Lessons via Leaders
42 episodes - English - Latest episode: 11 months ago - ★★★★★ - 7 ratingsDive into entrepreneurship with Lessons via Leaders, a biweekly podcast featuring raw and real stories from top business leaders. Uncover their secrets to success and learn valuable lessons as you grow. Subscribe, leave a review, and follow @lessonsvialeaders on Instagram for exclusive content. Lead with purpose and create positive change! 🧭🚀
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Episodes
The Pursuit of Mindfulness with Chad Olin
June 21, 2023 12:00 - 34 minutes - 24 MBJoin us on this episode of The Pursuit of Mindfulness, as we sit down with Chad Olin, the transformative co-founder of Supermind. Delve into Chad's personal journey of mindfulness, learn the pivotal role it played in his life, and how it sparked the creation of Supermind. Listen as Chad articulates the importance of integrating mindfulness into everyday routines and the unique challenges and triumphs he faced in making mindfulness mainstream. Chad shares enriching insights, actionable tips,...
Co-Founding Chemistry with Ed Thomas & Cary Gahm
May 24, 2023 09:00 - 38 minutes - 26.9 MBIn this engaging episode, long-term friends Ed Thomas and Cary Gahm recount their journey of transforming an idea into a successful startup, Tempmee. With their high-energy exchanges and contagious enthusiasm, they delve into the importance of a strong co-founding partnership and how they leveraged their years of effective communication and conflict resolution to navigate the ups and downs of their business endeavor. They further discuss their strategic decision to raise capital for acceler...
Navigating Identity Shifts with Juha Mikkola
May 10, 2023 09:00 - 36 minutes - 25.2 MBIn this insightful episode of Lessons via Leaders, we sit down with Juha Mikkola, a visionary entrepreneur who has experienced multiple identity shifts throughout his career. From his early days in the sporting goods industry to co-founding Wyncode Academy and now leading Usko, Juha shares valuable lessons learned along the way. Join us as we dive deep into the challenges and triumphs of reinventing oneself, the importance of embracing change, and how Juha navigated the complex journey of p...
Episode 35: Taking Taxes To The Next Level w/ Ricky Lavina CEO @ Taxfyle
May 28, 2021 09:00 - 46 minutes - 31.9 MBRicky Lavina is the co-founder and CEO of on-demand accounting platform Taxfyle. Born and raised in Miami, Ricky launched Taxfyle in Coral Gables in 2015 with the goal of modernizing tax prep and the accounting industry for both people and practitioners. Today, Taxfyle has roughly 3,000 CPAs on its network, ready at a moment’s notice to help people and businesses file their returns, as well as an enterprise and B2B division that serves CPA firms across the U.S. and a Big Four accounting firm...
Episode 34: Building A Better Boating Experience w/ Jaclyn Baumgarten CEO of Boatsetter
May 14, 2021 10:00 - 45 minutes - 31.1 MBJacklyn Baumgarten combines two decades of experience as a startup expert, seasoned leader, change agent, founding member of new industries, new divisions, and always leading the charge for scalable growth. She's the Co-founder & CEO of leading boat sharing startup, Boatsetter, where her strong leadership led to the creation of the peer-to-peer marine insurance policy that launched the industry. Previous experience ranges from creating new divisions in Fortune 500 corporations to growing s...
Episode 33: Building a Company focused on Connections, Companionship, and Care with Andrew Parker, CEO of Papa
May 07, 2021 09:00 - 56 minutes - 39.1 MBI'm incredible excited for this week's episode as we have Andrew Parker, CEO of Papa on the show. Founded in 2017 in Miami, FL, Papa began due to a personal need that Andrew had with his own family. Recognizing the extreme difficulty associated with juggling daily life and senior family member’s needs, Papa was initially built to support Andrew’s own grandfather. Andrew and his family recognized how impactful and positive it was to connect their grandfather with a young, energetic, and e...
