The Lions' Den Podcast
by Fady Youwakim
The Lions Den is an exciting podcast targeting businessmen and women within the Coptic Orthodox community, as well as entrepreneurs, to share their career journey in hopes of inspiring younger generations and all listeners and encourage them to challenge the status quo in order to accomplish their goals.
Episodes
-
Episode 57: Andrew Ilyas
Tune in as I talk to Andrew about his journey with A.I. Andrew started his Undergrad at MIT at age 15, and at 21 years old he's in his 3rd year of his PhD. We talk in depth about what a PhD entails, what it means to do "research" as well as much more into the world of artificial intelligence. You...
-
Episode 56: Monica Gerges
Tune in to my chat with Monica, whose got quite the journey!! Monica and I randomly came across each other on Instagram a few weeks prior to recording this interview, and she had shared with me that she has an incredibly unique story so I had to get her on to share it. Monica is a writer who…
more -
Episode 55: Lilyan Andrews
Tune in as I sit with Lilyan to talk about her career...she is an engineer by education and is currently working in Project management, but her passion and love is her personal coaching! We discuss her love for coaching, what her coaching entails, as well as her blog and how that's positioned her...
-
Episode 54: Mark Hanna
Tune in as I sit with On-Set Director Mark Hanna! Mark is an engineer by background and was working in Project Management until one day he turned his filmmaking passion into a career. We talk about his move from Canada to Egypt to start the career, the change in culture, how that affected his...
-
Episode 53: Mina Shahid
Tune in as I sit with Mina, a social entrepreneur, to discuss what he's been up to and how life has been like since he's moved to Uganda about 5 years ago! We talk about the cultural barriers he faced, as well as the challenges of starting a business in a foreign continent and country, and much...
-
Episode 52: Maria Dawod
Tune in as I chat with Maria, a newly minted Guelph U Veterinary School graduate!! She talks about how her passion for being a vet grew and how she pursued this dream. She talks about the process of getting into Guelph as well as staying in and finishing, and much much more! You don't want to…
more -
Episode 51: Kristen Powers
Tune in as I sit with Kristen to talk about her career through journalism and reporting! She's currently an anchor for Fox7 news and she talks about being able to move into bigger and better markets because of the grace of God and also betting on herself! Trust me, you don't want to miss this one!!
-
Episode 49: Christine Agaibi
Tune in as I sit with Christine, who is a Registered Therapist in the United States! A big focus in her work is on resilience and positive psychology; we had a great conversation talking about the importance of resiliency in our lives, as well as how we can work on strengthening that skillset.…
more -
Episode 48: Carlos Ayad
Tune in as I sit with Carlos to discuss the world of trades! Carlos is a carpenter by practice but is now a site supervisor for a custom home building company! We talk about tips and tricks when looking to renovate your home, looking for contractors, the industry and much more!
-
Episode 47: Nardine Bekhit
Tune in as I sit with Nardine to talk about being a Chiropractor! We break down the education required, education vs. clinical work, and much more! You don't want to miss out.
-
Episode 46: Samantha Mikaiel
Tune in as I sit with Sam to discuss the world of finance!! Just a few weeks ago a subreddit page turned the stocks world upside down; you definitely heard about it, but did you understand it? Sam talks to me about exactly what happened, and explains it in normal terms for people like myself who...
-
Episode 45: Mina Wageh
Tune in as I sit with Mina to talk about his career in Physiotherapy as well as his professional running career. Mina has run many marathons across the globe, has represented his home country Egypt, and has set a country record, all while starting competitively running in his 20s! It was a great...
-
Episode 44: David Salib
Tune in as I sit with David, creator of the Catena Bible App as well as Momento, formerly known as Listener, the Podcasting app. We talk about his experiences at Waterloo, his adventures working in Silicon Valley for some of the most notable tech companies out there, and much more! You don't want...
-
Episode 43: Lina Tadros
Tune in as I sit with Lina to discuss the life of an Instagram influencer! We talk about the different partnerships she's made, how she went about growing her page, and much more interesting tidbits about the social media world! You won't want to miss this.
-
Episode 42: John Iskander
Tune in as I sit with John to talk about his career: optometry! We discuss the education path needed to get there, the different clinical experiences and much more!!
-
Episode 41: Marina Faheim
Tune in as I sit with Marina to talk about her career in law! She went to law school here in Canada and talks about the process of getting in, how to maintain your mental health while you're in the program, articling and much more! Aspiring lawyers you won't want to miss this one!!
-
Episode 40: Wafik Nasralla
Tune in as I sit stand-up comic Wafik Nasralla! We talk about his 26-year career in comedy, the preparation of the shows, as well as what it's like being Coptic while also releasing some content that is not church-friendly. You won't want to miss this!
