Permission To Shine

What happens when you flatline for over 20 minutes and wake up weeks later, completely paralyzed? Brad Cunningham knows firsthand. He's the author of Resilience Unbroken: My Story of True Survivals. In this powerful episode, Brad shares his unbelievable survival story—first battling cancer at 25, spending six months in the hospital, and then suffering cardiac arrest in 2023, where his heart stopped for over 20 minutes. Doctors weren’t sure he’d wake up. He did. But he went from marathon runner to wheelchair-bound, forced to rebuild his life from the ground up.Through it all, Brad learned three lessons that changed everything:1️⃣ Resilience is a choice—even when you have no control.2️⃣ The right support system is the difference between surviving and thriving.3️⃣ Struggles don’t just leave scars, they leave lessons.This is a story of grit, survival, and the power of the human spirit.If you’ve ever faced adversity—or want to hear what real resilience looks like—this episode is a must-listen.Brad is the Founder of Open Horizon Analytics where he utilizes his 30+ years of experience to provide data science expertise. Purchase Brad's book here: https://www.amazon.com/RESILIENCE-UNBROKEN-Story-True-Survivals/dp/B0DMV96LYFFollow Andrew Namanny here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-namanny/Follow Brad Cunningham here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradcunningham23/

Wan Kim is the owner and CEO of Smoothie King, overseeing 1,202 stores and $850M annually. Originally an immigrant from South Korea, Wan and I discuss: How his first store almost failed and why he pushed forward for 4 years with little results How to create momentum: spark a series of small wins. Even if you aren’t getting sales, get 100 people to sign up for your marketing list or wake up at 5:30am every day. The expectation to work for his father's manufacturing business and walking away from it. His decision to upset current customers with a menu change towards healthier ingredients in order to obtain a younger audience. Consuming smoothies ONLY for 30 days and the effects it had. The first people to tell you to quit your entrepreneurial dream are your loved ones and why you shouldn’t listen to them. His 2 key leadership principles: correct incentives & feedback without emotion. Connect with Andrew Namanny: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-namanny/ Connect with Wan Kim: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wan-kim-3a4a604/ Send your feedback and thoughts to: andrew@permissiontoshine.org Thanks for listening!

Hey it’s Andrew, welcome to episode #51. We’ve got a very special entrepreneur today so thanks for joining me. Daina Trout is Co-Founder and former CEO of Health-Ade Kombucha. She went on to sell the company after growing it to 65,000 stores and nearly $200M in annual revenue. She is raw, open, and honest like you wouldn’t expect a CEO to be. It’s one of my biggest takeaways from our convo — ALWAYS BE YOU! Daina started the company alongside her husband and best friend. Originally starting at the Los Angeles farmers market they experienced rapid growth. Daina opens up about the biggest challenges she faced, the pro’s and con’s of starting a company with loved ones, and whether or not she’d do it again. She’s now onto her next endeavors, this time in the creative space and she shares her big plans. Sign up for Andrew’s Almanac where I highlight a person, place, and interview every other week: https://magic.beehiiv.com/v1/c1c845ac-01a1-49f8-920d-54a20c7e912c?email=%7B%7Bemail%7D%7D Feedback & Sponsorship Email: andrew@permissiontoshine.org Andrew Namanny Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-namanny/ Daina Trout Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dainatrout/?hl=en Permission to Shine Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/permissiontoshine_?igsh=MWQ1ZGUxMzBkMA== THIS EPISODE IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY KNOTTY WOOD BBQ. Knotty Wood Barbecue Company crafts the first and only 100% Pure Almond Wood BBQ pellets. Almond Wood BBQ pellets from the orchards in California’s Central Valley offer a rare opportunity to grill with a unique flavor that you cannot find in ANY other pellet. Almond Wood pellets give off a wonderful balance of a nutty sweetness coupled with a distinct smoke profile without any bitter taste. These pellets burn hot and clean Almond Wood is perfect for ALL meats. See for yourself why these are getting rave reviews! Selling online at Home Depot.com with free shipping. Family owned and operated out of Woodland, CA and rooted in our "From Field to BBQ philosophy, Almond trees are locally sourced and grown in real orchards by real farmers. Then carefully harvested, transported and crafted at our custom pellet mill. We personally oversee every single step of the process. It is an unprecedented chain of custody and our quality is guaranteed. 100% Pure and Natural Almond Wood. No Fillers. No Oils. No Additives. No Substitutes, Ever. I used to live in the BBQ capital of the world, Kansas City, MO, and let me tell you — they all use Knotty Wood. Purchase at Home Depot, with free shipping: https://www.homedepot.com/b/KNOTTY-WOOD-BARBECUE-COMPANY/N-5yc1vZst8

