# How Shirin Behzadi Turned Adversity Into a Billion-Dollar Career

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/podcrash-with-matt-ebert-7321565/how-shirin-behzadi-turned-adversity-into-a-billion-dollar-career
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/podcrash-with-matt-ebert-7321565/how-shirin-behzadi-turned-adversity-into-a-billion-dollar-career.md
Podcast: [PodCrash with Matt Ebert](https://stenobird.com/podcast/podcrash-with-matt-ebert-7321565)
Published: 2026-06-23T10:01:00+00:00
Episode link: https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/pdst.fm/e/pscrb.fm/rss/p/claritaspod.com/measure/prfx.byspotify.com/e/mgln.ai/e/796/traffic.megaphone.fm/GEMINIMEDIA5057570724.mp3
Audio file: https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/pdst.fm/e/pscrb.fm/rss/p/claritaspod.com/measure/prfx.byspotify.com/e/mgln.ai/e/796/traffic.megaphone.fm/GEMINIMEDIA5057570724.mp3
Processing state: not_requested
JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/podcrash-with-matt-ebert-7321565/episodes/how-shirin-behzadi-turned-adversity-into-a-billion-dollar-career
Duration seconds: 3266

## Resource

In this episode of PodCrash, Matt Ebert sits down with Shirin Behzadi, author of The Unexpected CEO, for a conversation about adversity, belief, leadership, and building a future before anyone else can see it.Shirin shares how leaving Iran at 17, starting over in the United States, and working as a cashier in a bulletproof gas station booth shaped the conviction that she would one day lead a major company. Long before it happened, she printed business cards for the future she believed she was building, then followed that North Star through accounting, operations, entrepreneurship, private equity, and eventually leading a company through major growth and a successful exit. Matt and Shirin also talk about why adversity can become a superpower, how surviving a brain tumor changed the way she led, and why great leaders have to learn when to say no. Want more Matt in your life? Of course you do! (https://www.instagram.com/mattebertcc/) (https://www.facebook.com/MattEbertCC) (https://twitter.com/mattebertcc/) (https://www.tiktok.com/@mattebertcc) (https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-ebert-7169a5180/) Get paid while you learn on the job at Crash Champions: https://step.crashchampions.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

## Actions

- request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/podcrash-with-matt-ebert-7321565/episodes/how-shirin-behzadi-turned-adversity-into-a-billion-dollar-career/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode.
- read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/podcrash-with-matt-ebert-7321565/how-shirin-behzadi-turned-adversity-into-a-billion-dollar-career.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource.

A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed.

## Transcript

Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.