“I used to approach life with this mindset, this mentality, that I’m trying to get to this one end goal. I’m trying to get to this final destination - of where I want to be able to make a change in this world and do all these things... I’m willing to take on some pain right now so I can see fruits in the future - which is true, but the danger of that mindset is you don’t live in the moment and you don’t enjoy even the mundane things.” - Joshua Gao

Ever Forward Club’s Ashanti Branch is joined by Joshua Gao. Joshua is from New Hampshire, but two years ago he met Ashanti in Santa Cruz, CA - a fifteen-year-old surrounded by grown men at an entrepreneurship conference. Joshua has been a driven, intelligent, mature young man for quite some time already. Some would say that he’s been “eating bitter” and getting great results - the fruits of delayed gratification. Now, as he is finishing up his senior year of high school, leading mask workshops with his peers, and continuing to develop a company that seeks to change the way we fight fires, Joshua shares his mask with the world.

(1:50) Ashanti’s introduction.

(6:50) Joshua introduces himself. He gives information about SAFE, a project he started as a high school freshman - creating a fire extinguisher that uses sound waves.

(9:50) Ashanti and Joshua make their masks together.

(13:20) Ashanti shares the front of his mask - serious, dedicated, passionate - and he reflects on the fact that the Ever Forward Club is 17 years old, the same age as Joshua.

(16:00) Joshua shares the front of his mask - happy, smart, accomplished - and how his desire to be valued by others led him astray from his true passions.

(19:05) Ashanti shares the back of his mask - worry, sadness about death, father wounds - and he opens up about how the passing of a local young person affected him.

(22:20) Joshua shares the back of his mask - “not good enough”, parents divorced, fear of failure - and he shares how the college application process has exacerbated the characteristics on the back of his mask.

(28:15) Joshua shares how he has led the mask activity in many places and innovation competitions. He and Ashanti point out some of the patterns and similarities they’ve seen from all of the mask workshops they’ve attended and led.

(31:50) Joshua and Ashanti discuss delayed gratification, finding joy in the journey, and making short-term sacrifices for long-term gains.

(36:00) Ashanti and Joshua consider what a “maskless” world would look and feel like.

(47:20) Then, they discuss how believing in a higher power plays a crucial role in how they navigate life.

(50:50) Joshua shares some closing thoughts, and he shares how you can get in touch with him.

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Connect with Joshua Gao:

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/joshuagao7

Website: www.safefire.tech

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Create your own mask anonymously at www.100kmasks.com

If you are interested in being on the Face to Face podcast, email us at [email protected]

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Connect with Ashanti Branch:

Instagram: instagram.com/branchspeaks

Facebook: facebook.com/BranchSpeaks

Twitter: twitter.com/BranchSpeaks

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/ashantibranch

Website: branchspeaks.com

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Send in a voice message:

anchor.fm/branch-speaks/message