Working Towards Our Purpose: Recent Episodes
Pleasant Podcasts
Are you in corporate America grinding away the weeks as you watch the years fly by? Do you have that voice in your head that’s asking for something more? But you shouldn’t complain, right? You’ve got a good job, good pay, good benefits. There’s people out there that would kill for a job like that. But that little voice just won’t go away.
I’m your host Gino. And as an ex 9-5er I know that feeling all too well. I worked in corporate for 6 years before I finally decided to walk away, choosing to live my life a little differently. And since then, I’ve met some pretty amazing people who do work that positively impacts the people around them, their communities, and the world. This podcast exists to share their stories, and to help inspire you to do the same. Leave that job that you hate and to start working towards your purpose.
Today my guest Dave Phelan shares his entrepreneur journey from working in the corporate world, to starting his own startup app, to pivoting to a successful consulting business. Dave is an entrepreneur who grew up outside Philadelphia and studied business at Susquehanna University. After college, he started working at an engineering firm but always had a desire to start his own business. Together with his college friend Phil, they came up with the idea for an app called Loople. The app aimed to provide users with information about daily specials offered by bars and restaurants. They left their day jobs to focus on building the app, which gained over 50,000 users, but after two years the app didn't achieve their desired monetization goals, so they decided to pivot in a new direction.
Dave and his partner Phil used what they learned developing their own app to help other small businesses do the same. Founders Approach combines US-based project managers & talented global developers to bring businesses ideas to life without compromising on quality or value. Dave also opens up about the difficulties of quitting his job and the extreme highs and lows of entrepreneurship. Join us as we dive deep into Dave's inspiring story and uncover the lessons he learned along the way.
Topics we cover:
- Quitting a corporate job to pursue building a startup app
- Navigating the emotional and financial challenges of starting a business
- Balancing stresses and inconsistent salaries
- Excitement and fulfillment in the startup experience
- Extreme highs and lows, financial struggles, and moments of fulfillment in entrepreneurship
- Importance of a supportive co-founder and spouse
- Relying on referrals and building strong client relationships
- Choosing a lifestyle business approach with a small team
- Power of networking and genuine self-promotion
- The Journey of starting the podcast to support your business
Connect with The Dave:
- Founder Approach
- Listen to his podcast Why I Quit (listen to the episode I was on!!)
- Connect with Dave on LinkedIn
Connect with me:
- Follow me on IG
- pleasantpodcasts.com
- If you would like to start your own podcast you can download my free Podcast Launch Roadmap to help you get started
Dan Barletta is one of the founders and owners of the mobile cafe, The Jitter Bus. Serving the New Haven community for almost 8 years now, the blacked out bus with artwork on it is a familiar site to locals. An idea that came from witnessing a ice cream truck and a love for coffee, The Jitter Bus started out as a simple idea. Through some hard work, perseverance, and learning some hard lessons, The Jitter Bus has become a staple downtown New Haven.
In this episode we talk about Dan's struggle with college and how a coffee shop on wheels gave him a purpose. We discuss what it was like to bring the idea to fruition, how they survived the pandemic, and their future plans of expanding to a brick and mortar coffee shop. We covered a lot in this episode but what I didn't mention was how good their dirty chai lattes are. If you've never had coffee from The Jitter Bus, you need to go check them out!
Topics we cover:
- New Havens first mobile café
- From being fired at Starbucks to entrepreneurship
- Not feeling like college was the right fit
- Starting a business with your friends
- The first year of business
- Vending at farmers markets
- Unexpected challenge of exploding an expresso machine
- Thinking outside the bus to survive the pandemic
Connect with The Jitter Bus:
- The bus can be found on corner of Hillhouse Ave. and Grove St. in downtown New Haven M-F and the Wooster Sq. farmers markets Sat mornings
- Follow The Jitter Bus on IG
- thejitterbus.com
Connect with me:
- Follow me on IG
- pleasantpodcasts.com
- If you would like to start your own podcast you can download my free Podcast Launch Roadmap to help you get started
Karolyn Johnson is a devoted mother and passionate therapist. Despite not having a background in psychology, she made the bold decision to pursue a career in therapy after accepting her people person superpower. I met Karolyn a few years back when she was looking for someone to edit her new podcast and have had the opportunity to work with her ever since. She believes in staying curious and invested in life, constantly evolving and learning. Alongside her partner Raya, she owns a group practice called Connected, Seen, & Heard which aims to create authentic connections and foster transformative experiences for individuals looking for healing and growth. Through their practice, they offer individual, couples, and family therapy, as well as in-person workshops, trainings, and events to bring people together with genuine connection.
