Talking Business and Life (formerly Italian Impact Podcast)

This week we interview Richard Martini.  Rich is a highly successful American film director, producer, screenwriter and freelance journalist.  Rich has directed numerous films and documentaries such as You Can't Hurry Love, which featured the debut of Bridget Fonda, and his most recent  documentary, Hacking the Afterlife.  In this episode, we talk everything from film to culture and  hear some of...

This week you get two incredible guests!  We are very lucky to have 2x Super Bowl winning champion, former Pittsburgh Steeler, Robin Cole Sr. and his son, the great Dr. Robin Cole Jr. who recently published, "Lessons From Behind the Steel Curtain: From Steel to Strategy to Sentience".  This episode will teach you a lot about leadership and truly motivate you to be a better person, you'll absolutel...

This week we meet an absolutely wonderful person, a proud Italian-American, family man, successful businessman and just a great guest for us, Mike Embrescia.  Mike represents all of the 1.2 million residents of Allegheny County and embodies what we all want from our leaders.  In this episode, we talk about what those early influences were that made him who he is today.  Learn more about Mike here...

This week's guest is author and screenwriter Mike DeLucia.   Mike is very passionate about representing Italians in a far more favorable light than is typically seen  in movies/shows.  His latest work, Time Passages: Echoes of Troy, is a wonderful, must read story of time travel and is absolutely a book you won't want to put down!  You can find out more about Mike and his works here:  https://www....

This week we interview Ron Vrana.  Ron is a successful marketing and scouting professional who is now working to reimagine golf!  This is a very entertaining episode with a tremendous amount of knowledge being shared.  Absolutely a must listen to episode,  Learn more about Ron's ROTAGO Team Golf vision here:  https://www.rotagogolf.com/

This week's guest, Mike Battalini, is the President and CEO of The Pittsburgh Wealth Management Group.  We talk to Mike about the impact his Italian upbringing had on his success as a businessman.  Mike also offers some very good advice on what to look for when it comes to deciding on how to choose a good financial consultant.  There is a lot of good wisdom you can takeaway from this episode.  You...

This week we interview a very wonderful guest, Suzie Jackson.  Suzie is a few generations removed from her family in Italy but that doesn't stop her from being passionate about the Italian culture.  In fact, Suzie's sister currently lives in Rome and sings opera!  Suzie is also passionate about helping others and in this episode we are going to talk about an upcoming fundraiser wherein her sister...

This week we interview a very special guest, Nick Fiorentino.  Nick has a passion for Italian culture and shows it by running one of the most popular social media campaigns to promote Italian culture in the Pittsburgh area.  This is a great episode and Nick's passion and exuberance really shine through!  Follow Nick here on Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/pittsburghitalians412/

This week Claudio and I interview the great Ray 'Boom Boom' Mancini.  Ray reflects on everything from his multiple careers to current projects.  He also provide some very powerful insight on how to be successful and it has nothing to do with luck.

This week I interview international opera singer and Pittsburgh native, Kevin Glavin.  Kevin dreamt of smoking cigars and singing in lounge acts in Vegas but ended up performing opera with the world's best opera singers, including the great Luciano Pavarotti.  We have an absolute fantastic time and in fact, you may even hear a little singing in this episode...

This week, the great Claudio Reilsono returns for a very wonderful conversation but first, I start with Paul Cosentino.  Paul has been a musician for over 30 years and currently plays with the fantastic and very talented Boilermaker Jazz Band.  We have a wonderful time talking everything from Sicily to music!  Check out Paul and the Boilermaker Jazz Band here:  www.boilermakerjazzband.com

This week I am joined by the very successful entertainer, Nick Ferraro.  Nick is known for many things, a talented musician, actor, screen writer and much more but he was also dubbed "The Philly Elvis" by none other than Bruce Springsteen on October 19th, 2009 at the Spectrum in Philadelphia PA.  In fact, in the 2013 documentary titled "Springsteen & I", Nick's story is a part of the film.  Ch...

