Jeff Gigante has built some of Tampa Bay’s most recognized restaurants, but his path began with a failed pizzeria, a canceled acting job and a $40,000 debt he had no idea how to repay.

In this episode of Fractured But Fearless, Dr. S. Irfan Ali sits down with Jeff, founder of Next Level Brands, to explore the failures, risks and personal experiences that shaped his approach to entrepreneurship and hospitality.

Jeff shares how he went from studying theater and pursuing acting in New York to helping transform Tampa’s restaurant scene. He explains why storytelling sits at the center of hospitality, how his team hires for attitude over experience and why every restaurant carries a responsibility to create meaningful memories for its guests.

The conversation also examines one of the defining moments of Jeff’s career. When COVID-19 shut down businesses across Florida, his team urged him to close. Jeff chose to reinvent the restaurant instead. He launched takeout, fed first responders and found a creative way to solve Tampa’s toilet paper shortage. The campaign generated national attention and helped lay the foundation for Next Level Brands.

Jeff and Dr. Ali also discuss imposter syndrome, charitable giving, the hidden cost of success and the mindset that allows leaders to move through fear. Jeff shares how training with Wim Hof changed his understanding of human capability and why he views pressure as a privilege.

This conversation offers a candid look at what it takes to build a company, lead during a crisis and create a life grounded in relationships and purpose.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

• How Jeff moved from acting into the restaurant industry
• Why his first pizzeria failed after only a few months
• How he overcame fear while opening his first Tampa restaurant
• Why Next Level Brands hires for attitude and personality
• How company culture influences the guest experience
• What “pressure is a privilege” means to Jeff
• How Wim Hof training changed his view of personal limits
• Why Jeff refused to close his restaurant during COVID
• How a toilet paper promotion generated national attention
• Why failure has played a larger role in his life than success
• How charitable work changed his understanding of leadership
• Why relationships ultimately define a meaningful life

CHAPTERS

• 00:00 Introduction
• 00:31 Jeff Gigante’s lifelong ambition
• 01:03 Elevating Tampa Bay’s restaurant scene
• 02:15 From theater student to restaurant entrepreneur
• 04:24 Opening a pizzeria while still in college
• 06:06 Borrowing $30,000 to start the business
• 07:08 A crisis two weeks before opening
• 08:16 The first major challenge Jeff overcame
• 09:00 Why the restaurant failed
• 10:00 Choosing between acting and hospitality
• 11:18 Booking a role on a soap opera
• 11:43 The show gets canceled
• 12:17 Jeff decides to pursue restaurants
• 13:21 Seeing Tampa’s potential early
• 15:05 Pitching a New York restaurateur on Tampa
• 17:45 Feeling terrified while starting the business
• 19:00 Reframing fear as excitement and readiness
• 20:38 Imposter syndrome at a 400-seat restaurant
• 22:00 Connecting business with community service
• 23:00 Meeting WWE superstar Titus O’Neil
• 25:13 Activating your heart instead of writing a check
• 27:00 Building a culture around human experience
• 28:17 How Next Level Brands approaches culture
• 29:28 Hiring for attitude over experience
• 30:34 Growing to more than 700 employees
• 31:00 The personal cost of success
• 32:42 Why pressure is a privilege
• 34:16 Meditation, breathwork and cold plunging
• 35:00 Training with Wim Hof in Poland
• 36:00 Discovering the mind’s hidden capacity
• 37:27 Building a legacy for your children
• 39:19 How Jeff’s restaurant survived COVID
• 41:11 Refusing to close the business
• 42:00 Feeding first responders
• 42:46 Solving Tampa’s toilet paper shortage
• 43:50 The campaign that went viral
• 44:06 National media attention and reinvention
• 44:55 Protecting employees during the shutdown
• 46:47 Why leaders must lead during a crisis
• 48:25 Remaining a student of life
• 50:32 Jeff’s advice to young entrepreneurs
• 51:16 Why failure matters more than success
• 52:48 Measuring life through relationships
• 54:16 Defining the responsibility of hospitality
• 55:00 Creating “laid-back luxury”
• 56:38 Honoring every guest’s decision
• 58:04 What’s next for Next Level Brands
• 01:00:00 Friends are strangers we haven’t met

Mentioned in this episode:

Fractured But Fearless - Cold Open

In this episode of Fractured But Fearless, Dr. S. Irfan Ali sits down with Glenn Permuy, former national COO of Boys & Girls Clubs, for a powerful conversation about purpose, service, mentorship, and the life-changing impact of creating safe spaces for young people.

Glenn shares how the Boys Club became a safe place for him as a child, how he began leading others at just 12 years old, and why his life’s work became centered on helping young people find direction, confidence, and hope.

The conversation explores what it means to truly listen, how mentorship can change the course of a young person’s life, and why success often comes from patience, trust, discipline, and showing up when people need you most.

