Driven: Unscripted Success

In this inspiring episode of Driven: Unscripted Success, hosts Mike Mannino Sr. and Nareman Hamdan talk with Cat Holt—former head of marketing strategy at Progressive and now founder of her own marketing firm.
Cat takes us on her journey from the corporate world to entrepreneurship, sharing how her background in psychology, advertising, and art helped shape her path. She dives into how AI is changing the marketing game, why multidisciplinary fluency is a must-have skill, and why “working in your talents” beats trying to be good at everything.
 
-------------------------------------------------------- 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 if you could text your child’s pediatrician directly, skip the waiting room, and even get a home visit when needed?
In this episode of Driven: Unscripted Success, Michael Mannino and Nareman Hamdan sit down with Dr. Michael Perisa, a pediatrician who's flipping the traditional healthcare model on its head. Michael shares his journey from pursuing pediatric oncology at St. Jude's to launching a patient-first, membership-based pediatric care system in Northeast Ohio.
Learn how Zest Pediatric Network provides 24/7 direct access to pediatricians, eliminates unnecessary insurance barriers, and brings care into the home—all for a flat monthly fee. Michael opens up about the broken system of traditional care, the burnout it causes, and how his new model empowers both families and doctors.
If you’re a parent, healthcare professional, or someone interested in how innovation can truly change lives, 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 episode, Mike Mannino sits down with financial planning expert and entrepreneur Steven Huskey, CFP®, CExP™, for a high-energy conversation about growing businesses, building legacies, and making the most of your time. From helping dentists and business owners plan their exits, to raising kids, playing guitar at church, and leading a tight-knit team — Steven shares the tools, mindset, and hard-earned lessons that shape his approach to both life and work.
Steven opens up about how he built Huskey Financial and Blue Water Dental Advisors, why identifying your ideal client is key, and how EOS and BHAGs help fuel his team’s performance. He breaks down the importance of focusing on the 20% that creates 80% of the results — both in business and at home.
 
-------------------------------------------------------- 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.

From a small village in Cameroon to leading a thriving real estate investment firm in the U.S., Leslie Awasom's journey is nothing short of remarkable.
In this episode, Leslie shares how he transitioned from a high-earning nurse anesthetist to co-founding Exsi Capital Investments, a private equity platform helping medical professionals generate passive income through multifamily real estate. He opens up about what inspired his pivot, how he chased knowledge, and why he believes in the American Dream more than ever.
 
-------------------------------------------------------- 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.

At just 16 years old, Aleksandar Jovicic turned a love for lowriders into his first business selling car parts online. From being a refugee to founding Executive Digital, a powerhouse digital marketing firm, Aleksandar’s journey is filled with resilience, hustle, and innovation.
In this high-energy episode, Aleksandar shares how his street smarts shaped his early business thinking, how he built a company with a team-first culture, and why he believes every employee should be a thought leader. He also opens up about the absence of mentors in his journey — and how he’s now paying it forward for the next generation.
From building internal startups to receiving a lifetime achievement award from Harvard, Aleksandar reveals how real success comes from grit, mentorship, and experience.
 
-------------------------------------------------------- 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 inspiring episode of Driven: Unscripted Success, hosts Mike Mannino Sr. and Nareman Hamdan sit down with JoJo Kalita—Vice President of Partnerships at ACTO and a passionate advocate for emotional intelligence in the workplace.
JoJo shares her professional journey from studying English and psychology to thriving in the tech-enabled healthcare sector. She discusses the vital role emotional intelligence plays in both personal and professional relationships, and how self-awareness, pausing, and intentional communication can transform interactions.
From practical tips like reading body language and managing feedback, to dealing with the ethical challenges of AI in healthcare, JoJo brings both warmth and wisdom to the conversation. She even shares a few laughs about her love for her pit bull and how remembering pet names can make a lasting impression.
 
-------------------------------------------------------- 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 eye-opening conversation, Robert Sherman shares how his work at SoloXR is helping industries—from emergency response to semiconductors—use immersive technology to enhance learning and safety. Learn how immersive training is filling talent gaps in rural areas, preparing workers for dangerous scenarios like battery fires, and helping industries reshore manufacturing jobs with confidence.
Robert dives into how SoloXR integrates AI and VR/AR tools to create powerful training simulations that drive engagement, retention, and accessibility. He also offers insights on how individuals can start exploring immersive tech on their own and what it takes to stay ahead of the curve in a rapidly changing tech landscape.
You’ll also hear Robert’s perspective on navigating real vs. hype in tech disruption, his favorite way to generate passive income, and the exciting mobile lab project he’s launching in partnership with NC State.
 
-------------------------------------------------------- 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 heartwarming and eye-opening episode, we sit down with Bill Vicary, founder of Just Call Bill, a unique business serving older adults who feel lost in today's tech-heavy world. With over 30 years of experience in engineering and construction, Bill took a surprising turn to follow his passion: helping seniors confidently, safely, and effectively use technology.
Bill shares how a conversation with a frustrated senior sparked the idea for his business. Today, he leads personalized tech classes, teaches cybersecurity, manages tech buying trips, and collaborates with communities and professionals to serve seniors better.
 
-------------------------------------------------------- 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 Desiree Watson – the self-proclaimed “Swiss Army Professional.” From taxes to tech, document prep to publishing, Desiree shares how her mission to help people has turned into a thriving business that runs on heart, hustle, and real human connection.
Desiree talks about how her entrepreneurial journey started out in a garage with a metal desk and a printer—and how she grew her business strictly by word of mouth. She opens up about transitioning from managing tax offices to running her own, why pricing has always been her biggest challenge, and how real trust—not ads—keeps her client base growing.
You’ll hear how a serious car accident changed her path and led her to become the go-to problem solver for her community. Whether she’s helping a senior read a police report, guiding a client through an expungement, or publishing someone’s first book—Desiree shows up with solutions.
 
-------------------------------------------------------- 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 if your business strategy coach was available to you like Jarvis is to Iron Man—right when you need them most? In this episode of Driven: Unscripted Success, hosts Mike Mannino Sr. and Nareman Hamdan sit down with Simon Severino, founder and CEO of Strategy Sprints, to talk about how entrepreneurs can reclaim time, accelerate sales, and build businesses that give them true freedom.
Simon shares how Strategy Sprints evolved from traditional consulting to a fast-paced, digital-first system that delivers support in real-time, anywhere in the world. He breaks down how his team helps business owners identify bottlenecks, run weekly experiments, and use data to drive growth every 7-day sprint.
Listeners will learn the mindset shift from trading time for money to building scalable, recurring income streams. Simon also reveals his leadership philosophy, daily habits for peak performance, and how his new book co-authored with Jay Abraham, Time Freedom, is changing the way entrepreneurs think about growth.
 
-------------------------------------------------------- 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.