This week we come back from our break with an absolute music legend, Don Aliquo Sr.  Don has been doing this for nearly 80 years!  He's played with some of the greats and shares some incredible stories and advice from his very storied career.  You can still catch Don out there entertaining so be sure to check him out at:  https://donaliquo-sr.com/

This week I am joined by international singer and professional tour guide, Marco Fiorante.  Marco and I have an absolutely wonderful conversation on how to appreciate your culture while accepting your new home country.  We also discuss his singing career...what a great voice!  Check him out here on his website:  https://www.marcofiorante.com/videos/ or listen to his music here:  https://music.appl...

This week I interview the co-President of the Italian Genealogical Group, Richard Graziano.  In this episode Richard shares several personal stories as well as some great advice on how to research one's roots.  The past is a true definer of who we are now, so it is very important to know it.  In addition, it is very important that we start now before the lines are broken and we are unable to find...

This week's guest is the great Samuele Bozzolla.  Samuele is grandson of the late opera singer Ezio Fortunato Pinza, famous for his starring role in the Broadway hit, "South Pacific", and son of the great opera singer and  Claudia Pinza Bozzolla.  In this episode we talk everything from Luciano Pavarotti, his mothers work with various opera singers, to war stories from his father.  Samuele also gi...

What a wonderful episode!  Glenn and I have a very good conversation about memories and what the difference is between living in the past and remembering the past.  Glenn has been slowly gathering memories and writing them down so he can pass them on to his family, what a great idea!  Tune in to understand more about why we need to record and pass down to the next generation.

Wanted to get your Italian citizenship but worried about changes in the law?  Never fear!  This week I was able to interview Marco Permunian.  Marco is an attorney and founder of the Italian Citizenship Assistance group.  In this interview he provides invaluable assistance and clarity on the new laws.  You can also check out his podcast which focuses on citizenship questions here:  https://italian...

Nobel Prize winner, Louis Ignarro, is my guest this week.  Lou and I discuss how a first generation Italian-American can grow up to win a Nobel Prize!  What a tremendous story.  Learn more about Lou and his research which is literally saving lives here:  https://www.drignarro.com/ I am also very blessed to have Melissa Marinaro, Director, Italian American Program at the Senator John Heinz History...

This week's episode has two very special guests.  Lou Bruno, author and proud Italian-America.  His most recent work, The Love of San Demetrio, is an absolutely wonderful story of his experience in connecting the past to the present.  Please check out his book here:  https://www.byloubruno.com/ Lauren Ronayne is a driving force behind the San Rocco Foundation's annual parade.  For 100 years this p...

This week I interview Michael Troiani, owner of PaPa Js Twin Plaza Restaurant in Pittsburgh.  Michael is passionate about Italian culture but his dedication to authentic Italian cooking is above reproach.  Michael and I talk a lot but you can tell his passion and knowledge about Italian cooking are something he holds very dear.   This is a great episode and you're going to learn a lot of things ab...

In this week's episode, I interview the great voice man and vice-president of the United Lodges of Pittsburgh, Tony Colega.  Tony and I talk about his work with the United Lodges, everything from bocce in the mountains to the Italian restaurant tour.  If you are looking for some ideas to revitalize your group, this is a great episode to tune into.

This week I interview Mary Menniti.  Mary enjoyed a close relationship with both her maternal and paternal immigrant grandparents.  As a result, she learned to cherish the memories of gardening!  This week's interview is very powerful as we discuss this dying experience of simple gardening but also how the advent of large corporations has changed everything about farming, even down to the seeds we...

The big 100 and what a guest to have for it!  This week, I interview author, businessman, philanthropist, and basically all around great guy, Nick Vizzoca.  Nick is a Pittsburgh native, first-generation son of Italian immigrants, and survivor of childhood cancer but more importantly, he is a leader and someone who understands people.  Nick and I talk a lot of things but in this episode, we touch o...

This week I interview the co-host of the "Italian American Stories Podcast", Stephanie Detton.  Stephanie and I have an absolute wonderful time talking about a myriad of things.  When she is not researching stories, she is busy teaching and spending time with friends and family but she absolutely entertains us with some incredible stories from history related to some very interesting Italian chara...