Episode 32: Elevating Equity and Ecosystem w/ Leigh-Ann Buchanan, President @ aīre ventures
April 21, 2021 10:00 - 47 minutes - 32.5 MBLeigh-Ann A. Buchanan, Esq. is a writer, strategist, and a facilitator. She supports leaders and communities bridge systemic gaps in access, inclusion, opportunity and racial equity, with a focus on technology, innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystems. She has advised and provided technical support to innovation and technology leaders at Fortune 500 companies including Google, Facebook, Delta, P&G Ventures, AirBnB, HSBC and UBS. As a founder, she has launched ventures from concept to sc...
Episode 31: Fueling Founders with Funding w/ Jeff Ransdell Founding Partner @ Fuel Venture Capital
April 02, 2021 11:00 - 46 minutes - 31.9 MBJeff Ransdell is a founding partner and the managing director of Fuel Venture Capital. Founded in 2017 and headquartered in Miami, Florida, Fuel VC boasts a portfolio of 23 technology startups all over the globe, including Taxfyle, Soundtrack Your Brand, Boatsetter, and more. Prior to co-founding Fuel VC, Jeff served as a managing director and market executive of Bank of America Merrill Lynch, overseeing more than $130 billion of global private client investment assets, a P&L of $2 billi...
Episode 31: Fueling Founders with Funding w/ Jeff Ransdell Founding Partner @ Fuel Venture Capital
April 02, 2021 11:00 - 46 minutes - 31.9 MBJeff Ransdell is a founding partner and the managing director of Fuel Venture Capital. Founded in 2017 and headquartered in Miami, Florida, Fuel VC boasts a portfolio of 23 technology startups all over the globe, including Taxfyle, Soundtrack Your Brand, Boatsetter, and more. Prior to co-founding Fuel VC, Jeff served as a managing director and market executive of Bank of America Merrill Lynch, overseeing more than $130 billion of global private client investment assets, a P&L of $2 billi...
Episode 30: Taking Charge of Your Life and Business w/ Amanda Goetz - Founder & CEO @ House of Wise
March 26, 2021 09:00 - 48 minutes - 33.6 MBI'm really excited for this week's episode as we have an awesome guest on the show, Amanda Goetz, CEO and Founder of House of Wise. Amanda was formerly Head of Brand at The Knot and now is part-time CMO at Teal AND making huge moves with her new company, House of Wise, where she is Founder and CEO. House of Wise is an incredible new CBD company making waves in the industry and you’ll hear Amanda talk more about it today. In this episode, Amanda shares a bit about her background, why she...
Episode 29: Innovating Communications on a Global Scale w/ Jonah Fink - President of net2phone
March 19, 2021 10:00 - 37 minutes - 26.1 MBI'm incredibly excited for this episode as we have Jonah Fink, President of net2phone on the show today. As President of net2phone, Jonah Fink is focused on the vision to disrupt technology and change the way the world communicates. Jonah was actually a member of the original sales team at net2phone when the company first started out, and over the years worked himself up to become president and now runs the entire organization. Under Jonah’s leadership, net2phone is thriving and building ...
Episode 28: Mastering Startup Sales w/ Mark Crofton - Global VP @ SAP SE
March 12, 2021 10:00 - 50 minutes - 34.6 MBMark Crofton is Global Vice President and leads the Sales Coaching team at SAP SE. Prior to his current role, Mark led the SAP Academy for Sales, the flagship SAP sales training program for Early Talent. Previously, he was VP Sales, Latin America, launching and leading the Mobility business in that region. He has also held positions in the North America Sales and Corporate Development organizations. His expertise is in leading sales teams and implementing Go-to-Market strategy with a focu...
Episode 27: Elevating Ecosystems w/ Ana Paula Gonzalez - Head of Managed Funds @ 500 Startups
March 05, 2021 09:00 - 43 minutes - 29.6 MBAna Paula González is Head of Managed Funds at 500 Startups, a Silicon Valley-based, early stage tech VC fund whose mission is to discover and back the world’s most talented entrepreneurs, help them create successful companies at scale, and build thriving global ecosystems. To date, 500 Startups has invested in over 2,500 companies in 80+ countries around the world, and ran 60+ accelerator programs in 15+ countries around the world. At 500 Startups, Ana leads the efforts to raise dedicated ...
