Life As We Know It

Danny Vela is one of the most well recognized and respected community leader in McAllen Texas. Danny Vela owns Lee's Pharmacy and has been one of the most tenured school board member for the McAllen ISD. Danny talks about his successes, challenges and perspectives on life. Produced by ImageHouse imagehousemedia.com

"Your life is always moving in the direction of your strongest thoughts." Natasha is a strong believer in this quote and when you hear her story, you'll understand why. Natasha Tobola del Barrio is the CEO of Bert Ogden Auto Group, the largest privately held automotive group in South Texas and one of the largest in the nation. She's also a loving mother of three beautiful children and cares about building them into caring people with strong moral character. She's young, talented, intelligent and a strong leader. With over 1,000 employees, Natasha was able to navigate the uncharted waters of the COVID Pandemic and not just survive, but thrive, by breaking historic records 10 out of the 12 months of the year. “You've got to make your mind up that you're going to succeed.” When you hear Natasha's perspective on life and the way she's developed her mindset, you will begin to realize that she truly is the real deal. I really enjoyed speaking with her thoughts on life and how she see's the world today. She's already done some pretty big things and she's only getting started. : ) This is the last podcast Episode of the season and I'm so blessed and grateful that it's ending with this one. Thank you Natasha Tobola del Barrio for sharing your story with me.    

Michael Fallek is an attorney turned businessman by trade but a family man at heart. Though he and his partners have contributed a ton of development properties in and around McAllen, Texas, you may not have ever heard of Michael because he has always been a very humble and practical guy. He's not loud or flashy; in fact, this dude is friendly and approachable. During the 2021 election for the Mayor of McAllen, Michael felt that it was time to step up and lead the city into becoming stronger financially by building for the future while enhancing the quality of life by embracing our roots.   I've known Michael for over 15 years, and in that time he has become a good friend and I'll always support good friends to the best of my ability. I wanted to share his story because once you get to know him and who he is, you'll see why he'd make a great leader for the city. imagehousemedia.com

Larry and Jessica Delgado are the owners of some pretty amazing restaurants and an great team of entrepreneurs. They own SALT, house.wine and Salome. Restaurants that create unforgettable experiences for their guests. Their story is full of twists and turns; ups and downs. Chance, opportunity and vision have put them where they are today. Their struggle to get through the pandemic has not been an easy one, but they are optimistic about the future and have their hearts set on positive growth in the coming year. The decisions we make in life is what sets us apart from success and failure. No one ever said good decisions weren't risky but they do say they were worth it. imagehousemedia.com

Aladar "Ito" Deutsch is CEO of Deutsch & Deutsch. The business was started by his Grandfather and has been in existence for over 90 years. What started off as a perfume shop in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico has turned into one of the top ten Rolex dealers in the United States. Ito talks childhood, life lessons and what it takes to run a successful biz. 

Ford talks about how he got from Aggie Football player to Bank President and how small occurrences in life changed his trajectory in life. 

Tom Torkelson, the co-founder and former CEO of IDEA Public Schools, chats with Jerry on how he grew up, started IDEA Academy, and what he thought about leaving an organization he started. He also discusses what his next plans are. We appreciate Tom's time. He's going to be making even bigger waves in the years to come.   Produced by Imagehousemedia.com

I really enjoyed speaking to my guest, Neuroscience Major, Store Owner of Portillo Jewelry & Dad of the Year, Ricardo Portillo (AKA, Ricky P). This is the uncut, unedited version of Life As We Know It. Ricardo was nice enough to let me test my equipment and be one of the first on the podcast. This wa.s . shot with an iPhone 11 Pro and really was meant to be a tested for the audio portion of the podcast but I wanted to publish this video because Ricardo's thoughts and upbringing were so great and the conversation was genuine.   Special Thanks goes out to Hector Sanchez for uploading this and Jackie Maldonado for creating the logo of the Life As We Know It Podcast To see the video, go to:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2n9Qphq1718&list=PLWkRSA9vmQdoAekxlJlrZ1YqYpGucPfiW&index=1  

Introduction Song to the Life As We Know It Podcast. Beta version

Judge Nereida Singleterry talks about her life growing up and her life as a judge. She talks about her upbringing and the stories in her life to get her where she is today

Jerry talks to Desi about his personal life, his work and his experiences that have shaped him into the person he is today. He shares his philosophy on life, his addiction for donuts, his passion for football and talks about his life's lessons.

Ryan speaks to us about a myriad of topics: Failure is not an option, growing up, life and how you react, the rewards of being an attorney, the Port Mansfield case, and what made him want to be an attorney.