South Florida Leaders

What does it take to build companies, communities, and leaders that continue to make an impact long after you are gone?
In this episode of the South Florida Leaders Podcast with Brian Fay, Brian sits down with Didem Altop, co-founder of TrioVC, to talk about venture capital, entrepreneurship, AI, leadership, and the power of building strong business ecosystems.
Didem brings a truly global perspective to the conversation. After growing up in Pittsburgh, she spent 20 years in Istanbul, Turkey, where she helped build entrepreneurship ecosystems and served as co-founder and managing director of Endeavor Turkey for 12 years.
Today, Didem and her partners at TrioVC invest in AI-native B2B startups in the United States that have at least one immigrant co-founder. Their approach goes beyond simply finding companies that may succeed. They also think about how to build the environments, networks, and communities that can help more entrepreneurs succeed.
Brian and Didem discuss why focus matters so much when a startup is raising capital. Didem explains why founders need to know exactly who their ideal customer is, understand that customer's problems, and build solutions alongside them.
The conversation also explores an important lesson Didem learned about investing in founding teams rather than relying too heavily on a solo founder. That leads to a larger discussion about succession planning, risk, and creating businesses that can continue without depending on one person.
Didem also shares her thoughts on leadership, including the importance of metacognition, stewardship, and what she calls “ionic leadership”—the idea that great leaders can positively affect and elevate the people around them.
Finally, Didem explains her personal view of success: creating virtuous cycles that keep giving. For her, success is not only about what someone achieves today. It is about building systems, companies, communities, and opportunities that can continue creating value for the next generation.
 

What makes a great leader? For Joe Jellison, it starts with listening, being honest, and being willing to take responsibility.
In this episode of the South Florida Leaders Podcast, Brian Fay sits down with Joe Jellison, an experienced technical and business leader working in the cruise industry. Joe shares lessons from a career that has taken him through sales, operations, technical support, construction, business management, and work around the world.
Joe explains why cruise ships are much like floating cities and gives listeners a look at the important systems working behind the scenes. He also talks about the value of strong customer support and why taking care of customers after the sale can make all the difference.
The conversation goes beyond Joe's current work. He shares a story about managing a major project with a tight 90-day deadline and how his team found a creative way to complete it in just 85 days.
Joe also shares some of the leadership lessons that have guided him throughout his career. He believes leaders should listen to people at every level, be honest even when the answer is difficult, and help the people on their teams grow beyond them.
For Joe, leadership also means taking responsibility. If a leader wants credit when things go well, that leader must also be willing to own the outcome when things go wrong.
Brian and Joe also discuss success, work-life balance, entrepreneurship, passive income, and Joe's desire to pass the lessons he has learned on to the next generation.
Joe’s definition of success is simple and powerful: at the end of the day, can he look at himself in the mirror and feel good about how he handled both his professional and personal interactions?
 

What if youth sports could teach kids much more than how to throw a ball, make a play, or win a game?
In this episode of the South Florida Leaders Podcast, Brian Fay sits down with David Rhodehamel, CEO of Jumpstart Sports. David shares how his company uses sports and physical activity to help children build confidence, leadership skills, and habits they can carry into life.
Jumpstart Sports works with children ages 2 to 8 through sports programs, school-break activities, and summer camps. David explains why the company wants every child to feel heard and see themselves as a leader.
David also shares lessons from his own journey as an entrepreneur. He talks about learning that success is often cumulative. Small actions, hard work, smart decisions, and showing up each day can create much bigger results over time.
Brian and David also discuss how leadership changes with experience. For David, great leadership includes being intentional about culture and helping people feel valued, successful, and fulfilled.
The conversation then turns to the growth of Jumpstart Sports. David explains how the company is expanding through franchising, why South Florida is an exciting market, and how its franchise model gives business owners a roadmap built from more than two decades of experience.
David also discusses a new summer camp franchise model designed for teachers, coaches, and educators who want to keep their careers while building an additional opportunity during the summer.
Whether you're an entrepreneur, business leader, parent, coach, or someone interested in making a positive impact on children, this conversation offers a different way to think about sports, leadership, business, and success.
About David Rhodehamel
David Rhodehamel is the CEO of Jumpstart Sports, a youth sports organization focused on helping children develop sports skills, confidence, leadership, and positive life habits. Jumpstart Sports was founded in Ohio in 2002 and later expanded through a franchise model.
 

