The Inspired Stories Podcast

Anthony Codispoti
  • 5.0 (16)
  • Self-Improvement
  • Updated Weekly

Anthony Codispoti has started, built, and sold a variety of successful businesses, including a 7-figure wholesale business (successful exit), a 7-figure consumer business (exited to private equity), a SaaS business (successful exit), and fiscally advantaged benefits. As an innovator and pioneer, he has been awarded patents, earned best seller badges, and gained scores of battle scars. In this show, we gain inspiration from the successes achieved and challenges overcome by today's business leaders.

  1. 1d ago

    Delete Five Hours: Dr. Terri Levine's Subtraction Strategy for Service-Based Businesses

    🎙️ Live Well, Earn Well: Dr. Terri Levine's Heartrepreneur Journey From Speech Pathology to Coaching In this episode, Dr. Terri Levine, founder and Chief Heart-repreneur of Heartrepreneur LLC, shares how a career that began in speech pathology led through a corporate healthcare CEO role, a devastating neurological disease diagnosis, and the sudden loss of her mother and closest friend within a week of each other, before she built a coaching empire around relationship-first selling. Terri opens up about the disease that nearly ended her life, the publisher who threw her manuscript on the floor and demanded she reinvent her business, and the reverse tithing philosophy that now shapes every financial decision she makes. ✨ Key Insights You'll Learn: Opened her own speech pathology clinic and discovered she loved marketing more than clinical work Studied under Zig Ziglar early in her career and adopted his help-first sales philosophy Rose to CEO of a national healthcare company before walking away within months of losing her mother and a close friend Was later diagnosed with RSD, a severe neurological pain disease, and spent time in a wheelchair before relearning to walk Signed her first five coaching clients within a week and thirty clients within thirty days of launching her practice Rebranded her company to Heartrepreneur after a publisher rejected her manuscript and pushed her to redefine her message Has written 41 books and built and sold seven companies across 19 different industries Built a “one community, one offer, one video” system that generates leads in as little as 20 minutes a day Practices reverse tithing, giving 90% of company profits to her RSD foundation for children Now works roughly 20 hours a month while stepping back from public speaking and moving into ghostwriting 🌟 Terri's Key Mentors: Zig Ziglar: Taught her a help-first sales philosophy that reshaped how she approaches every client relationship Her Publisher of Eleven Years: Rejected her manuscript and pushed her to create the Heartrepreneur brand and message A Stranger on a Plane: A chance conversation about life coaching set her entire career pivot into motion Her Husband: A financial advisor whose investment strategy turned her business proceeds into lasting family wealth 👉 Hear how a speech pathologist turned corporate CEO survived one of the most painful diseases known to medicine and built a coaching empire around giving first and living in the moment. 🔗 Connect with Dr. Terri Levine: Website: heartrepreneur.com Community: heartrepreneurs.com Website: www.heartrepreneur.com Social Media: https://www.linkedin.com/in/terrilevine, https://www.facebook.com/MentorTerriLevine/ https://www.instagram.com/mentorterrilevine/?hl=en https://www.threads.com/@mentorterrilevine https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCK_YmLGv_bCDJ45CoupRmhA 📄 Transcript Available: Delete Five Hours: Dr. Terri Levine's Subtraction Strategy for Service-Based Businesses  📺 Watch on YouTube: Inspired Stories Podcast 🌐 Our Website: The Inspired Stories Podcast 📄 Special Thanks to Anthony Codispoti & AddBack Benefits Agency: AddBack Benefits Agency - Providing innovative employee benefits solutions that improve employee well-being while optimizing your bottom line Website: addbackbenefits.com

  2. 2d ago

    “Leave It Better Than You Found It”: J.J. Sorrenti's Franchising Leadership Journey

