Hacks and Hobbies with Junaid Ahmed

Hacks and Hobbies with Junaid Ahmed

Hacks & Hobbies is where passions turn into profit stories. Host Junaid Ahmed interviews entrepreneurs, creators, and builders who are turning what they love into real momentum—income, confidence, community, and impact. Expect practical takeaways on podcasting, video content, home studios, personal branding, systems, and mindset—so your next idea doesn’t stay “someday.” If you’re building something (a show, a brand, a business, a better version of yourself), you’ll feel at home here. 🎙 Wanna be a guest? Apply on PodMatch: https://www.podmatch.com/member/hacksandhobbies 📖 Home Studio resources: https://homestudiobook.com 🔗 LI: https://linkedin.com/in/superjunaid

Episodes

How Soulful Systems Give Entrepreneurs Their Freedom Back - Jennifer Bennett

March 9, 2026 • 22 mins
What if scaling your business didn’t cost you your family, your sanity, or your soul? In this powerful part two, productivity strategist and founder of Get Desky, Jennifer Bennett, returns to dissect the how behind true entrepreneurial freedom. She shares how leaders can design their days, build teams they trust, and create systems that protect what matters most—family, health, and impact. From hiring before you feel ready, to st...
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How to Build a Business That Doesn’t Break Your Marriage, Your Kids, or Your Soul - Jennifer Bennett

March 9, 2026 • 25 mins
You can have the house, the car, the titles… and still wake up numb. In this intimate conversation, third-generation entrepreneur and systems strategist Jennifer Bennett reveals how she went from “doing everything right” in real estate — high-ranking roles, multiple states, accolades, and a thriving career — to realizing the hustle model was quietly destroying her joy, her presence as a mom, and her sense of purpose. Jennifer unp...
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The Retention Architect Reveals Why Your Brand Is Leaking Millions in Silent Revenue - Nikita Vakhrushev

March 4, 2026 • 41 mins
Most founders are obsessed with “new customers” and blind to the fortune sitting in their existing list. In this episode of Hacks and Hobbies, Junaid sits down with Nikita Vakhrushev, founder of Aspect Agency and retention specialist for over 100+ direct-to-consumer brands, to expose the hidden systems that turn casual buyers into lifelong customers. If you’ve ever felt guilty about “not emailing your list enough” or wondered why ...
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The 7-Figure Retention Engine Hiding in Your Email List - Nikita Vakhrushev

March 4, 2026 • 40 mins
Most brands think they need more traffic. Nikita says they’re already sitting on a goldmine. In this episode, email & SMS strategist Nikita Vakhrushev, founder of Aspect, breaks down how direct-to-consumer brands are quietly leaving $200,000–$400,000 a year on the table by ignoring the “boring” retention channels: email and SMS. After helping over 100 DTC brands and turning broken automations into $40,000/month profit engines, Nik...
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Trauma-Informed Storytelling, Vicarious Trauma & How to Share Stories Without Causing Harm - Maria Bryan

March 2, 2026 • 20 mins
Are your stories changing lives—or quietly causing harm? In this powerful conversation, nonprofit messaging strategist Maria Bryan returns to go deeper into trauma‑informed storytelling—and why every marketer, nonprofit leader, and creator needs to rethink how they collect and share stories. If you’ve ever shared a client story, testimonial, or case study “for the cause,” this episode will challenge you—in the best possible way. ...
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Trauma-Informed Storytelling, Nonprofit Fundraising & How Stories Can Harm (and Heal) - Maria Bryan

March 2, 2026 • 38 mins
What if the way you tell stories is quietly harming the very people you want to help? In this episode, Junaid Ahmed sits down with Maria Bryan, a trauma-informed storytelling trainer and host of the When Bearing Witness podcast. Maria has trained thousands of nonprofit leaders, fundraisers, and storytellers to share stories that inspire change without exploitation, re-traumatization, or stripping people of their dignity. Together...
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How to Rewire Your Brain, Escape Burnout & Stop Living on Autopilot - Irina Alexander

February 25, 2026 • 39 mins
If your life feels successful on the outside but empty, chaotic or exhausted on the inside, this episode is for you. In this conversation, Junaid Ahmed sits down with Irina Alexander – a high-performance coach who blends neuroscience, leadership, and ancient wisdom – to unpack what it really takes to stop living on default and start living by conscious choice. Irina shares how she burned out as a driven business owner and mother,...
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How To Rewire Your Subconscious, Escape Hustle Culture & Build a Life By Choice - Irina Alexander

February 25, 2026 • 21 mins
What if 95% of your life is being run by programs you didn’t choose? In this episode of Hacks and Hobbies, Junaid Ahmed sits down with Irina Alexander, professional mental trainer and founder of the Academy of Motive, Action. With 20 years in neuroscience, entrepreneurship, and global wisdom traditions, Irina has helped hundreds of high-stress professionals step out of autopilot, dismantle hustle culture, and rebuild a life that a...
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The “No 0% Days” Rule That Turns Ordinary People Into High Performers - Jake Smolarek

February 23, 2026 • 31 mins
What if the only rule you followed was to never have a 0% day? In this powerful conversation, host Junaid Ahmed sits down with high-performance coach and entrepreneur Jake Smolarek, who arrived in the UK with just £150 and went on to build multiple successful businesses. This isn’t about hacks or hype. It’s about the brutal honesty, discipline, and obsession required to build a life you’re proud of. Jake breaks down his core fram...
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The 1080/10 Rule – How to Build Unshakeable Discipline, Vision & “Lucky” Success - Jake Smolarek

