Episode Summary – MEET AN AUTHENTIC EXECUTIVE SERVANT LEADER! In Episode 95 of the Shining Brightly Show (links in the comments), titled “HUMMUS TIME”, I am joined by my dear and longtime friend and mentor Stephen Shaya, M.D. He reveals at one time he wanted to become a priest then he takes us through his family’s immigration story as Iraqi Christians (Chaldean) making their way to the United States where his dad of blessed memory started J+B Medical, now a global healthcare conglomerate. Stephen has been able to travel the world with his family and meet world leaders like being blessed by Pope Francis, meditate with Deepak Chopra, scolded by Michael Milken for being late and even former President Bill Clinton. He wants leaders to chase their passion to find their purpose to put human back in humanity and care back in healthcare. COME GET SOME HUMMUS WITH US. Please listen, download, share and review this very inspiring show.
Mentioned Resources –
About the guest – Stephen Shaya, M.D. is the Executive Servant Leader at J & B Medical, a global healthcare solutions company founded in 1996 by his family. In his role, he oversees all strategy, innovation, and growth of the family of companies. Under his guidance, J & B has started eighteen different business enterprises and now has customers around the world, including 48 states in the US. In addition to his role at J & B Medical, Dr. Shaya has been an active representative of his family office, Akkad Holding, which invests in healthcare platforms leveraging the company's global distribution channels. He serves on numerous boards, including the American Diabetes Association in Michigan, Citizens Rx, and Endeavor Detroit. Dr. Shaya is the recipient of several prestigious awards, including the Vatican Pontifical Hero Award and the Presidential Leadership Award. He holds a Merit Scholarship from Wayne State University and graduated Summa Cum Laude from Birmingham Brother Rice High School. He completed his medical training at North Oakland Medical Center, followed by a fellowship at Wayne State University. Dr. Shaya is a passionate advocate for innovative solutions to improve human health globally. In 2022, he delivered a talk at the World Expo in Dubai, where he spoke on how to reimagine the global medical supply chain. Dr. Shaya's commitment to driving progress in healthcare is matched by his exceptional leadership and management skills, which have made him a respected figure in the industry.
About the Host:
Howard Brown is a best-selling author, award-winning international speaker, Silicon Valley entrepreneur, interfaith peacemaker, and a two-time stage IV cancer survivor. He is also a sought-after speaker and consultant for corporate businesses, nonprofits, congregations, and community groups. Howard has co-founded two social networks that were the first to connect religious communities around the world. He is a nationally known patient advocate and “cancer whisperer” to many families. Howard, his wife Lisa, and daughter Emily currently reside in Michigan, and his happy place is on the basketball court.
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Hello, it's Howard Brown. It's the Shining Brightly
Show. I want to give a big shout out to the 150,000 downloads and
listeners and audience we have. I'm so grateful for you that you
are listening and learning and making the world a better place.
We are going to do that today. I have a dear friend of mine, like
a big brother like a mentor, Stephen Shaya.
How are ya.
so glad all the way from San Diego today? So
he's buying we're bicoastal. So it's amazing. I moved to
Michigan from Silicon Valley in about 2005. And somewhere in
2005, and six, I met Steven, and he's just such a person that I
admire. He does so much good in this world. And we're going to
talk about that today. So Stephen, let me just brag about
you if you'll give me that honor. And I know you're very
humble and you hate this, but bear with me for a minute okay?
Stephen Shaya MD is an executive servant leader. I love that a
Jambi medical global healthcare solutions company founded in
1996 by his family. In your role, you oversee all the
strategy and innovation and growth of the family companies.
And under your guidance, Jambi has started 18 different
business enterprises and has customers around the world. This
is incredible. In addition to your role at JMP, you're an
active representative in the family office called Akkad
holdings. And you invest in health care platforms, and
you're trying to actually make a difference in global
distribution channels. It's quite amazing. You have a lot of
board appointments, I'll name a few American Diabetes
Association of Michigan citizens RX and endeavor. You have a
whole bunch of awards that you've been awarded for the
great example and the work that you do, Steve, and I'll just
mentioned two of them. The Vatican pontifical Hero Award
and the presidential leadership award. Unbelievable. Yeah, as we
say in Judaism, it's a match your match. Lastly, you're an
advocate for innovative solutions to improve the human
health globally. And you delivered a talk about at the
World Expo in Dubai, we're going to get into that a little bit.