    🎙️ From Library Directory Letters to CEO: J.J. Sorrenti Building Best Life Brands In this episode, J.J. Sorrenti, CEO and board member of Best Life Brands, shares how a 1990 job search built on handwritten letters to CFOs led to a 35-year career spanning vitamins, tutoring, tanning, and business printing before he took the helm of a senior care franchise platform two days before COVID was declared a national emergency. J.J. opens up about a painful, public falling-out with the company that shaped his entire career, and how Best Life Brands grew from roughly 350 locations across three brands into more than 900 territories across five. ✨ Key Insights You'll Learn: Landed his first franchising job at GNC by mailing handwritten letters to CFOs found in a library directory Left GNC in 1999 during Walmart's aggressive vitamin price competition, then was asked back a year later Helped GNC compete on expertise and bioavailable formulations rather than price against Walmart Led CEO roles across five different franchise industries, including Huntington Learning Centers and Hollywood Tans Took over as CEO of Best Life Brands two days before COVID was declared a national emergency Grew the company from roughly 350 locations and three brands to more than 900 territories across five Built Care Patrol into a free-to-families service, with communities paying a franchisee referral fee Discovered many of Best Life Brands' senior care competitors collaborate rather than compete due to overwhelming demand Reports Net Promoter Scores across Best Life Brands' five brands ranging from 71 to as high as 91 Endured a bitter contractual dispute at a prior company that ended in arbitration after fifteen years there 🌟 J.J.'s Key Mentors: His Manager at GNC: Taught him most of what he knows about franchising during his early years there His Wife: Supported him through a difficult arbitration process and taught him not to diminish struggling franchisees' failures Lou Holtz: A speech about significance versus success shaped how J.J. defines his own legacy His Father: Taught him through golf to always leave things better than he found them 👉 Hear how a franchising career that started with handwritten letters to CFOs led through five industries and a painful corporate exit to building Best Life Brands into a 900-territory senior care platform. 🔗 Connect with J.J. Sorrenti: Website: www.bestlifebrands.com Social Media: https://x.com/jjsorrenti  https://www.linkedin.com/in/jjsorrenti/ 📄 Transcript Available: “Leave It Better Than You Found It”: J.J. Sorrenti's Franchising Leadership Journey 📺 Watch on YouTube: Inspired Stories Podcast 🌐 Our Website: The Inspired Stories Podcast 📄 Special Thanks to Anthony Codispoti & AddBack Benefits Agency: AddBack Benefits Agency - Providing innovative employee benefits solutions that improve employee well-being while optimizing your bottom line

  3. 3d ago

    Caitlin Clark's Injury Three Days Before a Sold-Out Event Still Couldn't Stop Parker Bushnell From Breaking Rank + Rally’s Record

    🎙️ A Store Manager's Bold Email to Corporate Bought Parker Bushnell a Buyer Job Instead of a Reprimand: His Journey to Rank + Rally In this episode, Parker Bushnell, Divisional Director of Special Events and Partnerships at Rank + Rally, shares how a candid email to a head buyer while working a cash register launched a career that now spans the NBA All-Star Game, the Grammy Awards, and the PGA's RBC Canadian Open. Parker opens up about betting big on one jersey early in his career, the patience he had to learn during a six-month promotion wait, and surviving eighteen months of long-distance dating during a global shutdown. ✨ Key Insights You'll Learn: Started as a part-time sales associate at a mall retailer while attending school full time Sent an unsolicited email critiquing product selection that led directly to a buyer interview Learned that buying is a balance between art and science under mentor Britton Maughn Moved to the Utah Jazz in 2018 as purchasing manager, shifting from mall retail to a captive arena audience Requested 13,000 units of a retro jersey, backed entirely by data, and nearly sold out before COVID hit Promoted to senior director of retail in 2022 as the Jazz's retail operations transitioned to Rank + Rally Identified 19 variables affecting game night sales, only seven of which are controllable Still broke a merchandise sales record at the 2025 WNBA All-Star Game despite Caitlin Clark's injury days before Helped a PGA client nearly beat a sales record by 50% by expanding store size and vendor mix Believes staying personally engaged with fans on the sales floor matters as much as data and forecasting 🌟 Parker's Key Mentors: Britton Maughn: First hired him as a buyer after his unsolicited email and taught him the balance of art and science in buying His Analytics and Planning Team at Fans: Talented colleagues who shaped his early data-driven approach to buying His Wife: Provided the foundation of patience and commitment through an 18-month long-distance relationship during COVID His Close Salt Lake City Support Network: Helped carry him through the uncertainty of long-distance dating and career waiting periods 👉 Hear how one bold email from a part-time retail associate led to a career shaping merchandise strategy for some of the biggest events in sports and entertainment. 🔗 Connect with Parker Bushnell: Website: rankandrally.com 📄 Transcript Available: Caitlin Clark's Injury Three Days Before a Sold-Out Event Still Couldn't Stop Parker Bushnell From Breaking Rank + Rally’s Record 📺 Watch on YouTube: Inspired Stories Podcast 🌐 Our Website: The Inspired Stories Podcast 📄 Special Thanks to Anthony Codispoti & AddBack Benefits Agency: AddBack Benefits Agency - Providing innovative employee benefits solutions that improve employee well-being while optimizing your bottom line Website: addbackbenefits.com

