driven by ____.

If you're a bagel enthusiast, chances are you've had a handmade, bagel from my next guest. Meet Noah Fleishman VP and son of he original founder of Bethesda Bagels. In this episode, Noah shares insights into the legacy of the business, the importance of community, and the values instilled by his parents. Noah reflects on his decision to embrace the family business, the challenges of maintaining tr...

What if I told you that South Block was originally a tiny juice bar on GW's campus, would you believe me? Well, guess what it's true, but the story of South Block is bigger than that. Meet Amir Mostafavi, founder and CEO of South Block, the DMV's premier location for smoothies and açaí bowls. In this episode, Amir shares how he went from being a kid with a West Coast vibe, obsessed with fruits and...

What's better than comfort food? Here let me help. Comfort food, curated and served up with a heartfelt story and plated with the purpose of bringing happiness to others. Meet Hamilton Johnson, chef and mastermind behind one of DC's newest restaurants, Mallard. In this episode, Hamilton discusses the emotional inspiration behind the restaurant, rooted in his father's legacy, and the challenges he...

Have you ever met someone and known immediately that you all would be friends? It's an energy thing. Meet Starr Hawkins, also known as Baby Momma Fit, she is known for her incredible energy and contributions to the Miami fitness scene and beyond. In this episode, we explore her journey into fitness through sobriety and dig into how she found her voice and sense of purpose in this space. Starr...

When one door closes, another one and another one and another one open! Meet Tommie Runz, content creator, entrepreneur, podcast host and proud Black Sobber Runner. In this episode, we explore Tommie's path to sobriety and the influence social media has had in helping him evolve and learn more about himself. As Tommie found sobriety, he found time to find fitness and fell in love with running,...

Raise your hand if you have a physical therapist that has saved your life. I don't know about y'all, but I got my hand raised HIGH and its all thanks to my next guest. Meet Dr. Ashley Speights, founder and owner of the PHYT Collective , dedicated to rebuilding and building lifelong athletes, fitness enthusiasts, and fitness professionals. This is not your typical physical therapist practic...

If I approached you in a coffee shop and asked you to be on my podcast would you? Meet Jess Hood, digital content creator, social media marketer, photographer and running influencer in the Washington, DC area. In this episode, Jess shares her journey of transitioning from corporate finance to full-time content creation and what that leap looked like for her. Jess opens up on how she found her nich...

You really never know who you're going to meet and how they are going to inspire you. A few month's back, I took a seat across from Sam Leicht, founder of PrideFit, a fitness app for queer people (and allies!) At the time I had no idea who I was breaking bread with, but the conversation flowed so naturally and once I learned more I knew we'd have to have him here. It's my pleasure to introduce, Sa...

The perfect bar, if you ask me, is a place that doesn't take itself too seriously, has great food, a fun vibe and can make a truly wonderful cocktail. It's place that feels familiar, even if you don't know a single person in the room. If we're on the same page, then Service Bar in Washington, DC is for you and we have our next guest to thank for the space! Meet Chad Spangler, co-owner and partner...

Faith can take on many meanings, but it's simplest form, it's trust. Trusting in a higher power, trusting those you surround yourself with and trusting the choices you make will one day pay off. Meet Armaad Morman, co-founder and CEO of APM Defense, a forward-looking defense contract company providing top-tier acquisition, program management, and consulting services to the United States an...

Dedication is defined as being devoted to a task or purpose; having  single-minded  loyalty or integrity, but what I find so fascinating is when the word no longer describes an action, rather it personifies a person. Meet Alex Shabo, coach, HYROX ambassador, DMV real estate agent and dedicated friend, athlete, and community leader. In the short while, we've known each other I've watched he...

Growth is a choice. Many of us are too afraid of failure. Too worried about what other people might thing. Too comfortable doing things the way we've always done them, but not Marcus Lowe, founder of The Lab DC, a recently launched fitness community serving athletes of all types. In this episode, I sit down with a man that I feel lucky to call a friend. Someone that has made me physically stro...

