Junior was an altar boy, raised in a devout Catholic household — church a regular part of the week, rosaries most nights. By seventh grade, science had already started pulling him in a different direction, and eventually he let the faith go entirely. In this conversation, he walks through that whole journey: a childhood in a small farming town, years of odd jobs before landing in biotech, a 1,300-mile bicycle trip to Yellowstone at 17 that included hitting 52 miles an hour on a mountain descent, and where he's landed now as a vaccine engineer still working out what belief looks like without religion attached to it. He still wears his late grandfather's rosary necklace every day. Just not for the reason most people assume. Come to think of it. Reasoning with Mustapha explores history, faith, and culture through honest, long-form conversation — less about conclusions, more about asking better questions.
What is Reasoning with Mustapha?
Reasoning with Mustapha is a space for honest conversations about the things that actually matter — history, faith, culture, science, and the personal experiences that don't always make it into the mainstream conversation. Hosted by Mustapha, who grew up in Morocco and has spent years in the Bay Area — a journey between cultures that sparked a deep curiosity about people and the questions that don't have clear-cut answers. No claims to having it all figured out. Just genuine curiosity, one conversation at a time.