Driven: Unscripted Success

Michael Mannino Sr. & Nareman Hamdan
  • 5.0 (22)
  • Business
  • Updated Weekly

Welcome to the Driven: Unscripted Success Podcast, the go-to show for high-performing business owners, executives, and professionals who aspire to elevate their personal, professional, and financial lives. Hosted by Michael Mannino Sr. and Nareman Hamdan, each episode dives deep into the inspiring stories and invaluable insights of top industry leaders who have navigated the complex landscape of success with drive and determination. Michael and Nareman, business owners who are passionate about uncovering the keys to mastery and legacy building, bring you candid conversations that explore the highs and lows of remarkable careers. From leadership strategies and innovative business tactics to personal growth and financial acumen, our guests share their unscripted journeys to success, offering listeners practical advice and motivation to reach new heights. Join us on Driven: Unscripted Success Podcast, where we celebrate the relentless pursuit of excellence and empower you to achieve greatness in every facet of your life. Subscribe now and get ready to be inspired, challenged, and driven to succeed!

  1. 22h ago

    Why Entrepreneurs Get Stuck and How to Scale Past It

    What keeps an entrepreneur from turning a growing company into a business that can actually operate beyond them? In this episode of Driven: Unscripted Success, Nareman Hamdan speaks with Robert Braiman, a serial entrepreneur and leader of Cogent Analytics, about the systems, people and financial discipline required to scale. Robert explains why entrepreneurs often struggle to let go of responsibilities, how clear roles and structural controls make delegation possible, and why he believes process and systems should drive people rather than the other way around. He also shares his view that profit is engineered and must be actively managed rather than treated as whatever remains at the end. The conversation also explores Robert’s leadership philosophy of empowerment, the six core tenets he associates with Cogent’s culture, and the employees he calls “climbers,” people who naturally seek greater responsibility and make a difference without having to be pushed. Nareman and Robert also discuss responsible AI use, continuous learning, investing in businesses, the realities of entrepreneurship and Cogent Analytics’ continued national growth. Connect with Robert Braiman: rbraiman@cogentanalytics.com #Entrepreneurship #BusinessGrowth #Leadership #ScalingBusiness #SmallBusiness #BusinessConsulting #CogentAnalytics #DrivenUnscriptedSuccess

    Why Entrepreneurs Get Stuck and How to Scale Past It

  2. 5d ago

    Ben Bassett of Ecolens: The Relationships Behind Real Growth

    What happens when a company needs more than a partnership strategy and actually needs a team to execute it? In this episode of Driven: Unscripted Success, Nareman Hamdan speaks with Ben Bassett, co-founder of Ecolens, a fractional partnerships team working largely across ERP ecosystems including NetSuite, Sage Intacct, Acumatica and Microsoft Dynamics. Ben explains why Ecolens was designed to become deeply integrated with clients instead of delivering a strategy document and walking away. He also discusses the company’s deliberate staffing model, the role he plays as an integrator and the lessons he has learned while building the business. The conversation also looks at Ben’s previous experience building a residential solar financing company, the market headwinds that challenged that venture and how those lessons now shape the way he thinks about risk. He shares a reverse-planning exercise that asks a team to imagine the company has already failed and work backward to identify the causes. Nareman and Ben discuss leadership, balancing speed with thoughtful execution, learning outside your comfort zone, resource allocation, personal routines and why relationships and trust remain foundational to long-term business growth. Connect with Ben Bassett: ben@ecolens.io | ecolens.io #Partnerships #Entrepreneurship #BusinessGrowth #Leadership #ERP #DrivenUnscriptedSuccess

    Ben Bassett of Ecolens: The Relationships Behind Real Growth

  3. Sep 15

    Leading Healthcare Like a Coach: Trust, Culture, and Patient Experience

    What can healthcare leaders learn from coaching a championship basketball team? In this episode of Driven: Unscripted Success, Nareman Hamdan speaks with Scott Polenz, Chief Administrative Officer of Oakleaf Surgical Hospital in Altoona, Wisconsin. Scott shares how his years as a high school boys basketball coach shaped his approach to leadership, including why leaders must understand what motivates each person instead of expecting everyone to perform the same way. He also discusses the role of trust, empathy, authenticity, logic and loyalty in building strong teams. The conversation explores Oakleaf Surgical Hospital’s focus on high-quality surgical care, patient experience and lower cost, as well as Scott’s hands-on “walk in your shoes” approach to understanding employees’ work. He also reflects on navigating healthcare competition, difficult decisions and major organizational challenges. Nareman and Scott also discuss his daily routines, the mentor who influenced his leadership, his interest in future speaking and consulting work, and a community healthcare initiative he hopes to help move forward over the next several months. Connect with Scott Polenz: spolenz@oakleafsurgical.com | LinkedIn: Search Scott Polenz #HealthcareLeadership #PatientExperience #Leadership #Healthcare #DrivenUnscriptedSuccess