This next guest has been doing this podcast thing WAY longer than me and has really honed in on his craft. We had the pleasure of sitting down over a year ago now, as perfect strangers to form a friendship over the love of boxing and shared loved of human connection. Meet Rory Mitchell aka Officially Rory, Certified Life Coach, Podcaster and soon to be published author. In this episode, Rory share...

DC has no shortage of dogs, which means my next guests have no shortage of business. Meet Mckenzie + Giselle, partners and co-owners of Dog Citying. These DC transplants have found a special way to blend their passion with their purpose, creating a blossoming dog sitting/ boarding business in our Nation's Capital. What is so incredible about their story is how naturally it has developed and co...

Life has a funny way of bringing the right people into your life, in the strangest of circumstances. If I had not decided to fight in Haymakers for Hope in 202, I may never have met my next guest, but I can confidently say my life is better for knowing this person. Meet Duane Bell, entrepreneur, gym owner and my favorite boxing coach in Scottsdale, AZ. In this episode, Duane shares how his love fo...

EKK! I could not have imagined a better way to launch season 3 of driven by ____. For years, I've watch my good friend and sister, Kate Houser Peters gracefully move through the ever changing "influencer"/ content creation space. She has branded and rebranded her voice and influence many times over, but always remained true to her passion for creativity and purpose. In this episode,...

Welcome to the last episode of season 2 of driven by ___. Before I tell you about this week's guest, I want to say thank you for the support. Sitting down with each of my guests is a blessing and opportunity to encourage at least one person to follow their dreams, set intentions and turn their passions towards purpose. Without you all believing in my passions, I would not have found my purpose...

Meet Christina Maria Ruiz, self-taught chef, driven by faith and grounded in her dope outlook on life. Chef Christina is the CEO & Founder of Meals of Dopeness a meal prep, delivery service that was born out of her desire to help her personal training clients meet their nutrition goals, while eating food that they actually liked. Traditionally, we think of meal prepping as boring and basic, bu...

Meet Alyssa Bonk, founder and principle of Luck and Hustle PR , driven by service and grounded in her personal mission to elevate the voices of emerging brands and the marginalize, working within an industry we all interact with regularly, but perhaps should hold to a higher regard. In this episode, Alyssa shares how she pivoted from politics into PR, servicing an industry she fell in love with at...

Meet Mikhail Alfon or Miqk to his friends, driven by creativity, both in a personal and professional manner, but not in the way you might think. Mikhail is driven by creating space for the people in his life to become the best version of themselves. Driven and grounded in his faith and personal experiences, Mikhail has overcome family betrayal and used his experiences to help find his purpose in h...

Meet Manny Lubin, co-founder of slate milk driven by fun and grounded in his partnership with co-founder Josh Belinsky. In this episode, Manny shares how a love for fitness and drinking chocolate milk regularly led him and Josh down the path of entrepreneurship. From tech to becoming a part of the budding protein beverage market. Manny shares how the brand has continued to grow, thanks to smart in...

Meet Frank Kuhns, owner of Settle Down Easy Brewing driven by humility and grounded in a personal promise he made that eventually led him to finding his purpose, creating a home away from home for many to enjoy a good beer in a welcoming environment. In this episode, Frank shares how an at home brewing hobby and a real connection to family led him to becoming an owner and operator of his own brewi...

Meet Nina Palazzolo, owner of Vita Di Nina, driven by evolution and the transformation she continues to undergo as she becomes more in tune with herself and passion. Completely grounded in her creative spirit, Nina has taken her eye for photography and turned it into a business, providing photography, videography and social media management under her newly minted LLC, Vita Di Nina, which means the...

Meet Narsenn Ege, Nas for sure, driven by her ability to empower others and grounded in the power of her breath. Nas is a certified HypnoBreathwork® coach and the founder of Soul to Surface, an empowerment coaching business meant to help individuals tap into their soul and surface the most authentic, unapologetic version of themselves. In this episode, Nas shares her journey to finding her own voi...

Meet Scott Parker, serial small business entrepreneur driven by the influence and grounded in his desire to help others realize their own entrepreneurial dreams. In this episode, we dive into how Scott found himself in the food and beverage hospitality business in Northern Virginia and how one successful concept became the launch pad to many more. We tackle the topics of addiction, failure and per...