Explore every episode of the podcast The Chair
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| EP 2: The Syrian Refugee Who Built a Chocolate Empire | 31 May 2026 | 00:49:53 | |
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: 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: | |||
| EP 1: I Survived a Stroke at 37 | Brain Surgery, Coma & Recovery Story | 31 May 2026 | 00:23:08 | |
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. —------------------------------------------------------------- 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:
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| The Chair: Where Truth Sits | 28 May 2026 | 00:02:02 | |
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. | |||