Profiles In Success

Joseph "Joe" Danza is an Army Reserve Chaplain and Information Technology Program Manager. He also has over 13 years of real estate experience with his own business and has been working in real estate since he was a child in his parent's real estate company. He is the CEO and founder of Simplified Real Estate Investments, a multi-million-dollar real estate company focused on cash flow through multiple streams of income, consisting of STRs, LTRs, Property Management, and Commercial Multifamily Syndications.

He's leveraged his vast experience in real estate and program/project management to drive efficiencies and deliver desired results. He also serves as an advisor for over $105 millions of dollars in commercial real estate assets along the east coast.

Listen as Joe shares his journey from the military to building his real estate portfolio and beyond. Joe shares his impactful 6-word story with us as well, “Dream Big, Work Hard, Never Quit.”

To contact Joseph visit: https://simplifiedrei.com/

Welcome to Profiles in Success and thank you for listening!

For more visit: https://profilesinsuccess.com/

Work with us: https://www.bernhardtwealth.com/

Eleanor Smalley is the President and Chief Executive Officer of JASON Learning. Dr. Smalley returned to JASON after working at the University of Virginia for the Darden Curry Partnership for Leaders in Education, aligning leadership and business practices between state and district superintendents. While at Darden Curry, Dr. Smalley served as the Senior Project Director, working with the Aligned Leadership model, a Wallace Funded Project, The Turnaround Program, and School Board Development.

Dr. Smalley served 30 years in Public Schools, with 12 years as a Superintendent. While Superintendent, she promoted a zero-dropout rate, an accelerated learning model, a collegiate learning model with James Madison University, and was recognized by Newsweek as a national leader in The Challenge Index. Her focus on early childhood programs was recognized as a model for the state of Virginia. Dr. Smalley holds a master’s degree and a doctorate in Education Leadership from the University of Virginia.

On this episode, we talk about Eleanor’s journey in the education industry. She shares key tips to accelerate your education and how to help others learn more effectively. In the end, Eleanor shares her powerful 6-word story “Born to see greatness in others.”

To contact Eleanor, visit: https://jason.org/district-model/

Welcome to Profiles in Success and thank you for listening!

For more visit: https://profilesinsuccess.com/

Work with us: https://www.bernhardtwealth.com/

Today we have a special holiday episode with Soula Parassidis, the opera singer and founder of Living Opera. Praised for her unique timbre and glamorous stage presence, Soula Parassidis first appeared on the international operatic scene in 2009 at the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence. As a member of the ensemble at Oper Leipzig for 3 seasons, Soula performed a wide variety of leading roles to both critical and popular success. She has performed with the Taipei Symphony, Opera Holland Park, Teatro Massimo in Palermo, Opera Bordeaux, Theater an der Wien, Guanzhao Opera, and Teatro Regio Torino etc.

As CEO of Living Opera, Soula has been delighted to partner with various international institutions like Reload Greece London, Northland Orlando, Florida State University and was also featured in Forbes magazine.

In addition to her performance career and entrepreneurial endeavors, Soula also serves as on the board of The Exodus Road, and an adviser for the National Center on Sexual Exploitation as an anti-trafficking advocate and content creator combining data, story, and sound to create a new framework for policy advocacy.

This episode is special because of Soula’s remarkable story and the lessons she shares throughout the episode. She also surprises us with a sneak peek of her new Christmas track which has yet to be released. Finally, Soula shares her 6-word story “I Bring Light To Dark Places.” She certainly does and you won’t want to miss this episode.

To contact Soula visit: https://www.soulaparassidis.com/

To hear her new holiday song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJFwfSR1sfA

Welcome to Profiles in Success and thank you for listening!

For more visit: https://profilesinsuccess.com/

Work with us: https://www.bernhardtwealth.com/

Sue Delegan serves as Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Brutus Bone Broth, Inc., founded in 2017. Sue is a graduate of St. Lawrence University and has a strong background in marketing and business.

