Italian Impact Podcast

IIW - Episode 123 - Richard Martini

This week we interview Richard Martini.  Rich is a highly successful American film director, producer, screenwriter and freelance journalist.  Rich has directed numerous films and documentaries such as You Can't Hurry Love, which featured the debut of Bridget Fonda, and his most recent  documentary, Hacking the Afterlife.  In this episode, we talk everything from film to culture and  hear some of Rich's incredible advice on everything from film to life.  Learn more about Rich here:  https://www.richardmartini.com/new-page 

IIW - Episode 122 - Robin Cole Sr. and Dr. Robin Cole Jr.

This week you get two incredible guests!  We are very lucky to have 2x Super Bowl winning champion, former Pittsburgh Steeler, Robin Cole Sr. and his son, the great Dr. Robin Cole Jr. who recently published, "Lessons From Behind the Steel Curtain: From Steel to Strategy to Sentience".  This episode will teach you a lot about leadership and truly motivate you to be a better person, you'll absolutely love it!  To get a copy of the book, please check out:  https://www.amazon.com/Lessons-Behind-Steel-Curtain-Sentience/dp/B0FX7R2KQW

IIW - Episode 121 - Mike Embrescia

This week we meet an absolutely wonderful person, a proud Italian-American, family man, successful businessman and just a great guest for us, Mike Embrescia.  Mike represents all of the 1.2 million residents of Allegheny County and embodies what we all want from our leaders.  In this episode, we talk about what those early influences were that made him who he is today.  Learn more about Mike here but tune in as this is just a fantastic interview!  https://mikeembrescia.com/meet-mike/

IIW - Episode 120 - Mike DeLucia

This week's guest is author and screenwriter Mike DeLucia.   Mike is very passionate about representing Italians in a far more favorable light than is typically seen  in movies/shows.  His latest work, Time Passages: Echoes of Troy, is a wonderful, must read story of time travel and is absolutely a book you won't want to put down!  You can find out more about Mike and his works here:  https://www.booksbymikedelucia.com/

IIW - Episode 119 - Ron Vrana

This week we interview Ron Vrana.  Ron is a successful marketing and scouting professional who is now working to reimagine golf!  This is a very entertaining episode with a tremendous amount of knowledge being shared.  Absolutely a must listen to episode,  Learn more about Ron's ROTAGO Team Golf vision here:  https://www.rotagogolf.com/

IIW - Episode 118 - Mike Battalini

This week's guest, Mike Battalini, is the President and CEO of The Pittsburgh Wealth Management Group.  We talk to Mike about the impact his Italian upbringing had on his success as a businessman.  Mike also offers some very good advice on what to look for when it comes to deciding on how to choose a good financial consultant.  There is a lot of good wisdom you can takeaway from this episode.  You can learn more about Mike here:  https://michaelbattalini.com/

IIW - Episode 117 - Suzie Jackson

This week we interview a very wonderful guest, Suzie Jackson.  Suzie is a few generations removed from her family in Italy but that doesn't stop her from being passionate about the Italian culture.  In fact, Suzie's sister currently lives in Rome and sings opera!  Suzie is also passionate about helping others and in this episode we are going to talk about an upcoming fundraiser wherein her sister will come from Rome to do a special concert.  For more information on the upcoming event, please check out:  https://www.heraldstaronline.com/news/community/2025/09/opera-concert-to-benefit-nonprofit/
To learn more about the non-profit, you can check them out here:  https://www.hbsteubenville.org/
Or follow them here:  https://m.facebook.com/hbsteubenville/

IIW - Episode 116 - Nick Fiorentino

This week we interview a very special guest, Nick Fiorentino.  Nick has a passion for Italian culture and shows it by running one of the most popular social media campaigns to promote Italian culture in the Pittsburgh area.  This is a great episode and Nick's passion and exuberance really shine through!  Follow Nick here on Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/pittsburghitalians412/

IIW - Episode 115 - Ray 'Boom Boom' Mancini

This week Claudio and I interview the great Ray 'Boom Boom' Mancini.  Ray reflects on everything from his multiple careers to current projects.  He also provide some very powerful insight on how to be successful and it has nothing to do with luck.

IIW - Episode 114 - Kevin Glavin

This week I interview international opera singer and Pittsburgh native, Kevin Glavin.  Kevin dreamt of smoking cigars and singing in lounge acts in Vegas but ended up performing opera with the world's best opera singers, including the great Luciano Pavarotti.  We have an absolute fantastic time and in fact, you may even hear a little singing in this episode...