Welcome back Story Tellers! Today's main character is Anthony Guadagnino (@veteranmadeny).

Anthony (aka Guads) is a United States Marine Corps OIF (Operation Iraqi Freedom) Veteran and current US Army SFC (Sergeant First Class). Anthony is also the owner and lead carpenter of Veteran Made Woodworks LLC.

This is a special edition of Get on the Box as I recorded our interview in person and uploaded it to my YouTube channel.

During this wide ranging conversation, we discussed:

• How a simple D.I.Y. project served as a springboard to his business
• Why he wanted to be a Marine
• Best advise he's received from mentors
• Having an entrepreneurial mindset
• Making time for what's important
• How previous life experiences and jobs have helped him as a business owner
• The meaning behind each flag
• Learning on the go
• And so much more…

Visit kitodelgado.com for show notes, links, and video of our interview

Please Enjoy!

Welcome back Story Tellers! Today's main character is chef Jawed Halepota (@ja_wed_chef).

A former high-school dropout, Jawed has built relationships that have afforded him the opportunity to travel to Europe and South America as Kevin Seraphin's personal chef while under contract with the New York Knick's, execute private dinner parties for Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots, and most recently become the personal chef to Marcus Smart of the Boston Celtics.

Jawed credits much of his success to building strong relationships, surrounding himself with winners, and taking full advantage of life changing opportunities that come his way.

I enjoyed chatting with Jawed, and we covered a lot of ground, including:

• Why he dropped out of high-school halfway through his senior year
• Putting yourself in a winning environment
• The importance of building relationships
• Learning from previous failures
• Earning business through Instagram
• Pan Seared Scallops with Garlic Herb Linguine Scallop Recipe
• Jawed's favorite music to cook to
• And so much more…

Visit kitodelgado.com for all show notes and links to everyone and everything mentioned during my interview with Jawed.

Enjoy!

Welcome back Story Tellers! Today's main character is Kayode Enwerem.

Growing up, Kayode lived a life that most would envy. He had a loving family, a bevy of friends, and could alwayGs be seen wearing the latest fashion of his native Nigeria. At the age of 14, all of that changed when Kayode and his family moved to Hyattsville, Maryland. He and his family had to start from the beginning, rebuilding their lives.

Adjusting to a new culture was hard for Kayode and he quickly went from being popular at school to having no friends. Enduring the mocking of his peers, Kayode sought comfort in music. It was through music that Kayode was able to express himself and find his voice. Truly believing that the lyrics of his favorite rappers were representing the life they were leading, Kayode sought to emulate his role models. He began trying to live a life his favorite rappers spoke about and soon made friends with the wrong crowd.

After a life changing experience in 2008, Kayode made a vow to God that if he were given a second chance he would use his talent to glorify God. He wanted to create music with a positive message, giving listeners an alternative that he did not have and influencing them to do the right thing. God answered his prayers and he has kept his promise.

In 2009, Kayode founded N.Y.T. Enterprises. He released his debut music project, Two Worlds Collide, in 2011. Knowing the power of music's influence on the youth, Kayode hopes to use his testimony to show others that regardless of what you go through or what people think of you; you can achieve your dreams.

In 2017, Kayode wrote "Mind Games - Overcoming your Strongholds." This powerful book was written to set you free from obstacles holding you back on your way to freedom, prosperity, true transformation and peace.

I had a great time catching up with Kayode and we covered a lot, including:

• The impact peer pressure has on our decision making
• Turning his life over to God
• Utilizing his talents to bring glory to God
• Turning to music to uplift others
• Times of adversity reveals who your true friends are
• Actions speak louder than words
• Most battles begin in your mind
• You can overcome your struggles, there is always hope
• And much more…

Enjoy!

Head over to kitodelgado.com for show notes, and links to all the resources mentioned during today's episode.

Welcome back Story Tellers! Today's main character is Donna Serdula (@donnaserdula) With half a billion users and over 10 million active job postings, LinkedIn is a great platform to build your personal brand and tell your professional story.

Since 2009, Donna has helped executives, entrepreneurs, sales stars, business leaders, and professionals from around the world create professionally branded LinkedIn profiles.

I had a great time catching up with Donna and we covered a lot, including:

• Donna's LinkedIn epiphany
• Donna's "get on the box" moment
• Common mistakes made by LinkedIn users
• Tips for telling your professional story
• How to improve as a writer
• How to be a content curator
• How to curate valuable content
• When should high school students consider LinkedIn
• How to grow your network
• Donna and I share our bold predictions for LinkedIn
• And much more…

Head over to kitodelgado.com for key takeaways, favorite quotes, and links to resources mentioned.