Before launching Brutus Broth, Sue co-founded and served as President of Ilios Dairy Brands, LLC, a dairy company focused on offering an innovative and natural alternative in the dairy segment. The Ilios’ Greek Yogurt Butter was lauded as a “Top New Products” by Supermarket Guru in August 2012 and as a “Rising Star” in Specialty Foods Magazine in November 2012.

Prior to launching Ilios, Sue spent 10 years as a fundraising and strategic marketing professional in a variety of non-profit organizations. She focused on major giving ($10,000+), endowment gifts, and planned giving. She played a key role in securing gifts from both Foundations and Corporations, as well as, handling all Media Relations. Before joining the Non-profit Sector, Sue was a marketing professional at Brown Brothers Harriman, a privately-held financial institution which is well-known as a thought leader and solutions provider in the financial services industry.

On this episode, Sue shares valuable entrepreneurship lessons including the myth of overnight success and the importance of self-belief.  In the food industry, her company is literally challenging the “Big Dogs” in the pet industry. She shares that every experience shapes your success and why only you have the power to shape your life.

Contact Sue Delegan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/susan-delegan-2a8613a7/

Welcome to Profiles in Success and thank you for listening!

For more visit: https://profilesinsuccess.com/

Work with us: https://www.bernhardtwealth.com/

Deon Dalton is the Founder/CEO of PUSH Alliance. PUSH Alliance is an accelerant to goal realization. PUSH promotes planning, open-source thinking, and taking action to its members. Their community is a growth-oriented environment where members learn from, assist, and leverage one another toward their goals.

Deon began his career as an IT Consultant who specialized in improving systems and processes. He started at Accenture, one of the top IT & Management Consulting companies in the world. Over the next 14 years, he has assisted various federal government agencies (IRS, US Postal Service, EPA, USDA & Census) achieve their goals of improving efficiency to increase cost savings by providing automated systems to improve their processes.

On this episode, he shares the vision for PUSH Alliance and says the best way to get started, is to just get started. He shares that you will learn through action. Deon shares that the quickest path to success is to do what others won’t do. In the end, listen to his 6-word story:

“Life experiences provide clues; Pay attention”

To connect with Deon, visit: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deondalton/

Welcome to Profiles in Success and thank you for listening!

For more visit: https://profilesinsuccess.com/

Work with us: https://www.bernhardtwealth.com/

Dr. Nikki Blacksmith is Co-Founder and CEO of Blackhawke Behaviour Science and an adjunct faculty member at American University in Washington, DC. She teaches Managing Human Capital and Leading High-Performance Teams in the Kogod Business School. Dr. Blacksmith has nearly 15 years of experience as a scientist-practitioner of industrial-organizational psychology focusing on assessment, recruitment, selection, decision-making, and leadership development.

Dr. Blacksmith has consulted with organizations across various industries including healthcare, medical devices, manufacturing, and venture capital. She has published over 60 different conference papers, book chapters, and journal articles. Her scientific research has been published in top-tier academic publications including the American Psychologist, Journal of Business and Psychology, Personality and Individual Differences, and Journal of Behavioral Decision-Making. Her research has also been featured in many media outlets including New York Magazine, Real Simple Magazine, and Bustle.

On this episode, Dr. Blacksmith dives deep into the importance of relationships and human capital. Dr. Blacksmith shares that great leaders have great awareness. We also discuss the importance of taking higher levels of responsibility than others. In the end, listen as Dr. Blacksmith explains the meaning of her 6-word story “Why Are We Who We Are?”

Connect With Dr. Blacksmith: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikkiblacksmith/

Welcome to Profiles in Success and thank you for listening!

For more visit: https://profilesinsuccess.com/

Work with us: https://www.bernhardtwealth.com/

Jamar Pierson has been in the hospitality industry since 2009 as a humble night auditor. Since then he has built his career to becoming a General Manager and has worked with brands like Marriott, Hilton, Holiday Inn Express, Sonesta. His focus is on training, hiring, interviewing, managing engineers, and building relationships between departments.

