In this episode of Breaking Precedent, host Leah Solivan is joined by Dr. Eiman Jahangir, a cardiologist, associate professor at Vanderbilt University, and newly minted astronaut. Together, they discuss Dr. Eiman’s childhood dream turned reality of shuttling to space aboard Blue Origin’s New Shepard. Dr. Eiman shares the trials of his astronaut applications, his unexpected journey through the world of NFTs and cryptocurrency, and the sheer emotion of achieving a lifelong dream.

Guest Bio and Links:

Dr. Eiman Jahangir, MD, is a cardiologist with extensive training and experience in research investigation and clinical patient care. He has a special interest in hypertension and cardiac oncology. Dr. Eiman became the first commercial physician from Nashville to fly into space on Blue Origin’s New Shepard.

Eiman's Website

Space for Humanity

Moondao

Show Notes:

• (0:00) Intro
• (0:25) Leah introduces guest, Dr. Eiman Jahangir to Breaking Precedent
• (2:25) Dr. Eiman’s childhood space dreams
• (4:00) Applying to NASA
• (10:00) Web3 and NFT’s
• (11:00) Winning a seat on Blue Origin through Moondow
• (22:00) Precedent breaker or maintainer
• (24:30) Post-flight interview with Dr. Eiman
• (25:25) NASA’s launch preparation and training
• (29:00) The launch
• (38:00) Emotional and physical experience of liftoff
• (42:00) “You have become the actualized version of the person you dreamt of 20 years ago.”
• (45:30) Zero Gravity - The profound impact of seeing Earth from space
• (49:00) First impression of space
• (51:00) Reflections on returning to Earth and the landing process
• (52:30) Post flight reflections
• (55:30) Future of space travel and predictions
• (1:04:30) “We aren't too far away from moon bases and suborbital space stations.”

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Leah Solivan is the host of Breaking Precedent, a podcast that explores the stories of innovators who are pushing societal boundaries and setting new precedents in their fields. Leah is General Partner at Fuel Capital, where she invests in early-stage companies across consumer technology, hardware, education, marketplaces, and retail. Leah has 15 years of experience building and creating technology products that have reached millions of people around the globe. She started her career at IBM as an engineer in the software group, working on Lotus Notes and Domino. In 2008, Leah founded TaskRabbit, the leading on-demand service marketplace in the world.

Connect with Leah:

Website: breakingprecedent.com/

Instagram: @labunleashed

X: @labunleashed