Boulos Haddad is the son of an Egyptian-Palestinian Mother, and a Jordanian father who immigrated to southern California. He is one of the three co-inventors of Dragon Skin, a California startup aimed at providing stingray proof footwear to surfers. He attended UCSD after high school, where he began studying Physiology and Neuroscience intending to become a Neurosurgeon. After some soul searching he realized his personal goals, to help as many people as possible, would require a shift in disciplines, prompting him to create his own major: “Individual Studies in Entrepreneurship and Biotechnology”. He also earned 2 minors, one in political science, and one in humanities.

In this episode, we begin discussing the origin of Boulos’ exotic but not so unique name, the merits of college, its limitations and benefits in preparing students for business, and the business ethics that guided Boulos in the development of Dragon Skin.

We then explore the perks of working at Google, where Boulos served for 4 years after applying a total of 7 times! He received his invitation to interview on his birthday, an event that would change the course of his life.

Towards the end of our visit, Boulos shares how AI technology will advance the health industry, and government for the better, and some of the concerns technological dependence brings with it.

Boulos serves as an example to those interested in following the traditional engineering route, as well as those more inclined to blaze their own trail in tech.

Perseverance through adversity, and the fact that he takes nothing for granted make Boulos the man he is today. He is incredibly grateful to God and the people he has worked with, making the most of every opportunity as he seeks to add value to the lives of others.

To order a pair of DragonSkin™ stingray resistant footwear visit:

https://mydragonskin.com/

#Failure 

#Perseverance

#Business

#Biotechnology

Through hard work, dedication, and sacrifice, Joe Burton built his career as a professional basketball player. Traveling to such countries as France, The Netherlands, and Japan, Joe loves people and culture. Though he was raised without a father, he credits his success to the family support he received as a child. “Bebop”, as his grandfather was locally known, was both a basketball and football coach in the San Jacinto Valley. In this interview Joe touches on some of the struggles he faced growing up, and ways he has learned to balance family and work as an athlete. His advice to young athletes is to stay dedicated. Joe is a proud member of the Soboba reservation and represents his tribe through both philanthropy and his clothing company, Hunwut Clothing.

A few indigenous concepts mentioned in this episode are:

Malama Kou Piko: “Protect your umbilical cord/center/place of birth” (Hawaiian)

Ua Mau ke Ea o ka ʻĀina i ka Pono: “The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness” (Hawaiian)

Hunwut: “Bear” (Luiseño)

To order clothing from Joe’s company visit:

https://www.hunwutclothing.com/

Other athletes mentioned in this video are:

-Roosevelt Adams

-Josh Tarver

-Roberto Nelson

To learn where Joe’s nickname came from look up:

AND1 Streetball

Matthew Kusto is the son of Palestinian immigrants of mixed Levantine heritage. He is also a member of  the Syriac Orthodox Church. A graduate of UCR with a bachelors in finance, he dreams of one day retiring early and traveling the world. In this episode Matt and Daniel discuss everything from day trading to monasticism. His advice to his younger self is: quit playing video games and study the writings of the early church fathers. For those interested in a career in finance, he recommends getting good at statistics and analytics as well as becoming familiar with Microsoft Excel.

A few subjects of interest mentioned in this episode may be found below:

Books:

-Practical Spirituality According to the Desert Fathers, by Athanasius Iskander

-How to Day Trade for a Living: A Beginner’s Guide to Trading Tools and Tactics, Money Management, Discipline and Trading Psychology, by Andrew Aziz

https://www.instagram.com/orthodoxethos/

Patriarch Moran Mor Ignatius Aphrem II

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ignatius_Aphrem_II

Matt’s Dad’s smoke shop: Cig Zone, 100-258 S Sanderson Ave, Hemet, CA 92545