Abstract Essay

Victor Gichun

The Contributors Podcast Host

Victor was born in Soviet Union Ukraine, moved to the US in 2011, started business with just a travel visa, and built a 7 figures business within three years.

Serial entrepreneur, investor, co-founder, and VP of Business Development at Excess Logic, a Leading Nationwide Reverse Logistics Provider with over 500 corporate customers including Google, Facebook, Hitachi and Mercedes Benz.

The Creator and Host of The Contributors Channel on YouTube, where he interviews successful entrepreneurs, executives, and key influencers, people who make a change and shares their insights on business, investments, crypto, how to make money, and how to build wealth.

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Our guest today is a pioneer who bridges the gap between physical combat and professional dominance. As the founder of Scientific Wrestling, he spent years reviving the most impactful, ruthless grappling style in history: Catch-as-Catch-Can.

Now, through No1 Coaching, he takes those same scientific principles of leverage and control and applies them directly to the boardroom. He is here to teach us how to master friction, engineer success, and install the 'Sportify Operating System' into our lives. If you are ready to stop competing and start dominating, please welcome... Coach Jake.

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Nik Tsoukales

Helping Service Businesses Scale past $1M/year With Honest, Data-Driven Marketing.

Nikitas Tsoukalis grew up working in his family's small businesses in Boston — first in a donut shop, then a pizzeria, and eventually in the same building where he launched his first company. Those early years taught him work ethic, resilience, and what it really takes to earn a customer's trust. Over the past two decades, he carried those lessons into the digital world, becoming a go-to strategist for service businesses that depend on consistent client flow to survive.

What makes Nikitas compelling isn't just his marketing knowledge — it's his perspective. He blends old-school, hands-on entrepreneurship with modern digital acquisition strategies. He's spent years inside the trenches with business owners, seeing what they struggle with daily: unpredictable leads, bad agency experiences, wasted ad spend, and the pressure of keeping a team and family supported.

Today, he shares those experiences openly — the wins, the mistakes, the experiments, the things that worked, and the things that absolutely didn't. He talks about the lessons he learned from real businesses, real clients, and real campaigns, and how those lessons shaped the systems he teaches now. Whether it's fixing Google Ads, simplifying the chaos of marketing, or helping an owner finally break through, Nikitas brings a practical, honest, deeply human perspective that audiences relate to.

If you're looking for a guest who understands business at the street level and the strategic level — someone who can tell real stories, offer real takeaways, and connect with entrepreneurs who want clarity without the fluff — Nikitas is the voice they'll want to hear.

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Jacopo Iasiello

Author of the best-selling Healthy, Rich, and Happy, CEO of Luxury and Wealth Group, and Co-Creator of America Now at Forbes Italia.

My journey began in Naples, Italy, where my deep connection to my family and city fueled my early aspirations. At just 11 years old,

I was captivated by the world of entrepreneurship through books by real estate investors and successful businesspeople.

This early fascination laid the foundation for my career, despite facing unexpected challenges.

Turning Adversity into Opportunity:

At 17, my promising soccer career was abruptly ended by injury, prompting me to pivot to entrepreneurship. At 18, I founded a successful jewelry chain in Italy, which grew rapidly and led me to Africa in search of diamonds and gold. By 22, I transitioned into real estate, focusing on cash flow and flipping properties. I built a strong reputation for securing lucrative deals and creating substantial financial returns.

Building Relationships with the Elite:

Over the years, I've cultivated relationships with billionaires and millionaires. These connections have elevated my mental perspective, profoundly transforming my life and business approach. The insights gained from these interactions have been instrumental in shaping my success and offer invaluable perspectives to your audience.

Holistic Success:

With a PhD in International Business Management, I've studied under industry leaders like Tony Robbins and Robert Kiyosaki. I applied these insights to real estate, completing over 350 transactions and achieving financial freedom. My M.P.B.E. method—Meditate, Morning, Pray, Biohacking, and Exercise—has been pivotal in my journey, merging personal growth with financial success.

