Permission To Shine

From playing alongside Angel Reese and Azzi Fudd in the ultra-competitive DMV basketball scene to building a women's basketball fashion empire inspired by Paris, Olivia Nelson is proving that the future of sports culture is female. In this episode of Permission to Shine , Andrew sits down with the founder of DAMECORE, the self-described "Vogue of Women's Basketball" , to talk about growing up arou...

What does it take to go from a surf shop dropout to one of Britain's most elite Special Forces operators, then reinvent yourself all over again? Dean Stott MBE spent 16 years in the military, including time in the Special Boat Service (SBS), the UK's equivalent of SEAL Team Six. After a catastrophic parachuting accident at 15,000 feet ended his career, he refused to stop. He built a privat...

Matt Hranek is one of those guys who makes you want to live better immediately. Matt is the founder and editor of William Brown magazine, author of A Man & His Watch, A Man & His Car, Negroni, and Martini, and the world’s most interested guy. Not interesting. Interested. In this episode, we talk about taste, why AI still can’t fake it, the problem with modern fashion, how Ralph Lauren mann...

Gwyneth Paltrow… true or false: she blew her nose into Eddie Stern’s pocket square while he was officiating her wedding ? True. 😂 This week on Permission to Shine , I’m sitting down with the one-and-only Eddie Stern. A New York City original, one of the most respected yoga teachers alive, and the kind of teacher your favorite celebrities (and your favorite teacher’s teacher) quietly trust. Eddie...

This episode is personal. I finally convinced my mom to join me for an interview. Chris Namanny , Co-Founder & Managing Partner of Elite Executive Partners . She’s a leader I’ve learned more from than anyone on Earth… and if you’ve ever met her, you know she has a rare gift: she solves problems fast, calmly, and with a level of empathy that makes people feel safe even when the situation isn’t....

Sandra Yamada was the only woman in her class of 18 investment bankers. A Harvard MBA. A biology major turned venture capitalist. And now? The founder of NEAP. A first-of-its-kind collagen protein gel changing how we get our protein on the go. But the story that started it all… involves a protein shake, a work out, and an unforgettable emergency . In this episode, Sandra shares: How one humiliatin...

What happens when a dream, a culture, and a cup of coffee collide? In this episode, Andrew sits down with Shivani Darsinos , founder of Cafe Babu : Nashville’s coffee-meets-cocktail sanctuary that celebrates heritage, connection, and community. Named after her grandfather, Cafe Babu beautifully blends Shivani’s Indian roots and her husband’s Greek heritage , creating a space that feels both soulfu...

In this episode of Permission to Shine , I sit down with Nick Luebke: creator, thinker, and host of the new podcast Constantly Curious . Nick opens up about the five books that most profoundly shaped his life : The Meaning of Marriage by Timothy Keller A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle Your Platform Is Not Your Purpose by Blaine Fuhs The Bible The Inner Work by Ash and Mat We explore how these works sh...

Thanks to our key sponsor, Elite Executive Partners — a premier recruiting firm helping businesses scale with top-tier talent. Whether you need one critical hire, like a CFO, or an entire team of skilled tradespeople, Elite delivers. They work across multiple industries, filling roles quickly with the right fit. Learn more at elitestaffco.com . $500M+ entrepreneur and serial founder Peter Wokwicz...

Dr. John Holcomb is one of the most legendary trauma surgeons alive. He shares untold details from Black Hawk Down , where he operated for over 30 hours straight during the infamous battle in Somalia in 1993. He opens up about the chaos, grit, and brutal realities of combat medicine — and how that moment shifted his mission for life. Now, he's focused on saving lives before patients even reach the...

The power of a great network can’t be overstated—and Noah Berkson is an expert community builder. He's a serial entrepreneur with multiple exits, founder and host of the Dose of Greatness podcast, Co-Founder of Outcove Valley a series of events for high caliber leaders, and a member of YPO. He’s made 1,000+ introductions in the last year (3 per day!). We discuss: ✅ Make introductions the righ...

What happens when you leave a thriving business to chase your true calling? Garrett Adair co-founded VitaFive , a successful gummy vitamin company, but deep down, he knew his real dream was music . Encouraged by Luke Bryan , he took a leap of faith, moved to Nashville, and is now on tour playing to packed crowds. In this episode, Garrett shares: 🎸 Why he walked away from a booming business to pur...

What happens when you flatline for over 20 minutes and wake up weeks later, completely paralyzed? Brad Cunningham knows firsthand. He's the author of Resilience Unbroken: My Story of True Survivals. In this powerful episode, Brad shares his unbelievable survival story —first battling cancer at 25 , spending six months in the hospital , and then suffering cardiac arrest in 2023 , where his hear...

