Meet the Guests

Jet Bunditwong in conversation with a guest at Proto for The Personal Side of Business
Every guest has a story worth hearing. Browse the people behind the businesses, hear what they learned the hard way, and choose how you want to experience each conversation.
Technology & Innovation

David Nussbaum

The Proto Hologram founder on early rejection, complementary partners, delegation and adapting an unconventional idea.
Food & Hospitality

Ian Kleinman

The chef behind The Inventing Room, where sugar, science and a little Willy Wonka imagination became a business.
Food & Hospitality

Jessica & Damien Zouaoui

The founders of Oakwell Beer Spa on hospitality, business systems, franchising and building a company together.
Leadership & Mindset

Jonathan Ghiloni

A practical look at why small businesses stall and the systems that help owners build something stronger.
Professional Services

Tiffany Hecklinski

How clinical research, resilience and purpose came together in a business built to improve lives.
Money & Real Estate

Kelly Lee

Making money, saving and financial literacy easier for kids and the adults teaching them.
Marketing & Sales

Amber Gaige

Why more marketing is not always the answer—and what businesses should fix first.
Money & Real Estate

Peter Carlseen

A candid story about property management, risk and what it really takes to scale.
Professional Services

Sara Nicholson

Straight answers about hiring, HR and building a team without losing the human side.
Food & Hospitality

Andy and Khara Mangiduyos

How planning, aloha and community shaped Kalei’s Kitchenette and the couple behind it.
Money & Real Estate

Joe Mendoza

A real estate comeback story about losing, rebuilding and using success to create impact.
Professional Services

Daniel Castaneda

An immigration attorney on rights, responsibility and building a practice that serves people when the stakes are high.
Read the Guest Story
Community & Impact

Anna Sotto

How Akitso backs immigrant food entrepreneurs and helps local restaurants survive and grow.
Read the Guest Story
Community & Impact

Johnathan King

Turning a change in direction into Empower Pathways and meaningful work for adults with disabilities.
Read the Guest Story
Leadership & Mindset

Pam Covarrubias

A conversation about voice, cultural silence, resilience and deciding to take up space.
Read the Guest Story
Food & Hospitality

Sarah Dolgen

How a personal breakdown led to healing through food and a private-chef business built around care.
Read the Guest Story
Professional Services

Barney Connaughton

A calmer way to approach divorce through clarity, compassion and cooperation.
Read the Guest Story
Professional Services

Matt Paré

How an attorney built a practice around freedom, discipline, travel and a life on his own terms.
Read the Guest Story
Food & Hospitality

Natalie Perry

From food blogger to Wild Rise Pizza Co. and a hands-on sourdough business people can experience.
Read the Guest Story
Leadership & Mindset

Paul Ramirez

A tradesman’s story about hardship, faith, craft and finding purpose through the work.
Read the Guest Story
Money & Real Estate

Cristen Carver

A lender’s honest view of interest rates, hard lessons and helping people start over.
Read the Guest Story
Money & Real Estate

Andrea Arroyo

Breaking inherited money cycles and building financial confidence without shame.
Read the Guest Story
Leadership & Mindset

Diana Barbiani

A purpose-over-profit journey shaped by entrepreneurship, advising and helping owners grow.
Read the Guest Story
Marketing & Sales

Jenna Ryan

How a painful personal problem became Uqora and a fast-growing wellness brand.
Read the Guest Story
Leadership & Mindset

Don Weber

Lessons on communication, influence and reinvention from a former intelligence operative.
Read the Guest Story
Leadership & Mindset

Dr. Deke Marcus

The psychology behind high-performing leaders and what happens beneath the surface in business.
Read the Guest Story
Leadership & Mindset

Dr. John A. King

A raw conversation about trauma, identity, healing and rebuilding a life around purpose.
Read the Guest Story
Food & Hospitality

Kyle and Amy Nehring

How faith, family and a big bet on potato chips became Teton Valley Brands.
Read the Guest Story
Technology & Innovation

Dr. Mohammad Mahoor

How AI and robotics can become more human while helping people live with greater connection and independence.
Food & Hospitality

Amy Baker

How Pizzabilities turned pizza into purpose by creating meaningful work and a business built around inclusion.
Leadership & Mindset

Gary Mitchell

A practical way to grow a business without sacrificing the life, relationships and priorities that matter most.
Purpose-Driven Business

Kate Assaraf

Why building a sustainable brand meant protecting small retailers, staying true to the mission and saying no to Amazon.
Professional Services

Rebecca Stewart

How a nanny became a CEO and built a trusted luxury staffing business by raising the standard for care.
Marketing & Sales

Jonathan Lo

An empathy-first approach to marketing, branding and AI that starts with understanding what people actually need.
Food & Hospitality

Matt Smith

How hospitality, island life and a love of flowers grew into Puuwai Flowers and a thriving Kauai business.
Marketing & Sales

Christine Blosdale

How to become the go-to expert in your industry by building trust, authority and visibility in the age of AI.
Leadership & Mindset

Nathan Baws

What building 19 businesses teaches you about spotting opportunity, moving fast and learning what actually works.
Food & Hospitality

Deb and Chris Holbrook

How SLICE Utah grew community through cooking classes, chef training and support for food entrepreneurs.
Leadership & Mindset

Shawn Finnegan

A candid story about losing nearly everything, rebuilding through relationships and finding a stronger way forward.
Money & Real Estate

Larry and Cheri Salazar

An employee benefit designed to make homeownership more attainable while helping businesses retain good people.
Global Business

Brian Samson

How an expat dream became a global nearshore business built in Argentina through persistence, trust and local talent.
Aviation & Entrepreneurship

Tim Pierce

How a Marine turned a passion for flight into Hive Aviation and a business shaped by discipline and purpose.
Veterans & Entrepreneurship

Lindsay Hinger

An Air Force veteran and business advisor on resilience, military-spouse challenges and planning an exit before you need one.
Community & Impact

Crystal Hilsley

How agriculture, development and local action can transform communities through sustainable, hands-on impact.
Money & Real Estate

Shylia Hernandez

A gritty journey through motherhood, real estate and entrepreneurship—and the growth that comes from staying in the work.
Marketing & Social Media

Vince — The Marvelous Muncher

Vince shares his move from dentistry plans to content creation, building a client base, and growing a marketing business around local stories.
Community & Impact

Noe Avila

A mission rooted in love, healing and creating better outcomes for people in marginalized communities.
Watch on YouTube