Shakin' Hands

In this episode of Shakin’ Hands, Jack Moran sits down with Craig Stahlecker, a former finance professional who transformed his life and career by launching OptiMale, a coaching platform for men focused on naturally optimizing testosterone and reclaiming their health. Craig shares how burnout and neglecting his own well-being catalyzed a major personal shift, leading him to explore health and high-performance routines. The conversa...

In this powerful and personal episode, Jack sits down with Sydney Sprenger—content creator, former Miss Charleston County, and founder of the nonprofit Fear To Faith. Sydney opens up about her journey from a college grad working in visual communications to becoming a single mother and building a vibrant platform that uplifts moms in Charleston. She discusses the value of storytelling, the grit required to rebuild when life doesn’t ...

This week on Shakin' Hands, Jack sits down in Panama City with entrepreneur and problem-solver Diego Quque. From food trucks to software, Diego’s journey has always been about experimentation, learning, and building. Today, his energy is fully behind The Leap, a platform designed to transform the way entrepreneurs launch their businesses. Powered by AI, The Leap helps founders validate ideas, break limiting beliefs, and take f...

In this episode, Jack sits down with César Jiménez in Panama City, a high energy operator who’s driven commercial success across Latin America and built a massive personal brand in the process. They talk about what it really takes to launch sales strategies and how to influence people in sales through relationships. He shares how he transitioned from leading corporate sales teams to launching his own men’s style and consulting proj...

In this episode of Shakin' Hands, Jack sits down with Felipe Milanes, a Panama-born chef whose global culinary journey has taken him from working under legends like José Andrés in Washington, D.C., to competing internationally, before returning home. While Felipe shares pieces of his story, the heart of this conversation delves into the realities of building something authentic in an industry fraught with pressure and expectat...

In this episode of Shakin’ Hands, Jack Moran sits down in Panama City with Boris Weinberg, the entrepreneurial force behind PanamaStartups. The conversation explores the raw realities of starting a business in a country where institutional support for startups is still lacking. Boris shares the grassroots beginnings of PanamaStartups, a founder-led movement focused on peer mentorship, community support, and shared knowledge. They u...

In this episode, Jack sits down with Karen Gibbs, founder of Scholar Shine, a platform revolutionizing how students choose careers. Karen shares her journey from a decade in corporate marketing to launching an EdTech company in Panama. She explains how Scholar Shine uses AI and expert advice to match students with career paths and help schools better guide their students. The conversation dives into challenges in the Latin American...

In this episode of Shakin’ Hands, Jack Moran interviews Felipe Echandi, the co-founder and CEO of Cuanto. The conversation dives deep into Latin America’s fragmented digital economy and how Cuanto is building tools to empower small merchants to sell online and through social media. Felipe also shares his experience serving on Panama’s Banking Superintendency, helping reform outdated regulations to match the speed of internet innova...

Jack Moran sits down in Panama with the co-founder of Bocao, Jaime Pérez, a chocolate company that takes the "bean to bar" model to heart. Rooted in a family farm and driven by youthful ambition, Bocao was built to showcase Panama's rich cacao to the world. The conversation dives deep into the agricultural strengths of the region, the painstaking process of sourcing and manufacturing, and the brand's commitment ...

In this episode, Jack sits down with Juan Diego Gálvez, co-founder and CEO of PayCaddy, a Panamanian fintech transforming digital financial infrastructure across Latin America. Juan shares how their “Fintech as a Service” model allows any company to launch financial services faster. The conversation dives into the challenges of earning trust from traditional banks, building resilient API infrastructure, and the rise of embedded fin...

Jack Moran sits down with Sofia Fasquelle, co-founder of SimpleAF, a studio in Panama that designs sustainable accessories from recycled materials. Sofia shares the backstory of how her team turned discarded material into functional fashion items. The conversation dives into the challenges of prototyping, scaling responsibly, and navigating regional innovation gaps. She highlights how intuition and cultural awareness shaped their b...

Jack sits down with Sebastien Hilaire, founder of Prospect1, a Panama-based sports intelligence startup that helps teams identify, develop, and promote athletes through contextual performance data. They dive into how the platform supports more intelligent decision-making and what it’s like building a tech company in Panama’s emerging startup scene. Sebastien shares what’s working and what is not when doing business locally and the ...

In this episode, Jack Moran meets with transformational mentor Juan Pablo Carrizo in Panama City to explore how energy, intention, and consciousness shape our lives. The two discuss emotional healing, sobriety, and breaking free from limiting beliefs, insightful topics for any entrepreneur seeking deeper clarity and alignment. Juan shares how internal shifts can lead to external success, both personally and professionally. This epi...

In this episode of Shakin’ Hands, Jack Moran sits down with Ryan Eleuteri, founder of Charleston Beverage Company, the makers of Charleston Bloody Mary Mix, and the executive director behind Charleston’s charity boxing tournament, Battle on the Brick. Ryan shares the gritty realities of building a beverage brand from scratch, scaling authenticity into a business model, and the lessons learned from both entrepreneurship and starting...

In this episode of Shakin' Hands, Jack sits down with the co-founder and chief creative officer of Twelve South, a company known for designing elegant accessories that seamlessly integrate with Apple products. Andrew shares the brand's origin story, including how a single prototype evolved into a global product line admired for its craftsmanship and functionality. They dive deep into the challenges of scaling a physical p...

In this episode of Shakin’ Hands, Jeff Bobby co-founder and VP of Social Strategy at SwiftSift shares the unfiltered story behind his pivot from a family-run medical business and military service to co-founding a disruptive AI-driven mobile app. Jeff dives deep into his entrepreneurial upbringing, the evolution of SwiftSift from a VIP concierge service to a smartsocial discovery platform, and how mentorship shaped his journey, espe...

Michael Novielli shares his journey from Wall Street to the world of tech, where he's co-founded SwiftSift, an AI driven mobile app set to revolutionize the search experience. He discusses the frustrations with traditional search engines and how AI, particularly ChatGPT, inspired his shift into the tech world. Michael reflects on the lessons from his career, including the importance of resilience, mentorship, and effective com...

In this episode of Shakin’ Hands, Jack Moran sits down with serial entrepreneur and investor Ryan Covert to unpack what it really takes to build a modern business, and a modern life. From launching Tidewater, a next-gen private club in Charleston, to exiting multiple companies, Ryan shares raw insights on vision, team building, operational clarity, and personal growth. The conversation covers the evolving definition of success, the...

In this episode of Shakin' Hands, Jack Moran talks with serial entrepreneur and Event.Gives CEO, Sam Staley, about turning a school auction challenge into a full-scale fundraising platform. They discuss scaling software businesses, strategic partnerships, and how to build companies with an exit in mind. Staley shares insights from pioneering the first metropolitan-scale WiFi network and the importance of persistence in entrepr...