R E N É I S E N T E R T A I N I N G
B U T I S N O T A N E N T E R T A I N E R
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His clients describe him as “powerful”, “thought provoking”, and “authentic”. They say things like, “you could hear a pin drop as everyone was so captivated.”
Considered by many as the leading authority on leadership and influence, Rene Rodriguez is a best-selling author, keynote speaker, leadership advisor, and transformational speaker coach. For the last 27 years, René has been researching and applying behavioral neuroscience to solve some of the toughest challenges in leadership, sales, and change.
As an entrepreneur and CEO of multiple companies, Rene integrates a practical business approach that inspires his audiences to take action. Through his keynote, boot camps, workshops and proprietary Amplifii™ course, he helps us own our backstory to build the frame for not only our unique value propositions but also a beautiful picture of life.
His audiences describe him as "powerful", "thought-provoking", and "authentic". They say things like, "you could hear a pin drop as everyone was so captivated."
The result: greater influence, personal transformation, and immediate results in business and life by engaging with courage and grace.
His Best Selling book AMPLIFY YOUR INFLUENCE can be found on Amazon and all major retailers.
Maddy is relentless. And it’s always been that way. The seed was planted by her father who cultivated a multi-million dollar financial planning business from the ground up and nurtured by her mother - a lioness who shined a loving light on the family every day. It grew organically in her like wildflowers because that’s just her nature.
What you want always leads you to what you need. In Jorge’s case, this lesson manifested at 2 when his parents - a Civil Engineer and business major - fled revolution in Nicaragua to create a peaceful life for their 6 children in Florida. His father, fluent only in Spanish, redirected his energy into auto mechanics and his mother found happiness singing in choir.
The moment you engage Jenny, you’re enveloped in her feline radiance. Her eyes are truly a window into her soul - and concurrently sees right into yours. Her warmth inspires you to elevate your game, because it’s crystal clear that’s the level she’s operating on. And that she genuinely wants us all to be up there, too.
Madison has always been driven to stand out, and from a young age she set a high standard of excellence for herself. Growing up as the middle child between two boys, and moving around to 5 different states, she quickly learned the importance of adaptability and resilience.
Referred to us as a guru in podcasting, Joel’s passion for story became immediately evident, as his excitement and desire to communicate effectively and eloquently resonated with the very core of our message. It wasn’t long before he came onto the team as an ongoing part, filming live events, shepherding our weekly email newsletter, The NEURO Innovator, as well as editing and producing podcasts and videos for our social channels.
Sophia was raised by a traditional Italian family from Connecticut, her instincts are unparallel. The first thing she will ask you when you walk into her house is “are you hungry?” She’s a fearless caretaker and takes everything with ease, yet has a sassy side that makes her unique and strong. She isn’t afraid to speak her mind and more importantly, always wants to feed you.
'Maddy' is relentless. And it’s always been that way. The seed was planted by her father who cultivated a multi-million dollar financial planning business from the ground up and nurtured by her mother - a lioness who shined a loving light on the family every day. It grew organically in her like wildflowers because that’s just her nature.
When her family got the news of her sister’s diagnosis, Maddy set her intention on the Miss Minnesota pageant knowing it was the best platform a young woman could have to make an impact. After winning, she gave 287 talks that year and became National Spokesperson for Childrens’ Cancer research.
She then set her sights on the industry she grew up in and quickly ascended to become the Vice President of Capital Consulting Group. Countless female business awards and memorable keynote addresses later, she decided it was time to invest her energy in an endeavor that more closely involved her children. So, the former gymnast and national cheerleading champion took on an underperforming children’s fitness franchise with the goal of selling it in 5 years. “Miss Maddy” quickly became a staple in the community, returned the franchise to profitability and added a certified pre-school.
Did we mention she’s relentless?
Maddy loved our industry as a participant, wholeheartedly believes in the work we are doing and sees the opportunity to drive action and change. She embodies that rare balance of the ability to be your close friend and at the same time, hold you fully accountable. She grounds us in the present while driving toward a more efficient and prosperous future.
In addition to spending time with her three kids, Maddy is taking classes in Neuroscience and Leadership at Harvard. She also makes time to do a lot of impactful volunteer work that she never talks about. So we won’t either. We’ll just acknowledge how grateful we are to have such a humble highflier running the show.
