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
Start messy. Start now. Stop paying for permission.
In this intimate conversation, Rory Paquette — a former public speaker turned podcast coach who’s earned the nickname “Robin Hood of Podcasting” — dismantles the myths that keep aspiring podcasters stuck: you don’t need a $20k course, a perfect studio, or endless edits to be heard. Rory explains how his minimalist philosophy (phone-first, low-cost, low-edit) isn’t just a producti...
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THIS EPISODE CUTS PAST THE SELF-HELP NOISE. In a raw, curiosity-driven conversation, David Alcott (author of Swords of Illumination) dismantles the “do-have” myth and teaches the Samurai-inspired framework that turns identity into destiny. This episode feels like a private coaching session: practical, emotional, and unnervingly simple.
David walks Junaid through the first sword — Identity — and the ten-category balance that forces...
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Most entrepreneurs are scrolling for ideas when they should be directing their own universe.
In this episode of Hacks and Hobbies, Junaid sits down with Lefteris “Lefty” Koutinas – a 10‑time award‑winning filmmaker and branding strategist from Toronto – who went from being a wrestling‑obsessed kid and touring DJ to crafting cinematic brand worlds for entrepreneurs. Lefty isn’t interested in content for content’s sake. He’s on a mi...
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Short description In this intimate conversation, David Olcott peels back the myths of “finding yourself” and reveals how we actually create who we become. From the Florida Keys to touring with Tony Robbins, championship ice hockey and stunt-riding, David maps the real mechanics of identity, learning curves and destiny — then shows how leaders can intentionally design both their inner narrative and outer results.
Across this episod...
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April 27, 2026 • 24 mins
From boarded-up houses to building an empire — and a community. In this episode, Fuquan Bilal pulls back the curtain on how he moved from small distressed rehabs to raising institutional capital, structuring deals that protect investors, and turning multi-family complexes into thriving communities. This is a conversation about grit, systems, and the ethical ambition of building wealth that lasts.
Fuquan walks us through the exact ...
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Most people want freedom. Almost no one is willing to put in the work it really costs.
In this episode of Hacks and Hobbies, host Junaid Ahmed sits down with Fuquan Bilal, CEO of NNG Capital Fund, a real estate investor and educator with over 26 years in the game and more than $50M raised in real estate capital. From shadowing a family member after his corporate job to building a fund that buys distressed notes and transforms comm...
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April 20, 2026 • 27 mins
Most founders are trapped in firefighting, not building a business that can run without them.
In this episode, Junaid sits down with Stewart Ervin, the creator of the trademarked Built to Run $100M System, to dissect exactly how he turns chaotic, plateaued companies into disciplined, highly profitable machines. Stuart shares the six core plays that bring communication, financial clarity, operations, and growth into alignment—so th...
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April 15, 2026 • 29 mins
What if your business isn’t broken – it’s just missing a playbook?
In this episode of Hacks and Hobbies, Junaid Ahmed sits down with Stewart Ervin, founder of Bracket Management and creator of the Built to Run – $100M System, an execution-first operating system that has helped companies grow revenue by 36% and net profit by 28% on average.
From sweeping floors in his father’s business to turning around a $75M manufacturing compan...
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April 13, 2026 • 28 mins
What do you do when the system fails your child?
For Nichole Daher, the answer was simple but terrifying: you build something better yourself. When her daughter was diagnosed with moderate to severe autism, Nichole entered a world of locked doors, opaque therapies, and age limits that cut off treatment just when families needed it most.
In this emotional and brutally honest conversation, Nichole shares how she went from a despera...
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He survived hurricanes, built a system in his backyard — and then built a company that took on the solar incumbents.
In this raw, curiosity-driven conversation James Showalter explains how necessity, grit and obsessive customer focus turned a DIY garage project into a hardware and battery empire that scaled to tens of millions without VC. Expect candid stories about broken batteries, brutal permitting, value-driven pricing, and t...