You spoke about how to reimagine the global medical supply chain,
which at times has been broken as healthcare. But your
commitment to driving progress in healthcare is matched by your
leadership and your management, making the world a better place.
I'm so thrilled to have you here and excited to chop it up a
little bit with you. But before we do that, tell me something
that people may not know about you different that you want to
share.
One thing that very few of anyone knows is
before I went into the medical field, I was considering
becoming a priest, which I now my mother, my mother laughs that
now she probably you know, she she kind of teases me about it.
Because I probably need to go to confession on a daily basis for
for all the activities. But no, I think God made me an
evangelist at heart. Somehow I ended up in the medical arena,
but that's something that very few of anyone knows.
Well, thank you for sharing that. And also
people don't you know exactly, you know, your, your Iraqi
Christian, as we know Cal Dean from California, and it's a very
special group of folks and a lot in Southern California a lot in
Michigan. And, you know, I play basketball with a bunch of
Chaldean guys all the time and Jewish and Chaldeans. We're
brothers from different mothers. And it's just a beautiful thing.
So tell us a little bit about your background. Because, you
know, before you got into some of this, you were even
delivering babies. So tell us about you know, a little bit
about your background.
So, my mother and father immigrated from Iraq. My
mother was one of 12 children. When number 12 was in utero, my
maternal grandfather passed away in a freak accident. So my
maternal grandmother deliver, she took care of 12 children all
on her own. And I gotta tell you, Howard, I have three
children. So someone having 12 is, is just mind numbing to me,
someone wants said to me, seven takes you to have it. I don't
know what 12 takes you to but probably someplace good to
support the family. She was a midwife, and she delivered 1000s
and 1000s of babies and to support the family and because
they didn't have a hospital nearby, and it was pretty
interesting because a lot of the folks didn't have means and she
would barter with them. She'd deliver their child and they'd
give her basket of food or they provide some service. But it
didn't matter if you were Christian or Jewish. Muslim or
what faith. She showed great love to all. And it is kind of
surreal when I run into folks say hey, you know your
grandmother delivered me. So that was kind of a little bit of
a surreal surreal thing. She brought all 12 children to the
US, literally, they had everything they owned on them,
they sold all their possessions, and they bought gold. And they
put all the they had each one of them are securing a gold
bracelet when they came to the US. So they literally some
people say you have you know, something on your back, they had
every thing that they they own materially was was on the wrist.
But one thing I remember my my grandmother, she had a servant's
heart. She got so much joy Howard from giving. And, and she
didn't have much materially but the richness that she had
powered from giving from serving is something that left left an
indelible mark on me. My father, my late father, was the same he
came from a very large family, he came to the US under duress,
political challenges. He got off the plane, he got four jobs. He
worked while he went to University of Michigan. So I
grew up in a family that we didn't have much materially, but
we were rich and family. We were rich and spirit and we're rich
where it mattered. And in so going into medicine, was kind of
an extension of both my grandmother and my father's. He
went to Michigan, he became a physician. And then he opened
his own medical lab and, and my grandmother, of course,
delivering babies. So it kind of you know, they were both cut
from the same cloth. They had that Servant's Heart servant
leadership, and I decided to go into medicine, graduated from
Wayne State Medical School in 1996. And went to work with my
father in a place called Jean de medical, he had just sold his
medical lab. And he was retired for about five weeks. And my
mother said, you know, you probably need to go do
something. So he couldn't get back into the lab business. She
basically kicked him out of the house. That's the the kind of
the real scoop, you can you can catch it a little differently.
But so he couldn't get back in the lamp business because a non
compete so he started this company called gene B. Now
people ask me all the time, well, what is J B stand for? I
was in Kentucky a few years ago, and I said I'm with J B. And
everyone got excited. They thought were the scotch whiskey
and unfortunately, we're not that good. But j stands for my
brother Julian who had a health issue when he was younger, and
he was miraculously treated. And then one of my uncle's in my
grandfather were named Bashir. My middle name is Bashir. So my
dad just said JB, and it's funny over the years, Howard, many
people have come in and said, Well, maybe we should change the
name. And you know, my late father always be like, I've
never changing that it has a lot of sentimental meaning, even
though it sounds very simple to us. And today, we have different
business enterprises globally. And, and it's been it's been an
incredible, incredible journey, if you don't believe in miracles
come to j and b.