    Leading Healthcare Like a Coach: Trust, Culture, and Patient Experience

  4. Sep 10

    Beyond Bedside Medicine: Using Operational Intelligence to Strengthen Healthcare

    Healthcare is adopting AI quickly, but is the industry actually prepared to turn all of that technology into better decisions? In this episode of Driven: Unscripted Success, Nareman Hamdan speaks with Dr. Augusta Uwah, a board-certified internal medicine physician, healthcare AI strategist and founder and CEO of Clin Efficiency Pro. Augusta explains why her career moved beyond bedside medicine and into operational intelligence. Her work focuses on connecting the clinical, policy and financial sides of healthcare so organizations can identify revenue leakage, respond to changing requirements and strengthen their operations. The conversation explores the financial pressure facing healthcare facilities, the complexity created by prior authorization and reimbursement systems, and the rapidly expanding role of AI. Augusta argues that healthcare organizations do not simply need more AI tools. They need help understanding which tools matter, where they fit and how they can support real operational decisions. Nareman and Augusta also discuss entrepreneurship, independent physician work, collaborative leadership, learning from multiple perspectives and Augusta’s mission to help healthcare facilities remain sustainable for the communities they serve. Connect with Dr. Augusta Uwah: augustauwah@gmail.com | LinkedIn: Search Dr. Augusta Uwah #HealthcareAI #OperationalIntelligence #HealthcareInnovation #HospitalOperations #HealthcareLeadership #DrivenPodcast

    Beyond Bedside Medicine: Using Operational Intelligence to Strengthen Healthcare

  5. Sep 8

    Retire Like a Genius: Building Wealth, Health and Purpose with Chris Orestis

    What does it actually take to build a secure and fulfilling retirement? In this episode of Driven: Unscripted Success, Nareman Hamdan sits down with Chris Orestis, president of Retirement Genius and a nationally recognized expert on retirement, insurance, aging and long-term care issues. Chris has more than 25 years of experience in the insurance and long-term care industries and has spent decades educating consumers, financial professionals and senior-care professionals about the realities of retirement. His central message is that retirement cannot be reduced to money alone. Chris describes a well-balanced retirement as a three-legged stool built around financial security, health and long-term care preparedness, and lifestyle, relationships and purpose. The conversation explores why longevity creates both opportunity and financial risk, why taking care of your health can be one of your smartest financial investments, and why retirement planning should begin decades before retirement itself.   Connect with Chris Orestis Retirement Genius: https://www.retirementgenius.com/ Email: chris@retirementgenius.com LinkedIn: Search Chris Orestis / Retirement Genius Follow Driven: Unscripted Success Website: https://www.drivensuccesspodcast.com/

    Retire Like a Genius: Building Wealth, Health and Purpose with Chris Orestis

  6. Sep 3

    The Empathic Edge: Why Better Conversations Require Practice | Megan Daic

    Can empathy, negotiation, and difficult-conversation skills actually be practiced? In this episode of Driven: Unscripted Success, Nareman Hamdan sits down with Megan Daic, owner and managing attorney of DH Law and founder and chief visionary officer of Empathic Edge. Megan has spent more than a decade teaching negotiation and dispute resolution. She is also a mediator and works in legal education and advocacy. Her experience led to a simple insight: knowing the theory behind communication is not enough. Just as reading about basketball does not create the muscle memory required to play, reading about negotiation does not automatically prepare someone for a difficult real-world conversation. That insight helped inspire Empathic Edge, an AI role-play platform designed to provide repeatable practice for negotiation, client counseling, interviewing, and difficult conversations. Megan explains how her approach is grounded in empathy, curiosity, and interest-based negotiation. Rather than stopping at someone’s stated position, she encourages people to look for the underlying interest, motivation, or fear driving the conversation. The episode also explores Megan’s entrepreneurial journey. She shares why she started her own law firm, what it was like beginning with no clients and limited resources, and the moment she decided to stop allowing fear to divide her attention and fully commit to her own business. Megan also discusses why her initial personal injury practice was difficult to scale and how experimenting with other areas of law helped her find a better direction. Another major career turning point came when a former professor invited her to coach and teach negotiation and dispute resolution. Megan had originally focused on trial advocacy, but soon realized how much of legal practice happens through negotiation rather than inside a courtroom. That experience eventually led to mediation, continued teaching, and the development of Empathic Edge. Connect with Megan Daic Empathic Edge: https://empathedge.com/ Email: megan@empthicedge.com Follow Driven: Unscripted Success Website: https://www.drivensuccesspodcast.com/