  4. 3d ago

    Glenda Hackemack on Building a Culture at Farm and Home Supply Where People Aren't a Number

    🎙️ A City Health Clinic That Cost Nothing to Build Saved Quincy a Million Dollars: Glenda Hackemack's Journey to Farm and Home Supply In this episode, Glenda Hackemack, Chief People Officer at Farm and Home Supply, shares how she built a people-first career that zigzagged from running a YWCA to negotiating union contracts to placing rural physicians in hospitals that didn't even employ them. Glenda opens up about raising two daughters through divorce while working her way up, and how she's carried the same instinct for aligning incentives from city government to a multi-specialty medical clinic to a family-owned Midwest retailer. ✨ Key Insights You'll Learn: Helped design a city employee health clinic in Quincy that saved the city $1 million in workers' comp claims Overcame department-by-department skepticism by personally explaining the program's benefits to every team Grew Quincy Medical Group's workforce from 850 to over 1,000 employees while it was still physician-owned Convinced 114 physicians that hiring more staff would grow their income rather than shrink it Moved into business development and placed 15 specialty physicians in two hospitals the clinic didn't own Joined Farm and Home Supply in January 2023 and was promoted to Chief People Officer within a year Digitized nearly 800 employee personnel files that had existed only on paper Still personally reviews every job application the company receives, without using AI in hiring Built an incentive program that saved the company $66,000 in a single quarter for a $3,000 cost Raised two daughters as a single parent while modeling persistence through career setbacks 🌟 Glenda's Key Mentors: The Medical Clinic CEO in Quincy: Co-led the department-by-department rollout that got city employees on board with the new health clinic Farm and Home Supply's Owner: Recruited her personally and shaped the people-first culture she now leads Her Two Daughters: Their growth and independence became living proof that persistence through hardship pays off An Insurance Broker Colleague: Recommended her for the Farm and Home Supply role that redirected her career 👉 Hear how a people leader who once needed to convince city departments that a “too good to be true” health clinic was real built a career on aligning incentives everywhere she's gone. 🔗 Connect with Glenda Hackemack: Website: farmandhomesupply.com Email: ghackemack@farmandhomesupply.com 📄 Transcript Available: Glenda Hackemack on Building a Culture at Farm and Home Supply Where People Aren't a Number 📺 Watch on YouTube: Inspired Stories Podcast 🌐 Our Website: The Inspired Stories Podcast 📄 Special Thanks to Anthony Codispoti & AddBack Benefits Agency: AddBack Benefits Agency - Providing innovative employee benefits solutions that improve employee well-being while optimizing your bottom line Website: addbackbenefits.com

  5. 4d ago

    An Engineer at Heart, Sudhama Gopalan Brings a Problem Solver's Mindset to Averisana

    🎙️ From Automotive Paint Chemistry to Life Insurance AI, Sudhama Gopalan Solves Problems at Averisana Sudhama Gopalan, founder and CEO of Averisana, trained as a chemical engineer and has solved problems in automotive paint at Sherwin-Williams, credit cards at HSBC, and now life insurance. He shares what a Volvo truck plant taught him about troubleshooting, why online credit applicants carry more risk, and how Averisana's Easy Life AI helps independent agents deliver accurate quotes from multiple carriers in about 15 minutes. He also explains why he believes life insurance will always need a human touch. ✨ Key Insights You'll Learn: Low-solvent automotive paint under an EPA mandate A Volvo truck plant and a temperamental waterborne coating Scaling chemistry from the lab bench to a pilot plant Finance, marketing, and credit risk as one team Why direct mail beats the internet on credit risk Online applications as a signal of need An underinsured middle market in life insurance Lead scoring that lifts return on ad spend Easy Life AI and the 15-minute quote The lasting role of the human advisor 🌟 Sudhama's Key Influences: Chemical engineering training: the troubleshooting habit behind every role Sherwin-Williams: hands-on problem solving in the lab and pilot plant Volvo: the client mandate that forced a solution HSBC: lessons in risk, marketing, and consumer behavior A life insurance carrier: where he saw the industry's analytics gap 👉 Don't miss this conversation about an engineer's approach to problems in paint, banking, and insurance, and why trust still closes the sale. 🔗 Connect with Sudhama Gopalan: Website: averisana.com 📄 Transcript Available: An Engineer at Heart, Sudhama Gopalan Brings a Problem Solver's Mindset to Averisana 📺 Watch on YouTube: Inspired Stories Podcast 🌐 Our Website: The Inspired Stories Podcast 📄 Special Thanks to Anthony Codispoti & AddBack Benefits Agency: AddBack Benefits Agency - Providing innovative employee benefits solutions that improve employee well-being while optimizing your bottom line Website: addbackbenefits.com