"I was on the forced Jenny Craig Plan. You go to bed early and wake up late in order to avoid eating." -Jason Panda

In this powerful addition of "Tell Your Story," I caught up with Jason Panda, CEO and founder of B Condoms. Jason and I first met freshman year (1997) while attending Boston University. However, after one year of taking the "T" up and down Commonwealth Ave, we both decided to move on from the university. I transferred to Northeastern University after BU dropped the football program (more on this another time), and Jason transferred to Morehouse College; eventually graduating with a bachelors degree in biology . The Brockton Mass native went on to earn a law degree from Georgetown despite knowing early on that law was not the career path for him.

Through social media, I've been able to keep tabs on Jason throughout the years. Admittedly, when I reached out to Jason to discuss the idea of telling his story, I thought the narrative would center around his decision to leave law to start his own condom company. Think about that for a second. A successful attorney making great money decides to leave corporate law to start a condom business makes for a pretty interesting story. However, the journey of overcoming multiple failures, and lost partnerships is what makes Jason's story both compelling and inspirational.

During this two part interview, we discuss how B Condoms became (and still remains) the only independently, and black owned condom distribution company in the US. Jason recounts his early failures, the lessons learned from them, the principle of learning by doing, and what it means to operate without a net, money,and legacy. Its an interview you don't want to miss.

In addition to hearing Jason's incredible interview, I too was telling my story. This is the very first "Tell Your Story" interview I conducted. As you'll see, we had some technical difficulties, first with Skype, and then with google. You could hear Rocky walking in the background, and even Melina made a few cameo appearances. Once complete, I spent a considerable amount of time uploading it to YouTube in 3 minute increments because I recorded the entire interview using my camera phone (I know, amateur move). In watching the interview, I observed a few things I can improve on and look forward to doing so with each interview.

Listening to Jason's story was truly inspiring and I can't wait to bring more of them to you each month on this blog and the "Get on the Box"podcast.

I hope you enjoy listening to Jason's incredible story of belief, endurance, and triumph! If so, please share with your family and friends.

Enjoy!

Head over to kitodelgado.com for key takeaways, favorite quotes, and links to resources mentioned.

"I was on the forced Jenny Craig Plan. You go to bed early and wake up late in order to avoid eating." -Jason Panda

In this powerful addition of "Tell Your Story," I caught up with Jason Panda, CEO and founder of B Condoms. Jason and I first met freshman year (1997) while attending Boston University. However, after one year of taking the "T" up and down Commonwealth Ave, we both decided to move on from the university. I transferred to Northeastern University after BU dropped the football program (more on this another time), and Jason transferred to Morehouse College; eventually graduating with a bachelors degree in biology . The Brockton Mass native went on to earn a law degree from Georgetown despite knowing early on that law was not the career path for him.

Through social media, I've been able to keep tabs on Jason throughout the years. Admittedly, when I reached out to Jason to discuss the idea of telling his story, I thought the narrative would center around his decision to leave law to start his own condom company. Think about that for a second. A successful attorney making great money decides to leave corporate law to start a condom business makes for a pretty interesting story. However, the journey of overcoming multiple failures, and lost partnerships is what makes Jason's story both compelling and inspirational.

During this two part interview, we discuss how B Condoms became (and still remains) the only independently, and black owned condom distribution company in the US. Jason recounts his early failures, the lessons learned from them, the principle of learning by doing, and what it means to operate without a net, money,and legacy. Its an interview you don't want to miss.

In addition to hearing Jason's incredible interview, I too was telling my story. This is the very first "Tell Your Story" interview I conducted. As you'll see, we had some technical difficulties, first with Skype, and then with google. You could hear Rocky walking in the background, and even Melina made a few cameo appearances. Once complete, I spent a considerable amount of time uploading it to YouTube in 3 minute increments because I recorded the entire interview using my camera phone (I know, amateur move). In watching the interview, I observed a few things I can improve on and look forward to doing so with each interview.

Listening to Jason's story was truly inspiring and I can't wait to bring more of them to you each month on this blog and the "Get on the Box"podcast.

I hope you enjoy listening to Jason's incredible story of belief, endurance, and triumph! If so, please share with your family and friends.

Enjoy!

Head over to kitodelgado.com each week to get to know our "main characters."

I believe we all have a story to share. In this episode I share why I decided to change the name of the podcast to Get on the Box, and how storytelling will be a big part of the show moving forward.

In this fun episode we talk about the Mayweather vs McGregor fight, lifelong relationships I built while attending BU, and fantasy football draft advise we can also apply to our daily lives.

This was an impromptu episode I recorded while driving up to Saratoga for Travers weekend. I've been lining up interviews and can't wait to share them with you over the coming weeks.

Drew Smith is a former NFL running back for the Buffalo Bills who is now the head trainer for Metabolic Meltdown. In this episode we discuss lessons learned as an athlete, how he made the transition from NFL life to work life, fitness, counting macros, and so much more.