    The Empathic Edge: Why Better Conversations Require Practice | Megan Daic

  7. Sep 1

    Beyond Traditional Real Estate: The Power of Mortgage Notes

    What if real estate investing did not require you to buy the house? In this episode of Driven: Unscripted Success, Nareman Hamdan sits down with Nathan Turner, known as “The Canadian Note Guy,” to explore the world of mortgage note investing and the entrepreneurial lessons behind his more than 15 years in the business. Nathan explains the concept in simple terms: instead of buying the property, he buys the mortgage attached to it. The homeowner owns and maintains the house, while the note investor operates more like the lender, with the property serving as collateral. The conversation also goes back to Nathan’s earlier entrepreneurial chapter, when he and his wife owned two Curves franchises. During the 2007–2008 downturn, declining memberships put the businesses under significant pressure. That period produced two principles that continued to shape Nathan’s approach: “I run the business. The business doesn’t run me.” And make decisions based on facts rather than fear. Nathan shares why he relies heavily on financial projections, including an early lesson that showed him how running the numbers can produce a very different answer from intuition alone. He also discusses the importance of building boundaries as an entrepreneur. After years of working from early morning until late at night, Nathan moved toward a more structured schedule, dedicated office space, time-blocking, and intentionally disconnecting from business after hours. The episode explores his collaborative leadership style, why he now prefers working with specialized professionals rather than maintaining a traditional employee structure, and what separates a great realtor, attorney, servicer, or partner from someone who simply goes through the motions. Nathan also talks about developing relationship-building as a skill despite being naturally introverted. He credits conferences with having an enormous impact on his business by helping him learn from other investors, expand his network, and create opportunities. For people interested in mortgage notes, Nathan offers an important warning: experience in traditional real estate does not automatically mean you understand the note business. There are different rules, systems, and approaches to learn. At the same time, he warns against analysis paralysis. Learn the rules. Learn enough to move responsibly. Then take action. Nathan also discusses the Diversified Mortgage Expo, the annual conference he runs for people ranging from newcomers to experienced mortgage note investors. Connect with Nathan Turner Earnest Investing: https://earnestinvesting.com/ Email: nathan@earnestinvesting.com Diversified Mortgage Expo: Available through EarnestInvesting.com LinkedIn: Search “Nathan Turner” / “The Canadian Note Guy” Follow Driven: Unscripted Success Website: https://www.drivensuccesspodcast.com/

    Beyond Traditional Real Estate: The Power of Mortgage Notes

  8. Aug 27

    Redefining Mental Healthcare: A Psychiatrist’s Mission

    What would mental healthcare look like if the system were built around the individual patient instead of a fixed appointment schedule? In this episode of Driven: Unscripted Success, Nareman Hamdan sits down with psychiatrist and practice founder Dr. Mansoor Zuberi for a conversation about patient-first psychiatry, healthcare access, entrepreneurship, leadership, and the future of mental health services. Dr. Zuberi explains why he believes psychiatric care cannot be reduced to symptom checklists and short medication-management visits. His philosophy centers on treating the person behind the diagnosis and giving physicians enough flexibility to determine how much time and what approach each patient actually needs. He also shares how that belief led him to start his own private practice after completing his psychiatric training. Although he had extensive medical education, he had to teach himself the business side of building and growing a practice. Over time, he discovered that other psychiatrists were looking for the same kind of environment: one designed by psychiatrists to support the way they wanted to practice medicine. The conversation explores the practice’s early adoption of telehealth, how virtual appointments can reduce barriers for many patients, and why Dr. Zuberi believes mental healthcare systems need to become easier to navigate for people who are already anxious, depressed, or overwhelmed. Dr. Zuberi also discusses his leadership philosophy, including the importance of flexibility, hiring experts who know more than he does in their specialties, and looking for genuine human connection when building a team. He shares how he approaches the tension between clinical priorities and financial decisions, why continuous learning has remained important throughout his career, and why he still sees patients even while leading a growing healthcare organization. Looking ahead, Dr. Zuberi discusses continued expansion of the practice, additional TMS services, plans to grow beyond California, and an unexpected creative pursuit: painting mental health experiences through art. This episode is a conversation about what happens when a physician builds a business without allowing the business to lose sight of the patient. Connect with Dr. Mansoor Zuberi Website: https://psych-doctor.com/ Email: drzuberi@psych-doctor.com LinkedIn: Search “Dr. Mansoor Zuberi” Follow Driven: Unscripted Success Website: https://www.drivensuccesspodcast.com/   #MansoorZuberi #MentalHealth #Psychiatry #MentalHealthcare #HealthcareLeadership #PatientCare #Telehealth #HealthcareEntrepreneurship #DrivenPodcast #NaremanHamdan

    Redefining Mental Healthcare: A Psychiatrist’s Mission
See All (100)

5
out of 5
22 Ratings

About

Welcome to the Driven: Unscripted Success Podcast, the go-to show for high-performing business owners, executives, and professionals who aspire to elevate their personal, professional, and financial lives. Hosted by Michael Mannino Sr. and Nareman Hamdan, each episode dives deep into the inspiring stories and invaluable insights of top industry leaders who have navigated the complex landscape of success with drive and determination. Michael and Nareman, business owners who are passionate about uncovering the keys to mastery and legacy building, bring you candid conversations that explore the highs and lows of remarkable careers. From leadership strategies and innovative business tactics to personal growth and financial acumen, our guests share their unscripted journeys to success, offering listeners practical advice and motivation to reach new heights. Join us on Driven: Unscripted Success Podcast, where we celebrate the relentless pursuit of excellence and empower you to achieve greatness in every facet of your life. Subscribe now and get ready to be inspired, challenged, and driven to succeed!

Information

  • Creator
    Michael Mannino Sr. & Nareman Hamdan
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    100
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2024 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Driven: Unscripted Success