What happens when you achieve the career you worked so hard for—and realize you may want something different?
On this episode of the South Florida Leaders Podcast with Brian Fay, Brian sits down with Lauren Fine, a physician, medical educator, and life coach who helps high achievers slow down, get clear about what they really want, and take steps toward meaningful change.
Lauren shares her own journey from practicing medicine to discovering a passion for medical education and coaching. For years, she followed the path she thought she “should” follow. Eventually, she realized that making a change did not mean throwing away everything she had worked for. Her experience, knowledge, and skills could become part of the next chapter.
Brian and Lauren discuss why people often wait until they feel completely ready before making a big change—and why that moment may never come. Lauren explains that sometimes you have to take the first step before you feel ready.
She also shares her “fact versus story” approach. When fear, stress, or self-doubt takes over, Lauren encourages people to separate what they actually know to be true from the stories they are telling themselves about what might happen.
The conversation also explores leadership. For Lauren, great leadership is not about standing in front of people and telling them what to do. It is about walking alongside them, helping them grow, and sometimes letting them receive the credit.
Lauren also shares her view of success, why asking for advice can sometimes be a way of asking for permission, and why South Florida offers exciting opportunities for people ready to build something new.
Lauren continues to practice medicine as an allergist-immunologist while working in medical education and growing her coaching practice.

What makes a strong technology leader? For Rajeew Vishvakarma, it starts with trust, accountability, continuous learning, and helping other people grow.
In this episode of the South Florida Leaders Podcast with Brian Fay, Brian sits down with Rajeew to talk about his journey from growing up in a rural village in India to building a career in technology and financial services.
Rajeew shares how his interest in science led him to study physics and mathematics before moving to Delhi and earning his master’s degree in computer science. His career later took him into banking and financial technology, where he gained experience developing products such as credit cards, personal loans, and small business loans.
Rajeew also explains what happens behind the scenes when technology teams build financial products. He discusses market research, customer needs, product testing, time to market, artificial intelligence, and the importance of making financial products easier for customers to understand.
The conversation then turns to leadership. Rajeew describes himself as a servant leader who believes leaders should listen to their teams instead of simply telling people what to do. He explains why building trust matters, how clear goals create accountability, and why leaders must be willing to admit when they do not have all the answers.
Rajeew also shares two questions he asks himself each day: What did I contribute to my organization? And what did I contribute to myself?
For Rajeew, success is not only about moving into a bigger role. It is about looking back and knowing that the people who worked with you had a good experience, grew in their careers, and achieved more because you worked together.
Brian and Rajeew also discuss life and business in South Florida, Rajeew’s two books on digital payments and leadership in the age of artificial intelligence, and his early work exploring technology and AI consulting solutions.
 

What does it really take to retire with confidence?
In this episode of the South Florida Leaders Podcast with Brian Fay, Brian sits down with Bruce Elfenbein, a Certified Financial Fiduciary and owner of The Retirement Company in Hollywood, Florida.
Bruce explains why retirement planning is about much more than saving money. You also need to protect what you have built and create income that can support the life you want to live.
Bruce breaks retirement into three stages: the “go-go years,” the “slow-go years,” and the “no-go years.” Each stage can bring different financial needs, which is why planning ahead matters.
Brian and Bruce also discuss the difference between simply choosing a suitable financial product and working under a best-interest standard. Bruce explains why understanding fees, risk, taxes, inflation, Medicare costs, and other financial factors can make a big difference over time.
For business owners, Bruce shares another important lesson: before focusing only on building more wealth, make sure the wealth and business you already have are protected.
One of Bruce’s biggest messages is simple: start planning as early as you can. Time and compound interest can be powerful tools. But if you are getting a late start, Bruce says that does not mean you should give up. The best time to start may simply be today.
The conversation also explores what Bruce calls the “secret sauce” of retirement: guaranteed income. When reliable income can meet or exceed the cost of your lifestyle, retirement can become much easier to manage.
Bruce also discusses Social Security, pensions, annuities, retirement accounts, investing in the market, managing risk as you get older, and why retirement strategies should change as you move through different stages of life.
 
 

What happens when military discipline meets an entrepreneurial drive to serve others?
In this episode of the South Florida Leaders Podcast with Brian Fay, Brian sits down with his longtime friend and business partner, Lukasz Sokolowski, to talk about Lukasz's journey from serving 10 years in the U.S. Army to building businesses, managing nearly 200 rental properties, investing in new ventures, and creating opportunities for others.
Lukasz shares how his property management journey started with his own short-term rental properties. By focusing on the guest experience and doing things differently, he discovered an opportunity to build a business around better service. Today, Host Management Group manages short-term and long-term rentals across multiple Florida markets.
For Lukasz, however, growth isn't simply about adding more properties. It's about people. He explains why he personally connects with every property owner his company serves, why his team refuses to sacrifice customer service for growth, and why tenants and guests deserve homes and experiences they can feel good about.
Lukasz also opens up about one of the hardest chapters of his life: transitioning from the military into civilian life. He discusses losing the structure and sense of belonging that comes with military service and why helping other veterans make that transition has become important to him.
Throughout the conversation, one idea ties everything together: create opportunities for others.
Brian and Lukasz also discuss entrepreneurship, leadership, responsibility, building the right team, their work together on future real estate projects, and what Lukasz hopes to accomplish next.
 