Episode 26: Building The Next Big Thing By Creating and Connecting Communities w/ Alex Taub CEO @ Upstream
February 18, 2021 10:00 - 57 minutes - 39.2 MBI'm really excited about this week’s episode as we have Alex Taub, CEO of Upstream on the show. I’ve recently had a chance to connect with Alex after he and his family moved to Miami in the this past find him to be one of the most thoughtful, approachable, and knowledge people in the tech scene. Before coming to Miami, Alex was a fixture in the NY tech community working at companies such as Aviary and Dwolla before then going off to start his own company SocialRank. After SocialRank was a...
Episode 25: Creating Impact and Building in Miami w/ Keith Rabois, General Partner @ Founders Fund
February 11, 2021 11:00 - 51 minutes - 35.2 MBKeith Rabois is a serial entrepreneur and investor working and investing in companies such as Airbnb, Lyft, YouTube, Wish, Yammer, DoorDash, Stripe, and Affirm (among many others) and has worked at companies like PayPay, LinkedIn, and Square. Keith is one of the most respected people in the tech industry so I was very much looking forward to sit down with him to talk about a variety of topics including: The recent tech migration to Miami Miami's rise as a tech scene and where it's headin...
Episode 24: Scaling Swag w/ Michael Martocci CEO @ SwagUp
February 03, 2021 11:00 - 1 hour - 43.1 MBI’m really excited for today’s episode because we have Mike Marotcci from SwagUp on the show. Michael is the CEO of SwagUp - a company that makes it simple to create high quality branded swag for companies to give as gifts to employees and clients. SwagUp is an incredible company that is growing like crazy so I was stoked to have Michael on the show to discuss the origins of SwagUp, how he’s been scaling the company, lessons learned along the way, what’s next for the business, and much much...
Episode 23: Building The City of the Future in Miami w/ Mayor Francis Suarez
January 21, 2021 10:00 - 22 minutes - 15.5 MB“How can I help?”: a simple tweet that Miami Mayor Francis Suarez sent out on December 4th, which has since gone viral, has put Miami into the spotlight on a global stage as one of the top emerging tech hubs in the world. Since that time, Mayor Suarez has front and center leading the charge on bringing more talent, attention, and capital to the 305. That's why I was very grateful when the mayor invited me to City Hall to sit down in his office and talk about everything that has transpire...
Episode 22: Innovating The Early Stage Investing Model with Rebecca Danta of Miami Angels
January 08, 2021 12:00 - 54 minutes - 37.6 MBRebecca Danta is the Managing Director of Miami Angels, the largest angel network in Florida, which funds Seed and Series A technology companies with early traction across various sectors. Miami Angels has deployed $13.6M into 33 companies since 2014, and Rebecca built a sustainable, independent business model for the organization. Prior to joining Miami Angels, Rebecca managed global campus operations for General Assembly in New York City, the first accelerated learning provider, and...
Episode 21: Succeeding At Sales Through Authenticity w/ Miles Varghese, CEO @ Cargologik
November 18, 2020 12:00 - 51 minutes - 35.3 MBI am really excited for today's episode because we have my guy Miles Varghese, CEO @ Cargologik on the show. Miles and I go way back. He and I worked together at my previous company, LiveNinja where Miles where our very first sales hire and really was an intricate part of shaping the culture of our company. We consider him a founding team member and over the years as we built the company he very much felt like family so I’m really excited to now have him on the show to talk about his new c...
Episode 20: Rethinking Education with Megan O'Connor, EIR @ Kaplan
October 16, 2020 11:00 - 24 minutes - 17.1 MBMegan O’Connor is an entrepreneur that enjoys solving complex problems with a societal impact, especially related to education or the future of work. As the founder of Clark (acquired by Noodle), Megan set out to provide educators with the economic opportunities they deserve by giving them tools to start tutoring businesses. Under her leadership as CEO, Clark served thousands of educators and raised funding from Lightspeed Ventures Partners, Winklevoss Capital, Rethink Education, Foundation ...