In this episode of Permission to Shine , I sit down with Tracy Tutor , powerhouse real estate broker, Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles star, and one of the most confident negotiators in the game.  We dive deep into: 🔥 The LA fires and how they’re reshaping the insurance market 🏡 Whether LA real estate is set for a boom or bust 💰 Her biggest deal ever ($56M!) and her goal to hit $1B in sales...

Wan Kim is the owner and CEO of Smoothie King, overseeing 1,202 stores and $850M annually.  Originally an immigrant from South Korea, Wan and I discuss:  How his first store almost failed and why he pushed forward for 4 years with little results  How to create momentum: spark a series of small wins. Even if you aren’t getting sales, get 100 people to sign up for your marketing list or wake up at 5...

Hey, hey, hey it's Andrew Namanny -- welcome back! GPS, the INTERNET, Siri, Night Vision, Autonomous Vehicles -- they all started in DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Project Agency). It's the powerful government agency you've never heard of. Taryn Rose works for DARPA. She's a former orthopedic surgeon and successful founder of a $40M shoe company. We talk about: -Why DARPA was started to defend u...

Hey it’s Andrew, welcome to episode #51. We’ve got a very special entrepreneur today so thanks for joining me. Daina Trout is Co-Founder and former CEO of Health-Ade Kombucha. She went on to sell the company after growing it to 65,000 stores and nearly $200M in annual revenue.  She is raw, open, and honest like you wouldn’t expect a CEO to be. It’s one of my biggest takeaways from our convo — ALWA...

Hi It’s Andrew, welcome to episode #50.  We’ve got a special guest today and I know you’re going to love it.  Eric Byrnes spent 11 electric years in the MLB. He’s in the UCLA baseball hall of fame.  Following his professional athlete career, he dove into endurance sports and has completed a triathlon across America, the Western States 100, several Ironman races, and more.  He’s a media personality...

I went on an 8 country tour this year (Argentina, Brazil, Spain, Nepal, Bhutan, Hong Kong, Thailand, Japan).  When I was in Thailand, I was brought face to face with the severity of the civil war in Myanmar.  There are between 2-3 million people displaced as a result. Many of them, fled to Thailand where I was fortunate to meet them.  One day as I was exploring the island, I had an incredibly kind...

Andres Levin is a Grammy-winning musician and the co-owner of Tribe Caribe, an eclectic hotel located in central Havana, Cuba. We sat down to discuss his musical journey—from learning at home to working with John Legend, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Jon Batiste, Tina Turner, Childish Gambino, and more. He's been nominated for a Grammy 19 times and has won once. Andres and his business partner Chris Cornell...

Join me as I sit down with Dan Ni, the founder and CEO of TLDR (too long didn't read). TLDR is a tech newsletter with over 5M active subscribers producing $10+ million in annual revenue. He's built it with an extremely lean team, 20 employees strong.  He previously founded and sold Scraper API, which allowed him to bootstrap TLDR and maintain 100% ownership.  We discuss:  -the future of media  -hi...

Jonny Imerman is the Co-Founder of  Imerman Angels , a global network of 15,000 cancer survivors. After battling testicular cancer in his 20s, Jonny felt compelled to create a platform where individuals battling cancer can connect 1:1 with a mentor who has faced the same diagnosis. Additionally, he co-founded  CLOZTALK  (pronounced "Clothes Talk"), where they are building brand awareness for over...

The average person spends 2.5 hours a day feeling bad for themselves. Whether it's at work or in their personal life, we ruminate on stories that we tell ourselves. The problem? Oftentimes these stories aren't even true. A complete waste of time! Cy Wakeman gives us tangible advice on how to eliminate our ego when it goes unchecked and remove this 2.5-hour daily burden. Cy Wakeman is a drama resea...

Garrett Madison is one of the most accomplished mountain climbers in the world.  He's summited Mt. Everest 14 times.  Summited K2, known as the SAVAGE mountain, 4 times. The most of any westerner.  He runs Madison Mountaineering where he has an unparalleled track record of guiding his clients to the highest points on earth.  His calm nature, kind heart, strong spirit, and track record of success m...

Hi thanks for joining, it's Andrew Namanny and we've got another incredible episode you do not want to miss.  Daniel Dart is the founder of Solo GP fund Rock Yard Ventures. His journey from homelessness and incarceration to where he is today shows how powerful second chances can be.  A leader and advocate for underserved and underprivileged communities, he has worked on the ground, helping build e...