Anything But Typical

160: How a $5 Gift Card Led to Starting His Own Business with George El-Hage

“I’d like people to say this guy lived life with no regrets.” – George El-Hage

There are moments in life when something small reveals something big.

For George, it was a note on his desk praising his performance… along with a $5 Tim Hortons gift card.

It wasn’t the amount that bothered him.

It was the message underneath.

Years of effort reduced to something transactional. Something polite. Something small.

That’s when he knew.

Not that he needed a new job — but that he needed a different path, one that matched how he works, how he connects, & how he shows up every day.

That recognition became direction.

What emerged was Wave, a digital business card platform — not just another cool tech tool, but an answer to connections that deserved more than a polite exchange, a quick goodbye — or a toss in the trash.

Turns out, George’s “no regrets” isn’t just about risking everything. It’s about paying attention — and taking action — when the truth shows up quietly.

To learn more, head to wavecnct.com.

Wayne Dyer once said, “Don’t die with your music still in you.”

George won’t.

159: When Your Passion Project Becomes More Successful Than Most Small Businesses with Daniel Hearl

“It’s the fleeting moments of bliss — being connected to your family in a real, meaningful way.” – Daniel Hearl

Dan has a big job. Really big. He leads a 300+ person sales organization inside a Fortune 100 company.

It’s not what he talks about most.

In fact, he rarely talks about titles, quarters, or wins at all.

What he talks about is time — with his kids, with his family, & in life outside the day-to-day grind.

It’s not by accident.

Dan grew up watching his parents work hard to provide, doing everything right but often letting work take over the life they were trying to build.

What he learned wasn’t to chase more. It was to guard the moments work can quietly steal.

So he’s intentional about where his energy goes, who gets it, & how not to let “success” quietly replace presence.

Because in the end, there are only a few relationships that truly shape a life.

And you don’t protect those casually. You give them everything you’ve got.

To learn more, connect with him on LinkedIn.

Not all legacies are loud.

Some are built quietly — right where you are.
As Audrey Hepburn once said, “The best thing to hold onto in life is each other.”

158: The Journey From Never Walking Again to Running a Half Marathon with Dean Otto

“Belief isn’t a feeling — it’s a decision.” – Dean Otto

One moment, Dean Otto was living life on his terms — an avid cyclist, athlete, & high-achieving leader.

And then, everything changed.

On what should have been a routine morning bike ride, an F-150 — a truck weighing more than two tons — struck him from behind.

The impact shattered his spine. Doctors gave him a 1–2% chance of ever walking again.

In that instant, his future was rewritten. Not by the accident — but by the decision he made next.

Dean didn’t put his faith in percentages. He put it in belief — in himself & what persistence could unlock.

Months of grueling rehab followed. Pain. Setbacks. Uncertainty.

And then, miraculously, steps.

One year later, Dean crossed a half-marathon finish line. Not alone, but alongside two unlikely partners: the surgeon who helped him walk again & the driver who hit him.

Together, they raised nearly $100,000 for spinal cord injury patients — turning trauma into hope & recovery into something bigger than self.

Dean could have stopped at survival.

Instead, he chose impact. Connect with him at DeanOttoSpeaking.com

Strength doesn’t always look like winning.
Sometimes, it looks like getting back up — and bringing others with you.

As Albert Camus wrote, “In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer.”

157: Solving The Ugly Problems Nobody Wants with Kenneth Lopez

“I like to solve problems, & I never give up.” – Martin Kenneth Lopez

Most founders talk tough. Kenneth grew up in a place that required it.

Lima, Peru — beautiful on the surface, unforgiving underneath. Corruption. Precarity. An environment built to break entrepreneurs.

There’s no help desk in a place like that. You either solve problems… or you get swallowed.

That wiring became his operating system.

So, when he launched his first company in his early 20s, he didn’t seek the easy path — he sought a bigger arena.

“Forget local,” he said. “I’m building for the U.S.”