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Corbie Mitleid

Certified Tarot Master, past life specialist, psychic medium, inspirational teacher and author

Corbie Mitleid has always been "the different one." A writer and visionary in a completely medical family (father a doctor, mother a nurse, brother a doctor), she has always made her own path rather than take one cut for her by others. Leaving an Ivy League university after two years, Corbie struck out to find where joy and purpose lived, regardless of what she was told she "ought" to do.

The path wasn't easy. Two marriages, which didn't last, and a constant search for the Partner Who Understood. A succession of jobs. A series of spiritual paths. Moving from Cambridge to Philadelphia to Poughkeepsie to New York City to Atlanta. Out of the blue, breast cancer—not once, but three times. Life became a roller coaster with no brakes, asking Corbie to survive divorce, abuse, poverty and life-threatening illness. But through all of this, she learned the value of the Examined Life: meeting challenges and always asking the next question, facing each new situation with strength, courage and humor.

Today, Corbie brings a full toolbox to her job as a beacon of manifestation and vision for her clients, using her skills as a Certified Tarot Master, psychic medium, past life specialist and channel. Her career now spans the globe, with clients worldwide. Her talents as an intuitive are featured in bestselling books. Still, her clients treasure her attitude of "I'm not special, you can do what I do."

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Chip Walter

Intensely Curious Author, Traveler, and National Geographic Explorer

Contrary to what Disney says, it's not a small world. It's enormous, deep, rich and complex beyond all reason. I've been privileged to travel a good deal as a journalist and documentary filmmaker producing the PBS documentaries I have and researching the six books I've written. My article, "The First Artists," a feature article for National Geographic magazine, allowed me to spend the better part of two years traveling to locations in South Africa, Germany, France, Spain and Portugal to track down the roots of human creativity – two continents, five countries, over 60,000 miles. I explored rare sites that very few get to see. I've learned a lot about places all around the globe, and about the humans that inhabit them.

Thanks to my newest project, a Vagabond-Adventure, my wife and I are now getting the opportunity to see and learn even more. Why travel all seven continents, never by jet when I am over 70 years-old? I'm deeply curious about what makes us the strange and fascinating creatures we are. There is really no animal on this planet as unusual as us. The way I see it, my job is to discover and then reveal the strange, unique and unexpected cultures and people that connect us. by By sharing what I'm doing online and through the books I have written or will write, I aim to reveal what makes us tick. In the end, I think that's what every artist tries to do. Can we cover the WHOLE world. No, but, dammit, we can sure try!

Something About My Books ...

In "Last Ape Standing," I tell the tale of how, against all odds and despite nature's capricious ways, we stand here today as the only surviving humans on earth, and the planet's dominant species. Scientists have revealed at least 27 known human (or hominin) species that evolved over the past 7 million years. Why are we the only ones who made it. Last Ape examines the traits that evolutionary scientists have found enabled our success and explores how we developed a new kind of mind that became self-aware, creative, and moral, while the mysterious "others" who evolved with us and helped shape us, somehow failed.

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Magic Leone

Global Coach & Entrepreneur Helping Experts Build Movements That Matter

From Adversity to Authority

Magic Leone's story begins not with success — but with struggle.

Born into a home marked by domestic violence and chaos, he grew up surrounded by noise, conflict, and survival. Yet even in those early years, a question burned inside him: Is this all life has to offer, or can I rise above it?

That question would define his life's mission.

Magic refused to let circumstances dictate his destiny. He became obsessed with personal power — not the kind that controls others, but the kind that frees you from limitations. He taught himself relentlessly, reading, experimenting, and learning what schools never could: how identity, resilience, and leadership transform everything.

When life tried to break him, he built himself instead.

The Turning Point

As a young adult, Magic realized success wasn't about intelligence or opportunity — it was about momentum. The moment you stop waiting for permission and start acting with purpose, everything changes.

He discovered that the reason most talented people stay invisible isn't because they lack skill — it's because they never learn how to stand for something greater than themselves.

That insight became his life's work: helping others turn their expertise, passion, and purpose into movements that change lives.