I went on an 8 country tour this year (Argentina, Brazil, Spain, Nepal, Bhutan, Hong Kong, Thailand, Japan). When I was in Thailand, I was brought face to face with the severity of the civil war in Myanmar. There are between 2-3 million people displaced as a result. Many of them, fled to Thailand where I was fortunate to meet them. One day as I was exploring the island, I had an incredibly kind waiter. He was 19. He opened up about losing many of his friends, having to leave his family, and how he's working hard to build a future his country has stripped away. I so badly wanted to share his story with you all, so we sat down and recorded the next day. Please enjoy this important conversation with the man from Myanmar. Feedback & Sponsorship: andrew@permissiontoshine.orgAndrew Namanny LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-namanny/Permission to Shine Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/permissiontoshine_?igsh=MWQ1ZGUxMzBkMA== @PermissionToShine_

Join me as I sit down with Dan Ni, the founder and CEO of TLDR (too long didn't read). TLDR is a tech newsletter with over 5M active subscribers producing $10+ million in annual revenue. He's built it with an extremely lean team, 20 employees strong. He previously founded and sold Scraper API, which allowed him to bootstrap TLDR and maintain 100% ownership. We discuss: -the future of media -his journey from Yale to culinary school-why he spent 6 years living at home in his 20's after working at Jane Street -the importance of doing vs. thinking -his next chapter as a father -growing up in the midwest**This episode is brought to you by REViVE Marketing Partners. If you are an entrepreneur looking to scale your business on Amazon, REViVE is the partner for you. After their Founder started, scaled and sold his own business after growing 4.5x on Amazon in 3 months he realized he had a formula. Their agency is partnering with brands to bring them growth they ve dreamt of. REVIVE took a company from $400 revenue/month to $90,000/month within 30 days. To see if you're a fit for their partnerships, view more case studies, and understand their deeply rooted values go to: https://revivemarketingpartners.com/**Please enjoy and thanks for listening! Feedback & Sponsorship: andrew@permissiontoshine.org

The average person spends 2.5 hours a day feeling bad for themselves. Whether it's at work or in their personal life, we ruminate on stories that we tell ourselves. The problem? Oftentimes these stories aren't even true. A complete waste of time! Cy Wakeman gives us tangible advice on how to eliminate our ego when it goes unchecked and remove this 2.5-hour daily burden. Cy Wakeman is a drama researcher, NY Times Bestselling Author, Hall of Fame Speaker, and recipient of the #1 Global Leadership Guru award for three years running. Deemed "the secret weapon to restoring sanity to the workplace and the worldplace." Cy works with organizations globally to ditch the drama, hardwire accountability in their teams, and turn excuses into results. As the founder of Reality-Based Leadership, she inspires audiences to modernize their approach to leading their teams, enabling them to succeed despite the challenging circumstances they face. Her thought-provoking insights capture the hearts and minds of attendees of all backgrounds, helping them realize that success and happiness in their careers is their natural state—once the drama is gone. Please enjoy this conversation and be sure to let us know what you think. Thanks for listening! Feedback & Sponsorship Opportunities: andrew@permissiontoshine.org Cy Wakeman LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cywakeman/Andrew Namanny LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-namanny/

Hi thanks for joining, it's Andrew Namanny and we've got another incredible episode you do not want to miss. Daniel Dart is the founder of Solo GP fund Rock Yard Ventures. His journey from homelessness and incarceration to where he is today shows how powerful second chances can be. A leader and advocate for underserved and underprivileged communities, he has worked on the ground, helping build equity and social movements on both a local and global scale.A rare talent, he matriculated to the London School of Economics graduate school without ever having received an undergraduate degree. In addition to being published in Harvard Business Review and the World Economic Forum, he has presented his academic and economic research worldwide, including in Sri Lanka, China, Ireland, Japan, and the United States.Daniel's journey to where he is today is anything but typical. He was born in the Bay Area but spent most of his youth in Southern California. He experienced homelessness on the streets of San Diego and Los Angeles between 1999-2001, a chapter of time that shapes everything he does today. Daniel was also the brainchild of a prominent punk-rock band, Time Again, where he wrote and sang about social issues, poverty, and getting through life one day at a time. In 2011, he was sentenced to 6 years in prison. Upon release, with a new perspective of owning his flaws while being true to himself, he made amends and launched the second chapter of his life – one that focuses on the altruistic value of helping others. He also holds an MBA from MIT, where he is the first formerly incarcerated student in the school's history and a recipient of the Dean's Fellowship, Sloan Leadership Fellowship, and Pechacek Fellowship awards and scholarships.He is an active member of Milken Institute's Young Leaders Circle, an Advisory Board Member of Village Capital, and a Fellow of the Salzburg Global ForumFollow Daniel: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-dart/Follow Andrew: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-namanny/