Breakfast with A Friend!

Ivan Iushchenko is the co-founder and CTO of Knowzilla. An AI-powered sales tool built in Tallinn, Estonia. But this conversation isn't really about software. It's about what happens when you try to build something that has to think, listen, and respond in real time — while a human is still mid-sentence.We talk about how Knowzilla started from a simple frustration, how a throwaway comment from an intern changed the whole direction of the product, and what it actually means to build AI that helps people instead of replacing them. We also get into what it's like to build a startup inside Estonia's ecosystem. A quiet, honest conversation about building, thinking, and what good technology should actually feel like.Find Ivan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ivaniushchenko/Find Knowzilla: https://www.linkedin.com/company/knowzilla/—If this kept you company, there’s a quiet coffee link here ☕https://buymeacoffee.com/shepherd_06—

Dacoito is a Russian artist who left home in 2023 with almost no money, chasing something he couldn't quite name yet. He got rejected by twenty restaurants, worked shifts while the world ignored him, and lost his father while standing on a shop floor. Through all of it, he kept making music on his own terms, in his own words, without compromise.This is a conversation about grief, art, identity, and what it actually costs to stay true to yourself when everything around you is asking you not to.His Spotify is linked below. I think you'll want to listen.Dacoito's Music: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2RVknMVoiu7FtucATdcdH6Dacoito's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dacoito/—If this kept you company, there’s a quiet coffee link here ☕https://buymeacoffee.com/shepherd_06—

In this episode, I sit with Edoardo Dusi (‪@edodusi‬) and talk about what it means to be a programmer when the machines are learning to code too. What part of this work is still ours?We talked about:How AI is reshaping the daily life of a developerThe difference between writing code and solving problemsWhat happens to junior programmers when AI handles the basicsLearning to work with AI instead of against itWhy curiosity might matter more than syntax—If this kept you company, there’s a quiet coffee link here ☕https://buymeacoffee.com/shepherd_06—

I sit down with Nabila (@YogaWithNabila) for a slow morning conversation.We talk about living far from home, building an adult life in unfamiliar countries, loneliness, kindness, creativity, and the strange in-between phase of life where you’re no longer chasing speed. Just meaning.-----------If this kept you company, there’s a quiet coffee link here ☕https://buymeacoffee.com/shepherd_06-----------

In this episode, I sat down with Shamila (‪@MistOfNiagara‬ ) and we went somewhere I wasn't sure we'd come back from easily.We talked about grief. Not the motivational, "it made me stronger" version of it. The real kind... the layers, the hits, the mornings you wake up and suddenly understand something painful that your body wasn't ready to let you see before.Shamila has this way of seeing the inside of human experience in extraordinary detail. She talked about how grief doesn't arrive all at once. It opens layer by layer, at the pace your body decides you can handle. How blame, if you're patient with it, can slowly become curiosity. How suffering doesn't create a new version of you. It just illuminates the room that was always there, dark and full of things you never knew you had.—If this kept you company, there’s a quiet coffee link here ☕https://buymeacoffee.com/shepherd_06—

In this episode of Breakfast with a Friend, I sit down with Darko Sokoleski, CEO & Founder of TGEProductionDigital (‪@TGEProduction‬) from North Macedonia. We dive deep into the emotional and practical challenges of entrepreneurship, creativity, and the relentless hustle of building something meaningful in a small ecosystem.Darko shares his 11-year journey of persistence, doubt, and the grit it takes to carve your own path.... especially when the odds feel stacked against you. From the loneliness of the grind to the humor and humanity that keep us going, this conversation is about the unseen side of building a dream.His film "Тркало На Животот - (The Circle Of Life)":    • Тркало На Животот - (The Circle Of Life) (...  —If this kept you company, there’s a quiet coffee link here ☕https://buymeacoffee.com/shepherd_06—

In this episode of Breakfast with a Friend, I chat with Annie from ‪@OurSecretSpillPodcast‬ about the messy, unpredictable journey of adulthood.We share honest reflections on what we thought growing up would be—money, freedom, clarity—and the reality we’re living instead. From grappling with shifting interests to the addictive loops of gaming and social media, we dive into the nostalgia, frustrations, and small wins of adult life.Annie and I explore how our childhood passions evolve, the psychology of gaming, and the struggle to find balance in a world full of distractions. It’s a conversation about improvising confidence, redefining joy, and embracing the chaos of this stage of life.

In this episode of Breakfast with a Friend, I sit down with Maggie from ‪@OurSecretSpillPodcast‬ to explore a strange idea: What if we live 1000 years!We talk about jealousy, envy, love, and whether even 100 years is enough to experience the world. We explore how finite our lives are and how we fight about everything on a tiny planet, our pale blue dot!

The conversation delves into the transformative power of grief, the understanding of love and loss, and the depth of connection through sadness. It also explores the expansion of consciousness through experience, global connection, and the potential for euphoric experiences in life.TakeawaysTransformation through griefConnecting through sadnessExpanding consciousness through experienceChapters00:00 Transformation through Grief09:27 Expanding Consciousness17:13 Global Connection and Consciousness