Driven: Unscripted Success

In this inspiring episode of Driven: Unscripted Success, we meet Monica Spivey — a former corrections officer turned creative entrepreneur and owner of Tamu Cupcakeery. From working behind prison walls to launching a flavorful bakery in Cape Coral, Florida, Monica’s journey is anything but ordinary.
Her story is rich with resilience, hustle, and a whole lot of flavor. Starting with an Easy-Bake Oven and growing into a business boasting over 100 cupcake flavors, Monica shares how she broke through the fear of leaving a secure job to pursue her passion full-time — all during the chaos of the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
--------------------------------------------------------- Be a Guest: Are you a successful Naples-area business owner, entrepreneur, or professional with insights to share? Apply to be a guest at Driven: Unscripted Success and share your expertise with a wide audience eager to learn about you.

What happens when you blend entrepreneurial grit, disruptive thinking, and a no-prompt approach to AI? You get Paul Epstein — and this episode is packed with wisdom from a man who’s walked the talk for decades.
From shining shoes on the streets of Brooklyn to shaking up healthcare with a mashup model rooted in holistic medicine, Paul’s journey is anything but conventional. He talks about launching multiple ventures, surviving major health scares, and finding purpose in building systems that actually help people — not just treat symptoms.
 
---------------------------------------------------------- Be a Guest: Are you a successful Naples-area business owner, entrepreneur, or professional with insights to share? Apply to be a guest at Driven: Unscripted Success and share your expertise with a wide audience eager to learn about you.

In this candid and inspiring episode, Lee Norwood shares her journey from a secure job in the medical field to launching not one, but two thriving businesses: Annapolis College Consulting and College Sharks. As a single mom, Lee took a leap of faith and carved out her niche in the college consulting world—helping families find the right school without drowning in debt.
She opens up about scaling her business, the real challenges of entrepreneurship, and why learning to “turn your give-a-shitter off” can be the superpower that keeps you moving forward. Lee shares practical strategies for college planning, talks ROI, leadership, brand-building, and how she's now the go-to mentor for others in her industry.
If you’ve ever considered starting a business, want to understand the college admissions landscape, or need a reminder that it’s okay not to have it all figured out—this episode is a must-listen.
 
 
---------------------------------------------------------- Be a Guest: Are you a successful Naples-area business owner, entrepreneur, or professional with insights to share? Apply to be a guest at Driven: Unscripted Success and share your expertise with a wide audience eager to learn about you.

In this powerful episode, Mike Mannino Sr. sits down with Telena Paris, an inspiring C-suite leader, business strategist, and international speaker. Telena opens up about her journey as an entrepreneur, author, and mentor, and how she navigated the challenges of leadership, risk-taking, and growing multiple businesses.
You’ll hear how Telena shifted from employee roles to launching her own ventures, creating a nonprofit with her partner, and building youth mentorship programs that reach across the U.S. From writing grants to leading retreats, she shares candid insights into the real work behind visionary ideas and successful execution.
She also dives deep into her leadership style—transformational and assertive—and shares how embracing flexible thinking and teamwork has been crucial to long-term impact. Her wisdom around managing fear, funding, and failure is honest, actionable, and full of clarity for emerging leaders and business owners.
 
--------------------------------------------------------- Be a Guest: Are you a successful Naples-area business owner, entrepreneur, or professional with insights to share? Apply to be a guest at Driven: Unscripted Success and share your expertise with a wide audience eager to learn about you.

What does it take to create events that leave people saying “Wow”? Susan Stafford, co-founder and president of The Event Architects, joins us for an inspiring conversation on how she brings corporate events to life through thoughtful venue sourcing, strategic partnerships, and detail-driven execution.
In this episode, Susan opens up about the career moment that shifted her path, how she juggles a demanding business with family life, and the importance of relationships in a crowded industry. She shares her leadership style, the habits that drive her success, and how she’s creating a more intentional business focused on ideal clients.
Whether you’re an entrepreneur, planner, or corporate leader, this episode will give you ideas on how to elevate your events—and your career.
 
 
---------------------------------------------------------- Be a Guest: Are you a successful Naples-area business owner, entrepreneur, or professional with insights to share? Apply to be a guest at Driven: Unscripted Success and share your expertise with a wide audience eager to learn about you.