February 23, 2026 • 20 mins
Most people don’t fail because they’re lazy. They fail because they get lost in the middle. In this raw and practical conversation, Junaid sits down with high‑performance coach Jake Smolarek to dismantle the myths around success, discipline, and “luck.” Jake introduces his powerful 1080/10 framework and Vision GPS, revealing why the middle 80% of any journey—the boring, lonely, repetitive part—is exactly where champions are made a...
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Paden Squires: How to Think Like a Wealthy Founder (Even If Your Finances Feel Like Chaos)

February 18, 2026 • 20 mins
Most entrepreneurs are not failing because of their product… they’re failing because of their numbers. In this episode of Hacks and Hobbies, Junaid sits down with Paden Squires, founder of Squires Tax Planning, who has quietly helped business owners save tens of thousands of dollars and rebuild their relationship with money. This isn’t a “tax tips” episode. It’s a deep dive into identity, behavior change, and the simple financial ...
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Paden Squires: The CPA Teaching Entrepreneurs How to Stop Flying Blind With Their Finances

February 18, 2026 • 28 mins
Most entrepreneurs are building impressive businesses on a completely broken financial foundation. In this episode of Hacks and Hobbies, Junaid sits down with Paden Squires, a CPA, CFP, and founder of Squires Tax Planning, who walked away from the corporate world to help business owners finally feel in control of their money. Paden reveals why even multi–million-dollar businesses are often a financial mess behind the scenes, why “...
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The Inspiration Engineer Who Turns Personal Brands into Legacies (Not Just Followers) - Cauveé [kaw-vay]

February 16, 2026 • 28 mins
What if your brand wasn’t a business, but your legacy? In this powerful conversation, Junaid sits down with Kaveh, the Inspiration Engineer, to unpack what it really takes to build a legacy-driven personal brand in a noisy world. This is not another fluffy branding chat—this is about systems, mindset, and the uncomfortable truth that most “personal brands” fail because they never get past vanity metrics and free-99 thinking. Kave...
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Cauveé [kaw-vay] The Inspiration Engineer: How Motivation Music, Adversity & Personal Branding Turn You Into Your Highest Self

February 11, 2026 • 43 mins
What if the very adversity that tried to break you was actually the blueprint for your breakthrough? In this powerful conversation, TED speaker, coach, artist and strategist Cauveé – The Inspiration Engineer – breaks down how he transformed doubt, failure and “you can’t do that” into a repeatable framework for energy, execution and elevation. From selling out his first concert at 18, to missing the mark in a 3,500-seat auditorium,...
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The Man Using AI To Let You Live Forever (Without Being Rich Or Famous) - Steve Endacott

February 9, 2026 • 28 mins
What if your great‑grandchildren could sit down and talk to you… 100 years from now? In this emotional and mind‑bending conversation, entrepreneur  Steve Endacott reveals how he’s building Life Echo – an AI-powered legacy platform that lets anyone, not just billionaires and celebrities, preserve their voice, stories, and values for future generations. Steven shares the deeply personal story of losing his mother to dementia, how th...
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How to Retire from Your Business Without Killing Its Growth (AI, Startups & the “Gray Hair” Advantage) - Steve Endacott

February 4, 2026 • 21 mins
What if you could build a company you never have to run again—yet it keeps growing, thriving, and changing lives? In this episode of Hacks and Hobbies, Junaid sits down with entrepreneur, investor and mentor Steven Endacott, who sold his travel and insurance businesses (including Holiday Taxis for $60M) and then chose a new game: helping the next generation of founders build AI-powered companies he never has to operate. Steven r...
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How Scott Durham Quit $10/hr & Built a 6‑Figure House Flipping Machine (Without HGTV Fairy Dust)

February 2, 2026 • 35 mins
Most people watch house flips on TV. Scott Durham figured out how to own the deal in real life. In this episode, Junaid sits down with real estate investor and coach Scott Durham, who went from a $10/hour hotel job to flipping houses and building a repeatable system for wealth. Scott pulls back the curtain on his first flip, how he almost priced himself out of his own deals, and the simple math he still uses today to know—within s...
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How to Productize Your Expertise, Build Learning Assets & Scale Without Burnout - Parchelle Tashi

January 28, 2026 • 32 mins
If your book, course, or expertise is sitting on a shelf, this episode is for you. Junaid sits down with learning strategist Parchelle Tashi, founder of The Author’s Leverage, to unpack how authors, coaches, and experts can turn years of experience into powerful, scalable learning assets that create income, impact, and freedom. They dive into how to productize your expertise, choose the right format (course, membership, licensing...
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The Secret System Authors Use To Turn Their Books Into Profitable Learning Experiences - Parchelle Tashi

January 26, 2026 • 27 mins
Most online courses fail not because the expert isn’t brilliant, but because the learning experience is broken. In this conversation, former high school math teacher turned video producer and learning architect Parchelle Tashi, founder of The Author’s Leverage, reveals how she helps authors, coaches, and consultants transform their books and intellectual property into high-impact, profitable learning assets. Parchelle shares the ...
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How High-Performing Men Can Win at Home Without Losing in Business - Mitchell Osmond

January 21, 2026 • 30 mins
You can build an empire and still lose everything that matters. In this raw and practical conversation, high-performance men’s coach Mitchell Osmond returns to reveal why so many successful entrepreneurs are secretly failing at home — and how to flip the script without sacrificing their ambition. Mitchell breaks down the three pillars every driven man must master: marriage & key relationships, fitness, and mindset. He explains wh...
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