In the first episode, we talk to Leon Galhardo, who was born and raised in Brazil. He previously worked in finance and real estate and is targeting a career in real estate investment banking after his MBA. 

Leon has been practicing martial arts since the age of 4 and has had incredible experiences, from being a professional MMA fighter to representing his state and country in Karate. Listen to learn how he used martial arts as a vehicle to meet people, experience different cultures, and explore the world! Whatever you do, DO NOT MISS the last 30 minutes of this one! 

As a way to learn more about the inspiring people in my MBA class at Columbia Business School, I started “Before the Come Up,” a weekly podcast focused on bringing to light the remarkable stories and life experiences that make up the historic CBS class of 2023. Each week the podcast will feature a different member of the class to learn about their background and journey to CBS and explore their passions and motivations and any fun stories they’d like to share. 

Intro and outro music is by my amazing sister Sofie, and the song is her latest single, “If You Don’t Stop.”