What you want always leads you to what you need. In Jorge’s case, this lesson manifested at 2 when his parents - a Civil Engineer and business major - fled revolution in Nicaragua to create a peaceful life for their 6 children in Florida. His father, fluent only in Spanish, redirected his energy into auto mechanics and his mother found happiness singing in choir.
Jorge found his voice through design. In Middle school, he was introduced to art and photography electives - sketching and painting self-portraits and favorite TV characters in a pre-computer world. Outside school, he used his hands to defend himself. Upon graduation, after 2 years of immersive architecture study, he realized he wanted and needed to make a change - just when his dad was offered a golden Civil Engineering opportunity in Fresno, California. And that’s when Jorge’s vision became clear.
HIs spot on the Dean’s List earned him a graphic design job with the Department of Transportation where he immersed himself in Photoshop and Illustrator - teaching the class (and teachers) back at school. He soon opened up his own studio where his immense talent was received and recognized.
Then one night at a bar with friends, a representative from a boisterous group of girls sauntered over and unabashedly proclaimed he was perfect for her sister. A week later, he called her. A week after that, he proposed. And within a few months, they were married and expecting. So Jorge followed his father’s example and took a design job with an educational gaming company. Two years into itt, he knew he had to go back out on his own.
It was what he wanted - and needed.
His studio exploded and the first year, winning 7 Gold Addys - including a national anti-bullying campaign that appeared in the luggage bins of every airport in the US. When he felt the cosmic itch for something new, he was presented the opportunity to relocate his team to Vegas and become Creative Director for a national mortgage company.
That’s where his journey and René’s first intersected.
Hermanos from the jump, the two shared an instant bond and mutual appreciation for each other’s complementary skillsets. Even after RR moved on, the two kept in touch and hugged it out at tradeshows. Jorge began doing projects - including the Amplifii rebrand - until the time came for Jorge to come on board full-time. His abilities to ask the right questions, get into the essence of a brand and translate it visually are uncanny. He’s a natural. Adding color and flavor and inspiration that make our aesthetic sing.
When Jorge’s not making magic, he can be found spending time with his wife and 4 kids, slipping onto the 15th fairway of the golf course in his backyard to work on his short game or sliding the cover off his vintage Mercedes and going for a joyride.
Everyone’s got a story to tell, sometimes it takes a storyteller to bring it out.
One of Joel’s earliest memories is of his grandmother, following him and his sister around the house with a tape recorder. What would she ever do with hours of tape of a couple children, babbling about He-Man and the Ghostbusters? Mostly, she just stored them. Occasionally, she would play them, just for herself, smiling and laughing at these mini-memories, preserved on tape.
Maybe being recorded so often, so young, bent Joel towards storytelling, or maybe it was always in his DNA. Regardless, at 13 he found the stage, performing in community, college and professional theatres over the next 10 years. His storytelling led him to the radio studio, where he worked on-air and behind the scenes in dozens of different positions and projects. Different formats, different presentation styles, but ever since the beginning Joel was telling stories, his own and those of others. When his Nana passed away several years ago, that mass of tapes she’d saved over the years meant that a few had survived the nearly 3 decade span, and are now a living legacy of sound, memorialized in digital form for future generations to hear.
That desire to capture and memorialize story is DEEP within Joel, and has blossomed in a 20 year career in radio, 10 years plus in podcasting and now a focus on video and writing as the Content Manager for our team.
Referred to us as a guru in podcasting, Joel’s passion for story became immediately evident, as his excitement and desire to communicate effectively and eloquently resonated with the very core of our message. It wasn’t long before he came onto the team as an ongoing part, filming live events, shepherding our weekly email newsletter, The NEURO Innovator, as well as editing and producing podcasts and videos for our social channels. His ear for story allowing us to expand our reach by meeting viewers and listeners where they are with relevant and inspiring content.
Joel’s married to a fiery redhead, Kelly, and their “second-act story” of marriage after divorce and death is one he’s happy to share with anyone that asks. Together they spend their time raising 4 kids that help them form “The Sharpton Six” who love to spend time together watching movies, playing board games and planning their next road trip.
The moment you engage Jenny, you’re enveloped in her feline radiance. Her eyes are truly a window into her soul - and concurrently sees right into yours. Her warmth inspires you to elevate your game, because it’s crystal clear that’s the level she’s operating on. And that she genuinely wants us all to be up there, too.