What happens when the person who has spent a career helping others realizes he needs help himself?
In this episode of the South Florida Leaders Podcast with Brian Fay, Patrick Fitzgibbons shares his journey from serving as an 82nd Airborne Division paratrooper to spending 23 years in law enforcement and retiring as a commander. After retirement, Patrick faced a difficult period involving alcohol, depression, and PTSD that ultimately brought him to treatment in South Florida.
That experience helped Patrick discover a new purpose.
Today, Patrick works with FHE Health and helps lead its Shatterproof program, which serves first responders and veterans facing mental health, trauma, and substance use challenges. Patrick discusses why first responders can be reluctant to ask for help and why being surrounded by people who understand their experiences can make such a difference.
Brian and Patrick also have a personal conversation about recovery, faith, community, and the importance of giving hope to people who may feel alone.
Patrick explains some of the approaches used within treatment and shares what he has learned from watching people begin to rebuild their lives. He also talks about one of the lessons at the heart of his work: treatment can provide tools and support, but lasting recovery requires a person to continue doing the work.
Patrick is also the host of the Criminal Justice Evolution podcast and creates YouTube content focused on body-camera analysis.
For Patrick, his work today is more than a job. It is an opportunity to walk alongside people facing some of the same struggles he once experienced himself.
To learn more about Patrick Fitzgibbons and his work, visit his Criminal Justice Evolution website or FHE Health to learn more about the Shatterproof program.
Listen to more episodes of the South Florida Leaders Podcast with Brian Fay on Apple Podcasts.

What happens when AI becomes powerful enough to do real work, but businesses still cannot fully trust it?
In this episode of the South Florida Leaders Podcast, Brian Fay talks with Jev Wray, founder of Mavericks, about his work at the intersection of artificial intelligence, innovation, and AI governance.
Jev shares how his background in technical recruiting and working with frontier technology companies led him to build something much bigger. He is developing what he calls a cognitive governance substrate—an infrastructure layer designed to help AI agents operate in a more structured, reliable, and observable way.
Jev explains the idea with a simple comparison: today’s AI can sometimes act like a super-intelligent five-year-old. It may know an incredible amount, but it can still give confident answers without having enough structure around how it makes decisions.
That challenge inspired Jev to rethink AI governance. Instead of relying only on policies and guardrails, he believes governance should be built directly into the structure of AI systems.
Brian and Jev also discuss the entrepreneurial side of bringing an ambitious idea to life. Jev talks about investing his own time and money, questioning whether his idea would work, turning an abstract concept into a real system, and continuing forward even when there was no clear roadmap to follow.
They also discuss Mavericks’ path toward commercialization, Jev’s plans to raise capital, protect intellectual property, work with design partners, and build technology that can work across different AI models and environments.
For entrepreneurs, business leaders, investors, and anyone curious about where AI is headed, this conversation offers a look at one of the big questions facing the industry: How do we make powerful AI agents reliable enough for the real world?
To connect with Jev Wray, visit the Mavericks website or find him on LinkedIn.
Listen to more conversations with South Florida business owners, executives, entrepreneurs, and professionals on the South Florida Leaders Podcast with Brian Fay.

What happens when AI moves beyond answering questions and starts getting things done?
On this episode of the South Florida Leaders Podcast with Brian Fay, Brian sits down with technology entrepreneur and investor Alex Shchekin to talk about AI, healthcare, entrepreneurship, and the difference between exciting ideas and solutions that actually work in the real world.
Alex brings decades of experience in technology, data, machine learning, and business. He shares the story of his early work in online market research, including his role in developing an early online survey system used for a major Old Navy research project. His career later took him into data and technology roles within the Blue Cross Blue Shield system before expanding into investing and new technology ventures.
Much of the conversation focuses on today's AI boom. Alex explains why a great AI idea is not enough. Businesses still have to deal with regulations, existing systems, privacy requirements, billing, data access, and the many other challenges that come with turning technology into a useful product.
Alex also introduces CareVerse, a project from Care Access PBC focused on making healthcare easier to understand and access. He demonstrates the vision for an AI assistant called Lydia, designed to help people ask healthcare questions in everyday language and take practical next steps. Alex describes a future where technology can help people find products, compare options, locate providers, book appointments, manage follow-ups, and navigate care more easily.
This conversation offers a practical look at where AI may be heading and why the biggest opportunities may come from solving real problems instead of simply following the hype.