How I Got Here

Have you ever chased your dream job… only to realize it wasn’t the dream you imagined? In this episode, Elana shares her incredible journey—one filled with hard work, ambition, and ultimately, a surprising turn. After reaching the goal she worked so tirelessly for, she found herself facing an unexpected truth: it wasn’t right for her. What comes next is where the real story begins. This is a power...

🎸🔥 Ever wondered what it REALLY takes to become a Rock & Roll star? Get ready for an incredible ride as Zoe shares her journey from Club 128 all the way to New York City! From stepping onto the stage at The Don, to diving into jazz, to finally finding her true passion as the lead singer of a rock band—this story has it all: determination, music, setbacks, and big dreams. And here’s the twist...

Have you ever wondered how to combine your two favorite passions into one career? This episode, tune in to hear how Jacob blended his love of music and engineering—like the perfect mix of peanut butter and chocolate—into one incredible job. Today, he creates music for his favorite video games and other creative projects. If you’ve ever felt torn between two passions and weren’t sure how to bring t...

Sara Rudeseal: Ever wondered what it really takes to become an actor? What’s involved in seeing yourself on TV or on the big screen? If so, come take a ride with me as Sara shares her journey—from watching her dad light up the stage and make people laugh, to carving out a path of her own on both the small and big screen. Sara opens up about navigating a difficult time in middle school, the twists...

Come take a listen to Surya tell his story from Club 128 at the Don (08-11) to High School(11-15), to California Berkley School of Engineering(15-19) all the way to the mean streets of The Big Apple, NYC. Surya is the opitomy of don't let failure stop you. We all fall down, how many times do we get up? Don't let failure define you, let it guide you, and hopefully learn from it. Always have...

What happens when a kid obsessed with technology discovers the world of filmmaking? Meet Armaan—a creator who turned curiosity into a calling. In this episode, Armaan shares how getting into his town’s arts high school set everything in motion, how a Florida Bright Futures scholarship opened the next door, and how determination carried him from Georgia all the way to Los Angeles. If you’re trying...

🎙️  Come take a listen to Tiffany’s story  — from being the quiet, shy (but quietly confident) kid in my History class, all the way to one of the top engineering schools in the country… and eventually, to Cupertino AKA Apple Mothership. Her journey takes some unexpected turns — from art, to NorCal, then SoCal. Tiffany shares, in her own words, how she prepared herself for the path ahead. From the...

Ian Mellul, former White House Director of Presidential Production and former student of mine, joins the podcast to share his remarkable journey from Club 128 to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Ian’s interest in government began in my 7th grade civics class, where he first discovered his passion for public service. That spark eventually took him to George Washington University, national politics, the Ob...

Come on a wild ride with Taylor as she explains how she made it all the way to opening night of Dallas Cowboys Stadium, to earning hr Ph. D, to becoming a wife and a mom. This women proves that hard work in and out of the classroom really pays off. Taylor will tell you about her ups, and downs, and her all arounds. This is the episode to listen if you are a band kid in middle school, and have no i...

Come on a ride with Max as he tells his journey from Don Estridge Middle Scholl all the way to Yale Medical School. Max will explain how he graduated College before he graduated High School. He was told he was too young to go to Medical School at the ripe old age of 18. He did not take that as a set back, he figured out how to shift to Brain Research. To make matters worse, he was not selected for...

Come along and listen to Kirill tell his story from the Don all the way to Sanford University. Listen to Kirill tell how he went from a middle school kid with big dreams, t making those dreams become a reality. If you ever wanted to be a computer scientist and wok for a space faring company, this is your podcast. Kirill talks about how his hard work in and out of the classroom payed massive divide...

Come take a listen to Jordan's story, a kid who was into Pokemon in middle school and turned that into being a social influencer. Then, he used his prelaw knowledge to attend the NBA Draft. This is the ultimate episode about throwing away the rule book and going your own way. Jordan will tell you about the ups the downs and the all arounds of set backs to success. Jordan has a wealth of knowledge...

