Ahmed’s story is one that will remind you that your starting point does not have to define where you end up. From becoming the sole provider for his family at just 11 years old in Cairo, to selling tissue boxes at traffic lights, working construction jobs, and eventually building a career in software engineering, Ahmed’s journey is a powerful story of resilience, reinvention, and refusing to give up.

In this episode, Ahmed shares what it was like to grow up with the pressure of survival, the “lion” of poverty that continued to chase him even after he found success, and how he kept rebuilding himself through every challenge. We talk about leaving Egypt for Dubai, facing hundreds of rejections while searching for opportunities abroad, teaching himself English by simply talking to strangers, and starting over again in the U.S. without a traditional path into tech.

We talk about:

• Growing up at 11 years old as the sole provider for his family
• Selling tissue boxes at traffic lights and learning the foundations of sales
• Leaving Egypt and searching for a better life in Dubai
• Applying to hundreds of jobs and overcoming rejection
• Teaching himself English, software skills, and breaking into tech without a traditional background
• Why networking became his “real diploma”
• Building Wavehi, an app inspired by his own journey of finding connection

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About Renee Wanna Know:

Renee Wanna Know is a podcast about how people actually figure things out, and the real path behind their careers and lives.

Each episode goes into the decisions, detours, and uncertainties that don’t usually get talked about: switching directions, getting stuck, and learning as you go.

Guests include founders, creators, and people building their lives in real time, sharing what it actually looks like behind the surface.

It’s a space for understanding how people move through change, and what shapes the choices they make along the way.

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Watch full video episodes here:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4hPhpr699cs9hFjrw61oBA

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Download WaveHi here:

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/wavehi/id6740185982

Pablo started by hosting backyard meetups for founders in Florida, simple gatherings built around ideas, pizza, and early-stage energy. What began as a small community eventually scaled into one of the most active startup ecosystems in the Southeast and later evolved into OneSixOne Ventures, an early-stage venture fund investing in high-growth startups.

Along the way, money ran out, plans fell apart, and Pablo found himself in Seattle selling his car, navigating uncertainty, and even walking dogs on Rover while continuing to build. A single press feature later changed the trajectory of everything.

In this episode, we explore how community-building turned into venture capital, and why choosing growth over certainty shaped every major decision along the way.

What we cover:

• How backyard founder meetups became a startup ecosystem
• Building one of the largest founder communities in the Southeast US
• The $84 pizza moment and what it says about building with almost nothing
• Moving to Seattle, selling his car, and nearly becoming homeless
• Why staying after a GeekWire feature changed everything
• Walking dogs on Rover while building a venture fund
• How OneSixOne Ventures was created from community momentum

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About Renee Wanna Know:

Renee Wanna Know is a podcast about how people actually figure things out, and the real path behind their careers and lives.

Each episode explores the decisions, detours, and uncertain moments that don’t usually get talked about: switching directions, getting stuck, and learning as you go.

Guests include founders, creators, and people building their lives in real time, sharing what it actually looks like behind the surface.

It’s a space for understanding how people move through change, and what shapes the choices they make along the way.

—

Watch full video episodes:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4hPhpr699cs9hFjrw61oBA

Tracy Arakaki thought she had a pretty clear idea of where her career was headed. Leading clinical trials across 20 countries, moving to Australia, and ending up in business development definitely weren’t part of the plan.

In this episode, Tracy shares how some of the biggest opportunities in her life came from taking chances on things she didn’t feel fully prepared for. We talk about the moments when she felt stuck, the decisions that changed her trajectory, and why she’s learned to trust her instincts more than the timeline she originally had for herself.

We talk about:

• Moving to Australia and starting over somewhere new
• Taking action before you have everything figured out
• Trusting your gut when a decision doesn’t make logical sense
• How unexpected opportunities can shape a career

Sometimes the things that end up defining your life are the things you never planned for.

About Renee Wanna Know:

Renee Wanna Know is a podcast about how people actually figure things out, and the real path behind their careers and lives.

Each episode goes into the decisions, detours, and uncertainties that don’t usually get talked about: switching directions, getting stuck, and learning as you go.

Guests include founders, creators, and people building their lives in real time, sharing what it actually looks like behind the surface.

It’s a space for understanding how people move through change, and what shapes the choices they make along the way.