-
Episode 39: Alex Roman
Tune in as I sit with Alex, Drummer of Fame on Fire as well as Founder and Owner of Roman Films. We discuss his band's journey through the music industry, being self-represented before ultimately signing a record label, and much more! You don't want to miss this one...
-
Episode 38: Andre Mina
Tune in as I sit with music producer Andre Mina! Andre is a sound engineer who produces for music ranging from Arabic to Trap! We talk about his studio and how he is running it as a business, what it's like to go on tour with an artist and much more!! You don't want to miss this one...
-
Episode 37: Alfred Zagloul
Tune in as I sit with Alfred from Alfred Drinking Coffee! You may know him from his popular instagram page... this dude never pays for coffee! We talked about his social media endeavors as well as his consulting firm! Alfred is also a CPA and shares the accounting path and his switch into…
more -
Episode 36: Tim Kodsi
Tune in as I sit with the Mimico MD himself, Tim! Tim has a one-stop shop clinic that serves the Mimico (Etobicoke) community. They have various different healthcare professionals in there, including the family doctor, Tim! We discuss the journey of going through med school and what that's like…
more -
Episode 35: The Ayoub Sisters
Tune in as I sit with Universal artists Laura and Sarah Ayoub!! These 2 fantastic ladies are taking the UK by storm with their incredible music. Sarah plays the Cello and Laura plays the violin, and they most recently saw 1.2M streams on Spotify. We talk about their journey through the music...
-
Episode 34: Justin Michel
Tune in as I sit with Justin Michel, Founder of Building Bridges Psychotherapy Clinic. Justin is a Psychotherapist by profession, and he joins the show to discuss MEN'S mental health specifically. In the Coptic Egyptian culture, men do not typically seek help for their mental health; it is seen a...
-
Episode 33: Jacky Habib
Tune in as I sit with Jacky to talk about her career in journalism and her experiences travelling AND living throughout Africa. Jacky reports on several human rights issues across the continent of Africa and she discusses everything from becoming a journalist to how to effectively report on…
more -
Episode 32: Bernadette Farag
Tune in as I sit down with Bernadette, the President & CMO of Osmow's Modern Mediterranean Cuisine, Mississauga's famous Shawarma! Bernadette talks to us about the process of how Osmow's started and having to pivot to appease to the market at the time. She also discusses their rather quick growth...
-
Episode 31: Andrew Michael
Tune in as I sit with Andrew, a Financial Planner running his own practice, on the in's and out's of what it takes to become a financial planner, from an education perspective to a customer service perspective. We also did a sample activity talking about how to save up for your first home on a...
-
Episode 30: Anne Boutrous
Tune in as I sit with Anne...who also happens to be my wife!! ... to talk about what it's like being a teacher in Ontario. We talk about the education path, the in's and out's of teaching, and my favourite part: we went over sample School Board interview questions! You don't want to miss out!
-
Episode 29: Rachel Sawires
Tune in as I sit and chat with Rachel, who is on her way to becoming a Naturopathic doctor, on all things Naturopathy! I had no knowledge heading into this interview but we discussed things like the educational route to get here, different options you have within naturopathy and much more! Don't...
-
Episode 28: Chris Fahmy
Tune in as I sit down with TikTok extraordinaire and entrepreneur Chris Fahmy! It was a great conversation...so keep up! We chatted about a lot of things ranging from Chris' low points in his career to the points, and much more!
-
Episode 27: Samer Bishay
Tune in as I sit with Samer, Founder & President of Iristel, a telecommunications company that has been around since 2001! We discuss his entering into the telecommunications field, competing with big players like Bell & Rogers and much more! Don't miss out!
-
Episode 26: Mareena Boctor
Tune in as I sit down with the first-ever Coptic female barber I've ever met!! No ladies, not a hairdresser. Yes gents, she can give you a fade and a crispy lineup!! I sit with Mareena to talk about her super out of the ordinary career, how she ended up here, a few of the challenges she faces…
more -
Episode 25: Mark Maurice
Tune in as I sit with Mark Maurice, Founder & CEO of Lenme based out of San Francisco, CA! We discuss the life of being a start-up owner and the process of starting a tech company in the hub of all hubs: San Fran! We talk about Mark's very unlikely journey coming from Egypt to the USA in 2012 and...
-
Episode 24: Mario Haroon
Tune in an I speak with Peel Region Paramedic, Mario Haroon! Mario began the traditional route with pursuing medicine, but mid-way through that journey his plans had completely changed. We talk about what his next steps are and how he found his way to becoming a paramedic! Don't miss out.
-
Episode 23: Picenti Moussa
Tune in as I sit down with US Air Force Staff Sergeant Picenti Moussa! Definitely my first time speaking with a US Air Force, let alone Military member, and it happens to be a Coptic guy! We sit and chat about his times deployed in Jordan and UAE, the opportunities this has opened for him as well...
