Dr. Eli Halabi is an Orthodontist who owns and operates 2 private practices. At age 14 years old, he emigrated from Syria to the United States, speaking not a single word of English.

After many struggles and against all odds, he went on to graduate high school with honors and earn admittance to some of the top medical and dental programs in the country.

In this episode, we discuss :

• The journey of moving from Syria to New York as a teenager and overcoming the struggles of not knowing a word of English
• How sheer determination got Dr. Halabi into the top medical programs in the country
• The business of being a doctor, and what they DON’T teach you in medical school

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(00:00) Coming up...(03:42) Growing up in Damascus:(05:41) Maintaining Jewish values in French Catholic school(07:05) The Jewish experience in Syria(10:02) Challenges of leaving Syria(13:19) Learning English from Pearl Jam and the NY Mets(16:27) Adjusting to American conveniences(19:50) Community support when first arriving to the US(22:24) Adjusting to American conveniences (2)(23:28) Key figures in high school(26:03) Making it through high school and getting placed into honors(29:35) Running for Senior Council(32:14) Taking risks as a young man(34:11) Figuring out what he wanted to do in life(36:49) The UPenn interview(41:07) Struggling to pay for school(44:15) Staying true to your values while advancing professionally(46:30) Walking 8 miles for a high-pressure orthodontics program interview(51:52) Using your unique experiences to connect with people(56:38) Moving back to New York and meeting 2 best friends(59:58) The importance of having experts in your circle(1:00:50) Working as an associate to gain experience(1:03:36) Early grind of starting his own practice(1:09:22) How did you learn to sell?(1:12:46) Key business lessons learned(1:16:44) Learning the business side of medicine(1:20:16) “Personal Finance for Dummies”(1:22:24) Acquiring a practice right before COVID(1:28:00) What drives you to succeed?(1:31:00) Why is giving back important to you?(1:33:55) Momentum Moments(1:37:09) Outro and key takeaways