#8 From News Anchor to Entrepreneur: How Pilar Ortiz Reinvented Herself After Losing Everything

In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Shane Combs—former ad agency owner and Assistant Director of Academic Programs at the University of South Florida—to explore what it really means to reinvent your career and guide others in finding their path. Shane shares his journey from leading a regional advertising agency to working closely with first-year college students through USF’s Exploratory Curriculum (ECM) program, helping them navigate uncertainty and make confident decisions about their future. We dive into leadership, purpose, and the evolving mindset of the next generation entering the workforce—along with the real-world lessons entrepreneurs and business owners need to understand to stay relevant. If you’re navigating change, leading a team, or thinking about your next move, this conversation will challenge your perspective and give you practical insight into what’s ahead. Produced by David “Fingers” Bell and hosted by Nicole Valentin Alicea.

In this episode, Nicole Alicea sits down with Sheldon Ramkisson, a healthcare entrepreneur who has built and scaled multiple businesses to over $9 million in combined revenue. Sheldon shares his approach to the science of scaling—explaining how successful businesses are built not just on passion, but on numbers, systems, and disciplined decision-making. Together, they explore what it really takes to turn passion into profit, including how to understand your customer, build and lead a strong team, and create a business that can grow beyond the owner. In this episode, you’ll learn: • How to move from operator to owner • Why systems and structure are critical for scaling • The role of leadership, trust, and delegation • How to use data and financials to drive decisions • What separates struggling businesses from scalable ones Sheldon also shares real-world insights from growing and managing multiple ventures, offering a practical lens on what it takes