Driven: Unscripted Success

In this episode of Driven: The Unscripted Success Podcast, hosts Mike Mannino and Nareman Hamdan sit down with Mike Karp, co-founder of Zoozah, to discuss disrupting the home services industry through technology. With a background in FinTech and enterprise software, Mike shares how he’s combining licensed home inspections, concierge services, and proprietary tech to build a scalable, SaaS-enabled property management model. Topics Covered: From enterprise software to startup founder Why curiosity drives long-term success Leading from the middle Hiring for integrity + intelligence Fail fast and iterate quickly The future of AI and IoT in smart homes Turning traditional services into scalable tech If you’re an entrepreneur, operator, or tech enthusiast — this episode is packed with insight.

On this episode of Driven: The Unscripted Success Podcast, hosts Mike Manino and Nareman Hamdan sit down with Maribeth Martorana, co-founder and CEO of Sapient Advisors. With over 20 years in tech, financial services, and AI, Maribeth shares her journey, leadership lessons, and insights on building empowered teams and passive income. Topics Covered: Maribeth’s career journey and lessons learned Navigating career challenges and setbacks Leadership: delegation, empowerment, and curiosity Implementing AI strategies for mid-market companies Passive income and digital products Daily routines for productivity and learning 📌 Connect with Maribeth Martorana: LinkedIn: Maribeth Martorana Email: maribeth@sapient-advisors.com 🎧 Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and leave a review!

In this episode, Michael sits down with franchise expert Tom DuFore, a 22-year veteran in the franchising world who has helped over 600 companies expand and advised more than 10,000 business owners. If you’ve ever wondered: Is my business ready to franchise? How do I scale without losing control? What’s stopping me from growing? This episode breaks it down. 🔑 What You’ll Learn: ✔️ The 3 signs your business could be franchise-ready ✔️ The “Triple Win” model for sustainable growth ✔️ How vendor relationships can create added revenue ✔️ Why fear and self-doubt stop entrepreneurs ✔️ The powerful “Lion in the Wild vs. Lion in the Cage” mindset shift 🌐 Connect with Tom: Website: https://bigskyfranchise.com Free consultation, webinars, quizzes, and franchise resources available on his site. 🎙️ About the Show Driven: The Unscripted Success Podcast brings you real stories and insights on achieving personal, professional, and financial success. Want to be a guest? Apply here: drivensuccesspodcast.com/guest 👍 Like 💬 Comment your biggest takeaway 🔔 Subscribe for more unscripted success conversations #Franchising #Entrepreneurship #BusinessGrowth #Scaling #PassiveIncome #Leadership

In this powerful and insightful episode, Mike sits down with Daniel Strohli—a systems strategist, business builder, and lifelong learner who’s on a mission to optimize and scale businesses through simplicity and clarity. From flipping plastic trinkets in grade school to managing properties and transforming warehouses into retail goldmines, Daniel shares his early entrepreneurial journey and how genuine curiosity became his greatest asset. He opens up about learning directly from seasoned mentors, extracting business insights from every corner—whether it’s a jewelry shop or cupcake startup—and how those lessons became the foundation of his company, ProfitsX. Daniel walks us through his framework for streamlining systems and creating repeatable, scalable processes that actually grow companies—plus, how trust, goodwill, and doing more than expected will always set you apart in 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.

Sara Quintero, founder of Karma Chic Marketplace who turned a boutique background into a tech-driven multi-vendor platform. She talks about launching and scaling a marketplace, learning tech and finding mentors, grassroots vendor recruiting and networking, overcoming imposter feelings, and plans to expand nationally and beyond.

Can your genes predict how you’ll react to medications? This week, Dr. Melissa Smith joins the show to share how she's redefining pharmacy through precision medicine and genetic testing. From retail pharmacy burnout to launching her own consulting practice, Melissa opens up about her pivot from traditional pharmacy into the world of pharmacogenomics (PGX). She dives into why the current “one-size-fits-all” medical model falls short — especially in mental health and pain management — and how understanding your unique genetic makeup can help doctors prescribe smarter, safer medications. Whether you’re a healthcare professional, parent, or someone who’s been frustrated with medications that never seem to work, this conversation is for you.   -------------------------------------------------------- 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.

Alexander Koster is a driving force behind strategic innovation at Nemours Children’s Health, one of the largest pediatric systems in the U.S. In this insightful and grounded conversation, he shares how his upbringing shaped his mission-driven career, how setbacks like the dot-com crash taught him the power of relationships, and why clarity around success is key to driving results. Alexander talks about his approach to team leadership, encouraging outside-the-box thinking, and making data work for people—not the other way around. From managing advanced care delivery at home to fishing in the Florida intercoastal, Alexander reminds us that strategy and humanity must go hand-in-hand. Whether you're in healthcare, tech, or leadership, this episode delivers authentic insight into what it means to lead with purpose.   -------------------------------------------------------- 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 really happens behind the scenes when business partnerships fall apart? How do you protect yourself before a contract dispute ever starts? In this episode, attorney Yasir Billoo joins the Driven Podcast to dive deep into what smart business owners need to know about legal risks, contracts, business “divorces,” and how mindset shapes success. As the Managing Partner at International Law Partners LLP, Yasir brings over 20 years of litigation and transactional experience. He opens up about why he left a successful firm to start his own, how he builds trust with clients, and the leadership lessons he’s still learning today. Plus, we explore how AI is impacting the legal world—and what happens when lawyers rely on it too much. If you’re a business owner, entrepreneur, or just someone navigating high-stakes decisions, this episode is packed with insights on risk, growth, and being smarter in 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 compelling episode, Dr. Gesenia Sloan-Peña takes us inside the world of forensic neuropsychology. As a bilingual clinical and forensic neuropsychologist, she breaks down what her work looks like—evaluating everyone from infants with birth injuries to elderly adults with dementia, and testifying in civil litigation cases like medical malpractice and personal injury. Dr. Sloan-Peña discusses her unique journey into the niche field of neuropsychology, the pivotal mentors who shaped her path, and why her Spanish-speaking background plays a critical role in serving an underserved population. She also talks about pivoting into academia, mentoring future neuropsychologists, and leading a growing team at NOVA Southeastern University while still managing her thriving private practice. The conversation explores her leadership style, her approach to risk-taking, balancing family and business, using time-blocking to get it all done, and her candid views on AI’s evolving role in psychological assessments. We also dive into her passion for creating opportunities for the next generation of Spanish-speaking professionals and her innovative work in NICU follow-up clinics for infant survivors.   -------------------------------------------------------- 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 fascinating conversation, Stefano Gulbalis shares how his mission to humanize technology led him to launch Nebulai—a digital transformation company combining AI, blockchain, and smart contracts to build a better future. With roots in education, real estate, and enterprise innovation, Stefano brings a visionary perspective on the intersection of emerging tech, purpose, and leadership. What we covered: How Stefano’s early work at Miami Dade College laid the groundwork for his entrepreneurial path The “ikigai” approach to career and innovation What WebAI marketplaces are, and how smart contracts empower global talent Why blockchain is critical for trustworthy AI Thoughts on the risks, ethics, and existential challenges of AI How Miami is becoming the next major hub for AI development Stefano’s personal journey as a cancer survivor and his vision to build AI agents for healthcare support Insights on leadership, passion, learning, and building diverse, innovative teams -------------------------------------------------------- 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.