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Dwayne Mcclure

Founder. Valryis: Built for the outsiders who play to win — an AI-driven network where politics, capital & rebellion converge. From small towns to world stages, power finally gets personal."

Dwayne A. McClure is the founder and architect behind Valryis, an AI-powered ecosystem reengineering how power, politics, and purpose connect. Designed for everyone—from local campaigners and entrepreneurs to national movements—Valryis fuses intelligent training, data-driven matching, and value-based networking into a single, living system.

McClure built Valryis after years inside the machinery of politics and strategy. He saw how influence depended on gatekeepers, how talent was wasted by outdated hierarchies, and how technology often amplified noise instead of progress. His response wasn't another social platform—it was an infrastructure for ambition.

Valryis is where business, innovation, and civic life intersect. Users take interactive intelligence quizzes, unlock curated opportunities, and connect with aligned donors, partners, and mentors. Candidates use it to find campaign vendors; nonprofits discover mission-aligned funders; entrepreneurs meet investors who actually share their vision. From the grassroots to the global, Valryis turns coordination into capability.

McClure calls it "the operating system of modern influence"—a network that scales leadership instead of celebrity. It's built for those who believe power should be earned, not inherited. Every module, match, and milestone inside Valryis helps users build credibility, capability, and community that outlast trends or politics.

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Amanda Trisdale

Mother of the Founder of Autistic Wings Dance Company, and CEO (Since Leta's only 12 and can't run her nonprofit.)

I am the mother of an autistic daughter, Leta. Leta was diagnosed with ASD around her third birthday. At the time, Leta was diagnosed as nonverbal. She didn't understand words at all. We spent the next few years practically living in therapy clinics as she received intense OT and SLP. Yet, nothing seemed to help. Leta continued to struggle with everything.

Finally, her physical therapist (for Leta's bad hip) suggested we enroll Leta in dance classes. His reason was that Leta's major stim happened to be a three-point tap move. He figured that enrolling her in dance classes might help her connect with something. It took a few months, but Leta's expressive and receptive languge skills started to improve. (As did her motor skills.) Dance truly was a lifesaver for us, allowing Leta a way to express herself.

Leta fell in love with dancing, but as a child on the Spectrum, there wasn't really a place for her in dance studios. ASD/Adaptive classes are designed for kids who will never do anything with dance. Leta was "too good" for those classes. Yet, the traditional classes aren't designed with the neurodivergent dancer in mind.

Simple things Leta does as someone on the Spectrum were seen as disrespectful to her teachers. Not holding eye contact when talking. Using a higher pitch voice than her fellow classmates. Stimming during class breaks. Using her headphones in between classes to deal with the sound sensory overload. Not being able to read and write like the other students due to her severe dyslexia. Even skipping classes so Leta could go do medical tests was seen as being disrespectful.

Teachers were quick to point out all of Leta's flaws, thinking they were helping Leta. They told Leta to sit to the side, because they thought that was what was best for her. They let Leta be shoved in corners. They told Leta to just read, because dyslexia didn't interfere with anyone's ability to read. All while saying they were doing this because they cared for Leta.

This all lead to Leta being bullied by her fellow dancers, as well. The other kids started pushing Leta to the side because it would protect Leta. They teased Leta about not being able to read, and called her names, thinking they were helping Leta.

The dance studio should have been a safe haven, but it became somewhere to fear. It became a place where Leta would have panic attacks just driving by. We would pull her out of one studio, and try another one, just to be met with the same issues.

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Rodney Phillips

Rodney Phillips author of Dissension. Every crime starts with a disagreement, Dissension shows how far one can go. If you think danger only comes from villains, Dissension will make you rethink that.

Rodney Phillips was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he has spent his entire life. The unique perspective of my book dissension is the fact that I started writing it when I was nineteen years old. It sat untouched in my home office filing cabinet for thirty seven years. When we became empty nesters, I pulled it out and transferred it into a word document. It was picked up by a publisher and released after I turned fifty six. I write about the thin line between loyalty, betrayal and what happens when someone crosses it. I explore how one fracture in trust that causes a disagreement can unravel everything, which is the heart of Dissension.

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