Yeah, it's what a great story, the immigrant
story, the hard work, but the love from the family and the
passion. And that drove you to become going into medicine as
well. And you have delivered some babies, right. And you do
have delivered about 100 babies in my career as
a family practice physician. You spent a lot of time delivering
babies. For the record, I didn't deliver my three children 11,
nine and seven, probably for very, very good reason.
I know it. Well, let's step into some of your
travels, one of your passions is to travel and experience the
world as it is. So take me through some travels. Where do
you want to start?
Wow, that's a loaded question. So let's start
with in 2016. We, my family and I went to the Vatican. And for
those of you that haven't been to the Vatican, it is an
extraordinary place. It is the smallest country in the world a
little factoid. Another factoid is it's got the highest crime
rate in the world. You wouldn't think of that in the Vatican,
but they only have 1000 people that live there. So it is, you
know, percentage wise, it's got the highest crime rate, which I
always find comical. The other thing about the Vatican is that
it has got the most consumption of wine per capita in the world.
Again, they only have 1000 people that actually are
citizens there so it's a little skewed but going there as Seeing
the Sistine Chapel, seeing, you know, the just the divine
brilliance of Michelangelo. It's it's incredible in the Sistine
Chapel, we had a chance to see edge who's part of YouTube and
his father had just died. And he was the first contemporary
artists who play in the Sistine Chapel. And it literally brought
tears to my eyes. He was doing an homage to his father and I
met him and oh my gosh, he was just incredible. And I'm a big
YouTube fan. So that was special. We also had the
opportunity and privilege to meet Pope Francis. And that day,
my son, Grayson got kissed by Pope Francis, and also got
kissed by then Vice President Biden that exact same day so
it's a Mount Rushmore for something. I don't know what but
grace is certainly, you know, very fortunate lucky. Gavin was
named his namesake is Pope Francis. So it's Gavin Francis
Shi'a. And so, it was quite an amazing trip. We met people from
around the world, the biggest of the big and it didn't matter
what religion what race what you did, it's the Vatican is a very
special place somehow, some way. Everyone kind of put their egos
at the door even just for a couple hours and and you felt
you were part of something bigger than yourself. So that's
kind of one trip that I'll never forget. And we're currently
working with the Vatican on on many initiatives. So it's, it's
been very special Catholic Church has a lot of issues. But
nobody houses close feeds, educates reverberate provides
more health care globally in the Catholic Church. So something
that gets lost and stuff. So so that was, that was definitely
one, I think, very special trip.
receivers. Why you why you wait, why you think of
that I actually have been to the Vatican and the Sistine Chapel.
But I went in the Jubilee Year of 2000, they cleaned the place
up like crazy, it was unbelievable. I got to go to
Israel, and then on to Italy, and like all over Italy, but I
really enjoyed it. It's really a tremendous that just the art in
itself, but just the presence, the feeling. It was incredible.
I will tell you that so I didn't get to meet the Pope. But I
still the feeling was just incredible. So I'm so glad you
shared that what what else you want to share, show
another trip that I think was memorable, because I
the trips that are memorable are always with the families and,
and someone told me once he's like, you know, my children
didn't remember anything. I bought them. They didn't
remember a whole lot of what I did for him, but but they
remember the family trips. So that's something you know, as I
was having children, my children, our 11, nine and seven
kind of, I always remembered, so we went to Lake Nona a couple
years ago, I believe it was 2022 now, and and we got a chance to
meet a bunch of a bunch of very interesting people. Of course,
if you haven't been to Lake Nona, it is unbelievable.
They're building like the city of the future. Some of the folks
that we had an opportunity to meet were number one, Deepak
Chopra, and I had never actually spent time with him, I had a
chance to, to spend time with him, my whole family meditated
with him. And just an amazing, inspiring person, so humble, you
know, somebody that that, you know, just incredible, like how
he can bring people together, he has a very calming presence
about him. And he really opened my eyes to, you know, we look at
everyone looks at things in certain lens. And, you know, the
way that you know, his his tapping into, you know, higher
energies, higher frequencies, spirituality. I mean, it's just,
it was so inspiring. And I still have a really cute picture of my
kids meditating with Deepak, and it's something, something that
I'll never forget. And, and then on that same trip, we also had
the opportunity to meet Bill Clinton. And that was the day
I'll never forget, because that was the same day that a bill
that Russia invaded Ukraine. And not only do we have a chance to
meet Bill Clinton, but to listen to the guys speak for over an
hour from no notes, no teleprompter. I have to tell you
how we're regardless of any, you know, political lens, just
hearing someone with such depth of knowledge. You know, was was,
I was like, wow, this is like, you know, when you look at
leaders, you're like, you know, you want someone like him at the
helm. Whether it's a company or a country or I mean, he was just
really, really inspiring. And then another one more recently
was last May. I personally had a chance to go to the Milken
global conference I'd never been, I'd become very good
friends with Michael Milken. But to see that guy in action to
see, I mean, talk about one of the quintessential dealmakers of
our time to see the amount of people that he brought in, a lot
of people don't know, the 78 people that worked with Michael
Milken are not billionaires, you know, to see a guy, you know,
obviously, everyone knows he had, you know, issues as well.
