This Mindset Shift Separates The 1% from Everyone Else | Giovanni Vaccaro

On this episode of the Strong New York Podcast, host Kenny Santucci sits down with Giovanni Vaccaro — co-founder of Glamsquad, an on-demand beauty service platform and founder of Peak Mode Coaching, his high-performance coaching business for executives, founders, and entrepreneurs.

Strength isn't just something you build in the gym — it's a mindset. Giovanni breaks down his journey from shampooing hair 25-30 times a day at a top Manhattan salon to building a beauty-tech company from the ground up, and the mental toughness, discipline, and "radical responsibility" that took him from stylist to CEO to executive coach. This one is packed with lessons on staying strong through setbacks, building unshakable habits, and why nobody is coming to save you.

In this episode:

- Growing up in an immigrant Italian family and the blue-collar work ethic that shaped him

- Paying his dues: 2.5 years shampooing hair before ever touching scissors

- The "light bulb" moment that led to founding Glamsquad

- Building the mental strength to shift his identity from "hairstylist" to "entrepreneur"

- Why imposter syndrome is actually a sign of strength, not weakness

- Hiring for your weaknesses and killing the "self-made" myth

- Glamsquad's near-collapse during COVID — and the strength it took to rebuild

- His non-negotiable 5am routine: meditation, prayer, gratitude, training

- Training for his first marathon and the obsession behind elite performance