It Started With No Business Plan: The Legendary Story Behind Brennan's of Houston

A legendary restaurant can start with a late-night wake-up call and no business plan. Hazem and Mack sit down with Alex Brennan-Martin of Brennan's of Houston to hear the story of a restaurant family that bought its first bar the day after a rushed call to a sleeping father in 1945. Alex traces th…

A Pink Slip Can Become a Career Faster Than You Planned

Getting fired from an internship can launch a career faster than you ever planned. Hazem and Mack sit down with Joseph Jackson, longtime Houston real estate investor and builder. They hear how a Houston kid went from a Brevard, North Carolina internship, where he was fired for showing up late, to …

She Made 75 Cold Calls a Day. Now She Serves 450 Businesses.

A great office does more than look good. It makes people feel cared for. Hazem and Mack sit down with Shelli Lambert, founder of Interior Green International, to hear how she turned creativity, cold calls, and a willingness to learn the hard parts of business into a 30-year Houston company serving…

Two Years of Integrity: Hazem and Mack on Building a Bank From Scratch

You can measure a bank in assets. Or you can measure it in the people who trust you with their next step. Hazem and Mack mark Integrity Bank’s two-year anniversary with a candid conversation about building a community bank from the ground up, approaching $400 million in assets, and earning the tru…

They’re Building a Business Around the Injury No One Can See

A normal scan does not always mean a brain is okay. Hazem and Mack sit down with Bishoi Attia and Michael Darrow of Brain Injury Blood Test, also known as Head Got Hurt, to explore how blood biomarkers may help identify traumatic brain injury after car accidents, concussions, and other impacts tha…

He Took Over a Struggling Family Business at 27

A family business can become your future faster than you ever planned. Hazem and Mack sit down with Fred Leonard, longtime leader of Val-Tex, to hear how he stepped into his father’s struggling valve lubricant and sealant company, lost his father just a few years later, and spent decades rebuildin…

Season Two Recap: Food, Family, and Integrity

Hazem and Mack close out season two by revisiting Houston restaurant families and the bankers who helped build Integrity Bank. From Mama Ninfa’s tortilla and pizza factory to the new Integrity team, they highlight how family, work ethic, and community banking together create gathering places for a …

How a First‑Generation Houstonian Became Integrity Bank's CFO

Hazem sits down with Integrity Bank CFO Betsy Reese to unpack what makes a bank financially strong and how small business owners can read the signals. Betsy shares her journey from first‑generation immigrant and deposit ops clerk to lender, CPA‑track accountant, and Rice MBA graduate leading the ba…

How Tough Cycles Can Teach You How to Lend With Discipline

Booms can make you careless. Busts can teach you how you never want to run a business again. Hazem and Mack sit down with Wade Comeaux, CEO of Catalyst Funding, a Houston-based lender focused on real estate investors, to talk about what he learned from the pre‑crisis mortgage world and why he built…

Starting a Running Shoe Company in College: Veloci’s Origin Story

Dreams can stay on the track. Or they can turn into something you stand on every day. Hazem and Mack speak with Tyler Strothman, collegiate distance runner and founder of Veloci, a performance running shoe company he started while at Rice University. Tyler shares how small town miles, sport managem…