The Episodes.
The Music form the Episodes.
Episode 1: Josh Jonas
What do you get when you mix The Who, the Sex Pistols, and a giant dose of humor? A raw and candid conversation with Josh Jonas, Clinical Director of the Village Institute. Josh shares his own early therapy experience, mentors who believed in him, and his successful battle with cancer. He dives into self-doubt, his unfiltered approach to therapy (spoiler: no couch required), and how humor, music, and authenticity shape his work and life.
Episode 2: Jason Sacher
Rip up the script and toss the rules in the trash for this one. Jim sits down with Jason Sacher, a lifelong tennis fanatic and owner of Sacher Tennis. From leaving his home in his early teens to chase his tennis dream to building a business around his passion, Jason gets real about self-doubt, perfectionism, and finding his next big thing — plus a hilarious story that takes “attention to detail” to a WHOLE new level. A raw, funny, and totally candid conversation about loving the game and surviving the grind.
Episode 3: Dan Faucetta
In this episode of The Sounds of Success, host Jim Lombardo sits down with attorney and former race car driver Dan Faucetta for a fast-paced, candid conversation filled with humor, grit, and reflection. From drag strips to family business, Dan shares lessons on risk, resilience, and relationships—and an unexpected guest shows up along the way!
Episode 4: Alex Alexandrov
Founder and CEO of Burnout Motorsport, Alex Alexandrov joins The Sounds of Success to share his incredible journey—from growing up in Russia to building a career in finance and construction before pivoting into the world of high-performance cars. Alex opens up about passion, adaptability, and the power of community in motorsport, along with lessons learned on resilience, creativity, and chasing fulfillment over burnout.
Episode 5: Patrick Sasso
In this episode, Patrick Sasso of Podcast on the Fly, shares his journey from the Canadian border to New York City, (WARNING: it’s a LONG journey!!) weaving through family business, failed jazz auditions, and a winding path from waste management to podcasting. Patrick and Jim swap stories about Daniel Lanois, Canadian roots, and the “mic drop” about the Tragically Hip! Oh, almost forgot, Patrick wants Paul McCartney to pay for his lunch!!
Episode 6: Ryan Woodfuff
Marine Corps veteran and CEO of Clear Path for Veterans, Ryan Woodruff joins The Sounds of Success to share his journey from combat to community—serving two tours in Iraq before finding purpose in helping other veterans heal. In this powerful and candid conversation, Ryan talks about resilience, faith, and transformation, revealing how discipline, gratitude, and service have shaped his life and leadership.
Episode 7: Cory Zelnick
Founder and CEO of Zelnick & Company, Cory Zelnik joins The Sounds of Success to talk about the grind, grit, and good humor that come with decades in New York City real estate. From summer camp lessons in leadership to running a brokerage built on discipline and drive, Corey shares how resilience, adaptability, and a 3:20 a.m. wake-up routine shaped his path. It’s a conversation about honesty, hustle, and why happiness—not money—is his measure of success.
Episode 8: Tony Reonegro
Antonio Reonegro, legendary artist and designer for the Grateful Dead, joins The Sounds of Success for a to talk about creativity, hustle, and staying true to your craft. From painting T-shirts on Staten Island to creating iconic tour art seen by millions, Antonio shares how a love of drawing turned into a lifelong career. He talks mentors, deadlines, climbing 200-foot cranes for industrial shoots, and the constant balance between art and business. With humor, honesty, and heart, this is a story about reinvention, risk, and the beautiful chaos of making a living from your imagination.
Episode 9: Rick Simmons
CEO, author, and ultra-runner Rick Simmons joins The Sounds of Success for a deep, funny, and surprisingly emotional conversation about leadership, resilience, and the life-changing power of disruption. Rick shares his journey from a childhood shaped by scarcity to co-founding The Telos Institute, where he works with executives around the world on transformational change. He explains the idea of *liminal space*—pattern-breaking moments that open the door to real growth—along with stories from ultramarathons, global leadership treks, and building a business from scratch with his wife and partner, Amy Simmons. It’s a wide-ranging episode about ambition, reinvention, curiosity, and why laughter might be the truest measure of success.