  6. Oct 10

    Main Street Wealth's Rob Ismoilov Is Building a Platform Called DealOS to Replace Brokers Like Himself

    🎙️ From Trucking Company Owner to Business Broker: Rob Ismoilov's Journey Representing Sellers In this episode, Rob Ismoilov shares a career that began near the Afghan border in Uzbekistan, moved through corporate law and insurance sales, and eventually led him to building and losing a 150-person trucking company before becoming a business broker representing sellers exclusively. Rob opens up about the twenty-million-dollar deal he had to talk off the ledge, why he only represents sellers, and how he's now building a platform designed to cut brokers, including himself, out of the process. ✨ Key Insights You'll Learn: Grew up near the Afghan border in Uzbekistan before beginning his career in corporate law Left law for insurance sales, qualifying for the Million Dollar Roundtable in his first year Built his early client base almost entirely through in-person door knocking Built and later unwound a 150-person trucking company during the post-COVID freight recession Spent nearly six months personally managing the shutdown to protect employees and drivers Pivoted into business brokerage, choosing to represent sellers exclusively rather than buyers Focuses on preparing businesses to operate independently of their owners before a sale Helped resolve a deal nearly derailed by a seller's twenty-million-dollar last-minute demand Identifies recurring revenue and customer retention as key drivers of premium valuations Is building a platform intended to cut brokers, including himself, out of the deal process 🌟 Rob's Key Influences: Early Insurance Mentors: Modeled a patient, education-first sales approach that shaped his door-knocking strategy His Trucking Company Team: Employees and drivers whose wellbeing guided how he handled the company's difficult shutdown Buy-Side Deal Professionals: Their strategic sophistication convinced him sellers needed dedicated representation Clients Who Trusted Him Through Difficult Deals: Shaped his belief that honesty is the deciding factor owners value most in an advisor 👉 Hear how a career that spans law, insurance, and trucking led Rob Ismoilov to build a business brokerage focused entirely on protecting sellers, and a platform meant to cut brokers out altogether. 🔗 Connect with Rob Ismoilov: LinkedIn: Main Street Wealth 📄 Transcript Available: Main Street Wealth's Rob Ismoilov Is Building a Platform Called DealOS to Replace Brokers Like Himself 📺 Watch on YouTube: Inspired Stories Podcast 🌐 Our Website: The Inspired Stories Podcast 📄 Special Thanks to Anthony Codispoti & AddBack Benefits Agency: AddBack Benefits Agency - Providing innovative employee benefits solutions that improve employee well-being while optimizing your bottom line Website: addbackbenefits.com

