Nathan Harris, CEO, and co-founder of Ease, an AI-assisted global talent platform that connects leading companies with the world’s brightest people based on culture fit and allows you to collaborate remotely within our virtual workspace. Listen to find out how it all started!

Announcer: [0:03 ] Live, it's the behind the resume podcast, with why scouts, Max Hansen, where you get to know the person behind the resume. The interesting stuff people never hear about just by looking at a profile here intimate conversations with leaders to learn their story, life hacks, life experiences, and any other interesting practices or learning experiences that have made them who they are today. You know, the interesting stuff. Now, if you're ready, let's go behind the resume. here's your host, why scouts back sanson.

Max: [0:43 ] Welcome to Episode Two of behind the resume with Max Hanson brought to you by why scouts Today's guest is Nathan Harris. Nate is originally from Milwaukee, a Korean and current Scottsdale resident Nate is a successful restaurant here, tech pioneer. Think it's a word I just made up growth strategist, podcaster, consultant, motivational speaker and so much more. Nate's story is an incredible example of the American Dream from growing up and during periods of homelessness to becoming a successful entrepreneur and multiple companies. I can't wait to get behind the resume with Nathan Harris. Welcome to the show, Nate.

Nathan: [1:16 ] Thanks. I appreciate the value in intro.

Max: [1:18 ] You got it. So let's start out what is a motto that you live by? Let's just jump right in.

Nathan: [1:25 ] Yeah, one of the biggest things, it's also the only tattoo on my body is a is the strength in adversity, I feel like the greatest strengths that you find in life. And in pretty much anything that you do is largely when you're facing some form of challenge. And you have to push through that. So that's one of my biggest mottos.

Max: [1:42 ] Got it. It makes sense. So I know a little bit about you. So I'm going to ask some questions. Normally, on this show, I like to start with the professional stuff, and then dig into the juicy stuff. But you have such an amazing story that I want to jump I want to go back. And I want you to tell me about your journey as a child, and you know, being homeless for short periods of time, or maybe they're long periods of time, we'll find out no father figure your mom's role, your brother's role, like let's start with that story. Because I think there's so much there to unpack.

Nathan: [2:12 ] Yeah, I mean, I think that that is the most significant part of what made me who I am today is, you know, having a single mom, being able to try and provide for kids and still grow as an individual as well, is really, really inspiring, you know, to see someone that you know, eight to 20 years old, two kids, and at times, he had to live in a shelter, you know, just to get us to that next chapter. But her willingness to keep us happy and to keep us motivated. And always finding that positive spirit, even through the face of that adversity. So she could give us a better opportunity, or at least the best opportunities you could set us up for. That was just something that inspired me and really having her now even we're walking miles in the snow, you know, with, with no money and just carrying groceries, she keeps us singing, even if our, our feet were freezing. And eventually, though, a lot of that kind of took a toll on her. So by the time I was around 12 years old, my mom attempted suicide out of just facing depression that wasn't really addressed, right. And there's no one there for her to call on. She was all by herself raising two kids. And it created a level of awareness. And in that moment, it was when my brother really kind of showed me what what real man is he decided, you know what, I'm not gonna let us get separated, he basically asked me to go with the flow. Because right now, if we tell anybody that mom's not here, they're gonna take us. So in this moment, he had to decide like, he's got to now be kind of like, we got to be our own dads. So that's really was the turning point for me that, you know, from there forward, it was on us to kind of provide for our families. And it's been that way ever since.

Max: [3:48 ] such an amazing story. How will what's the age difference between you and your brother?