Episode 10: Rick Biolsi
Rick Biolsi, Managing partner of Bartley & Dick, joins The Sounds of Success for an episode that swings from working on a potato farming, life threating quarry swimming to Don Draper. Rick talks with Jim through about his journey form rural Pennsylvania to running a NY agency. We unpack how a creative kid became a strategist, storyteller, and what makes a campaign actually land. unwilling beard model.
Things get quite absurd when Rick jokes about using dial up internet service as a “differentiator”, tells the secret behind his perfectly groomed beard, and how “Right Said Fred” & mesh shirts are a perfect combination for Rick’s brand!
EPISODE WARNING: If you don’t like ridiculous twists and not stop laughter, STOP NOW, this episode in not for you!
Episode 11: Erin Reddan
Jim Lombardo pulls up a chair with Erin Reddan, founder of ECR Vintners, for a conversation that tastes less like a lecture and more like a well-balanced pour. They talk about building a wine business without the cork-sniffing, starting ECR in a New York apartment, and why trusting your instincts matters just as much as trusting your palate. Erin shares what it really takes to turn passion into product, how entrepreneurship resembles a long fermentation process, and why success—like good wine—should be enjoyed, not overanalyzed.
Finish: Bright, confident, and best enjoyed with curiosity. Pairs well with risk-takers, founders, and anyone who orders wine they actually like.
Episode 12: Tony Borden
Jim Lombardo sits down with Tony Borden of Greenwich Village Social Club for a fast-moving, smart conversation about building places—and brands—that people actually return to. Tony brings sharp insight on why experience beats hype, how consistency quietly outperforms trends, and what most businesses still misunderstand about hospitality in the age of content and video. SEEE TONY’S WORK HERE
They move easily from music and culture to strategy and execution, unpacking how taste, restraint, and judgment matter more than flashy tools. Tony’s wit and clarity turn this into less of an interview and more of a masterclass disguised as conversation.
If you care about creating something memorable—and not just loud and pretty—this episode lands.
Episode 13: Kyle Jekelek
Jim sits down with Kyle Jekelek, CEO of Lutely, for a conversation that cuts through the noise and gets to the stuff no one posts on LinkedIn—the quiet, unsexy decisions that actually shape a career.
Kyle opens up about early misreads, the trap of mistaking motion for progress, and the rare skill of knowing exactly when to push and when to back off. He even pulls a wild analogy from his days selling on the NYC subway—reading the room in seconds, spotting who’s tuned in, and walking away before wasting energy.
If you’re tired of the mythology of “grind harder,” this episode is a reset.
It’s about clarity over chaos, timing over noise, and why the long game belongs to people who think, not just move.
Episode 14: Josh Jonas REDUX!
Jim Lombardo welcomes back Josh Jonas for a redux that’s less “catch-up” and more “blueprint.” Josh breaks down the thinking behind his podcast—why he went for short episodes that actually go somewhere, how “Punk Rock Therapy” listen here became the hook (and the filter), and what he’s learning in real time about consistency, resonance, and making something cool without turning into a full-time content robot.
They also talk craft: pulling quotable nuggets, resisting shallow self-help noise, and the long game—where this could eventually become live events and community, not just another feed screaming into the void.
Episode 15: Steve Clair
Real estate agent, author, and self-appointed GOAT historian,Steve Clair joins The Sounds of Success for a session that plays less like a well-sequenced album with a B-side surprise, and a closing track that sticks.
Steve's building the GOAT Academy, a biography series on the greatest athletes of all time, while simultaneously helping people find homes. He grew up in Queens, went to Arizona, and spent sixteen years thinking he had a college degree. He didn't. He found out while Googling his own book. So he reapplied — and graduated at 40.
Along the way, Jim drops the Beatles, Alfonso nearly goes rogue, and a plant named Paul listens from the corner without complaint!