Episode 19: Fitness, Function, and Unlocking Your Best Self Possible w/ Matt Pack - Owner of Primal Fit
September 23, 2020 12:00 - 1 hour - 41.8 MBToday on the show we have Matt Pack, the Owner and Head Coach at Primal Fit. Since 1999, Matt has been accompanying others on their health and fitness journey. His undeniable passion for helping others has helped him grow not only his brick and mortar personal training business but also his online coaching program The Primal Fit Pros. In this episode, Matt shares a lot about overall health, nutrition and well-being including his own unique catered approach to fitness and how he guides hi...
Episode 18: A New Era of New Urbanism with Andrew Quarrie - CEO/Founder of Urblandia and The Urbanism Summit
August 13, 2020 11:00 - 53 minutes - 36.9 MBI’m really excited for today’s episode as we have Andrew Quarrie,CEO/Founder of Urblandia and the Urbanism Summit, A platform and event serving as a catalyst for the future of conscious urbanization. Andrew has had an amazing career that has spanned over a decade as a multifaceted creative. He’s worked on projects with both regional and national companies and now pours most of his energy into both Urblandia and Urbanism Summit. At the Urbanism Summit, Andrew is focused on helping people...
Episode 17: The Journey from Journalist to Entrepreneur w/ Ethan Skolnick, CEO @ 5 Reasons Sports
July 21, 2020 15:00 - 1 hour - 70.6 MBEthan Skolnick has covered South Florida sports for pretty much every major local newspaper and radio station in the area for nearly 25 years. Now, he is also the CEO and Chief Content Officer of Five Reasons Sports Network, which combines social media "fanalysts" with insider access on all the major teams. He also hosts the Five on the Floor podcast on the Heat and NBA. I’m really excited about this episode as I’ve been following Ethan for a number of years. As many of you know, I’m a li...
Episode 17: The Journey from Journalist to Entrepreneur w/ Ethan Skolnick, CEO @ 5 Reasons Sports
July 21, 2020 15:00 - 1 hour - 70.6 MBEthan Skolnick has covered South Florida sports for pretty much every major local newspaper and radio station in the area for nearly 25 years. Now, he is also the CEO and Chief Content Officer of Five Reasons Sports Network, which combines social media "fanalysts" with insider access on all the major teams. He also hosts the Five on the Floor podcast on the Heat and NBA. I’m really excited about this episode as I’ve been following Ethan for a number of years. As many of you know, I’m a li...
Episode 16: Increasing Inclusion in Startups & Venture Capital w/ Brian Brackeen - General Partner @ Lightship Capital
July 02, 2020 11:00 - 47 minutes - 32.9 MBToday, I am joined by my friend Brian Brackeen, who is the general partner at Lightship Capital. Brian and I go way back in the #MiamiTech scene together. Brian was the co-founder and CEO of a facial recognition company called Kairos, that really pushed forward the whole space with some incredible innovations. In particular, Kairos really broke-ground by making a stance to never sell their technology to government or law enforcement for surveillance purposes due to the ramifications that...
Episode 15: Finding a Great Technical Partner with Chris Stegner - CEO @ Very Big Things
June 11, 2020 20:00 - 57 minutes - 39.4 MBToday, I am excited to have the CEO of Very Big Things, Chris Stegner on the show today. Very Big Things is the crescendo of a journey that began after Chris’s first startup was acquired at the age of 13. Chris has been a serial entrepreneur, CTO, VC firm partner and also has been awarded “technology entrepreneur of the year” by the city of Miami. now, he is accomplishing some very big things at his new company: Very Big Things—an award winning digital products design and development agenc...
Episode 14: Building A Thriving Community w/ Raul Moas - Miami Program Director @ The Knight Foundation
May 14, 2020 12:00 - 52 minutes - 35.8 MBWhat does a community need to reach it’s fullest potential? Our guest today, my good friend Raul Moas, thinks about this on a daily basis through his work as Program Director at The Knight Foundation. At the Knight Foundation, Raul is working hard to strengthen connections between the local network of founders, investors, and talent to support learning, growth, and community. I have been fortunate to work with Raul on many different initiatives and I can tell you that you’d be hard-press...