Come take a listen to Fabi tell her story form The Don all the way to London England. Fabi has taken some twists and turns, had to make some hard decisions in order fr her to find her way. Listen as Fabi tells how she decided not to go to her school of her dreams, ignorer for her dreams to be come even bigger. This is a true story of How I Got Here, that is still in the infancy stages. If you wann...

Come take a listen to an incredible story of one year at the Don, to dual enrollment at Boca High and FAU High, to graduating from college at 19 with a degree in Bio sciences. All this to enroll in medical school. But wait, there's more. Then take a quick left turn to try some business management for fun, which all started at the ripe old age of 6. How many can say that is when they started a...

Open up your ear canal and take a listen to Tyler tell his story from the first Don Championship, to a scholarship to St. Andrews, Boca High, then to Valencia College, all the way to HoopDiamonds. Tyler will explain how he turned a love of playing basketball, into finding the Diamonds in the ruff. We all can not be a professional athlete, but we can still be a part of the dream in another facet. T...

Come take a listen to Dominique tell her journey from The Don to London. Hear how Dominique found her calling and what it took to get there. Dominique will tell you how she was able to succeed in all facets of her life. Now she is living her best life across the pond in Jolly Old England. As always, thank your to my guests for telling their story and inspiring the younger generations to reach for...

Come take a listen to Matty tell his story from the Don to D1. Let Matty take you on his journey from a gifted kid at the Don to Grandview Prep, to Emory U, and finally to Lipscomb U. Matty will tell you what it took to win at the Don, academically and athletically, and take that winning to High School, as well as two university winning experiences. Matty will tell you the challenges he faced alon...

Come take a listen to Miles tell his story from Club 128 all the way to the boxing ring. He tells a story that starts on The Don soccer pitch and ends up in the Squared circle. Miles explains being a jokester and turning that into a Soccer podcast. Miles will take you on a joinery of unexpected twists and turns, yet it all works out in the end. As always, ty for listening.

If you want to know more about Ms. McGrath and her journey from Illinois farm country, to FAU college of Education, all the way to the Hallow halls of The Don, and to winning Ms. South Florida Fair, come take a listen to this episode. Annie/Ms. McGrath will tell you how hard work in and out of the classroom actually paid off for her success.

Come take a listen to Natalia tell her story of how she made it all the way to Howard University. Natalia will explain her ups and downs, her success, and how it all turned from the LSATs to Public a policy work. Please take a moment to listen to her story. If your interested, please contact me for your turn to be interviewed and tell your story of How You Got Here.

Did you ever want to do Cosplay? Have you ever wanted to create a character of your own? Do you like to sew? Come take a listen to how Raisa the Raisin was born. Raisa will tell you how she discovered her love of comic books, and cosplay along with finding the love her life (not in my class), in middle school. Come listen to how the love of learning, the love of the library, and the love of taking...

Come take listen to how a kid who wanted to play baseball wound up in LA in charge of an 80,000 person Friendly tuneup World Cup game. McGwire will tell you about his journey form The Don all the way to UF, then to the bright lights of the World Cup stage in Los Angeles. This is a great inspirational story for anyone that comes to the realization that becoming a collegiate athlete may not happen,...

Come take a listen to Nico tell his journey story of how he went from Club 128, to Boca Raton High School, to University of Florida for undergrad and masters degrees,  all the way to working for the newest and most interesting investing company to come along in a long time. Come listen as Nico talk about his favorite sport and how that it motivated him and gave him focus. 

Did ya ever wanna study bugs? Well neither did Trudy. She wanted to be a vet, but realized that was not her bag. Come along and listen to the story that Trudy tells about leaving Club 128, to HS to The University of Florida, to changing majors, and finally finding her passion. Who knows, maybe this episode can change your mindset and direction. All it takes is one story to change your whole life.

Come take a journey on the ride that is Marley K. From Don Estridge Club 128, the baseball field, Boca High, to North Eastern University, to George Washington Law School, to being an Environmental Lawyer. If you wanted to know what takes to make out of high school, go to a prestigious university, and finally become a lawyer, this is your episode. Come listen as Marley tells you of his love of envi...