No connections. No warm introductions.

Just hunger, a laptop, & LinkedIn.

And his pitch wasn’t polite — it was legendary: “Give me the project nobody wants. The ugly, neglected, impossible one. If I don’t deliver, you don’t pay me.”

All the risk on him. All the upside for them.

That’s how a kid from Lima ended up solving Perl script nightmares for Bank of America… & earning a reputation as the one-man A-team you call when everyone else slinks away.

Today at Equals 11, the stakes are higher — Salesforce chaos, global teams, stalled initiatives — but Kenneth’s ethos hasn’t budged:

Run toward the hard. De-risk it for the client. Solve — don’t whine.

If you’re the kind of person who gets stronger when the work gets messy, this episode is for you.

Connect with him through Equals 11.

Kenneth doesn’t quote Churchill — he proves him right: “Difficulties mastered are opportunities won.”

156: Getting Past Safety to Solve Early Tech Adoption with Jim Marascio

“I think if I’m gonna be remembered some way, it’s for the way I’ve served & helped others.” – Jim Marascio

Seven-year-old Jim dreamed big — Notre Dame quarterback, Heisman, NFL Hall of Fame.

But he grew up in Augusta, ME, where you chose something steady & respectable. His parents were educators; the path was predictable.

So, when it came time for a career, accounting felt “right.”

Until he looked around & thought, “I can’t imagine working with these people for the rest of my life!”

So, he pivoted — to Computer Science, to late nights, to challenges that made him feel alive.

Then came the moment that set his trajectory: the CEO of a global media distributor handed him a mandate & a budget — build the entire digital music platform from scratch.

No roadmap. No safety rails. Just overheating servers & a cliff-steep learning curve.

Jim didn’t say yes for glory.

He said yes because he saw a way to serve — the company, the team, the people who’d never know his name but would rely on his work.

That’s still his compass at Equals 11.

If stories of leaders who build quietly & serve deeply make you feel alive, connect with him through Equals 11

Jim reminds us of what Albert Schweitzer wrote: “The only ones among you who will be truly happy are those who have sought & found how to serve.”

155: Helping CEOs Move Beyond Hurdles to Scale with Shay Prosser

“Entrepreneurship is scary as well as compelling in a weird way.” – Shay Prosser

That’s the quiet admission of someone who’s lived the tension of building something that matters—between fear & purpose, risk & reward—and kept moving anyway.

Shay started in chaos: a newborn on the floor, the economy unraveling, & a business idea that couldn’t wait for permission.
It wasn’t perfect timing; it was purpose knocking early.

When her one-to-one financial coaching couldn’t reach enough people, she rebuilt the model—bringing financial education into workplaces & later onto military bases with the USO.

That pivot became her pattern: find the gap, build the bridge.

So when business owners began coming to her not just for answers but for direction, she created spaces to think differently—to set bold goals, make smart moves, & scale with clarity, courage, & connection.

Today, she helps business owners do what she’s always done—move forward, even when the path isn’t clear.

Not with ten-year dreams, but ninety-day wins.

Progress, not perfection.

Because growth doesn’t come from having it all together—it comes from showing up anyway.

To learn more, connect with her through North 12 Partners or Birthing of Giants.

Shay reminds us what Amelia Earhart said best: “The most effective way to do it is to do it.”

154: How Japanese Philosophical Values Have Led To A Life Of Purpose with Mark Fujiwara

“I don’t give advice to my kids. I lead by example.” – Mark Fujiwara

Mark’s compass isn’t a slogan on a wall—it’s lived.

Born to a Japanese father and Chinese mother, he grew up between two worlds that both valued humility, presence, & community.

✨Wabi-sabi: embrace the cracks & fill them with gold.
✨Ichigo ichie: the sacredness of one moment.
✨Kaizen: one small improvement, every day.
✨Ikigai: doing work that gives life meaning.

Those ideas shaped not just his mindset—but how he leads.

In boardrooms, he’s the calm in the storm.