Episode 13: Finding The Best Opportunities with Doug Viney - CEO of Benjamin Douglas
April 20, 2020 14:00 - 49 minutes - 34.3 MBI’m really excited for today’s episode, because today we have a very special guest, my good friend Doug Viney from Benjamin Douglas, which is a recruiting and staffing firm here in South Florida. Doug and I go way back, I was doing a talk on a panel a few years ago and after I got off the stage, Doug approached me and handed me a metal business card (which of course, I couldn't forget). We then got to talking about startups, building business, recruiting talent and have stayed in touch eve...
Episode 12: Sebastian Rusk - Founder of The Podcast Launch Lab
April 06, 2020 16:00 - 46 minutes - 31.8 MBToday, I am excited to have a guest with a unique approach to creating buzz and making noise for brands via social media. Sebastian Rusk is a Professional Speaker, On-Air Talent, Voice Over Talent, Spokesperson, Social Media Expert, and now, the latest guest on Lessons via Leaders ;) SocialBuzzTV.com is an integrated marketing solution that helps businesses build online communities using social media to create social buzz and local celebrity over their products and services which increases...
Episode 11: Alex Penelas - Fmr. Mayor of Miami-Dade County
March 25, 2020 18:00 - 42 minutes - 29.1 MBToday, we have a very special guest on the show. We have former Miami-Dade County Mayor and current candidate for Mayor, Alex Penelas. Alex Penelas is a proven leader, experienced public servant, and successful businessman, who has dedicated his life to giving back to the community and advancing worthy causes to benefit all Miami-Dade County residents. Alex Penelas has demonstrated that through his first run as Mayor from 1996-2004, and is back to run for the same position once again. In...
Episode 10: Michelle Citrin - Professional Photographer, Realtor, and Branding Expert
March 05, 2020 16:00 - 47 minutes - 32.5 MBToday we have an amazing guest on the show, we have professional photographer, realtor and branding expert, my good friend Michelle Citrin. I’ve know Michelle for a long time now and I’ve always been a huge fan on her positivity, work ethic, and sheer dedication to her craft. Her marketing expertise, organizational skills, and eye for detail all contributed to the rapid growth and success of her photography businesses and she has taken that formula and is now applying to Real Estate as wel...
Episode 9: Matt Haggman - Award Winning Journalist & Former Miami Director at The Knight Foundation
February 28, 2020 16:00 - 1 hour - 71.1 MBWhen you look up the word “community” in the dictionary, two definitions stick out. 1. “a group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common.” 2. “a feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals.” I can’t think of anyone that cares about and embodies those two definitions more than our featured guest today, my good friend Matt Haggman. Matt has been and continues to be a pioneer in the South Florida ...
Episode 8: Dr. Michelle Weiner - Medical Cannabis and CBD Expert
February 18, 2020 20:00 - 1 hour - 43.6 MBToday we have an amazing guest on the show. Medical Cannabis and CBD expert, and educator, Dr. Michelle Weiner. Dr. Weiner takes a fully holistic and innovative approach to providing health and wellness services. She is double board-certified in Interventional Pain Management and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Spine and Wellness Centers of America. She completed her residency and fellowship training at the University of Miami. She practices personalized medicine focusing on the ...
Episode 7: Adam Silberstein - OnCourse International
February 07, 2020 15:00 - 1 hour - 66.4 MBToday we have an amazing guest on the show, my good friend Adam Silberstein from OnCourse International. Adam works with all types of individuals ranging from CEO’s, “start-up” entrepreneurs, family business owners, young adults, university students. His services include retreat facilitation, 1-on-1 coaching, and workshop trainings. He is well versed in small group dynamics, providing facilitation services for YPO, EO, and spouse forums that are looking to improve forum ROI, establish aut...
Episode 6: Jose Vargas - Healthcare.com
January 30, 2020 17:00 - 1 hour - 73 MBToday we have an amazing guest on the show, my good friend Jose Vargas from Healthcare.com Jose Vargas is a serial technology entrepreneur and investor, building and growing technology companies for over 20 years. He’s the former co-founder of AutoWeb (acquired by Autobytel), BlueKite (acquired by Xoom Corporation/PayPal), MedicareSupplement.com (acquired by Tranzact), BrokersWeb (acquired by VantageMedia) and MailCreations.com (acquired by Livedoor). He’s currently a board member and co...
