Elevating future leaders | Fortitude in 15

I Didn't Choose This Life, But I'm Living It to the Fullest | Motivational Speaker Joe DiMeo

Elevator 248: Joseph DiMeo is a motivational speaker from New Jersey. In July 2018, at 20 years old, he fell asleep at the wheel on the drive home from a shift he picked up for overtime. The accident left him with 80% burns, burnt eyelids, and amputated fingers. After waking from a three-and-a-half month coma, Joe went on to become the first successful face and double hand transplant recipient in the world. In this podcast: Joe takes us back to the moment he woke up from that coma and the first thing he asked about was his rims. We talk about how humor became a survival tool, what it actually felt like to hear his diagnosis at 5am through a haze of painkillers, and how he's built a full life — traveling the world, chasing good food, and showing up every single day with two mental mottos that say everything about who he is.

Calm before the storm | Fortitude in 15

Parker and Sam are days away from the busiest month in Elevation Nation history - a summer speaking tour across five states, multiple camps, and a whole lot of time in a rental car together. Parker's pumped. Sam's a little tired. And somewhere in between those two feelings is the real conversation: how do you stay present when everything is moving at once? The guys get honest about anxiety, perspective, and why sometimes the suck is exactly where you need to be.

Helping Others Gives Us Purpose | Global Philanthropist Bill Villafranco

Bill Villafranco is a trustee of the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation, a private philanthropic organization that has distributed over $100 million in grants supporting women in the arts, medical research, underprivileged youth, and humanitarian initiatives around the world. He also serves as Executive Director of myFace, a nonprofit supporting individuals with craniofacial differences, and brings decades of experience from his career in wealth management. In this podcast: Bill takes us inside the nursing school he helped build in Thailand that has now graduated over 550 young women out of trafficking and poverty. He opens up about losing his son at birth at 28 years old, the 15 years it took him to make sense of that grief, and how the question "why not me?" became the through-line for the people he now surrounds himself with. We dig into legacy-driven giving, intergenerational mentorship, and why young people are starving for the kind of perspective only someone older than them can offer.

Rebellion against AI | Fortitude in 15

The WSJ publisehd a piece this week showing that the backlash against AI has been bigger than expected. Sam and Parker upack what the rebellion says about society today, talk through their fears with the advancement of AI, and what they plan to do about it.

A High Frequency Mindset | Founder of High Frequency Coffee Jonathan Belfer

Elevator 246: Jonathan Belfer (JB) is the Founder of High Frequency Coffee. After navigating the finance world, writing blogs, and producing cooking videos, he channeled his diverse experiences into building a brand centered around coffee and positive energy. High Frequency is more than a company name; it’s a lifestyle built on the belief that positive experiences are contagious and what you consume impacts how you feel. In this podcast: Jonathan flips the script and hits us with his own rapid-fire questions, diving into morning rituals, the power of a daily walk, and the best American rock bands of our generation. We talk about the importance of giving people grace, the benefits of alternative plant medicine, and why operating at a "high frequency" changes how you show up in the world. Check out the High Frequency Coffee website: drinkhighfrequency.com