  7. Oct 10

    How a Tragic House Fire Reshaped Jeremy Nichols Life for the Better

    🎙️ From a Bizarre Lego Interview to Hospitality Recruiting: Jeremy Nichols's Journey Building Gecko Hospitality In this episode, Jeremy Nichols, franchise owner of Gecko Hospitality in South Florida, shares how a strange group interview at H&M launched a career in retail leadership that eventually led him into hospitality recruiting. Jeremy opens up about the mentor who taught him to interview like a real conversation instead of a script, the impulsive call that pushed him to buy a franchise in an empty territory, and the house fire that nearly took his family before reshaping how he lives. ✨ Key Insights You'll Learn: Landed his first retail job at H&M through an unconventional group interview built around building with Lego blocks Trained in Germany early in his H&M career and saw firsthand how workplace culture shifts across countries Learned to interview candidates as real conversations rather than scripted questions under mentor Martha Spent years building a stable career in corporate recruiting before feeling pulled toward ownership Left a director-level role after a single phone call from a former coworker changed his mind Became Gecko Hospitality's first recruiter in Florida, building the territory from nothing Lost his home to a fire that reduced it to the slab, with firefighters delayed nearly an hour Quit drinking the same night as the fire after realizing how differently things could have gone Found unexpected unity in his community's response to the fire, across political and ideological lines Now advises job seekers to submit a short video introduction instead of relying on a resume alone 🌟 Jeremy's Key Mentors: Martha (H&M District Manager): Taught him to interview candidates through real conversation instead of reading from a script A Former Coworker Turned Headhunter: His phone call from the driveway became the final push toward Jeremy's own franchise ownership His Daughter: Described as the emotional anchor that carried the family through the night of the house fire His Local Community: Neighbors across political lines who came together to support his family after the fire 👉 Hear how an unconventional H&M interview launched a career that led to franchise ownership, and how a devastating house fire reshaped how Jeremy Nichols lives and leads. 🔗 Connect with Jeremy Nichols: Website: geckohospitality.com 📄 Transcript Available: How a Tragic House Fire Reshaped Jeremy Nichols Life for the Better 📺 Watch on YouTube: Inspired Stories Podcast 🌐 Our Website: The Inspired Stories Podcast 📄 Special Thanks to Anthony Codispoti & AddBack Benefits Agency: AddBack Benefits Agency - Providing innovative employee benefits solutions that improve employee well-being while optimizing your bottom line Website: addbackbenefits.com

  8. Oct 9

    The Pain of Discipline vs. the Pain of Regret: Ben Chase’s Journey at Big Sandy Superstore

    🎙️ From Six Retail Careers to Sales Director: Ben Chase's Path at Big Sandy In this episode, Ben Chase, sales director at Big Sandy Superstore, shares how he turned down a job offer, came back on a 30-day proving period, and sold $150,000 against a $70,000 goal. He walks through the light-bulb moment that changed how he sells, what he learned about culture training teams across six states, and the two kinds of pain he hopes his kids never have to choose between. ✨ Key Insights You'll Learn: Worked six different retail careers before finding his footing Turned down Big Sandy's initial offer, then returned on a 30-day plan Sold $150,000 against a $70,000 goal in his first 30 days Learned to focus on the customer's story, not the sale itself Coaches teams across 30 stores in six states Carried $20,000 in credit card debt before finding Art Van Uses AI to visualize furniture inside customers' actual homes Big Sandy named fastest-growing home furnishings retailer in 2024 Believes culture is set in a store's first 30 minutes of the day Teaches his kids the difference between the pain of discipline and regret 🌟 Ben's Key Mentors: Martin (GM at Art Van): Asked the question that changed how Ben sold Robbie Van Hoos: Big Sandy leader behind "without a story to tell, you have nothing but price to sell" Chad Sanchagrin: Trainer who reframed what it means to sell furniture Every GM He's Worked Under: Taught him what to do, and what not to do 👉 A candid look at what it takes to rebuild culture store by store, and why Ben measures success in the pain his kids choose to avoid. 🔗 Connect with Ben Chase: Website: bigsandysuperstore.com 📄 Transcript Available: The Pain of Discipline vs. the Pain of Regret: Ben Chase’s Journey at Big Sandy Superstore  📺 Watch on YouTube: Inspired Stories Podcast 🌐 Our Website: The Inspired Stories Podcast 📄 Special Thanks to Anthony Codispoti & AddBack Benefits Agency: AddBack Benefits Agency - Providing innovative employee benefits solutions that improve employee well-being while optimizing your bottom line Website: addbackbenefits.com

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About

Anthony Codispoti has started, built, and sold a variety of successful businesses, including a 7-figure wholesale business (successful exit), a 7-figure consumer business (exited to private equity), a SaaS business (successful exit), and fiscally advantaged benefits. As an innovator and pioneer, he has been awarded patents, earned best seller badges, and gained scores of battle scars. In this show, we gain inspiration from the successes achieved and challenges overcome by today's business leaders.

Information

  • Creator
    Anthony Codispoti
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    583
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Anthony Codispoti
  • Show Website
    The Inspired Stories Podcast