Balance and reciprocity are foundational elements in her formula. It begins with her mother’s soft-spoken kindness juxtaposed with her father’s Persian fire. The perfect predisposition to thrive in the multi-dimensional pressure cooker of Event Management. For 8 years, Jenny excelled as VP of Corporate Events for a prominent mortgage company. She describes her flow during that period as responsive and quick, bordering on neurotic. When she found herself stepping out of the shower to answer an email, she knew the scales were out of balance and existential questions arose.
Just then, the world got flipped upside down by the pandemic. Gatherings of any kind, let alone high-powered professionals, got put on indefinite pause. This level of uncertainty would have shaken most. But Jenny stayed centered by tapping even deeper into her most trusted resource. Rather than deviate from her path out of fear, her instincts told her it’s time for a change and reached out to René - who she’d interacted with during an industry event - after hearing he’d lost his Events lead.
A year later, here we are. Jenny has become a beacon of locomotion and positivity, playing an integral role in elevating René’s event capacity and complexity. Most impressively, she’s done so while reconnecting to her personal passions. In the past she’d become a published children’s author by following nature’s hearts, an inventor of a fashion accessory and volunteered at children’s hospital. Giving of herself first and letting the universe take care of the rest is just her way. She knows no boundaries when it comes to creativity and her curiosity to learn more.
That profound connection is rooted in the security and unconditional love of her parents, and nurtured in nature’s playgrounds. Getting outside and creating space, she hears her soul sing. Finding peace and her truest creativity in its melodies.
We’re lucky to be close enough to sing along.
Sophia was raised by a traditional Italian family from Connecticut, her instincts are unparallel. The first thing she will ask you when you walk into her house is “are you hungry?” She’s a fearless caretaker and takes everything with ease, yet has a sassy side that makes her unique and strong. She isn’t afraid to speak her mind and more importantly, always wants to feed you.
As much as she loves Connecticut, she knew she needed more. Her dream was to study fashion and perused that career by attending LIM College in New York City where she received her bachelor’s degree in Fashion Merchandising. As much as fashion is her passion, with sewing as a hobby, it turns out, that working in the fashion industry isn’t as glamorous as one might think. It was then she really became her best self. Her shyness quickly became confidence, but that sass never left (which is a good thing!). After years of dabbling in different industries, she learned that the events world is where she wanted to be.
After 8 long (yet fun) years of living in New York City, it was time to make a change. San Francisco was calling. She continued her events career there until the world was shaken by the pandemic. Events of any kind were stricken to a halt. Instead of panicking, Sophia took this opportunity to road trip through the West Coast and reevaluate her life. Was San Francisco her true home? Was working in events still the right path? No, and yes, respectively.
To Denver, she went! She applied to an average office job that was lacking skill and spunk, she knew it would be temporary. When she came across a job opening for René, she did her research and was immediately captivated by his work. As Sophia literally wants to feed people food, René feeds people knowledge and power - similar yet different. This IS the right fit for her.
Sophia is able to continue her personal pursuits of sewing while coordinating events, what’s not to love?
Madison has always been driven to stand out, and from a young age, she set a high standard of excellence for herself. Growing up as the middle child between two boys, and moving around to 5 different states, she quickly learned the importance of adaptability and resilience. These traits served her well when she earned a full tuition scholarship to the University of Alabama, where she studied Marketing and Psychology and eventually earned her Master's in Digital & Social Media. As Vice President of her sorority, Alpha Phi, Madison developed a love for leadership which has followed her in her career as a Marketing Manager. By the time she graduated, Madison was first in her class and ready to take on her next adventure in the working world.
Upon graduating, Madison took a sales position with the world's largest wine company and moved to Charlotte, NC to be close to family. This job taught her not only about the nuances of different wines but also about how to overcome obstacles and objections. It also reminded her of her true passion for digital marketing and social media which led to a career shift from sales to marketing.
Throughout her career, Madison has worked for a number of start-ups and even built a virtual live-streaming platform for weddings and events during the pandemic. Through her networking, she noticed that so many people had no idea how to brand themselves online, and in 2020 she launched her own company focused on personal branding in the social media space. Madison’s passion still lies in helping clients identify both who they are and where they are going. To date, she has worked with over 75 clients and specializes in working with Mortgage/Real Estate Professionals and Entrepreneurs.
Madison and René first crossed paths when he became a client during her time at a previous company. They quickly established a strong rapport and shared a similar vision for his personal brand. After assisting at three Amplifii events, Madison was convinced that René's teachings were revolutionary and knew she wanted to be a part of it. Now, in January 2023, Madison is thrilled to be officially part of the team and is eager to see where this opportunity takes her.