In life, he’s the guy who turns struggle into connection.

As a wealth advisor, speaker, & founder of Sanctuary 88, he doesn’t preach balance—he models it. He builds spaces where honesty is strength & leadership begins with stillness.

Because in a world obsessed with hustle, Mark reminds us that the rarest power is peace.

The kind that leads quietly, listens deeply, & lifts everyone in the room.

If you’ve ever needed a reminder that leadership can sound like silence…

Connect with Mark through Sanctuary 88 & markfujiwara.com.

Lao Tzu said, “To the mind that is still, the whole universe surrenders.”

Mark listened.

153: Nonprofit Leadership, Foster Care, and Creating Impact with Susanna Kavanaugh

“I don’t take no for an answer, & I’m kind of a warrior for kids in foster care.” – Susanna Kavanaugh

That line doesn’t come from a podium. It comes from a mom who’s loved, lost, & chosen to love again.

At 18, Susanna placed a child for adoption, a wound so deep it could have ended her story.

Instead, it fueled her purpose—to shoulder the ache of kids in broken systems & fight to change their stories.

Years later, she & her husband fostered a little boy, loved him for nine months—then watched him leave. The heartbreak dimmed her fire, & she swore she’d never do it again.

But conviction has a way of roaring back.
And when it did, Susanna swung the door wide open.

From babysitting “just for a weekend” to launching Least of These Carolinas, she kept saying yes. Yes to heartbreak. Yes to risk. Yes to kids who need more than a trash bag to carry their lives in.

She hasn’t just built a nonprofit. She’s built a movement—by refusing to stay quiet when the system says no, & by relentlessly saying yes to kids who just need a champion.

Get involved at LOTCarolinas.com.

Susanna proves what Albert Schweitzer said:

“Wherever you turn, you can find someone who needs you. Even the smallest act of caring has the potential to turn a life around.”

152: Early Adoption of New Technologies with Rob Norris

“You have an opportunity to take your natural skills and put ’em in a place that they aren’t naturally found.” – Rob Norris

That’s not advice.

That’s a dare.

Because it’s easy to keep your talents where they stack neatly, to stay in the aisle with the labels facing forward. Safe. Predictable. Comfortable.

Rob refused the shelf.

He dropped sales skills into technology.

Made early websites usable before usability was a word.

Turned the chaos of employee benefits into a platform big enough for Aflac.

Even saw the promise of blockchain before most people could spell it.

That’s what he does: He takes complexity, makes it human, & builds businesses from the translation.

Every entrepreneur faces a moment where their skills feel out of place.

Rob shows us that’s not a weakness.

It’s the opportunity.

To learn more, connect with Rob on LinkedIn & Launch Key.

Rob’s story reminds us to create bravely—to place your gifts where the map says “not here.”

Or, as George Bernard Shaw put it: “Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.”

151: Former KGB Spy Jack Barsky Returns For Part 2

“I am staying.” – Jack Barsky

Three words on a dirt road. Three words that ended one life & cemented another. Three words that turned a mission into a calling.

Because by the time Moscow ordered this KGB agent home, Jack wasn’t just a spy with a cover story. He was a college valedictorian, a successful corporate executive, a father raising a little girl who’d stolen his heart.

Piece by piece, he had built a life in America.

Not perfect. Not easy. But real. A life that didn’t come from forged documents or coded radio signals. One built like any other—by late nights, failed ventures, second chances, & love discovered.

So, when the KGB told him to run, he stayed. He chose the life he’d built over the life he’d been assigned.

And that’s the real story here. Jack’s tales of espionage may make headlines, but it’s the everyday work of building something that lasts — a business, a family, a future — that defines his legacy.

And it’s exactly what defines yours.

To stay—to keep building, to redefine yourself again & again—that’s what sets you apart as an individual & an entrepreneur.

Ready for more? Connect with him at JackBarsky.com.

Jack proves what C.S. Lewis said best: “Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point.”