarettes? Was it good? Today’s founder wisdom is a snippet of an upcoming episode with Jay Clue, photographer, scuba diver and founder of Dive Ninja Expeditions. Before discovering his passion for the ocean, Jay worked as a freelance creative director for massive companies and tells us his experience working for the Tobacco industry. Links From the Episode Website: findingfounders.co Follow Sam: https://www.instagram.com/samueldonner/ Follow ...
Sep 20, 2021•9 min
How is it possible that the people who are feeding us cannot afford food? That is one of the questions that pushed this week's founder to tackle food insecurity and look for solutions. In today’s episode of Finding Founders, join us and Rick Nahmias in exploring where our food comes from and who is responsible for the food on our tables. Rick Nahmias is an LA native who, after working as a documentary photographer, decided to pursue his interest in food and cooking. He soon recognized the abunda...
Sep 16, 2021•43 min
Financial manager Chris Tran always knew he’d create something; however, despite her obvious creativity, data analyst Holly Paul never thought she’d be a founder. Working at a serial founder’s startup ignited Holly’s nascent entrepreneurial spirit and she decided to let one of her many ideas take flight. Business partners Holly and Chris wanted their product to incorporate classic Asian flavors from their childhoods, but struggled to find their ideal niche in the capital heavy food and beverage ...
Sep 13, 2021•15 min
What does it take to make your dreams a reality, especially as a woman in the restaurant industry? In this episode of Finding Founders, join us in exploring the entertainment side of the food industry with Gail Simmons, a food writer, author, cook, and judge on Top Chef. Gail grew up in a melting pot of both the city of Toronto and her Canadian, South African, and Jewish background. Her mother taught cooking classes and wrote a food column and Gail was a food enthusiast growing up, but Gail neve...
Sep 09, 2021•52 min
When ideas are cheap, what does it take to make an idea come to life and become a thriving business? Today we answer this question in our conversation with Eric Chen, a marketing and sales whiz, boba aficionado and board game creator. Throughout his journey, Eric has been in a car accident, had a ruptured intestine but this has not slowed him down. What could have been considered sabotage for some, he turned into Sabobatage. https://sabobatage.com/ Website: findingfounders.co Follow Sam: https:/...
Sep 06, 2021•14 min
Food can serve as a means to bridge culture and conflict. This episode starts our Food Conflict and Unity series, so join us in exploring the power of food with Barbara Massaad, a Lebanese-American cookbook author, photographer, food consultant, and TV host. Barbara Massaad spent the first 10 years of her life in Lebanon and moved to Florida as a result of war. Her lifelong relationship with food began with Lebanese culture and at 15, she started helping her father in the family-owned Lebanese r...
Sep 02, 2021•48 min
How does an ingredient like rice help better a community? Today we sit down with JJ Johnson, renowned chef on the African diaspora, and founder of the rice bowl restaurant, FIELDTRIP. Growing up in Harlem, surrounded by his grandmother’s cooking and international flavors, food has long formed part of JJ’s DNA. But as we follow his journey of becoming a chef, traveling to Africa, and establishing his own business, JJ’s story teaches us how food can actually break barriers, bring communities toget...
Aug 30, 2021•22 min
