Nicole interviews Ted Yang, a 13-time Serial Entrepreneur. MIT Engineer. Hedge Fund Executive. Author. Do-Gooder. Dad.

Ted is not the kind of guy to sit on something important or big. If he sees a problem, the engineer in him looks to fix it. If he sees a financial opportunity or gap, the finance guy in him is figuring out how to leverage it. As part of this calculus, he wasn't always focused on personal evolution or self-reflection (despite that being a mantra of at least one former employer.)

But when he and his wife Christine's micro-premiere triplets were born at 24 weeks in 2008, he realized he was on a different kind of journey. For a guy that knows no limits on success, just how far was he willing to go for his family and their future? The answer: whatever it takes.

Coming out on November 17th, 2020 - World Prematurity Day - Ted talks about his new book, "Table for Five" the story from a father's unique perspective of the sudden joy of a miracle family, followed by the loss of his son Raymond and the fight for the survival of a daughter and son. This then followed by years of painful medical interventions and diagnosis of autism. The experience forced him to contend with things like vulnerability, powerlessness gratitude, the value of small successes, and embracing change in hard times.

Ted also talks about being the son of Chinese immigrants, his drive for success and the expectation that fatherhood would simply fit into this model. But in facing a future that didn't look like a neat predictive model he found new ways to bring agency over his life, including becoming an entrepreneur. 

Knowing each other from philanthropy circles, Nicole can't help but discuss Ted's recent entrepreneurial foray for good as a co-founder of 4-CT.org, a hugely successful COVID-19 relief start-up delivering aid and helping to scale-up impactful projects state-wide in Connecticut. Despite this, Ted talks about his thoughts on philanthropy, why he always had an aversion to the term or the idea of being a Philanthropist, even now people are starting to call him one. As they talk about non-profits , entrepreneurship for good, and balancing multiple projects at once, Ted gives insight on what brought him to tell the story of his triplets now and what he hopes will come of it: that his unique perspective might give others the agency they need in their life to face the unthinkable and know that authentic success and happiness is possible, if yet still unrecognizable. 

Here's how you can find Ted Yang:  Amazon pre-order: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08LQKJQZF  #1 New Release for Fatherhood #1 New Release for Pregnancy and Childbirth

Book site: http://pedihelp.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tedsensei/  Twitter: @tedsensei www.4-ct.org

 

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DISCLAIMER: This episode is not explicit, though contains mild swearing that may be unsustainable for younger audiences. 

Tweetable Comments:

"Ted is a - GSD - get shit done kinda guy."

"I went down a fairly stereotypical path for an Asian living in America."

"I needed it, cathartically, for myself. It was about putting down on paper some of the journey and some of the thoughts."

"If you see another father opening up and being vulnerable, and that helps you open up and tell your story, that's great."

"Saying 'my parents were horrible I'd never do this to my own children'...and then eating your words."

"I'm not naturally emotive, I've become a lot more reflective obviously, but trying to put that down is hard."

"When there's no wifi, boom. Headphones on, no interruptions."

"Being entirely powerless like that, is a somewhat unique experience."

"You're living within a blueprint that someone else has laid out for you."

"There was a certain amount of looking around and thinking, well look where other people are and look where I am in this crisis."