And to see him pivot from that, and to see what he's done. And
to see this global ecosystem, where they're, they're taking on
some of the most daunting challenges of our time. I mean,
talk about humbling, talk about inspiring, just tell you a quick
story about that. I'm walking in to the conference on Sunday, and
he's got like, 30 people around him, and I'm walking, just
getting there going to register, and he sees me and he comes and
gives me a hug. He's like, Shi'a, what, what the hell are
you doing, you're supposed to be in this lecture right now. Like,
oh, my gosh, the guy has 1000s of people 1000s 1000s of people
to egg somehow he knew where I was supposed to be at two
o'clock Sunday afternoon, it was mind numbing, I just literally
floored me, but you know, he just someone I admire immensely,
and, and what he put together to bring people together, which in
our time, in our very complicated world these days,
you know, you know, to bring people together and to talk,
and, and, you know, you know, talk about ways that we can
elevate humanity. You know, Michael is very inspiring to me.
For for everything he's done, so that, that three of many, many,
many.
So one of the things that I admire is that
when you meet people, you actually are learning about
them. And they're human. All right, they've all fall down, we
all get back up again, right? We're not perfect. We are human,
we make mistakes. And what would you say that the qualities of
good people and good leaders are, you've met so many.
So something that's very important to me
today is authenticity. I think when you find somebody that
really is coming from the right place, really doing something
that's in their DNA, it's kind of, you know, something that God
has meant him to do. I think it's, you can tell and, and, you
know, it's inspiring. Someone once said to me, if you chase
your passion, you find your purpose. And those people, those
people that that chase their passion, find their purpose. I
think, you know, when you find it, and one thing, you know,
lesson learned with that life's not easy. As you know, Howard,
look at all the things challenges you've had to who to
face and, but when you find your passion, and those tough moments
come, you know, you can weather the storm, whether it's a
business, whether it's a relationship, you know, you
know, whatever it may be, and if you're not passionate, you know
about something, you know, or someone or when those tough
moments come, they'll crumble. So I think that's really
important, it's part of your journey is to really, you know,
find your purpose and, and I end for me, you know, it's been
making healthcare affordable, and accessible to as many people
globally as we can, that's, that's what God meant me to do.
It manifests in the opportunity to meet a lot of folks and
travel a lot of places and do many things. But the core of it
is when you provide access to affordable accessible health
care to as many people as you can be put the care back in
health care, you put the human back in humanity and so I it
took me a while to kind of figure that out. But once I have
it really has taken myself and everything my family does and
everything our company does to a whole nother level. So I think
those purpose driven people and companies and organizations,
they will be ready for whatever the world throws at them.
We love it the human back in humanity the care
back in health care. You're a man on a mission and you know
we're the shining brightly movement is with you and
together that's what we want to do. We want to lift up others
First of all, you got to lift up yourself, but lift up others and
make the world a better place. And we can do that we can do it
together it there are people in need all over the place,
including, you know, right here in our own backyard and Michigan
and in the United States and things like that. So, I believe,
what are the big things that you're looking forward to? You
know, now that we're through the pandemic, and we're getting back
to some normalcy? What are some of the big things that you want
to accomplish coming forward?
