Finding Founders

How does a girl from SoCal go from making dumplings with her grandmother to co-hosting a TV show with Gordon Ramsey ? Today we sit with Nyesha Arrington, a former Top Chef contestant, professional chef and business owner. Growing up in a Afro-Korean household, surrounded by her grandmother, Nyesha had an early exposure to cooking and a variety of ingredients. As we discover her journey in the world of high class restaurants and TV, Nyesha’s story reminds us of the importance of mentorship and how dedication and attention to detail can take you far. findingfounders.co --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/finding-founders/support Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Before Carla Hall was a Top Chef legend, she was an accountant miserable at accounting. One day she got a chance to move to Paris and pursue modeling full time. Desperate for a change, she said yes, abandoning her dull yet stable career for the notoriously competitive and fickle fashion industry. Despite her lack of language skills and threadbare safety net, she transformed herself into a successful Parisian runway model. During her modeling journey, Carla discovered her passion for cooking. When she returned to the U.S., she dove into the culinary world, first as an executive chef at high-end D.C. restaurants and then as the head of her own catering company. Then Carla said yes to another risky opportunity and joined Top Chef season 5. The chaos and public scrutiny of reality T.V. challenged her culinary skills and business acumen, but it also led her on an adventure with countless possibilities. Saying yes ultimately gave Carla the freedom to express herself across disciplines and mediums as a chef, T.V. Host, actress, children’s book author, and much more. Links The Contagious Optimism of Carla Hall- Jessica B. Harris, (August/September 2018): https://gardenandgun.com/articles/carla-hall-interview/ The Untold Truth of Carla Hall -  Brent Furdyk (02/20/2020): https://www.mashed.com/189845/the-untold-truth-of-carla-hall/?utm_campaign=clip Everything you need to know about Carla Hall, the former Co-Host of ‘The Chew’ - Tess Koman, (06/06/2018):https://www.delish.com/food-news/g21097928/who-is-carla-hall/ Carla Hall - Chicago Gourmet: https://www.chicagogourmet.org/page/CarlaHall Carla and The Christmas Cornbread -  Simon & Schuster : https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Carla-and-the-Christmas-Cornbread/Carla-Hall/9781534494695 --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/finding-founders/support Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How do we recover history that has been deliberately erased? And how does that past impact the present? Today we answer those questions in conversation with Mirna Bamieh a Palestinian artist focused on the politics of disappearance. Mirna was born in Ramallah, Palestine in 1983. Throughout her life she expressed and explored her identity through food and art. In 2017 she started the Palestine Hosting Society, to rediscover and share Palestinian recipes and cultural identity as a way of reclaiming Palestinian identity in the form of performance art. https://palestinehostingsociety.com/ https://findingfounders.co/ --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/finding-founders/support Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In times of persecution, how do the persecuted keep their culture alive? We speak with Franco-Palestinian chef Fadi Kattan who enlightens us on what it is like to run his boutique Hosh Al Syrain and its Fawda Cafe in the heart of Bethlehem. As part of one of the “oldest Christian families in Bethlehem,” Fadi provides us with a unique perspective on his experiences as a Palestinian chef and how he wishes to revitalize Palestinian cuisine by returning it to its roots. History Shows What’s Wrong With the Idea That War Is ‘Normal’ in the Middle East.  Stephanie Mulder. January 20, 2020. https://time.com/5764119/middle-east-war-history/ Ussama Makdisi, Age of Coexistence: The Ecumenical Frame and the Making of the Modern Arab World.  Ussama Makdisi. December 20, 2019. https://www.jadaliyya.com/Details/40355 In Blind Pursuit of Racial Equality?  Evan P. Apfelbaum, Kristin Pauker, Samuel R. Sommers, Nalini Ambady. September 28, 2010. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0956797610384741 Israel-Gaza violence: The conflict explained. June 16, 2021. https://www.bbc.com/news/newsbeat-44124396 --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/finding-founders/support Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe to our newsletter for exclusive interviews and behind the scenes! https://findingfounders.co/ When asking people what they put in their coffee, butter probably wouldn’t seem like the most popular response. For health aficionados like Dave Asprey, however, it’s the key ingredient. Founder and CEO of the multi-million dollar Bulletproof empire, Dave Asprey is creator of revolutionary energy drink, Bulletproof Coffee, and 5-time New York Times bestselling author of the Bulletproof health-book series. He is renowned as the Father of Biohacking, which uses science and technology to devise dietary and lifestyle changes for improved physical and cognitive functions. Today, Dave will map out the story of his Bulletproof Empire, starting from the roots of his family’s scientific legacy, all the way to his life-changing journey to Tibet, where the concept for  Bulletproof Coffee was born. Since its inception, Bulletproof Coffee has taken the world by storm, publicly endorsed by celebrities like Jimmy Fallon, Shailene Woodley, Ed Sheeran, and Maya Rudolph. Dave currently awaits the release of his new book, Fast This Way: Burn Fat, Heal Inflammation, and Eat Like the High-Performing Human You Were Meant to Be, which will be released on January 19th, 2021 and is now available for pre-order on Amazon. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/finding-founders/support Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we talk to Duff Goldman. He is the founder and executive chef of Charm City Cakes which has been featured on the Food Network, Iron Chef America, Oprah, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and a whole bunch more. And this business is successful because Duff is a rebel.  Starting from his graffiti days, he has defied the normal path and found a success that's uniquely him. Duff.com Charm City Cakes --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/finding-founders/support Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we sit down with Amanda Slavin, co-founder of CatalystCreativ; a platform where people and brands become connected through meaningful experiences. Amanda grew up in a small town where she knew everyone, she tried to optimize for popularity. Although the initial need to be popular was misguided, it led her to focus more on human connection, something she continued to pursue throughout her life. She kept this interest through a broken education system, night life, a psychedelic experience, yoga in India, her current work with CatalystCreativ, and her book “The Seventh Level.” Links From the Episode Amanda's Website CatalystCreativ Website Summit Series Website Seventh Level Website: Tony Hsieh Richard Branson Gary Vaynerchuk Good Teaching Is Not Just About the Right Practices - Sarah Gonser, 11/17/2020 Evaluating ‘No Child Left Behind’ - Linda Darling-Hammond Why It’s Harder For Women To Say ‘No’ To Extra Work - Jenna Goudreau, 12/17/2014 Do Work That Matters - Ramsey Solutions, 02/25/2021 How to Learn to Be Alone and Happy About It - Jacqueline T. Hill, 01/25/2021 --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/finding-founders/support Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Donut Princess of Los Angeles, Mayly Tao was born with entrepreneurial spirit in her DNA. Born to Cambodian immigrants who fled after surviving the Khmer Rouge, family has always been the most important thing in her life. And family was also the thing that got her started. Her great-uncle is Ted Ngoy, known as the ‘Donut King.’ He helped Cambodian refugees survive and prosper in America by creating donut shops all over Southern California. This would eventually lead through generations to Mayly's innovative work at her family donut shop, DK’s Donut Bakery. Mayly and her donut shop have been an influential and transformative force in LA’s food scene, creating incredible trends and culinary creations. https://www.dksdonuts.com/ findingfounders.co --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/finding-founders/support Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we discover the story of Marcus Bullock: TED speaker, entrepreneur, justice reform advocate, and founder of Flikshop, a software company aimed towards helping incarcerated people connect with their families and the outside world. Growing up in Washington DC with his mother and sister, Marcus is no stranger to the shortage of resources and social capital surrounding many neighborhoods today. His early life was encapsulated by the pursuit of a single dream: the outer appearance of success. Having the means to buy a car and nice shoes was Marcus’ early vision of what success looked like, and he tried to achieve that vision through selling drugs and stealing cars. But luxury cars and nice shoes came with ramifications that Marcus didn’t expect. At 15, Marcus was arrested for carjacking and sent to prison. After two years of denial, Marcus began to imagine ending his days surrounded by cinder block walls and metal gates, until his mother’s letters ended up saving his life. Once released after an 8 year sentence, Marcus embarked on an entrepreneurial journey filled with connection, empathy, and the breaking of barriers far tougher than a prison’s walls. Links From the Episode Flikshop: https://www.flikshop.com Marcus’ Website: https://www.marcusbullock.net TED Talk: https://www.ted.com/talks/marcus_bullock_an_app_that_helps_incarcerated_people_stay_connected_to_their_families Discrimination Against Formerly Incarcerated People - Greg Lorentzen: https://www.livingwage-sf.org/mass-incarceration/discrimination-against-formerly-incarcerated-people/ Why Are Jail Phone Calls So Expensive? - Tyler Kendall, 10/13/2020: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/why-are-jail-phone-calls-so-expensive/ Why We Must Rethink Solitary Confinement - Barack Obama, 01/25/2016: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/barack-obama-why-we-must-rethink-solitary-confinement/2016/01/25/29a361f2-c384-11e5-8965-0607e0e265ce_story.html --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/finding-founders/support Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's a phrase programmers around the world fear... "I'll handle the business side." But today we'll talk to Myles Hunter, founder of TutorMe, who turns that phrase on its head.  Myles is a non-technical cofounder, i.e. he doesn't know how to code, but his business was growing, and growing unsustainably. He needed someone who understood tech, but he could find anyone... until he started looking in Russia. findingfounders.co tutorme.com --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/finding-founders/support Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices