The Chair – Details, episodes & analysis

What do you do when you lose everything and have to rebuild your life in a new country?

In this episode of The Chair, Tareq Hadhad shares his family's journey from Syria to Canada after war forced them to leave everything behind. From rebuilding a chocolate business in Nova Scotia to redefining what home means, this conversation explores resilience, grief, identity, and hope.

In this conversation:
• Why healing starts with accepting reality
• How family, faith, and community help us navigate loss
• What trauma can teach us about kindness and belonging
• Why home can become more than a place

Here’s what you’re in for:

00:00 Welcome to the Show

00:12 Why This Conversation Matters

01:16 Syria Roots and the Chocolate Business

03:10 War, Bombing, and Becoming Refugees

06:34 Rebuilding Through Hope and Family

12:26 Finding Hope When You're Alone

18:11 Accepting Where You Are to Move Forward

20:56 Being Celebrated as a Refugee

22:31 The Kindness of a Small Town in Nova Scotia

24:06 Turning Survival Into a Way to Serve Others

26:19 Finding Kindness After Trauma

26:55 What You Carry That Nobody Sees

29:25 Healing Through Memories

31:40 Redefining What Home Means

36:12 Identity, Faith, and Belonging

40:40 Why Canada Felt Like Peace

44:54 Keep Showing Up

49:39 Final Thanks and How to Connect With Tareq

ABOUT TAREQ HADHAD

Tareq Hadhad is the founder and CEO of Peace by Chocolate, a Syrian-Canadian entrepreneur, and public speaker. After losing his family’s chocolate business during the war in Syria, Tareq and his family rebuilt their lives in Nova Scotia, turning their story of displacement into one of resilience, community, and hope. 

Their journey was later highlighted by Justin Trudeau in a global speech and became the subject of the bestselling book and feature film Peace by Chocolate, while Tareq continues to share messages of resilience, entrepreneurship, and giving back on stages around the world. 

You can reach out to Tareq through:LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/tareqhadhad/ 

Website: https://www.tareqhadhad.com/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tareqhadhad/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/peacebychocolate/

 ABOUT JIDE LADIPO-AJAYI 

Jide Ladipo Ajayi is a transformational leader and host of The Chair, a podcast about resilience, leadership, and the moments that redefine us. Through thoughtful and honest conversations, he explores the human stories behind success, adversity, and personal growth. Drawing from years of experience leading change and developing people. Jide brings curiosity, empathy, and insight to conversations that inspire reflection and growth. 

You can reach out to Jide through:

Website: https://www.thechairmedia.com 

ABOUT THE CHAIR

The Chair is where real conversations happen.

Not the highlight reel. Not the polished version of success. The moments that actually changed everything — the ones that shaped who we are when no one is watching.

Hosted by Jide Ladipo-Ajayi, while still recovering from brain surgery, The Chair was never about content. It was about necessity. About finding meaning in the hardest moments and creating a space where others could do the same.

Every guest who sits in The Chair comes with a story worth hearing. No pressure to perform. No script. Just honest conversation with real depth.

Because the stories that change us are rarely the ones we planned to tell.

Listen. Reflect. Be changed.

To know more about The Chair you can visit the links below:

• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thechairmedia 

• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0s0Vudb8QRMbXp9fOgSJii

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61576450270469#

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thechairmedia/

• Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thechairmedia

• X: https://x.com/thechairmedia

• Apple:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-chair-where-truth-sits/id1896831890?i=1000770001722
  

Before January 4th, 2026, Jide believed he was unstoppable.

He was ambitious, driven, deeply focused on becoming the best version of himself, a husband, father, leader, and high performer building the life he had always envisioned. Then one night, a sudden headache changed everything.

What followed was a devastating brain bleed, seizures, emergency brain surgery, weeks in the ICU, months in the hospital, and a recovery journey that forced him to confront something he had never faced before: the loss of who he used to be.

In this deeply personal first episode of The Chair Podcast, Jide shares the full story of his stroke, coma, rehabilitation, neurofatigue, emotional breakdowns, identity loss, marriage struggles, and the mindset shift that transformed his recovery.

This is not a story about “bouncing back.”It’s a story about grief, rebuilding, faith, perspective, and becoming someone entirely new.

Here’s what you’re in for:

00:00 Why This Podcast

00:46 Feeling Invincible

02:13 The Night It Started

04:19 Diagnosis And Transfer

06:12 Silent Seizures

07:16 ICU Coma And Surgery

10:12 Waking Up Confused

15:08 Rehab Reality Check

19:40 Homecoming And Grief

22:16 Acceptance And New Fight

23:40 Faith And Marriage Tested

27:05 Lessons For Leaders

27:52 Hope For Your Recovery

29:22 Closing And Invitation

If this story resonated with you, share this episode with someone navigating recovery, loss, or change — sometimes hope begins with hearing that someone else survived too. 

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 ABOUT JIDELADIPO-AJAYI 

Jide Ladipo Ajayi is a transformation leader and host of The Chair, a podcast about resilience, leadership, and the moments that redefine us. Through thoughtful and honest conversations, he explores the human stories behind success, adversity, and personal growth. Drawing from years of experience leading change and developing people. Jide brings curiosity, empathy, and insight to conversations that inspire reflection and growth. 

You can reach out to Jide through:

Website: https://www.thechairmedia.com 

ABOUT THE CHAIRThe Chair is where real conversations happen.

Not the highlight reel. Not the polished version of success. The moments that actually changed everything — the ones that shaped who we are when no one is watching.

Hosted by Jide Ladipo-Ajayi — while still recovering from brain surgery — The Chair was never about content. It was about necessity. About finding meaning in the hardest moments and creating a space where others could do the same.

Every guest who sits in The Chair comes with a story worth hearing. No pressure to perform. No script. Just honest conversation with real depth.

Because the stories that change us are rarely the ones we planned to tell.

Listen. Reflect. Be changed.

To know more about The Chair you can visit the links below:

• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thechairmedia 

• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0s0Vudb8QRMbXp9fOgSJii

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61576450270469#

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thechairmedia/

• Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thechairmedia

• X: https://x.com/thechairmedia

• Apple:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-chair-where-truth-sits/id1896831890?i=1000770001722

A raw, unfiltered podcast where conversations go beyond achievements and surface-level stories. In The Chair, guests sit down to explore the moments, decisions, and experiences that shape who they are—honestly, deeply, and without performance.