EP #8: Rhodes Scholar Jordan Thomas on Grit, Discipline and Serving Humanity
04/10/21 • 120 min
Learn with Avthar #8: Jordan Thomas on Grit, Discipline, Serving Humanity and degrees from Princeton, Oxford, Yale and Harvard (including the Rhodes Scholarship).
ABOUT JORDAN THOMAS
Jordan Thomas hails from Newark, New Jersey, USA. He graduated Princeton University with a degree in public and international affairs. He's a Rhodes Scholar, and earned his Masters degree from Oxford University in social intervention and policy evaluation.
He's the Chief of Staff to philanthropist Ray Chambers and will enroll at both Yale Law School and Harvard Business School for a unique JD/MBA dual degree. Jordan is motivated to do work that most directly promotes equal opportunity, social mobility, and justice for all.
TOPICS DISCUSSED:
- Jordan's journey from engineering to policy and how he found his strengths and developed self-awareness
- Why Jordan believes waking up early is a core habit which fueled his success
- How Jordan developed grit and resilience and wants to take David Goggins soul
- Why focusing on helping others is Jordan's secret to his success
- The application writing techniques that got Jordan into Princeton, Harvard, Yale and Oxford
- Books and speeches that most impacted Jordan’s life
KEEP IN TOUCH WITH JORDAN THOMAS
Jordan’s Twitter - https://twitter.com/RealAfroScholar
Jordan’s Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/realafroscholar/?hl=enCONNECT WITH AVTHAR SEWRATHAN
Learn more and stay up to date at: https://avthar.com
Avthar's Weekly Wisdom: https://avthar.substack.com
Learn with Avthar Podcast: https://avthar.buzzsprout.com
Follow Avthar on Twitter: https://twitter.com/avthars
Learn with Avthar #8: Jordan Thomas on Grit, Discipline, Serving Humanity and degrees from Princeton, Oxford, Yale and Harvard (including the Rhodes Scholarship).
ABOUT JORDAN THOMAS
Jordan Thomas hails from Newark, New Jersey, USA. He graduated Princeton University with a degree in public and international affairs. He's a Rhodes Scholar, and earned his Masters degree from Oxford University in social intervention and policy evaluation.
He's the Chief of Staff to philanthropist Ray Chambers and will enroll at both Yale Law School and Harvard Business School for a unique JD/MBA dual degree. Jordan is motivated to do work that most directly promotes equal opportunity, social mobility, and justice for all.
TOPICS DISCUSSED:
- Jordan's journey from engineering to policy and how he found his strengths and developed self-awareness
- Why Jordan believes waking up early is a core habit which fueled his success
- How Jordan developed grit and resilience and wants to take David Goggins soul
- Why focusing on helping others is Jordan's secret to his success
- The application writing techniques that got Jordan into Princeton, Harvard, Yale and Oxford
- Books and speeches that most impacted Jordan’s life
KEEP IN TOUCH WITH JORDAN THOMAS
Jordan’s Twitter - https://twitter.com/RealAfroScholar
Jordan’s Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/realafroscholar/?hl=enCONNECT WITH AVTHAR SEWRATHAN
Learn more and stay up to date at: https://avthar.com
Avthar's Weekly Wisdom: https://avthar.substack.com
Learn with Avthar Podcast: https://avthar.buzzsprout.com
Follow Avthar on Twitter: https://twitter.com/avthars
Previous Episode
EP #7: Yaw Owusu-Boahen: No-Code, Career Hacks, Founder Lessons and Diversity & Inclusion in Tech
Learn with Avthar #7: Yaw Owusu-Boahen on No-Code, Career Hacks, Founder Lessons and Diversity & Inclusion in Tech
ABOUT YAW
Yaw is a Ghanian-born, American entrepreneur. He currently directs the Immerse Pre-Accelerator for BIPOC founders, as a leader of the founder inclusion team at Bubble, a company which makes a No-Code application building platform.
Previously, Yaw co-founded LMNS, an equal-opportunity hiring platform for digital marketers, and was a consultant at the prestigious Bain and Company. Yaw is a graduate of Princeton University, with a degree in Public Policy and International Relations.
KEEP IN TOUCH WITH YAW
Yaw's Website - https://yawob.me/
Yaw's Twitter: https://twitter.com/yawob_
Yaw's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yawowusuboahen/
Yaw's IG: https://www.instagram.com/freshprinceakeem/?hl=en
TIMESTAMPS
0:00 - Intro
2:42 - Yaw's journey from employee to founder
8:24 - Where does self-belief and conviction in our abilities come from?
15:11 - Exit strategies when leaving a company
25:33 - Finding value in your current position
29:00 - Creating an app for the New York Club scene
33:06 - Lessons from a two-time founder
37:33 - Problem-Founder-Fit
44:15 - The LMNS story
47:22 - The Hiring space is saturated
52:38 - Choosing a partner is the most important business decision you will ever make
55:10 - Entrepreneurship is not sexy
58:56 - Conviction investors vs Sheep investors
1:07:00 - Distribution and finding traction
1:20:12 - Diversity and Inclusion in the tech industry
1:24:16 - Accelerators, Pre-Accelerators and how they're bridging the diversity gap
1:30:12 - What is No-Code?
1:32:16 - How Bubble enables entrepreneurs to test their ideas faster
1:53:55 - Quickfire questions
1:58:03 - Tools, Resources and Frameworks from a two-time Founder
2:00:28 - Finding your Authentic Self
CONNECT WITH AVTHAR
Learn more and stay up to date at: https://avthar.com
Avthar's Weekly Wisdom: https://avthar.substack.com
Learn with Avthar Podcast: https://avthar.buzzsprout.com
Follow Avthar on Twitter: https://twitter.com/avthars
Next Episode
EP #9: Danny Miranda on Pursuing Your Highest Version
Learn with Avthar #9: Danny Miranda on Pursuing your Highest Version
ABOUT DANNY MIRANDA
Danny Miranda is all about pursuing the highest version of himself and helping others do the same. He's the host of The Danny Miranda Podcast, where he's interviewed folks like entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuck, writer Polina Marinova, YouTuber Ali Abdaal and entrepreneur and author Kamal Ravikant. He's also the author of Tuesday Treasure, a newsletter that's nutrition for your brain.
TOPICS DISCUSSED:
- Balancing striving with contentment
- The origins of Danny's mission to pursue the highest version of himself
- How Tony Robbins and Kamal Ravikant helped Danny to overcome depression and transform his life
- Core habits that Danny practices like meditation and journalling and why "reading your own book" is something we all should be doing
- What 75 hard is and how it helped Danny become stronger and more resilient
- The power of having an accountability partner
KEEP IN TOUCH WITH DANNY MIRANDA
Website - https://dannymiranda.com
Newsletter - https://dannymiranda.com/tuesday-treasure/
Twitter - https://twitter.com/heydannymiranda
Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTRIPyUEXywZg-21vP6mhDg
CONNECT WITH AVTHAR SEWRATHAN
Learn more and stay up to date at: https://avthar.com
Avthar's Weekly Wisdom: https://avthar.substack.com
Learn with Avthar Podcast: https://avthar.buzzsprout.com
Follow Avthar on Twitter: https://twitter.com/avthars
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