In this unique Father’s Day Edition of Chatter That Matters, Ed Hajim tells his remarkable story, one he recounts in his new book: On the Road Less Traveled: An Unlikely Journey from the Orphanage to the Boardroom.” He walks Tony Chapman and listeners through the lessons he learned, the skills he developed and the way he turned the disadvantages life had served him into personal advantages.
Having lived in the Catholic Welfare System, five different foster homes and a Jewish orphanage, Ed talks about how he learned to adapt and live with change throughout his youth. He talks about arriving at Harvard University — with the wrong clothes and the wrong background — and how he graduated with distinction despite the odds. He shares how he buried his past for most of his life, unlocking it only in his 70s.
He tells incredible tales of reuniting with his mother after 57 years, becoming close friends with a half-brother he didn’t know he had, and opening a suitcase full of letters his father had saved that took him 25 years to open.
Sharing lessons learned about love, family and perseverance, Ed lists the principles he lives by, the biggest one being gratitude. Today, at age 86 and with decades of extraordinary success in Investment Banking behind him, he tells Tony that “giving back is what I’m put on the earth for.”
An episode for fathers, sons and daughters everywhere, Ed Hajim’s journey will inspire gratitude, goodness and goodwill and leave listeners awestruck by a man who overcame his circumstances to survive, thrive and give generously.
Tony Chapman created the Chatter That Matters podcast to counter the storm of negativity and impossibility with true stories of ordinary people who do extraordinary things. He chats with Olympians, Advocates, Celebrities, Leaders, and people who battled what seemed like insurmountable odds.
In doing, listeners hear life lessons that inspire all of us to do more and to be more, to help us get to where we need, want and deserve to go. RBC is the presenting sponsor.
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