Entrepreneur and writer Fouad Jeryes—behind CashBasha, Amman Tech Tuesdays, and now Maqsam, an Arabic-first AI cloud contact center—joins Dana Alhanbali to talk about the side of startups you don’t see in headlines: self-doubt, burnout, heartbreak, and the clarity that sometimes follows unraveling.

We cover: tying identity to performance, coming of age in adulthood, small wins vs. “scale,” building Arabic AI for real contact-center work, and why vulnerability is a leadership advantage—especially in MENA cultures that expect men to carry silently.

Fouad also shares how his team at Maqsam funds anonymous mental-health care for employees across Jordan, KSA, Egypt, and the UAE.If you’re building in MENA tech, curious about Arabic LLMs, or renegotiating your metrics for a good life, this episode gives language, tools, and maybe permission to change.

We hope you will find something to consider.

Connect with the Guest:

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

X: X.com/fouadjeryes

Company Website: www.maqsam.com

Medium: https://medium.com/@fouadjeryes

Find us at (Instagram podcast page) https://www.instagram.com/somethingtoconsider.podcast/

Listen to us (all available platforms)

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/something-to-consider/id1674861838

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/618zDVAJO0teMngLOzyKz4?si=8bfddd1364d34fc7

Connect with the Host:

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

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/danaalhanbali

X: https://x.com/DanaAlhanbali

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@danaalhanbali

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@danaalhanbali5621/about