Driven: Unscripted Success

In this heartfelt episode, Mike Mannino sits down with Janos Szathmari, a passionate Christian builder and farmer from Michigan, to explore the intersection of faith, craftsmanship, and humility. Janos opens up about his journey from prideful entrepreneur to humble servant, guided by a powerful relationship with Christ.

He shares stories from his time in the construction world—highlighting the rewarding nature of transforming homes and the challenges of unmet customer expectations. We also dive into Janos' farming venture, where he and his wife raise Scottish Highland cattle with a mission to serve the Kingdom through high-quality food.

-------------------------------------------------------- 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, Lisa Wedell shares her powerful journey of building Renatus Living—her boutique reclaimed wood and biophilic design business—without cash, credit, or formal entrepreneurial training. From selling truckloads of reclaimed wood to curating custom countertops and launching immersive sailing retreats, Lisa reveals how creativity, grit, and timeless taste drove her success.

How Lisa accidentally launched a business through a quest for wood at Lowe’s

The beauty and story behind mushroom boards and burl countertops

The impact of biophilic design on home value, health, and happiness

Her philosophy of “you don’t have to be rich, but you need to have taste”

Challenges of building a design business with no capital and how she adapted

Her shift to working with architects and designers for scalable, creative projects

-------------------------------------------------------- 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 Edward MacMillan, a dynamic leader who took an unscripted path from operations to spearheading sales and marketing at IMS Solutions Group. Edward shares how leaning into AI completely reshaped not only his company's approach—but his own leadership philosophy.

From navigating the complexities of a company merger to building high-performance teams rooted in trust, Edward opens up about the real challenges that shaped him. He dives deep into how AI is not just another IT buzzword, but a truly transformative force that redefines how businesses grow and evolve.

Listeners will take away lessons on the value of staying curious, always being a student, and building leadership from within. Whether you’re in tech or not, this conversation offers clear, compelling insights into the future of business, leadership, and innovation.

-------------------------------------------------------- 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 Claudine Beron, CEO and Founder of Initiate Government Solutions, to discuss the power of relationships in business, and how they’ve helped her lead a company for over 18 years. From starting as a consultant in biotech to implementing massive government tech projects, Claudine’s journey is filled with practical wisdom and perseverance.

She opens up about transitioning from employee to entrepreneur, the importance of strategic financial planning, and why networks—not resumes—are the real key to success. Claudine shares valuable insights on leadership, scaling a business, building the right team, and how being curious has kept her ahead in a changing landscape.

-------------------------------------------------------- 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, hosts Mike Mannino Sr. and Nareman Hamdan sit down with Paula Melo, an attorney who brings grit, humility, and vision to her legal career. Paula opens up about leaving behind an established law firm in Brazil to pursue a new chapter in the U.S., starting over by attending law school all over again.

Now practicing construction litigation in Florida, Paula shares what it takes to succeed in a field filled with complex projects and high-pressure negotiations. She talks about building trust with clients, leading with collaboration, and why commitment is the #1 trait she looks for in a team.

-------------------------------------------------------- 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, Nareman Hamdan sits down with Armando Ferreira — former professional tennis player turned CEO of MySportJobs.org — to uncover the incredible journey of an athlete who turned his gift for connecting people into a groundbreaking business.

Armando shares how his humble beginnings in rural Brazil laid the foundation for a lifetime of leadership and entrepreneurship. From creating a platform that mentors and certifies professionals in racquet sports to partnering with top-tier pickleball athletes and the PPA Tour, Armando has grown MySportJobs into a game-changing network for sports professionals worldwide.

-------------------------------------------------------- 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, host Michael Mannino sits down with Jim Rhubart, a third-generation roofer whose life journey is anything but typical. From working summers on rooftops as a kid to exiting his company for eight figures, Jim shares the mindset shifts, hard choices, and key systems that fueled his explosive business growth.

You’ll hear how Jim left the comfort of his family’s traditional business to work for a larger competitor—only to return with a new vision. By implementing software, building culture, empowering employees, and shifting from scarcity to impact, Jim turned a mom-and-pop operation into a scalable, sellable business.

-------------------------------------------------------- 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 the Driven Podcast, Mike Mannino welcomes Dean Bartles, CEO of the Manufacturing Technology Deployment Group (MTDG), a not-for-profit leading efforts in advanced manufacturing and defense innovation.

Dean shares his powerful journey—from making A-10 Warthogs at Fairchild Republic to leading a nonprofit group driving high-tech manufacturing advancements. He dives into what it means to lead with purpose, the reality of “half the pay, twice the effort,” and the real rewards of building organizations that exist to serve others.

-------------------------------------------------------- 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 of Driven: Unscripted Success, Mike Mannino Sr. and Nareman Hamdan sit down with August Biniaz, co-founder of CPI Capital, to explore the journey from humble beginnings to real estate thought leadership. August shares how his early exposure to real estate through family history and his own grit fueled a career that spans custom home building, large-scale development, and multifamily investments across the U.S.

August opens up about the realities of Canadian vs. U.S. markets, how rent control and investor psychology differ by country, and what drove him to dive deep into private equity and syndications. He emphasizes the importance of self-education, partnerships, and staying agile in a competitive, institutional world. The conversation also touches on current global issues and how politics can directly impact the construction and rental market.

-------------------------------------------------------- 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 discipline meets grit and direction? In this episode, Anthony Phillips, Director of Attorney Recruiting at one of the fastest-growing litigation firms in the country, joins Mike Mannino for a raw and honest conversation about the road to professional success—and how it rarely follows a straight line.

From his early days in healthcare to building a career in legal recruiting, Anthony shares how stepping into discomfort, betting on yourself, and staying committed to growth can lead to major breakthroughs. He dives into how martial arts shaped his mindset, what it really means to “focus on focusing,” and why talent alone doesn’t win the fight—grit does.

Whether you're just starting out or looking to level up, Anthony’s story will remind you that it's never too late to build something powerful.

-------------------------------------------------------- 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.