Hacks and Hobbies with Junaid Ahmed
byJunaid Ahmed
BusinessEntrepreneurshipEducationSelf-Improvement
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(40 episodes)
The Inspiration Engineer Who Turns Personal Brands into Legacies (Not Just Followers) - Cauveé [kaw-vay]
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.
Kaveh breaks down how he audits a brand, why templates don’t work, and the brutal reason most creators burn out or stall financially. From monetizing a...
Published: Feb 16, 2026Duration: 28m 38s
Season 7 - Episode 94
Cauveé [kaw-vay] The Inspiration Engineer: How Motivation Music, Adversity & Personal Branding Turn You Into Your Highest Self
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, to helping clients break six figures and build rockstar personal brands, Kaveh shows that success isn’t an accident – it’s engineered.
We dive deep into his SIP Method (Strategy...
Published: Feb 11, 2026Duration: 43m 57s
Season 7 - Episode 93
The Man Using AI To Let You Live Forever (Without Being Rich Or Famous)
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 that pain led to building a “digital echo” of a life, and why he believes every “ordinary” person has an extraordinary story worth saving.
We dive into the technology behind conversational AI autobiographies, th...
Published: Feb 9, 2026Duration: 28m 15s
Season 7 - Episode 93
How to Retire from Your Business Without Killing Its Growth (AI, Startups & the “Gray Hair” Advantage)
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 reveals the model behind his incubator, where experienced “gray hairs” and young AI natives build disruptive B2B products together. He breaks down how to find peo...
Published: Feb 4, 2026Duration: 21m 20s
Season 7 - Episode 92
How Scott Durham Quit $10/hr & Built a 6‑Figure House Flipping Machine (Without HGTV Fairy Dust)
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 seconds—if a property is worth the risk.
If you’ve ever binged HGTV, scrolled past “befo...
Published: Feb 2, 2026Duration: 35m 16s
Season 7 - Episode 91
How to Productize Your Expertise, Build Learning Assets & Scale Without Burnout
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, B2B, enterprise, or experiences), and design learning that people actually use—not just binge once and forget. You’ll also hear Parchelle’s concept of “stickiness” for digital learni...
Published: Jan 28, 2026Duration: 32m 20s
Season 7 - Episode 91
The Secret System Authors Use To Turn Their Books Into Profitable Learning Experiences
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 real story behind leaving the classroom, building a production career up and down the East Coast, and finally discovering the “full circle” intersection of curriculum design, media, and scalable products. She breaks down why most c...
Published: Jan 26, 2026Duration: 27m 33s
Season 7 - Episode 89
How High-Performing Men Can Win at Home Without Losing in Business
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 why delegation at home is not laziness but leadership, how to treat your time as your most valuable currency, and why your kids don’t need your words — they need your ex...
Published: Jan 21, 2026Duration: 30m 54s
Season 7 - Episode 89
How Hitting Rock Bottom Turned a Burned-Out Executive into a World-Class Dad & Leader
What if your biggest success story begins at your lowest point?
In this raw and deeply honest conversation, leadership consultant and Dad Nation founder Mitchell Osmond shares how he went from a depressed, addicted, $100k-in-debt ex-executive on the brink of divorce… to rebuilding his marriage, paying off all his debt, losing 60 pounds, and becoming the man his family actually wants to follow.
We break down the moment everything snapped on the living room couch, the haunting question he heard at a stranger’s funeral, and the exact inner work and community he used to rewrite his st...
Published: Jan 19, 2026Duration: 33m 6s
Season 7 - Episode 88
How Car Dealerships Go Viral on TikTok (Without Feeling Cringe)
What if selling cars had nothing to do with cars—and everything to do with your face on camera?
In this episode, Junaid sits down with Ina Coveney, founder of Auto Social Consulting and the creator behind Auto Social Gal, to dismantle every excuse dealerships and local businesses use to avoid short-form video. Ina reveals why you shouldn’t try to be an “influencer,” why copying trends is actually the smartest move you can make, and how a simple 30-day content sprint can completely change the way your community sees you.
Whether you run a dealership, a...
Published: Jan 14, 2026Duration: 41m 9s
Season 7 - Episode 88
How Ina Coveney Turned a Podcast Talk into a Six-Figure Automotive Social Media Empire
What if the niche you were meant to dominate is the one you never planned to enter?
In this episode of Hacks and Hobbies, Junaid sits down with Ina Coveney, marketing strategist, social media trainer, and founder of Auto Social Consulting, to unpack how a single conference talk for podcasters pulled her into the automotive industry—and why car dealerships across the U.S. are now relying on her to go viral and sell more cars.
Ina reveals how she went from “I don’t belong here” in a room full of dealers, to becoming the go‑to s...
Published: Jan 12, 2026Duration: 34m 33s
Season 7 - Episode 87
The Tech Executive Who Turned Silent Menopause Suffering Into a Global Wellness Movement
She was 40, successful in tech… and secretly falling apart. Sleep vanished, anxiety spiked, brain fog wrecked her performance — and no one at work knew why. Even her doctors didn’t have answers, beyond a prescription for antidepressants she instinctively refused.
In this raw and revealing conversation, Amita Sharma, co-founder of Nourish Doc, shares how her hidden battle with perimenopause exposed a brutal truth: women are expected to perform at their peak while silently enduring hormonal chaos that medicine barely studies and workplaces completely ignore. What started as a desperate attempt to “fix herself” has become a mission to build a gl...