Glenn also reflects on the lessons he learned from failure, the young people who shaped his own growth, and the importance of building systems that support kids long after one conversation ends.

This episode is for anyone who believes leadership is about impact, service, and helping others see a future they may not yet see for themselves.

What You’ll Learn

• How Glenn Permuy found his purpose through the Boys & Girls Clubs
• Why safe spaces can change the direction of a young person’s life
• How listening can be more powerful than giving advice
• Why mentorship requires patience, trust, and consistency
• How setbacks, grief, and disappointment can deepen resilience

Chapters

• 00:00 Welcome to Fractured But Fearless
• 01:20 Glenn Permuy on finding his purpose
• 02:21 Why the Boys Club became a safe place
• 04:10 Starting at the club as a young child
• 05:08 Learning leadership at 12 years old
• 06:40 How coaching became a path to impact
• 08:18 Why young people trusted Glenn with their struggles
• 10:00 The power of patience and listening
• 11:37 Listening versus hearing
• 12:57 Why mentorship can’t be cookie cutter
• 13:20 Working with young people through the court system
• 15:44 Building systems that create lasting change
• 18:26 How Glenn handled disappointment and failure
• 19:59 The lesson Carmen taught him about helping others
• 23:05 Leroy’s story and the power of belief
• 28:37 How to keep going through burnout and setbacks
• 32:21 Why giving back becomes the turning point
• 34:16 The people who shaped Glenn’s values
• 37:51 Discipline, adaptability, and service
• 41:00 Choosing impact over recognition

Mentioned in this episode:

Fractured But Fearless - Cold Open

Dr. Nyla Hazratjee is a gastroenterologist, filmmaker, producer, storyteller, mother, and creative force who refuses to fit into one box.

In this episode of Fractured But Fearless, Dr. S. Irfan Ali sits down with Dr. Hazratjee for a powerful conversation about identity, medicine, Muslim womanhood, filmmaking, creativity, and the courage it takes to tell stories that challenge expectations.

Dr. Hazratjee opens up about being a Pakistani American Muslim physician, navigating imposter syndrome, and building a creative life while working in medicine. She explains why she’s drawn to complicated characters, why vulnerability matters in storytelling, and why Muslim women deserve to be portrayed as full human beings with ambition, mistakes, desire, faith, struggle, and agency.

The conversation also explores her journey into film, the challenges of funding stories that don’t fit easy categories, the parallels between medicine and art, and how she balances family, career, creativity, and fear.

This episode is for anyone who has ever felt boxed in by culture, profession, identity, family expectations, or fear.

What You’ll Learn:

• • How Dr. Nyla Hazratjee balances life as a physician, filmmaker, mother, and storyteller.
• • Why Muslim women deserve more complex, honest representation on screen.
• • How imposter syndrome shows up in medicine, creativity, and culture.
• • Why the best stories often come from vulnerability, discomfort, and the things people don’t say.
• • How taking creative risks can help you reclaim parts of yourself you once put “on the shelf.”

Chapters

• 00:00 Introduction to Dr. Nyla Hazratjee
• 01:24 Being a physician, filmmaker, mother, and storyteller
• 02:00 Work ethic, creativity, and feeling like there’s more to do
• 03:14 Identity, culture, and the pressure to fit in
• 04:01 Why Dr. Hazratjee sees herself as multifaceted
• 06:21 Purpose, imposter syndrome, and being a woman in medicine
• 07:26 Belonging in every room
• 08:17 Why vulnerability reveals our shared humanity
• 09:36 Portraying Muslim women as full human beings
• 11:02 Finding space within culture, religion, and tradition
• 12:20 Boundaries, assertiveness, and creativity
• 13:20 Why storytelling is such a difficult medium
• 14:27 The challenge of funding authentic stories
• 15:39 American Fabric and the politics of hijab
• 17:05 Dealing with criticism and disappointment
• 18:13 Writing controversial stories with personal stakes
• 20:11 The real consequences of creative risk
• 21:15 Risk-benefit analysis in life and art
• 21:43 Why complicated characters matter
• 23:20 Starting a second creative career
• 24:14 Taking old dreams off the shelf
• 25:13 The hidden stories behind success
• 27:03 The connection between medicine and storytelling
• 27:44 Why Did Farida Die?
• 28:55 Systems, patients, bias, and human complexity
• 30:17 Finding the story people aren’t telling
• 31:32 Dr. Hazratjee’s creative process
• 33:14 The power of the things we don’t say
• 34:03 Telling stories that feel scary
• 36:26 Dr. Hazratjee’s path into entertainment
• 37:00 Medical school, culture shock, and early media work
• 39:23 The COVID moment that sparked her screenwriting journey
• 40:48 Asking for support at home
• 42:00 What people reveal when money is involved
• 43:10 Overcoming imposter syndrome
• 44:28 Keeping life scary
• 46:17 Final thoughts: a message in a bottle

Mentioned in this episode:

Fractured But Fearless - Cold Open