How I Got Here with Dave Fiore

Host Dave Fiore speaks with Mark Mustian, attorney, author and founder of the Word of South Festival of Literature and Music. Mark grew up in Tallahassee, learned discipline in the Leon High School band and was elected student body president. At the beginning of his career, Mark said he had three life goals: be an attorney, teach and write a book. While he would eventually accomplish all three, he also would serve 10 years on the City Commission, get appointed as Tallahassee Chamber Board Chair and be instrumental in the creation of Cascades Park, turning a decades-long eyesore into a community treasure.  Mark recently published his third book, receiving great reviews and literary awards. But it is the impact of Word of South for which he is perhaps best known locally. Now more than 10 years old, the festival attracts national attention and talent, held appropriately in the park he helped make a reality.  Mark is already working on his next novel but wanted to keep the details under wraps – at least for now. Learn More About Mark Mustian LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mustian-17066776 Website: https://markmustian.com/ Books "The Return:" https://markmustian.com/the-return "The Gendarme:" https://markmustian.com/the-gendarme "Boy With Wings:" https://markmustian.com/boy-with-wings Word of South: https://wordofsouthfestival.com/  

On this mini-episode of How I Got Here: 5 Years Later, host Dave Fiore catches up with Episode 17 Guest Tom Derzypolski. At the end of each original episode, Dave asks his guests the same question: Where do you think "here" will be for you in three to five years? Tom and Dave listen to his answer from 2020, and he thoughtfully shares how his predictions compare to life today. If you have not already, please also listen to Tom's original episode. It will put some context to this conversation and add additional insight into his journey. Thank you for supporting this podcast and connecting with your community.

Host Dave Fiore speaks with Debra Harris, founder of Making Miracles Haven, a provider of faith-based housing for mothers experiencing homelessness. Debra's journey includes years of physical and emotional abuse as a child and adult, having been let down by almost everyone she ever trusted or depended on. As a young mom, she worked to provide a better life for her children and break the cycles of abuse and financial dependence on a system that penalizes the working poor. Today, the New Orleans native is fulfilling her personal mission to help women with nowhere to turn move toward self-sufficiency with support and confidence. She is grateful for God's provision in her life and her ministry and for those who continue to come alongside her to ensure Making Miracles does just that for years to come.   Warning to listeners: This episode includes explicit discussion of physical, emotional and sexual abuse. Please listen with care.

Host Dave Fiore speaks with Dan Campbell, owner of Wash Around the Clock. Dan's journey into the laundry business began in Jacksonville as the youngest of five brothers. After exceling in multiple sports, including being a state champion discus thrower, Dan was invited to walk-on at Florida State and play football for legendary coach Bobby Bowden. His time on the FSU campus included being part of FSU's first national championship team in 1993, but more importantly it was where he met his wife, Collette. After college, Dan had great success selling ads in the Yellow Pages, which helped the couple make a series of smart investments in real estate and small business, which eventually led to building their clothes-cleaning empire one quarter at a time. Dan loves football, travel and adventure, but his priorities and clear and strong – faith, family and making a difference in the community. Much like the slogan of the Sunrise Rotary Club he recently served as president, Dan likes to Do Good and Have Fun!

Host Dave Fiore speaks with Sally Bradshaw, owner of Midtown Reader, Tallahassee's neighborhood independent bookstore. Sally is a Mississippi native who fell in love with books and grassroots politics at an early age. The latter would guide a career that included running gubernatorial and presidential campaigns, serving as political director for the Republican Party of Florida and returning to The White House, where she was a college intern, as President George H.W. Bush's associate director of political affairs. But in 2016, Sally walked away from politics, and the Republican Party, and opened up a bookstore on Thomasville Road. They talk about Sally's love of lifelong learning, her role as Chair of Tallahassee Memorial Hospital's Board of Directors, the future of local healthcare in our community and why having a thriving independent bookstore is vital for a healthy community ecosystem.

On this mini-episode of How I Got Here: 5 Years Later, host Dave Fiore catches up with Episode 16 Guest Talethia Edwards. At the end of each original episode, Dave asks his guests the same question: Where do you think "here" will be for you in three to five years? Talethia and Dave listen to her answer from 2020, and she thoughtfully shares how her predictions compare to life today. Spoiler alert: Things rarely go exactly as planned! If you have not already, please also listen to Talethia's original episode. It will put some context to this conversation and add additional insight into her journey. Thank you for supporting this podcast and connecting with your community.