-
Episode 22: Lucille Shenouda
Tune in as I sit with Lucille, Founder/Director/Occupational Therapist at her very own practice, Developing Hands. We discuss a lot about what being an Occupational Therapist entails, the educational path to getting there as well as ultimately operating your own practice. Don't miss out!
-
Episode 21: Ramy Ghattas
Tune in as I sit with Co-Founder & CEO of Logics Academy (his own start-up!), which offers a K-12 STEM curriculum for students. We talk about where he got the idea from and why he chose this route, as well as some of the challenges business-owners face and much more! Don't miss out.
-
Episode 20: Holy Pals Inc.
Tune in as I sit with BOTH Jen and George to speak about their individual career paths as well as their decision to start their business together. What is Holy Pals? Tune in to find out as we discuss that and much more!!
-
Episode 19: Mina El-Serafi
Tune in as I sit with the Founder & Director of LeMans Detailing, Mina, to talk about his journey through the detailing industry as well as some of the cool cars he's worked on...including the Bugatti Veyron! You won't want to miss out.
-
Episode 18: Sherif Louis
Tune in as I sit and chat with Sherif on his career path as well as his photography business. Sherif is an Engineer by education but is pursuing a career within education, while also fully operating a photography business. We talk about the struggles of building clientele, handling objection, and...
-
Episode 17: Monica Wahba
Tune in as I get to sit with Monica and discuss the world of real estate from the pre-development side. Monica walks us through what it's like having the bulk of your clientele being investors as opposed to home-owners, how she fell in love with real estate as well as the several challenges she…
more -
Episode 16: David Boctor
Tune in as I sit down with David Boctor, CCO of EndoSmart Canada, to discuss the several ways in which medicinal Cannabis has helped patients and the advantages to that treatment as opposed to the "norm". We also talk about the cultural pressure to pursue this industry and how he dealt with that....
-
Episode 15: Andro Shakir
Tune in as I sit with Andro, Founder & CEO of Limitless Auto Sales...and he's not even 24 yet! Andro talks about the challenge of starting a business while being so young but also the lessons he had to learn to get to where he's at now. Fun fact: Andro is the YOUNGEST person in all of Ontario to…
more -
Episode 14: Pare Group
Tune in as I sit with Andrew and Paul to discuss their paths to real estate to eventually crossing paths and starting Pare Group together! For anyone interested in getting a real estate license while they are still in their career, there is no better episode to listen to than this! You won't want...
-
Episode 13: Febe Asaad
Tune in as I sit and chat with Febe!! Febe is a digital marketer with tons of industry experience ranging from construction all the way to online and digital communities. We kicked it, shared a bunch of jokes, and talked digital marketing! Don't miss out!
-
Episode 12: John Girgis
Tune in as I sit with John Girgis, 2019's Pharmacist of the Year, to discuss what it was like being one of the pioneers of the pharmacy industry here in Canada. He talks about his move from the USA, his start here in Canada as well as how to operate an effective business. We discuss much more......
-
Episode 11: Mark Michael
Tune in as I sit with Mark to discuss his start-up company, Kepler Communications. Hint: they fly things into space... you will not want to miss this amazing conversation! We discuss everything ranging from fundraising for a start-up to managing its growth. Tune in!
-
Episode 10: Antonios Messiha
Tune in as I sit with Antonios to talk about his current career, which is engineering, as well as the business he runs on the side where he does videography and cinematography. We discuss the stigma around being Coptic and attending college, and we also speak in detail about some of the…
more -
Episode 9: Mark Mikhail
Tune in as I chat with Mark Mikhail, officially the first Coptic person I've ever met from the Canadian Army, about his experiences with the Army as well as his current business venture. We tackle the stigma around being a Coptic guy with his career choice and much more!
-
Episode 8: Maria Ghobrial
Tune is as I sit with the amazing Maria Ghobrial!! Maria is a Dietitian, and she joins the show to talk about all the different routes you can follow in this career path, and we also discuss her blog, Let's Nourish to Flourish, and the opportunities she's gotten from that. You won't want to miss it!
-
Episode 7: Bavly Kost
Tune in as I talk to Bavly, who is a Registered Psychotherapist and Spiritual Care Practitioner. We talk about a lot of things ranging from how religious studies impacted his faith, as well as the effect of mental health on a person and its role in the Coptic community. Don't miss out!
About this show
The Lions Den is an exciting podcast targeting businessmen and women within the Coptic Orthodox community, as well as entrepreneurs, to share their career journey in hopes of inspiring younger generations and all listeners and encourage them to challenge the status quo in order to accomplish their goals.
Hosted by
Fady Youwakim
Categories