Episode 5: David Lombardi - Lombardi Properties
January 22, 2020 20:00 - 47 minutes - 32.6 MBToday we have an amazing guest on the show, David Lombardi for Lombardi Properties. I’ve known David for a few years now and he is one of the smartest people I know in the real estate world. He is known as a driving force in the development of the Wynwood area since 2000 having developed two ground up projects; Wynwood Lofts (a 36 unit condominium project of “live-work” lofts) and Museo Vault, the finest purpose built fine art storage facility in the United States. David was a founding memb...
Episode 4: Johanna and Juha Mikkola - Wyncode Academy
January 09, 2020 17:00 - 1 hour - 44.9 MBIn this episode, we have two incredible guests. My good friends Johanna and Juha Mikkola. Johanna and Juha are the husband-wife founding team of Wyncode Academy - the leading technical school in South Florida dedicated to training top technology talent through best-in-class programs based out of the Wynwood area of Miami. With various courses in web development, digital marketing and UX/UI fundamentals, Wyncode’s curriculum prepares students to compete in the Miami and National job arena,...
Episode 3: Sandra Orellana & Oswaldo Alvarez - The RAway
December 20, 2019 17:00 - 1 hour - 49.2 MBToday we have two amazing, amazing guests on the show, Sandra Orellana and Oswaldo Alvarez from The RAway. Sandra and Os are two amazing people with an incredible message which I'm looking forward to sharing with you today. As a bit of a background, Sandra Orellana is an open-hearted coach and author, passionate about awakening self-acceptance and unconditional love wherever she goes. Sandra’s background is in psychology, specializing in alternative healing techniques and social work. She...
Episode 3: Sandra Orellana & Oswaldo Alvarez - The RAway
December 20, 2019 17:00 - 1 hour - 49.2 MBToday we have two amazing, amazing guests on the show, Sandra Orellana and Oswaldo Alvarez from The RAway. Sandra and Os are two amazing people with an incredible message which I'm looking forward to sharing with you today. As a bit of a background, Sandra Orellana is an open-hearted coach and author, passionate about awakening self-acceptance and unconditional love wherever she goes. Sandra’s background is in psychology, specializing in alternative healing techniques and social work. She...
Episode 2: John Kelly - Live Free Crossfit
December 03, 2019 14:00 - 1 hour - 45.4 MBIn Episode 2, we sit down with John Kelly from Live Free Crossfit. John has an incredibly interesting story and journey. He was a football player, then a firefighter Miami Dade County, and while was doing that started career as a pro MMA fighter which he did together for 7 years (you’ll hear him talk more about that on the show) and then in 2013 he started a new path and opened up Live Free CrossFit where he combines his passions of helping others and being competitive at the same time. He ...
Episode 2: John Kelly - Live Free Crossfit
December 03, 2019 14:00 - 1 hour - 45.4 MBIn Episode 2, we sit down with John Kelly from Live Free Crossfit. John has an incredibly interesting story and journey. He was a football player, then a firefighter Miami Dade County, and while was doing that started career as a pro MMA fighter which he did together for 7 years (you’ll hear him talk more about that on the show) and then in 2013 he started a new path and opened up Live Free CrossFit where he combines his passions of helping others and being competitive at the same time. He ...
Episode 1: Ben Azadi - Founder of Keto Kamp
November 06, 2019 22:00 - 45 minutes - 31.2 MBToday on the show we have Ben Azadi the founder of Keto Kamp. In 2008, Ben Azadi went through a personal health transformation of shredding 80 pounds of pure fat. Ever since, Ben Azadi, FDN-P, has been on a mission to help 1 billion people live a healthier lifestyle. Ben is the author of three best-selling books, The Perfect Health Booklet, The Intermittent Fasting Cheat Sheet, and The Power of Sleep. Ben has been the go-to source for intermittent fasting and the ketogenic diet. He is k...