Host Dave Fiore talks with Matt Thompson, co-founder of For the Table Hospitality, which includes the brands Charlie Park, Social Catering, Township, Social Kitchen and Madison Social—the heart and soul of College Town. Matt's path from collecting baseball cards as a kid near Orlando to a restaurant entrepreneur has taken a number of unexpected turns. Matt came to Tallahassee on a trombone performance scholarship to Florida State, eventually earning a degree in public relations and then his master's. He would teach public speaking back home before returning to Tallahassee to take a digital marketing position at The Zimmerman Agency. But when a college buddy offered him a chance to be part of a new concept in an undeveloped industrial area in the shadow of Doak Campbell Stadium, Matt jumped at the chance. The rest is history—with a side of BLT dip. 

On this mini-episode of How I Got Here: 5 Years Later, host Dave Fiore catches up with Episode 15 Guest Rachel Pienta. At the end of each original episode, Dave asks his guests the same question: Where do you think "here" will be for you in three to five years? Rachel and Dave listen to her answer from 2020, and she thoughtfully shares how her predictions compare to life today. Spoiler alert: Things rarely go exactly as planned! If you have not already, please also listen to Rachel's original episode. It will put some context to this conversation and add additional insight into her journey. Thank you for supporting this podcast and connecting with your community.

Host Dave Fiore returned to Access Tallahassee's Young Professionals Summit for a live recording of the podcast featuring three successful women entrepreneurs representing the local brewing scene. Dave spoke with:  Shannon Smith from Ground Ops Roastery and Bakehouse; Michaela Teasley from Tally Kombucha; and Alison Denny from Amicus Brewing Ventures. Guests shared their unique journeys and the obstacles they overcame along the way and then gave some practical advice for women entrepreneurs pursuing their dreams.

On this mini-episode of How I Got Here: 5 Years Later, host Dave Fiore catches up with Episode 13 Guest Keith Bowers. At the end of each original episode, Dave asks his guests the same question: Where do you think "here" will be for you in three to five years? Keith and Dave listen to his answer from 2020, and he thoughtfully shares how his predictions compare to life today. Spoiler alert: Things rarely go exactly as planned! If you have not already, please also listen to Keith's original episode. It will put some context to this conversation and add additional insight into his journey. Thank you for supporting this podcast and connecting with your community.

Host Dave Fiore speaks with Darius (Doc D) Baker, music producer and founder of Tallahassee Nights Live. Doc has been launching music careers since middle school, producing up-and-coming artists and creating a platform for local entertainers of all experience levels to hone their craft in front of grateful and enthusiastic audiences around the world. The Havana native is a married father of four boys who remains committed to providing opportunities for anyone with a love of music and a willingness to put in the work to achieve their dreams.

On this mini-episode of How I Got Here: 5 Years Later, host Dave Fiore catches up with Episode 12 Guest Elizabeth Emmanuel. At the end of each original episode, Dave asks his guests the same question: Where do you think "here" will be for you in three to five years? Elizabeth and Dave listen to her answer from 2020, and she thoughtfully shares how her predictions compare to life today. Spoiler alert: Things rarely go exactly as planned! If you have not already, please also listen to Elizabeth's original episode. It will put some context to this conversation and add additional insight into her journey. Thank you for supporting this podcast and connecting with your community.

Host Dave Fiore speaks with Carrie Zimmerman, co-founder and former CEO of The Zimmerman Agency. Carrie is a native Tallahassean whose family has been in the Capital City for more than 100 years. She grew up in a competitive, sports-oriented environment, but it was rolling on the mats of the Tallahassee Tumbling Tots that sparked a passion that would lead to exploring gymnastics, training full-time in Oregon at age 15 and earning a coveted spot on the 1976 U.S. Olympic team – a memory that still elicits great emotion. After graduating from the University of Georgia, Carrie worked with her husband, Curtis, at an ad agency in Atlanta, before moving to Tallahassee to be near her family. Starting with no clients but a considerable Rolodex, the couple started The Zimmerman Agency, which today has more than 130 employees and competes with New York agencies (and often wins) for the right to represent some of the most prestigious brands in the world. Recently retired, Carrie now focuses on travel, FSU sports and enjoying being a grandmother.

On this mini-episode of How I Got Here: 5 Years Later, host Dave Fiore catches up with Episode 9 guest Danny Shrine. At the end of each original episode, Dave asks his guests the same question: Where do you think "here" will be for you in three to five years? Danny and Dave listen to his answer from 2019, and he thoughtfully shares how his predictions compare to life today. Spoiler alert: Things rarely go exactly as planned! If you have not already, please also listen to Danny's original episode. It will put some context to this conversation and add additional insight into his journey. Thank you for supporting this podcast and connecting with your community.