So with our company, I will start there,
because that's a big part of our life, we've been on this
journey, a journey of transformation from kind of a
products company, to one of the preeminent companies providing
products and services to patients in the homes, to to a
population health company. So measure managing and optimizing
large populations of folks around the globe, and doing it
in a very unique way. So for example, one thing that we found
is working with minorities and working with underserved
underprivileged folks and training them to take care of
their own, you get better outcomes. And and you really
start breaking the cycle. So there's a lot of medical data
that shows that underserved populations when taken care of
by their own folks, they do much better. So the we're, I'm in
development, and we're leveraging technology and
innovation, I'll say gene B 2.0, or jnb. Three point, point O is
really our most important attributes from a business
perspective, our, our, our data or our technology, AI. And so
we've really taken the home health arena, from a proverbial
eight track tape to a proverbial iPhone. So you know, we're very
proud of taking this antiquated marketplace, and really
modernizing it. But ultimately, Howard, at the end of the day,
it's all about people. It's all about trust. And so people say
What's your most valuable asset, and I always say, it's our
relationships. And there's the five ships relationship,
fellowship, friendship, partnership, discipleship, and
we have a partnership discipleship level relationship
with a lot of key people. I was at an event recently hosted by
Lucas Walton, you know, his family started Walmart, and he
said something to me, that's just been, you know, I think
about every day he's like, you know, Steven, you know, change,
elevating humanity moves at the speed of trust. And I was like,
Wow, it's so true. Because at the end of the day, that human
element is so important. And I'm actually listening to a book now
from Stephen Covey moving at the speed of trust. And it just,
it's, we can never lose that personal element. And that's
something today, Howard, that's lacking. You know, everyone
wants to do the deal. So many things are so transactional in
our world today. But don't people don't focus on building
trust. They don't focus on that. And, and I think that that is
something that is needed. You know, the more trust you have,
the faster you can go. So that's why moving at the speed of
trust, it just, it's something that's been I've been thinking
about every day, since since Lucas told me about this over a
month ago and something I wanted. Yeah.
You went so fast. Give me the partnership.
discipleship. Give me the five ships.
Oh, okay. friendship, fellowship.
Partnership. We friendship, fellowship, partnership,
discipleship.
I love it. I love it. Thank you, when so fast, I
know, the audience needs to hear it and i Repeating It's okay.
Well now. So I again, I want you to put on your sunglasses for me
here because we have to shine brightly together. Because this
show is really just a tease about you. And all you do and
all the good work of the family office and JB medical, so we're
gonna shine brightly and put the spotlight on you, Steven, tell
people how they should best get a hold of you, and then share
some wisdom and some inspiration as we close out the show.
So to get a hold of me, if you use LinkedIn, you
can you can send me an invite to Stephen Shaya MD and that's Ste
pH en Shaya MD. Or you can follow me at my family office
Akkad holdings akk ad holdings were Iraqi Christians. And the
kidding Empire was the first empire in Mesopotamia and they
were the great connectors of their time. So that's how we
that's how we came up with that name. So LinkedIn is a very good
way. If you use Instagram, it's a at Dr. Swamy, which is, which
is Swami was my nickname and all through my, my schooling years
long story for a different day. And then of course, we also have
Akkad holdings on on, you know, all the all the different you
can just go to Akkad holdings and follow us whether it's on
Instagram or Facebook or, or whatever, whatever sites there
but again, you know the words of wisdom, I just want to just go
back again, chase your passion to find your purpose, find out
what really gets you energized, what gets you excited, you know,
you know, it's not about making money i To me, it's about
finding that thing, you know, that divine, you know, tapping
into that divine DNA and, and in and seeing what, what, what
really can, you know, energize you every day. And I think if
you find that you can you can park the Red Sea, and I really
believe that and, and I hope everyone does. I welcome any
conversations with anyone. And and, you know, the other thing
is, you know, if you look in the world, it's easy to you know,
find negative negative things in the world, you know, looking the
good and people looking the good in situations, nobody's perfect.
And we're all divine beings on a human journey. And we've got to
remember that we're all kind of going through our own journey,
our own challenges. And, and I think at the end of the day, if
we search for good, we'll find it and if you search for
something else, that's what you're gonna find. So
wow, I gotta take my glasses off. And thank you so
much for, as you'd like to say sharing some homeless today we
shared homeless, it's we I love doing that with you. So I'm
going to close out the show. You've been listening and
watching the shining, brightly, podcast show. Thank you. Again,
I want to shout out to the people that make me look great,
which is financial publishing. Read the spirit magazine every
Monday going out to over 50,000 My amplify you is my podcast
house. They're amazing. And diamond moments magazine, that
is teachers we every week, I'm sorry every month, but just a
great show. Thank you, Steven, I look forward to making hummus
with you in the future and just Godspeed to you and your family
and all that you're doing to make the world a better place.
And remember, if we choose to shine brightly, we become a
force multiplier for good and positive change in this world.
You can do it. Come join Stephen and I thank you