Adventures In Business

How do you know when it's time to leave a steady paycheck and bet on your own business? Tijera Wright, founder of Board & Boujee, joins Adventures in Business with Amani Roberts and Mandi Graziano to talk about leaving her corporate career at Ernst & Young to build a charcuterie experience business. As larger orders became more frequent, balancing her job with her growing business became harder. T...

How do you turn an idea into something people keep coming back to for 20 years? Cat Corral, Co-Founder & Artistic/Executive Director of transcenDANCE, joins Adventures in Business Live with Amani Roberts and Mandi Graziano. In 2005, 75 teenagers auditioned for 12 spots in her first dance program. There was no funding or dedicated space, just a vision. Today, the nonprofit reaches about 1,800 San D...

What is your anger trying to tell you? Is it pointing to an unmet need, a boundary you haven't set, or something you've been afraid to ask for? Krissie McMenamin founded RAGEher after recognizing how her own suppressed anger was coming out as passive aggression. Her events give women space to scream, move, dance, and feel emotions they've been taught to hide. Krissie joins Amani Roberts and Mandi...

What keeps you putting off something you've wanted to do for years? Tim Mulligan, lawyer, published author, award-winning playwright and public speaker, returns to Adventures in Business with Amani Roberts and Mandi Graziano. He started writing plays in his 50s during the pandemic, hoping he could finish just one script. That script became Witchland, a play inspired by his hometown that reached st...

Why can you handle a setback one day, but the smallest thing pushes you over the edge the next? Jenn Cassetta, keynote speaker, author and third-degree black belt, returns to Adventures in Business with Amani Roberts and Mandi Graziano to explore what keeps us steady under pressure. Drawing from her upcoming book, The Secrets of the Sensei, Jenn introduces her resilience reservoir assessment, and...

What's still on your list before the year ends, and do you have room for it? Mandi Graziano and Amani Roberts are in the final lap of the year, but Amani is still figuring out what he wants next after a summer of burnout. Mandi's approach comes down to capacity, consistency and care: look at what's filling your day, put your priorities on the calendar and give yourself credit when something goes r...

How do you lead a World Cup operation when there's no roadmap and your team is working for months away from home? As Los Angeles host city director for FIFA World Cup 2026, Brandy Thigpen oversaw operations outside the stadium, from transportation and hotels to safety and security. Years of relationships in the city helped her take on the role, but the tournament tested her in ways she hadn't expe...

What if taking a goal off your list helps you focus on what matters most? Mandi Graziano and Amani Roberts check in on their bingo cards as the year enters its final stretch. From Mandi's dinner with hospitality leaders to Amani's new class, they share what they've accomplished and what's still in progress. They also talk about the goals that now feel more stressful than useful, and give themselve...

What happens when you build a business around friendship, connection and the choice to find joy? Liz Lathan and Nicole Osibodu created Club Ichi to bring people in the events industry together without job titles or formal networking. Their approach has led to spontaneous think tanks, parties and a secret business trip where guests learned their destination only after arriving at the airport. Liz a...

What if your podcast could become more valuable than a traditional résumé? Producer and podcast host Mike Bisceglia joins Amani Roberts and Mandi Graziano to explain how podcasting can help people share their ideas, build meaningful relationships and create new business opportunities. Mike shares why consistency matters more than perfection, why video is essential for reaching an audience on YouTu...

What does it take to turn one rental property into a growing Airbnb business? A neighbor gave Tina T. the idea to try Airbnb, and a $5,000 purchase gave her nearly everything she needed to furnish her first property. When it stayed booked, she began converting more of her long-term rentals. But Airbnb is only one part of Tina's life. She created Camp Spinoff, a summer camp where teenagers learn to...

What if your next great business opportunity comes from an unexpected collaboration? Mandi Graziano and Amani Roberts look at partnerships between brands, artists and audiences that may not seem like an obvious match. From e.l.f. Cosmetics and Liquid Death to Selena Gomez and Rema, they discuss how the right collaboration can introduce your business to new customers, expand your reach and offer so...