Host Dave Fiore speaks with Emily Saras, CEO and data scientist with Knowli Data Science. The self-described overachiever with a nerd persona loved field hockey in high school and was her class valedictorian in her hometown of Hopedale, Massachusetts. Emily entered prestigious Wellesley College with plans to be a doctor, only to make a significant pivot to study anthropology and opera singing. Wanting to connect with her family heritage, she earned a scholarship to study ethnomusicology and opera performance in Lithuania under the nation's top soprano. Emily spent two more years studying in Europe before returning home as an AmeriCorps fellow, where she worked with underserved Boston teens. It was there that Emily was recommended for a position at Florida State, which she took thinking it would be a short-term stop on her life journey. She was wrong. Emily would go on to earn her Ph.D. in sociology from FSU, fall in love with Tallahassee and get connected to Knowli, a women-owned company that translates big data for policy makers in a variety of fields, including health and human science agencies and educational institutions across the Southeast. Emily says her journey to CEO has been a "joyful challenge," and she greatly appreciates the opportunity to serve as the company's cultural ambassador.

On this mini-episode of How I Got Here: 5 Years Later, host Dave Fiore catches up with Episode 8 Guest Jami Coleman. At the end of each original episode, Dave asks his guests the same question: Where do you think "here" will be for you in three to five years? Jami and Dave listen to her answer from 2019, and she thoughtfully shares how her predictions compare to life today. Spoiler alert: Things rarely go exactly as planned! If you have not already, please also listen to Jami's original episode. It will put some context to this conversation and add additional insight into her journey. Thank you for supporting this podcast and connecting with your community.

Host Dave Fiore speaks with Brad Buckenheimer, co-founder and CEO of Canopy Road Cafe. The Tampa native got his first taste of the hospitality industry as a country club cabana boy at age 14 and says he always had a job. His path to entrepreneurship, which includes owning 13 Canopy Road locations and being a partner in several other concepts including the popular Lemon & Thyme in Midtown, has had some unexpected twists. An internship in Los Angeles led to touring as a fill-in drummer for a popular band. Brad was a bartender, corporate trainer for a major restaurant chain and developed leadership skills that would unknowingly come in handy later in life. But it was a call from his former FSU roommate and best friend saying that he had just purchased Jenny's Lunchbox, a small restaurant where they both worked in college, that would put his future in motion. And while Brad is proud of all that he has accomplished, he acknowledges that none of it would have been possible without the love and support of many others – most importantly his parents and wife, Allison.

On this mini-episode of How I Got Here: 5 Years Later, host Dave Fiore catches up with Episode 7 Guest Bill Kelly. At the end of each original episode, Dave asks his guests the same question: Where do you think "here" will be for you in three to five years? Bill and Dave listen to his answer from 2019, and he thoughtfully shares how his predictions compare to life today. Spoiler alert: Things rarely go exactly as planned! If you have not already, please also listen to Bill's original episode. It will put some context to this conversation and add additional insight into his journey. Thank you for supporting this podcast and connecting with your community.

Host Dave Fiore speaks with Ricardo Schneider, executive advisor and recently retired president and CEO of Danfoss Turbocor. The Tallahassee-based company produces high efficiency, oil-free compressors for commercial air conditioning systems around the world. Ricardo's lifelong passion for improving the world through better refrigeration and air conditioning led him to a position with Danfoss in his home country of Brazil, where he grew up in a community of German immigrants. He excelled in every opportunity with the company and worked his way up to global vice president and a move from Mexico to Baltimore. While Danfoss has more than 40,000 employees and $12 billion in global revenue, the operation in Tallahassee was in trouble when Ricardo arrived. He quickly turned things around, doubling the company in size every five years, managing multiple expansions and delivering hundreds of millions in economic impact to our community. He remains inspired to create greater global and local impact through innovative and disruptive thinking and helping create tomorrow's leaders. And while he is in transition toward the next season of his life, Ricardo says, "purpose does not retire."  He is proud of what he has accomplished but says his best products for the world are his three children, made in partnership with his wife, Juliana.

On this mini-episode of How I Got Here: 5 Years Later, host Dave Fiore catches up with Episode 6 podcast guest Drew McLeod.  At the end of each original episode, Dave asks his guests the same question: Where do you think "here" will be for you in three to five years?  Drew and Dave listen to his answer from 2019, and he thoughtfully shares how his predictions compare to life today.  Spoiler alert: Things rarely go exactly as planned!  If you have not already, please also listen to Drew's original episode. It will put some context to this conversation and add additional insight into his journey.  Thank you for supporting this podcast and connecting with your community.