The NXT Entrepreneur

Dr. Aimee Russo – Mounger, Owner of The Smile Bar, is someone whose compassion is the strength of her business. She believes in her mission of wanting to create a stress-free environment and change people’s opinion of going to the dentist. It is crazy to think she almost did not follow this path of dentistry. While growing up in New Roads, LA, she had dreams of become a professional dancer in NYC. Somewhere down the line she, with ...

CC Lockwood, Wildlife Photographer + Author, is a Louisiana Legend that has been at the forefront of his field since the 70s. He did not always dream of being a photographer; it was more like the opportunity fell into his lap and he never looked back. And thank goodness for that! CC started his career in a time where digital photos did not exist; each shot had to be incredibly precise and intentional. In this episode his does tell ...

Tupac de la Cruz is the Founder + COO of Roofing Solutions. Roofing Solutions is recognized as being in the Top 25 roofing companies in the United States with offices in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Costa Rica. Tupac has had an entrepreneurial mindset from a very young age. We have heard stories from previous guests of selling candy to classmates to which Tupac as did. Not only was he doing that, he also had the crazy idea ...

 Lenny Lemoine is the CEO of LEMOINE. Lemoine is a company divided in 4 main focus areas: construction, infrastructure, program management, and disaster recovery. Lenny is what he describes as a “systems guy”; loving the operational side of the business. He believes some of the reasons for their success is due to them being very detailed oriented and their training program is incredible. Lemoine has been involved in so many large w...

Chris Meyer is the CEO of Baton Rouge Area Foundation. BRAF was built on the foundation that inspires philanthropist, supports the doers in our community, and brings impact. Chris is the type of person that is hyper focused on making an impact in the community and does not worry about receiving the credit for it. He is on the path of making Baton Rouge the best version of itself. Education is a huge part of his mission, taking what...

David Rozas is the Founding Member and Partner at Rozas & Associates Law Firm. David grew up 1 of 7 siblings, making his mark on the world in true middle child fashion. Life for him was an uphill battle regarding education, language barriers, and sobriety. This episode covers his journey before deciding to start his own business - it definitely was not a straight path to get there, but now 8 years later, success has been achiev...

Cullen Talley is the Founder, Head Coach, and CEO of Exit Momentum, a business coaching firm for growing entrepreneurial leadership teams. Cullen started his business after a long running highly successful career in sales consulting and business reform. It wasn’t until his wife pointed out that he is always running to save other people’s companies from failing that he knew it was time to build his own. From a young age Cullen was f...

Miguel Castro is the CEO of Castro Real Estate Services. Miguel is originally from Honduras and traveled with his family to the US around the age of 11 years old. Something that consumed him from a young age was sports. Football, basketball, wrestling, soccer, he played them all vs watching them on TV. His love for soccer almost had him going to try out for the 1995 World Cup in California but fate had other plans. Along the route ...

Sarah Hall is the President of Joel Catering and event venue, El Mercato, in New Orleans. We quickly learned after talking with Sarah that Joel Catering is much more than just food for your event. Yes, food is the easy part so typically the last question on their list when planning an event; they are more focused on the details of the event and what story it is going to tell its attendees. With 400 events a year, 75% of those being...

Chris Meaux is Chairman of the Board at Boom Nation Inc and Mallard Bay. He was also one of the Founders of the food delivery service app, Waitr. Chris was at the forefront of technology, starting out building computers to diving into his corporate career at Hyundai Electronics and then Macafee right after graduating from Louisiana State University. Later he went on to start and end multiple business ventures; finally getting his b...

Jeremy McKane, Founder + CEO of OCN, uses the power of his art and technological advancements of data collection to bring an increase of awareness to what is going on in our oceans. Through his art and captivating mindset, he earned a seat at the table at many of the largest environmental discussions around the world, such as the Paris Agreement. He is also the Co-Founder of Ultramarine, member of The Explorers Club, ambassador for...

Jennifer Weishaupt is the Owner and Co-Founder of Ruby Slipper Cafe and Ruby Sunshine. Ruby Slipper is one of the most popular breakfast joints in the New Orleans area that rapidly growing nationwide. Currently there are 22 locations spread across 6 states in the South with nearly 700 employees. It all started after Katrina and the neighborhood was in need of a place to grab coffee or eat breakfast without having to drive across to...

Blair Casey is the Executive Director of the @teamgleason Foundation. Their main mission is to empower those with ALS by giving them purpose, independence, and technology to live their life to the fullest. Blair grew up in New Orleans, has 3 undergraduate degrees, 3 masters, and speaks multiple languages. When he got the message of Steve Gleason's diagnosis, his whole world changed. Blair has been a part of the Gleason Family ...

Jency Griffin Hogan is an Actress, Director, Producer and Owner of Love Acting - Film Acting Studio. Love Acting is located in Baton Rouge, LA, offering acting classes to people of all ages (5+). Jency, originally from the Baton Rouge area, went to college at LA Tech in Northern Louisiana. Immediately after graduation she and a friend traveled to the City of Angels (L.A.) to pursue her career as an actress. In this episode she talk...

Melissa Pettavino is the Owner of Innovative Suit Therapy & Fitness. Melissa told us that she always wanted to go into the medical field but was not sure what area at first. It wasn’t until her experience with physical therapy firsthand through her grandmother, that she realized her calling; when you have been in a profession for 20+ years, you know you have made the correct decision. She started her clinic in 2008 after being ...

John Roberts is Co Founder and Owner of Attracct Accounting Advisors and Co Founder of Roberts Brothers Investments. John attended Southeastern Louisiana University, playing football until a severe injury changed everything for him. It was a challenge to finish college while doing multiple hours of physical therapy a day to recover. The lessons learned from that experience shaped who he is today, “being in the present: mindful + sp...

Dima Ghawi ديما غاوي is the Owner, Executive Coach of Dima Ghawi, LLC and Author of the book Breaking Vases. Dima's story is incredible and truly inspiring. In her book she tells her story of growing up in the middle east, having an arranged marriage, moving to the US, escaping a life threatening situation, and so much more. Over the last 8 years she has built a foundation of a business that is structured to empower people of ...

Amy Vandiver is the Owner of Clover Creative Agency and Founder of The Flower Fest, here in Baton Rouge! She is a mother of three, an entrepreneur, The Flamingeauxs' dance group choreographer, creative, visionary, branding coach, and also great at sending memes in group chats. How does she manage her work life balance? Laughter! Amy is doing great things throughout the Baton Rouge community included running the Flower Fest whi...

Steve Mellor is a High Performance and Leadership Coach of Career Competitor LLC, Host of the Career Competitor Podcast, and Author of Shock the World. Steve grew up in England with the theme of his childhood being PLAY. He was encouraged to play, be creative and openminded to the world around him. Around the age of 12 years old swimming became a part of his brand. That piece of his brand allowed him to come to the United States an...