IF NOT DOCTOR, THEN WHAT?: Recent Episodes
Ali Ateeq
I have been thinking about this project for about 5 years now, it's something I debated my self when I was leaving medicine. the goal of this series is to explore all the non traditional career options that we didn't hear about/know about as brown/south asian kids (all we heard/knew about was doctor, lawyer or engineer) and do this by actually speaking to people in those careers to get a true insight on what they do, how they got there and the struggles they faced.
So excited to have NABIL ZAIDI on the podcast to share his story and his journey This one is different, he dropped out of college to pursue building Profound, a brand that he started with his 2 cousins when he was only 18 years old We talk about him starting the brand at such a young age, the struggles he faced with his parents not understanding what he was building with his co-founders especially since he decided to drop out of college to pursue it full time We dive deep into what his day to day actually looks like and what it takes to get your brand into stores like Saks Fifth Ave, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom and having celebrities such as Future, Nav, Lil Uzi and Gigi wearing their cloths For me personally, this conversation was really special. Throughout the years I have seen so many people start brands that went nowhere but seeing the success they have attained and to learn what it took to make Profound what it is now was really special Best way to reach out: IG: @nabilzaidi Twitter: @nabilzaidi
Man is this episode so special in so many ways. I can not explain how much fun it was to record this with Waseem, not only is he a super talented record producer, songwriter and an ad executive, he is one hell of a storyteller. There is so much great information, entertainment and me laughing in this episode.
We actually explore so much more than the usual topics (if being a doctor was part of his journey, how his parents feel about his careers, the struggles he faced in music and advertising, and the advice he has for others who want to follow in his footsteps) but we go into some really fun tangents relating to why he hates Jimmy Fallon, the importance of skincare, disciplining your kids, the best fried chicken sandwich and even the smell of balls 🤣
Really hope you guys enjoy this episode as much as I did while I was recording it!!
✉️: WaseemStark@gmail.com IG: @waseemstark
If you have a second please watch the opening of this episode on Youtube or Instagram, you will not regret it!
In this episode, we go on a journey with Talal from his days to working for his father as a young kid to now working with his father and helping grow their fast food business from 3 locations to 33.
We talk about the struggles/benefits of working with family, starting from the bottom, the importance of working your way up through every position, how the right people are the key to success and going from managing a couple of employees to over 700 in three different regions!
IG: @talalalal
✉️ : tkirmani57@gmail.com
Honestly, everything that Ani talks about in this episode is so incredibly valuable and his story is really something that I think everyone should hear and learn from. He is an entrepreneur, a real estate investor with a seven-figure portfolio, co-owner of Kolkata Chai Co in NYC and simply an amazing person who actually spends a lot of time teaching others from the lesson he has learned and giving back to the community.
There is so much to learn in this conversation from navigating the time you can outgrow your parent's advice and how to break away from their fears to learning about the struggles and rewards of building your own businesses and also about taking care of your mental health.
Really hope you guys enjoy this episode!!
Ani's contact info:
✉️ : ani@greenroomcreative.co
IG : @anihustles
Surprise, this episode is extremely special! Neehan is a Senior Marketing Manager at Pepsi Co.
Her journey to this amazing, super cool, and awesome career wasn't a linear one, which is what makes this episode even more valuable. For many of us, the path won't be linear and there will be a lot of much-needed exploration along the way.
Being a Sr. Brand Manager is a cool position but along her way she has worked on/been a part of some really amazing project, like my personal favorite; coming up with a skittles flavored Slurpee for 7-Eleven! HOW COOL IS THAT?
There are just so many amazing gems in this conversation, I really feel like there is something for everyone.
Email: neehan.sheikh@gmail.com
LinkedIn: Neehan Sheikh Bongiorni
This is an extremely special episode, Isha is not only an Art Director at an agency and the founder of Che studios but she also helped bring this podcast to life by doing all the graphic design work!!
In this conversation, we get to learn about what an Art Director does and how one can actually become one. We also see why she created Che as a separate entity, how it helped her express her creativity and gave her an outlet
We also get to hear how her mom helped steer her creative path early on when she saw Isha's creativity at a young age
IG: @ishabeee & @Che_studios
Email: hello.chestudios@gmail.com
This is a very special episode because we have our first doctor on the show! Not just a doctor but a doctor who also happens to shoot content as a hobby.
We dive into his journey of becoming a physician and how he got into cinematography and photography on the way. How he balances his super busy life and if he ever thought about leaving medicine to pursue content full time.
We also get into some deep philosophical conversations about social media, who you should be competing with and what is the goal of life
If you have any additional question or what some advice:
IG - @MOFROMAMREEKA
MOA10441@GMAIL.COM
This is definitely the episode that I wish I heard when I was younger!
Imagine being able to test drive and review the latest and greatest cars from all of your fantasy brands (Bently, Lamborghini, Rolls-Royce, Porsche...) and get invited to private events on race tracks around the world as well as all of the auto shows, how exciting is that!
I know that is a small part of Atif's professional life but that's the type of work that a lot of us dreamed to be a part of as kids. I am not trying to oversimplify what he does now or how hard we worked to get here but I am very excited for this interview because I believe he is one of those examples/role models that were missing when I was growing up.
Not only that, he is a very humble, sweet and compassionate person who has a great deal of wisdom that we can all learn from
In this episode, we get the pleasure of hearing from one of my favorite artists, Hafsa Khan aka HafandHaf. Aside from being a super dope artist, she also has a day job as an immigrant advocate.
We dive into what her parent's expectations were with her career path, what they think about what she does not, how she balances both full-time jobs and the challenges she faced.
This really is a perfect conversation for anyone trying to navigate becoming an artist or someone who is interested in a career advocating for immigrants.
If you have any questions for her or want some advice hello@hafandhaf.com
This episode is special for two reasons, It is the very first episode and the guest is actually my older brother
We discuss who is he, what he does and how he got there as well as the struggles he faced along the way
I have been thinking about this project for about 5 years now, it's something I debated my self when I was leaving medicine. the goal of this series is to explore all the non-traditional careers options that we didn't hear about/know about as brown/south asian kids (all we heard/knew about was doctor, lawyer or engineer) and do this by actually speaking to people in those careers to get a true insight on what they do, how they got there and the struggles they faced.