A transcript from the first episode of Breakfast & Launch
Editor’s note
Some people think best by listening. Others by reading.
I’ve come to think of video as spoken writing, so rather than leaving this conversation on YouTube alone, I wanted to publish a written edition here as well. What follows is a lightly edited transcript of the first episode of Breakfast & Launch. I trimmed some repetition, and removed jokes that don’t translate well in writing, doing my best to preserve the energy of the original conversation.
I hope you enjoy reading it.
“A podcast is a magical thing because it’s you building intimacy with someone… in public.”
– Taiwo
Introduction
Hello, and thank you for being here. Whether you found this page intentionally or the algorithm brought you here (thank you, algorithm), I’m genuinely glad you’re here.
Before I begin inviting guests into these conversations, I thought it would be fair to introduce myself and tell you why I’m starting this podcast.
My name is Taiwo Asiwaju. I was born and raised in Nigeria. I moved to Canada in 2019. I trained as a medical doctor in Nigeria, and pivoted right after my first year of practice. On purpose. I then worked briefly in consulting and corporate finance. For the past seven years, after moving to Canada, I have worked in tech (the SaaS domain).
Alongside all this, I’ve also spent years building a parallel life as an ordained pastor, writer, recording artist and creative.
Why am I starting a podcast in 2026?
I’ve always had a very clear sense of my calling in life. I’ve always known that I am going to be a voice of transformation, on a global stage. That’s actually what led me to study medicine. For me, the medical degree was the most relevant one I could get at a BSC level that would let me consult for people in helping them live fulfilling lives. Since I was sixteen, when I gained admission into med school, I’ve always been working towards the the vision of being a coach, a guide and the voice of help. That vision is what brought me across all these vocations that I’ve participated in. I was seeking exposure, and a path to ‘a country of my own’ (Hebrews 11:14).
While I have built a real life offline, and maintained a decent social media presence over the years, I’ve not committed to building my life’s vision as determinedly as I have in the past year. The last twelve months has been one of profound personal reckoning. I wrote about a short book about that here. That reckoning has culminated in me launching a new career chapter. This chapter is about doing my life’s work and not waiting for ‘the right time’ anymore.
That’s why I’m starting this podcast now. It’s a commitment to building intentionally a new chapter of my career—in public, and to inspire others to do the same. That’s what this show is about.
The Story Behind ‘Breakfast & Launch’
I named the podcast after my album trilogy of the same title. I have three albums titled Breakfast and Launch, BNL Volume II and BNL Volume III. Let me explain what the name ‘breakfast and launch’ means.
In Nigerian slang, to ‘chop breakfast‘ means to experience heartbreak. In 2021, I lost a dear relationship that inspired the songs I wrote. The launch side of things is because while I had released professionally produced songs before then, in that season my priority was to commit afresh to building a catalog as a serious recording artist. That was the overriding ambition that was on my mind when I moved from Nigeria to Canada—that I was gonna start to take my creative work more seriously. So that was what it was for me. Breakfast, that is the heartbreak, and launch, which is I’m launching something new.
It was also a play on words— breakfast, the first meal meal of the day and lunch second meal of the day. When I starting planning a podcast, the initial name that I had in mind was Unlocked, because that’s how I felt in my spirit. I discuss the idea of hosting a podcast with my friend David Kenny (he’s my music producer, a podcast engineer, and happens to be the first guest of the show.) He was in support, but said we needed a name that has strong intellectual property potential— something unique. We had a very thorough brainstorm but did not quite find the one. A few days after, it occured to me—why not name the podcast after one of the many names already existing in my universe? I just came back to him and asked “What if we actually named it Breakfast and Launch?” The name was very fitting because of the width of this show, the weight of it. The show is about my becoming and inspiring others to become. The guests that come on the show are people who have built, who have become, or who are becoming.
And so the name—breakfast. That is the most important meal of the day. And then we launch because of the breakfast that we’ve had. This the conversations that we’ll have on this podcast are to prepare us for what we are launching in our own lives. That is really the meaning of of the podcast title, Breakfast and Launch.
Why Interviews Instead of Monologues?
That’s the original vision. I’ve always wanted to host a talk show where I’m exchanging value with established and wise people.
Now, if you know me you from other channels, from other work and other stuff that I do, you know that I have enough ideas of my own. And so for my monologues, for my direct videos, I host those through my personal Youtube channel, ‘Taiwo Ash’.
Great conversations have changed my life. I I enjoy learning. And I learn most through conversations. You’ll you’ll see that when we start. Not that I learn through conversations, but that there’s just the magic to conversations for me. And I want you to be part of that. That’s why it’s an interview podcast. I meet a lot of incredible people who I feel so honored to know, and the interview podcast is a format that lets us transmit value between ourselves and with the world.
How I Choose Guests
I choose guests based on proximity and recognition.
When I recognize something about them that like, “You’re loaded, you’re doing great stuff, you’re amazing“. I invite people who have demonstrated resolve in pursuing purpose in their lives, people who have generated results, or people who are just sweet, nice souls that I can tell there’s something about them that I need to pull out and share with the world.
So I identify those people. I build relationships with them, I invite them. Some of them are big shots, others are incredible people in my life that I just invite to share their magic with the world.
I’ll use this opportunity to say a huge thank you to everyone that has come on the show. Let me also drop a gem for you right now and say podcasting is a remarkable way to build relationships. Yeah, I’ve walked up to people that I was just meeting and said “You should come on the podcast“. And after the podcast, we built a great relationship all around the podcast. So a podcast is a magical thing because it’s you building intimacy with someone in public at the same time. That is crazy. That’s why you should start a podcast.
Everybody that you see on the show is someone that I have vetted. I bring only the best of the best. Anybody that you see on the show, take for granted that, “Yes, this is a good person. I can trust them. I can listen to their stuff, I can follow them on social media”. So that’s the kind of people that I I source for you—the best.
What You Can Expect
Expect honest, long form conversations. We do long form conversations over here because some ideas, some truths, some conversations deserve the room to breathe. They occupy space and they have weight. They matter. See what I did there? Haha! Yeah, 1000%. So expect that. Expect thoughtful conversations on everything that has to do with becoming and building. That includes primarily career growth and development. That is the most common basis with which I connect with people.
So let me tell you, I think I mentioned this already. I’m a coach, I’m a career strategist. I help people build visible authority that they can leverage for their next strategic role. I help people strategize and just get heard, get visible, and step into their next career chapter. So that’s what I do right now. And so that’s part of why careers are the most focal point of conversation. But really, it’s about everything to do with purpose.
Not all of us are are gonna find our purpose from our nine to five. So guests that come on the show are all builders. Career builders, business builders, ministry builders, art builders, all of them. So you’re gonna see a lot of that. So expect conversations, long form, thoughtful conversations on career, purpose, faith, creativity, relationships, excellence. All of these are just different expressions of the same thing. Building. This is a show for builders. I feel so emotional right now because I’m so glad that you’re here. If you are building with intention, you will feel at home here.
My name is Taiwo. I welcome you to this community. Welcome to Breakfast and Launch. I’ll see you around and I really can’t wait to share all this good stuff with you.
Prefer watching?
This transcript is adapted from the first episode of Breakfast & Launch.
If you’d rather experience it as it was originally spoken, you can watch the full episode on YouTube.
→ Watch: Why I’m Starting a Podcast in 2026