Vilardi Digital Podcast

Mitch Smith is the owner of Southern Sun Pool Care, a Tampa Bay pool service built on a simple promise. Show up, do the job right, and treat people like neighbors.

In this episode we get into Mitch’s Pasco County roots, lessons from the police academy, the leap from the Lexus world into pool service, and the mindset shifts that helped him build a business that buys back time with his family.

If you have ever thought about starting a local service business, or you are already in one and want tighter standards, better ro...

Duration: 01:38:17

George Klimis joins the VDP for a real talk on Follow Your Effort, the program he designed on intentional goals, emotional intelligence, and consistent action. We dig into fatherhood, leadership, purpose over money, and how consistent effort becomes the tempo for the life you ACTUALLY want.

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Duration: 01:00:07

🎙️ Vilardi Digital Podcast – Jess Lewis & Chris Anderson (Cander Productions)

What happens when two filmmakers trade chaos for control? Jess Lewis and Chris Anderson of Canders Productions sit down for a real, funny talk about building a creative career in production, unions, freelancing, why college for production is a sham, and burning out. From Bluewater Media madness to running their own production house, it’s an unfiltered look at what really goes on behind the lens.

🎧 In this episode:

Surviving the early years of production lifeBalancing work, relationships, and burnoutTurni...

Duration: 01:56:11

Ever wonder what it’s really like to run a business with your spouse; while raising two toddlers and helping hundreds of Tampa Bay families see their babies in 3D?

 In this episode, I sit down with Kayla and Chase Berger, the duo behind Nest Ultrasound Studio, a warm, family-focused 3D/4D ultrasound experience based in Trinity, Florida.

We talk about:

IT WAS ALL A DREAM..... (Channel Biggie Smalls Voice here)Who this power couple is.Building Nest from scratch and finding balance between diapers, toddlers, and other jobs. The...

Duration: 01:10:59

We pick up mid-conversation with director/producer Harry Greene and stay in the trenches: overtime isn’t an exception—it’s the job. Plan hard, crew right, and expect chaos. Harry breaks down how budgets dictate reality (the “30-second spot with real money” vs. the “2-minute job with not enough”), why asking for favors burns teams, and where professionalism starts: show up, solve it, deliver.

We run through war stories you can actually learn from: rebuilding a hurricane-killed exterior overnight in New Orleans; the Santa Monica beach illusion (spreading sand in a parking lot...

Duration: 01:32:50

In Part 1, Harry Greene (founder of Waking Dream Pictures) traces the path from Florida theatre kid to calm-under-fire commercial director, with stories that reveal the messy, sometimes shady, behind-the-scenes world of production and direct-to-consumer marketing.

Harry takes us back to:

His Illinois State theatre scholarship and brutal Midwest wintersSwitching to USF film & mass comm and discovering a treasure trove of early-’70s gearOdd jobs in retail and banking (including two unexpected FBI interviews)Teaching pre-digital production before the industry went digitalThe rise of the real-estate-seminar infomercial boomPast pr...

Duration: 01:50:26

Back in high school, Mitch Teken was my Dunkin’ Donuts hookup. Fast forward a couple decades and he’s running Legendary Tattoo in Tarpon Springs—one of Florida’s most respected shops—and Legendary Custom Merch, a full-blown print/engraving hustle.

In this episode, Mitch and I catch up like old friends but also dig deep into:

How he went from band practice to tattooing out of a sign shopWhy piercings and tramp stamps aren’t what they used to beThe culture that makes Legendary stand out in Florida’s crowded tattoo scene“Mitch Wa...

Duration: 02:05:05

Cranking It Out: Side Hustles, Cop Stories, Small Business Owners & Pig Farming 

What do you get when you mix two cops, home inspections, a woodworking shop, and a pig farm? This episode....

I sit down with my buddies Chase Berger and Eddie Feidt to talk about:

🚓 Cop stories (yes, tasers were involved… twice, and both times didn’t work)

🏠 How Chase built a home inspection business and launched Nest Ultrasound with his wife Kayla

🪚 Eddie’s journey from woodworking hobbyist to side hustle entrepreneur

🐖 Pig farming and cranking it out Duration: 01:51:30

“Postpartum, Pain & the Power of Listening to Your Gut” with Dr. Karisa – Haven Chiropractic & Wellness

What really happens after childbirth—and why aren’t we talking about it?

In this powerful episode, Dr. Karisa from Haven Chiropractic & Wellness shares her personal and professional journey through pregnancy trauma, emergency C-section, postpartum PTSD, and launching a women-focused chiropractic practice that puts humanity first.

We cover:

Why chiropractic care during pregnancy is about the nervous system, not cracking bonesWhat birth trauma actually feels like—and why it often goes unseenThe silent signs of postpartum d...

Duration: 02:18:09

Some people navigate calm waters. Captain Luke Bonner navigates chaos — and somehow lives to laugh about it. From getting shot at to surviving a shipwreck, Luke’s got more stories than a salty old bar in Key West.

In this episode, we dive into his wildest moments on the water, the unglamorous truth about life as a captain, and why your best stories rarely start with “everything went according to plan.” It’s raw, ridiculous, and the kind of conversation you can’t fake.

Whether you’re a weekend boater, an adrenaline junkie, or just here for the W...

Duration: 02:23:56

🏡 Real Estate Without the BS – with Brian Cooper

 Buying or selling a home shouldn’t feel like decoding a foreign language.
 On Real Estate Without the BS, Florida & Virginia agent Brian Cooper sits down each week to break down the market, explain some of the finer print, and share some stories you won’t hear at an open house.

✅ Tips for buyers & sellers
✅ Market updates that actually matter
✅ Red flags, success stories, and wild lessons learned in real estate
✅ Anyone can and should Buy a Home!

Whether...

Duration: 02:01:46

He’s opened restaurants that printed millions, coached teams out of chaos, and still managed to let his website expire.

This episode of the Vilardi Digital Podcast features Vince Kassay—an operator, mentor, and guy who’s been in the hospitality game long enough to spot BS from across the dining room.

We talk about:

What actually kills culture in restaurants (it’s not what you think)

Why most consultants don’t fix anything

The myth of “great customer service” in 2025

Real stories from Carrabba’s to $6M restaurant ope...

Duration: 01:36:58

Folding Hope: Jason Sowell on Laundry Project, Dignity & Doing Good Anyway

Before the world shut down in 2020, Jason Sowell stood at the altar officiating my wedding. Weeks later, laundromats were shutting down, people were bleaching their Amazon boxes, and we were all losing our minds over toilet paper.

Jason? He was out there with a bucket of quarters and a bold idea: The Laundry Project—a way to restore dignity one clean load at a time.

In this episode of the Vilardi Digital Podcast, we go deep (an...

Duration: 01:53:41