On this episode, Jamar shares how he got into the hospitality industry and why persistence is key, no matter what industry you are in. He tells us how he left working for other companies and decided to start his own company in the hotel industry.

Jamar believes in the power of educating himself as a way of paying it forward. He loves to travel, read, enjoy fine dining and spend time with family.

Contact Jamar at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamar-p-4519221a8/

Welcome to Profiles in Success and thank you for listening!

For more visit: https://profilesinsuccess.com/

Work with us: https://www.bernhardtwealth.com/

Beth is the chief advocacy and strategic communications officer, where she leads the firm’s influence, advocacy, and communications practice, sets strategic priorities, and oversees execution.

With more than twenty years of experience, Beth is a communications and political strategist who has worked with leading organizations to advance social change. Prior to joining Omidyar Network, she worked at Spitfire Strategies, a public interest communication firm that works with nonprofits and foundations to craft and implement winning strategies.

Most recently, Beth served as Spitfire’s chief strategy officer, helping guide the firm’s direction, develop staff, and lead client accounts. Beth focused much of her client's work on efforts to address poverty and economic inequality in the United States, partnering with organizations including Community Change, Demos, and Ascend at the Aspen Institute.

On this episode, Beth shares her story and how she landed her first job out of college. She shares the moment everything clicked for her and she became excited about her life’s purpose. Beth shares that you should “do what you love and do it right,” and why experience truly is the best teacher.

Contact Beth Kanter: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bethakanter/

Welcome to Profiles in Success and thank you for listening!

For more visit: https://profilesinsuccess.com/

Work with us: https://www.bernhardtwealth.com/

Tara Rethore is the CEO of Strategy for Real TM. She works with CEOs, boards, and executives to take strategy off the page and into action. Throughout her career, Tara has led strategy development and execution within global organizations and as a highly valued consultant. She is known for discovering leadership and strategy lessons in everyday situations which then become relatable examples for her clients. Currently, Tara serves on several private and nonprofit boards. She is also a Marshall Goldsmith Certified Stakeholder-Centered Coach. Tara earned an MBA from the University of Chicago.

On this episode, Tara shares the meaning of her powerful 6-word story “The Wisdom To Know The Difference.” She shares the importance of knowing your strategy and making it visible to yourself, as well as your people. During the episode, she also explains why you should live in the moment and says “if you are going to do something, give it everything you have.”

Tara earned an MBA from the University of Chicago. Learn more about making strategy work in Tara’s book, Charting the Course: CEO Tools to Align Strategy & Operations, in Chief Executive or Corporate Boardmember, or on Tara’s Real Strategy Blog.

Welcome to Profiles in Success and thank you for listening!

For more visit: https://profilesinsuccess.com/

Work with us: https://www.bernhardtwealth.com/

Erica Bigger is the Co-Founder of U Slept On Me & Founder of WhollyGloss in Baltimore, Maryland, and Los Angeles. She co-founded her companies in 2016 and 2018 after years of studying and gaining experience in business and grasping the art of fashion. She always knew she wanted to start her own business someday and attended the Fashion Institute of Technology for advertising marketing and communication and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore for Fashion Merchandising and business.

It was in college that she found her passion for creating and performing and helping others as she spent her time studying fashion and business. In the past four years, she has been an exhibitor at the Forbes 30 under 30 summit. She has also pitched some of the most prestigious venture capitalists, been featured at Pharrell's music festival "Something In the Water," and Flying Solo, which is one of New York's top fashion locations. WhollyGlossTM is now sold on Walmart's Marketplace and soon to be other specialty retailers.

On this episode, we talk about her experience, her companies, and the advice she would give to entrepreneurs entering a new industry.

To contact Erica, visit: https://www.instagram.com/ericaynb/

Welcome to Profiles in Success and thank you for listening!

For more visit: https://profilesinsuccess.com/

Work with us: https://www.bernhardtwealth.com/