How do you market your business without losing your voice or spending all your time creating content? Samantha Calderón, copywriter, marketing strategist, and founder of South Florida Copywriting, joins Amani Roberts and Mandi Graziano to share how losing a client to AI pushed her to rethink her business and invest in herself. Drawing on 15 years of writing experience, she explains why knowing you...

What can plant medicine reveal about who you are, how you lead, and the parts of yourself you may have stopped listening to? Jessica Cline, Chief Marketing Officer and Partner at INLIBRIUM, joins Amani Roberts and Mandi Graziano to share how burnout, loss, love, and major career changes led her to a guided experience with psilocybin. She describes how it helped her confront a deep sense of lonelin...

What separates a great DJ from someone who simply knows how to play music? Amani Roberts breaks down the art of DJing with Mandi Graziano, from reading the room and controlling energy through BPMs to blending genres and understanding what different audiences need. They discuss the current state of DJ culture, why music should never be an afterthought at events, and how the right music can create c...

What's the wild idea you can't stop thinking about? And what would happen if you actually went for it? Shelby Stanger has built a career around adventure, storytelling, and helping people find the courage to pursue the ideas that excite and scare them. As the host of Wild Ideas Worth Living and author of Will to Wild, she has seen firsthand how stepping outside your comfort zone can change the dir...

What does it take to pull off a secret international trip for 50 people? And how do you prepare when one mistake could derail the entire experience? Nicole Matthews is the founder of The Henley Company, an event and lifestyle management agency she has led for 19 years. Her career has taken her from corporate and nonprofit events to some of the world's biggest sporting events, including the Olympic...

What does it really mean to put yourself first? And why is that so difficult for so many people? Kim O'Hara is the founder of Delicious Life™, a lifestyle brand that inspires women to slow down, reconnect with themselves, and create more joy through intentional experiences, curiosity, and community. Her mission is to help women stop putting themselves last and start building lives that feel more f...

What happens when you spend four days teaching the next generation of DJs and music creators? Amani Roberts shares his experience volunteering at Camp Spin Off, a summer camp for aspiring DJs and producers ages 12 to 17. He and Mandi Graziano discuss the lessons campers taught him about creativity, mentorship, and leadership, why giving back can make you better at your own career, and how one week...

What makes a city truly unforgettable? Is it the attractions, the restaurants, or the people who bring it to life? Wendy Roberts has spent more than 25 years helping destinations tell their stories. As President and CEO of Travel Santa Ana, she believes the best places aren't defined by famous landmarks, but by local businesses, authentic experiences, and the people who make visitors feel welcome....

What happens when you show up every week for four years? In this special "Ask Us Anything" episode, Mandi Graziano and Amani Roberts celebrate four years of Adventures in Business by looking back at the moments that shaped them both on and off the microphone. They share how the show has evolved from its earliest episodes, the guests who left a lasting impression, and the lessons they've learned fr...

What if the same mental skills that help athletes perform under pressure could help you succeed in everyday life? In this episode of Adventures in Business, Amani Roberts and Mandi Graziano sit down with Morgan Brons, founder of Winning Edge Coaching, to talk about the mental side of performance. A former Division I athlete and Big 12 Champion, Morgan shares how her experience in competitive sport...

What separates a good speaker from one that audiences remember long after the event ends? In this episode of Adventures in Business, Amani Roberts and Mandi Graziano sit down with Zach Nadler, co-founder and CEO of VaynerSpeakers, to talk about the business of professional speaking and what it takes to build a lasting career on stage.  Since co-founding VaynerSpeakers with Gary Vaynerchuk in 2018,...

When was the last time you actually checked in on your goals? Halfway through the year is the perfect time to stop, reflect, and celebrate your wins. Mandi Graziano and Amani Roberts share what's already on their bingo cards, what they're still chasing, and why turning goals into a game makes it easier to stay motivated and accountable.

What separates an event people attend from one they remember for years? In this episode of Adventures in Business, Amani Roberts and Mandi Graziano sit down with EJ Corporan, who leads Growth and Communications at Ansera, to discuss why the best events are about more than logistics. With experience building event strategies across aviation, technology, and live events, EJ explains why networking s...