Nathan: [3:52 ] He's about two years older than me. So I was 12, he was 14. And we really had to like band together. And so what we did honestly, to survive as a mom would get these checks and melfin disable, we just take him to the corner store and in the ghetto, like no one's gonna, like was there full girl like cashing a check? I don't know. But that's just how it was. So we would go there with cash, we don't have to, like manage bills. So like, a lot of times we'd be showering with candles, because in the winter, like they would cut the lights off, but they won't cut the heat off. Because like illegal in Wisconsin, we kind of figured out the loophole or the guy, well, we may not have lights, but at least you have enough money for food. So like, that's really kind of how it was growing up. It's like, you had to pick a struggle. It wasn't like you were gonna have any hair, you just have to pick which one. So um, that was my early part of my life. And through going through that ended up taking a toll on me. So by the time I got to my senior high school, I gave up, I didn't want to finish I actually didn't graduate high school on time. I was just like, I want to find a way to live in the streets. And with all this opportunity I had like I was class president I was set up for success, but I just didn't believe myself. So then, when I did that, my brother's like Alright, well then I'll I'm not going to college you then because I'm not leaving behind. So I seen how I was kind of impacting him. And he just basically it really broke me Actually, after a while I was like, I can't be the dragon a family we've been through enough. So then I do a lot of tears decided that I'm going to literally live every day and be better no matter what happens. And I don't know what that better looks like. And I think I was 19 at the time, and a mom do want to hold us back either. So eventually, I moved and got my own apartment and I started working at UPS. I was a receiving manager. I loaded the trucks first, then I became manager. Yeah, but that was kind of like my origin of really breaking out because I got promoted for months to like management. And I started seeing like a different world. And that's when I moved to Milwaukee. And I had to like kind of leave my mom on her own. And she did so great. Like she would go to the grocery store all by herself, which was not a thing. So yeah, that was kind of my origin of like, really want to spread my wings. But I eventually stopped the corporate route about a year in two years to end and start a digital agency, which was my first business.

Max: [6:07 ] Got it. Got it. So did you did you and your brother like play sports? Or like, Did you have any? Did you get to compete when you're younger? What was your childhood like?

Nathan: [6:15 ] He did. So my brother was amazing track athlete reward winning, you know, he went to stay metalled Gold all that wrestling conference champion. He was all those great things. I was class president like, and also the number one talent guy because I was a breakdancer. So that was my thing is like I didn't really like sports. I love dance. So I created my own crew called the fresh bombs crew. And because we live our lives on the ground, but we're still fresh. So we really competed a lot on computer multiple stages. And it was it was my escape.

Max: [6:48 ] That's awesome. I love how breakdancing goes from generation to generation because that was a thing when I was younger, too. And clearly I'm you know, a little bit older than you at least 10 years.

Nathan: [6:57 ] It's a lot of fun. It's a it's something that like I could control but then push the limits still at the same time.

Max: [7:04 ] Yeah, that's what I was gonna I was gonna dig into that a little bit like how do you connect, being a competitive breakdancer to being good professional at what you do now.

Nathan: [7:12 ] Um, they called me dream all the time. And I think it all ties in everything. So rather be how my bars or how I remind a software company or anything that I'm a part of, like a dream it right is it's this weird thing I have where like, I'll even get up and just drive my car for 30 minutes and just like visualize things. So I've always been like that as a kid. So I was right on right all the time. So like, I could see stuff. And then I connected writing and music. And as I listen to music, I would see my mom like moonwalking and stuff in the kitchen and stuff because my mom loved to dance. And apparently like you know, my dad was like a DJ and the dance when he was younger. And I was like, oh, man, it's in the blood. So like, I just got really addicted. And I would dance in front of like the mirror. But it was always like I would Daydream visualize. So it really taught me that in order to dance, you got to be able to create nothing from just to be in a movement or something to be inspired by a trigger, right? So now today rather be when I'm consulting people or are trying to build an ecosystem grow company, my ability to have foresight, my vision, my ability to visualize and created create those experiences in real life, I think is immensely impacted. Because that's all I do. And it's all I've done is just visualizing and execute on officialize.

Max: [8:26 ] Yeah, love it. And I think, you know, one of the things that sticks out to me is that you would dream visualize, and then you would write it down. Because a lot of people you know, I for a long time w