Topics we cover:
- Leaving a corporate career
- Going back to school
- Finding and using your superpower
- Transitioning out of a career that didn't feel aligned
- Trusting a partner in your business
- Hiring a business coach
- How vulnerability leads to connection
- The importance of community
Connect with Karolyn:Connected seen and heard website
Connected Seen and Heard IG
Connecting the Collective Podcast
Connect with me:
- Follow me on IG
- pleasantpodcasts.com
- If you would like to start your own podcast you can download my free Podcast Launch Roadmap to help you get started
Today I sat down with Vannesa Moreno who was born and raised in Bogota, Colombia, moved to the United States when she was 14, and is now a business owner, a mom, and an active member of the local entrepreneur community of New haven. She owns Your CBD Store in North Haven, she's a Knownpreneur graduate, an active networker, and last year she was awarded the emerging leader for the Quinnipiac Chamber of Commerce.
Vanessa opened her own CBD store in North Haven over three and a half years ago, but before that worked as a sales administrator at a tire recycling company, where she experienced stress, anxiety, and panic attacks. Through the suggestion of a friend she discovered the benefits of CBD products for her own well-being, which led her down the path to an opportunity to open her very own store. She took the opportunity to open her own franchise when it came and has been growing as an entrepreneur ever since.
Things we cover:
- Leaving a job that was limiting
- Going to therapy
- Facing challenges as a minority entrepreneur
- Learning to ask for help
- Introduction to CBD and its benefits
- Setting boundaries in your business
- How to start networking
Connect with Vannesa:
- YourCBDstore on Facebook
- Find Vannesa on LinkedIn
- Follow YourCBDstore on IG
Connect with me:
- Follow me on IG
- pleasantpodcasts.com
- If you would like to start your own podcast you can download my free Podcast Launch Roadmap to help you get started
I don't have an interview for you today, but rather an appreciation episode to thank you all for your support and to let you know what's coming up next!
Connect with me:
If you would like to start your own podcast book your free 1:1 discovery call with me!
Follow me on IG
Today I sat down with Kendall Egan co-founder of Boxx, a startup that creates pre-fab work from home pods. She has spent most of her career working in various aspects of marketing, including many startups, and owning her own marketing consulting agency. We got into the vast field of marketing and talked about what areas are important for small businesses and startups. This episode is like a mini masterclass in marketing. Kendall is an expert in her field and shared a lot of her knowledge with us. I will be taking some of the lessons learned back to my own business with a deeper understanding of what marketing is and can be.
Some Topics We Covered:
- Start-ups vs corporate companies
- All the different kinds of marketing
- Which social media should you be on?
- Why target market is so important
- Using data to help find customers
- How new technology like AI can help marketers
- Gut feelings vs the data
- Boxx, her current startup
Connect with Kendall Egan:
- Boxx website
- Follow Kendall on LinkedIn
- Follow Boxx on IG
- Kendall's email: kendall@box.work
Connect with me:
If you would like to start your own podcast book your free 1:1 discovery call with me!
Saint Phifer is a unique abstract artist from Norwalk Connecticut that transforms simple concepts into meaningful saturated pieces of art that sparks the consciousness. Through his artwork you can learn the origin and history of the subject as well as about his inspiration and story. I met Saint recently at an art show here in New Haven where he was a panelist speaker and also displayed some of his work. I resonated with a lot of what he said and after the show we had a great conversation that led to this interview.
In this episode we talked about so many different things from how he first became an artist after struggling with his mental health to losing his corporate job which allowed him to further pursue his art and create everyday. You can tell by the way he explains his work that art is what he is meant to do and I got to learn more about his creative process, and his outlook on life in this interview.
Some topics we covered:
- Turning depression into a creative outlet
- A mothers wisdom
- Turning off your adult brain
- Meditation and self care
- Storytelling
- Getting fired from corporate
- Being a life learner
- Networking with like minded people
- Using art as an outlet
Connect with Saint Phifer:
Saint Phifer's art can be seen at Known Coworking in downtown New Haven until the end of June.
- Follow Saint Phifer on IG
- Follow WABI Art on IG
Connect with me:
If you would like to start your own podcast book your free 1:1 discovery call with me!