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April 6, 2026 • 43 mins
From telemarketing to shaping New York Times bestsellers — Tom Freiling’s publishing journey is a lesson in curiosity, grit and human storytelling.
In this episode Tom pulls back the curtain on 30+ years in publishing, the shift from bookstore gatekeepers to Amazon-era discoverability struggles, and why the rise of AI makes the uniquely human elements of a book more valuable than ever.
Tom shares hard-won operational lessons (ho...
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What if everything you’ve been taught about social media growth is wrong?
In this episode, returning guest Dan Schinder — founder of Drum Talk TV, a global media brand reaching over 100 million people a year organically — breaks down how he did it without ads, SEO tricks, or jumping on every “trending” hack.
From celebrating 10+ years of Drum Talk TV and launching a virtual membership playground for music fans, to dismantling the...
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What happens when a shy finance kid, terrified to go on camera, commits to doing 30,000 interviews?
In this raw and inspiring conversation, Adam Torres, co-founder of Mission Matters and host of a top 2.5% global podcast, reveals how he went from managing millions in assets as a financial advisor to building one of the most prolific interview catalogs in modern media. He shares the divine moment that pushed him out of a safe 14-ye...
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March 25, 2026 • 24 mins
If you feel successful on paper but numb inside, this conversation is your wake-up call.
In this episode, Junaid sits down (for part two) with David Schafran, founder of Somo Loco salsa immersions, to explore how dance, emotion, and embodiment can completely transform the way you lead, sell, and show up in your life.
David shares how Latin partner dance became the missing piece that made him feel whole as a founder — unblocking h...
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He built a cutting‑edge healthtech company at MIT. Then, in one brutal week, he lost his company, his relationship, and turned 30 — and walked away from everything.
In this episode, Junaid sits down with David Schafran, an MIT‑trained entrepreneur who traded boardrooms and burnout for salsa, soul, and full‑body healing in Medellín, Colombia. David went from building smartphone‑based eye diagnostics to building transformational dan...
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Most creators are one wrong clip, one lazy reaction video, or one AI mistake away from a legal nightmare.
In this episode of Hacks and Hobbies, Junaid sits down with Gordon Firemark – “The Podcast Lawyer” – to expose the legal blind spots that threaten podcasters, YouTubers, coaches, and online creators every single day.
From “fair use” myths and reaction videos, to trademarks, LLCs, and the hidden risks of AI tools, Gordon expla...
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March 23, 2026 • 32 mins
Most podcasters are one email away from losing everything they’ve built — and they don’t even know it.
In this episode, Junaid sits down with Gordon Firemark, the industry’s go-to “Podcast Lawyer” and veteran entertainment & media attorney, to reveal the uncomfortable legal truths creators avoid until it’s too late. If you’ve ever thought, “They use it on radio, so I can use it on my podcast, right?” — this conversation is your wa...
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What if the stories you tell yourself are the biggest thing holding you back?
In this episode of Hacks and Hobbies, Junaid Ahmed sits down with Jon Bassford, a former lawyer turned nonprofit founder, startup scaler, and organizational strategist, whose superpower is curiosity. Jon shares how being “the inquisitive kid who always sat with the adults” turned into a career of challenging the status quo, rebuilding cultures from the i...
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March 18, 2026 • 23 mins
What if the question you’re not asking is costing your company millions?
In this episode of Hacks and Hobbies, Junaid sits down with Jon Bassford – an operational change agent and former COO who helped lead a $7M nonprofit out of a downward spiral, 20% revenue growth, and 500% programming growth… all starting from one simple question: “Where is this written?”
Jon reveals how curiosity is not a soft skill – it’s an operational str...
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What if one podcast interview could replace four and a half years of marketing?
In this powerful conversation, business coach and author Robin Waite reveals how he built a six-figure coaching practice not through funnels, ads, or endless content—but through partnerships, patience, and radical alignment. After burning out from posting “a squillion times” on social media and following every marketing guru’s playbook, Robin walked aw...
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