In this episode of Driven: Unscripted Success, hosts Mike Mannino Sr. and Nareman Hamdan sit down with Dr. Alejandro Badia, a trailblazing orthopedic hand surgeon, author, and healthcare innovator. Broadcasting from his state-of-the-art surgical center in Doral, Florida, Dr. Badia shares his journey from training at NYU and Cornell to founding OrthoNow, a revolutionary walk-in orthopedic care model that challenges the inefficiencies of the U.S. healthcare system.
He opens up about his passion for simplifying access to specialized care, the bureaucracy that holds patients back, and his personal mission to educate the public about better healthcare delivery. Dr. Badia also discusses exciting advancements like AI and regenerative medicine, his leadership philosophy, and what it really takes to run a patient-focused medical practice outside the traditional hospital setting.
Whether you're a medical professional, an entrepreneur, or just someone frustrated with healthcare inefficiencies, this episode delivers clarity, insight, and real-world inspiration.
 
 
---------------------------------------------------------- Be a Guest: Are you a successful Naples-area business owner, entrepreneur, or professional with insights to share? Apply to be a guest at Driven: Unscripted Success and share your expertise with a wide audience eager to learn about you.

In this episode of Driven: Unscripted Success, hosts Mike Mannino Sr. and Nareman Hamdan sit down with innovator and founder of DomeSpaces.com, Barry Sendach. Barry takes us on a journey from his early days in the fabric business to transforming the outdoor living world with unique, customizable domes, yurts, and tent structures.
Learn how Barry’s products have been featured on shows like World’s Greatest, Modern Homestead, and Deal or No Deal Island—and are even being considered for large-scale projects like a space museum. With clients ranging from everyday consumers to Fortune 500 companies, Barry shares what makes his structures stand out and how passion, persistence, and risk-taking have driven his success.
You’ll also hear insights into Barry’s leadership style, how AI is reshaping his business, and his approach to building a company that thrives on innovation and loyalty.
 
---------------------------------------------------------- Be a Guest: Are you a successful Naples-area business owner, entrepreneur, or professional with insights to share? Apply to be a guest at Driven: Unscripted Success and share your expertise with a wide audience eager to learn about you.

What does it take to turn a small startup into a long-standing technology company competing with industry giants like Dell and HPE? In this episode of Driven: Unscripted Success, hosts Mike Mannino Sr. and Nareman Hamdan sit down with Gene Leyzarovich, founder of JetStor, to explore his journey from bootstrapping in a Pittsburgh apartment to building a global data-storage brand.
Gene shares how he came to the U.S. from Moscow, built his company with limited resources, and grew it through innovation, focus, and customer loyalty. He opens up about the challenges of entrepreneurship, taking risks, and the mindset that kept him driven through decades of growth and change.
 
---------------------------------------------------------- Be a Guest: Are you a successful Naples-area business owner, entrepreneur, or professional with insights to share? Apply to be a guest at Driven: Unscripted Success and share your expertise with a wide audience eager to learn about you.

This week, Mike sits down with Stefan Rehlinger—a German-born firefighter-turned-welder who shares a story of structure, service, and self-made success. From military service in Germany to building his welding business in Florida, Stefan’s journey is grounded in routine, resilience, and relentless improvement.
What You’ll Hear:
How Stefan’s mandatory military service instilled lifelong discipline
The unexpected path from fixing trailers to welding for major manufacturers
Why structure is the secret to success—in business, family, and daily life
The cultural differences between Germany and the U.S. that shaped his career
How immigrants can thrive in America with the right mindset and grit
Stefan’s advice for building skills, staying focused, and creating opportunity
 
---------------------------------------------------------- Be a Guest: Are you a successful Naples-area business owner, entrepreneur, or professional with insights to share? Apply to be a guest at Driven: Unscripted Success and share your expertise with a wide audience eager to learn about you.

In this insightful and deeply personal episode, Jonathon Witenko, System Director of Digital Transformation at Lee Health, shares the pivotal experiences that have shaped his leadership and innovation philosophy in the healthcare industry.
He takes us through a powerful story of how a system he helped implement ended up saving his own daughter’s life — a career-defining moment that inspired his relentless pursuit of patient-centered digital transformation.
From telehealth, remote patient monitoring, and virtual nursing to AI-driven voice bots and ambient dictation, Jon walks us through the digital frontiers he's helping to pioneer. You’ll also hear about his leadership approach, lessons from early failures, how he balances work and life, and why curiosity and character matter more than a perfect resume.
Whether you're in tech, healthcare, or leadership, this episode is packed with both inspiration and actionable insights.
 
 
---------------------------------------------------------- Be a Guest: Are you a successful Naples-area business owner, entrepreneur, or professional with insights to share? Apply to be a guest at Driven: Unscripted Success and share your expertise with a wide audience eager to learn about you.