Published: Jan 7, 2026Duration: 30m 3s
Season 7 - Episode 86
The ADHD Business Strategist Who Turns Chaos into Focused Growth
You don’t need more discipline. You need a system built for your brain.
In this powerful conversation, ADHD strategist and founder of Unconventional Organization, Sky Waterson, reveals why most traditional productivity and business systems silently fail ADHD entrepreneurs—and what to do instead. If you’ve ever felt “broken” because you can’t stick to lists, planners, or funnels that seem to work for everyone else, this episode will feel like finding the manual you never got.
Sky breaks down her “step into focus” routine, how to escape the feast-or-famine cycle, and why dopamine, time blindness, and working memory mu...
Published: Jan 5, 2026Duration: 25m 45s
Season 7 - Episode 86
ADHD Strategist Reveals How To Prioritize When Everything Is On Fire
What if your overwhelm wasn’t a personal failure, but a wiring mismatch?
In this episode, Junaid sits down with Sky Waterson, founder of Unconventional Organisation and an ADHD strategist who went from burning out in academia to building a thriving business, powered by the very brain that once held her back. Diagnosed with ADHD during her PhD, Sky realised no one was going to hand her the “instruction manual” for her brain—so she went and built it herself.
Sky breaks down how entrepreneurs and high-performers with (or without) ADHD can stop drowning in tasks, esca...
Published: Dec 31, 2025Duration: 20m 6s
Season 7 - Episode 85
The Personal Brand Architect Reveals How to Monetize Your Name Without Chasing Viral Fame
What if your next client, investor, or life-changing opportunity is already watching you… but you’re posting for likes instead of leverage?
In this episode, Junaid sits down with Jeremy Bishop, the personal brand architect behind some of today’s most recognizable names. Jeremy explains why most creators and entrepreneurs are asking the wrong question about monetization—and how to turn your existing skills, relationships, and platforms into real revenue without waiting to “go viral.”
You’ll discover the mindset shifts that took Jeremy from service provider to seven-figure business builder, why chasing subscribers is a trap, and how t...
Published: Dec 29, 2025Duration: 25m 29s
Season 7 - Episode 85
The Hidden Power of Personal Branding (and Why It’s Costing You Millions)
You’re building everyone else’s brand… except your own.
In this episode, Junaid Ahmed sits down with celebrity brand strategist Jeremy Bishop, the man behind brands for Netflix stars, top realtors, artists, and authors. Jeremy reveals how losing everything in his early twenties forced him to confront a brutal truth: if your name doesn’t stand for something, your success can disappear overnight.
They break down what truly makes a personal brand that sells, why most entrepreneurs are invisible online (despite posting every day), and how a simple shift in how you show up on social me...
Published: Dec 24, 2025Duration: 22m 43s
Season 7 - Episode 84
The Villain Who Hacked Social Media – Dark Growth, Algorithm Manipulation & Ethical Influence - Tim O’Hearn
What if the algorithms you’re trying to “beat” were quietly rewiring who you become as a creator?
In this episode, Junaid sits down with Tim O’Hearn, software engineer, growth strategist, and author of Framed: A Villain’s Perspective on Social Media. Tim has lived on both sides of the screen: he’s built persuasive recommendation systems and broken the rules to generate millions of followers for clients.
Together they uncover how modern platforms shape culture, push creators toward extremes, and quietly reward behavior that many of us would have considered unacceptable 15 years ago. Tim shares how he...
Published: Dec 22, 2025Duration: 23m 7s
Season 7 - Episode 84
The $500K Instagram Underworld, Growth Hacking, and the Dark Psychology of Social Media
What if the people promising you “10k followers in 30 days” are telling the truth – but hiding the real cost?
In this episode, former quantitative finance engineer turned growth hacker Tim O’Hearn pulls back the curtain on the hidden Instagram underworld that helped him build a $500k side hustle. From DJs in New York nightlife to spam-at-scale and exploiting weak platform limits, Tim reveals how growth really happens behind the scenes – and why the line between optimization and manipulation is much thinner than you think.
We talk about fake engagement that feels real, data that might be quiet...
Published: Dec 17, 2025Duration: 28m 3s
Season 7 - Episode 83
From Heart Attack & Bankruptcy to “Prosperity Flow” – Why Chasing Success Is Making You Poorer (Alex Moses)
What if your biggest breakthroughs come from the moments you think your life is falling apart?
In this deeply honest and spiritual conversation, Alex Moses – an entrepreneur who’s built empires, lost everything, survived a stroke and a heart attack, and come back stronger – shares the philosophy he calls “Prosperity Flow.” This isn’t about hustling harder, manifesting more, or playing the fake “law of attraction” game. It’s about learning to trust the path in front of you, release the obsession with control, and become the kind of person who can hold massive success and inner peace.
From runnin...
Published: Dec 16, 2025Duration: 38m 53s
Season 7 - Episode 83
From Immigrant Hustler to Millionaire, The Collapse, The Truth & The Secrets of Prosperity (Alex Moses)
What if losing everything is what it takes to find true happiness?
In this gripping episode, host Junaid Ahmed delves into the extraordinary story of Alex Moses—a man who went from broke and alone in a foreign country to working with Steve Jobs and selling companies for hundreds of millions. But when it all crumbled, Alex discovered a deeper truth about success, loss, and meaning.
Hear never-before-shared insights about resilience, the illusions of “right timing,” and the real lessons hiding behind collapse. This episode isn’t just about business—it’s about the pursuit of purpose...
Published: Dec 10, 2025Duration: 18m 34s