Breakfast with A Friend!

Russian Passport: Freedom, Dreams and Learning Laugh at Hard Things

In this episode, I sat with Marina ( @marinadoit  [https://studio.youtube.com/channel/UCZ2QwUjiXZsEwYb9HNT18dg] ). A Russian content creator navigating heartbreak, a restrictive passport, and the quiet tension of wanting a life just out of reach. We talked about humor as a coping mechanism, what it feels like to watch friends move freely while you can't, staying true to yourself online and off, and the dream of a life that keeps moving. — If this kept you company, there’s a quiet coffee link here ☕ https://buymeacoffee.com/shepherd_06 [https://buymeacoffee.com/shepherd_06] —

How Do You Build a Startup When the Product Has to Think Faster In Real Time? w/ Ivan from Knowzilla

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/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/ivaniushchenko/] Find Knowzilla: https://www.linkedin.com/company/knowzilla/ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/knowzilla/] — If this kept you company, there’s a quiet coffee link here ☕ https://buymeacoffee.com/shepherd_06 [https://buymeacoffee.com/shepherd_06] —

Russian Artist Who Chose Integrity Over Money

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/2RVknMVoiu7FtucATdcdH6 [https://open.spotify.com/artist/2RVknMVoiu7FtucATdcdH6] Dacoito's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dacoito/ [https://www.instagram.com/dacoito/] — If this kept you company, there’s a quiet coffee link here ☕ https://buymeacoffee.com/shepherd_06 [https://buymeacoffee.com/shepherd_06] —

AI & The Future of Programming with Edoardo Dusi

In this episode, I sit with Edoardo Dusi (‪@edodusi‬ [https://www.youtube.com/@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 developer * The difference between writing code and solving problems * What happens to junior programmers when AI handles the basics * Learning to work with AI instead of against it * Why curiosity might matter more than syntax — If this kept you company, there’s a quiet coffee link here ☕ https://buymeacoffee.com/shepherd_06 [https://buymeacoffee.com/shepherd_06] —

On Loneliness, Kindness, and Starting Again w/@YogaWithNabila

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 [https://buymeacoffee.com/shepherd_06] -----------