Episode 71: Vinny Guadagnino

An interview with Vinny Guadagnino about how he was able to change his diet, how losing 50 pounds changed his life, how fame has impacted him, managing criticism and his best career advice.

Welcome to the 71st episode of 5 Questions with Dan Schawbel. As your host, my goal is to curate the best advice from the world’s smartest and most interesting people by asking them just 5 questions.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 9:18 — 10.2MB) | Embed

This episodes guest:

My guest today is MTV Jersey Shore star, Vinny Guadagnino. Born in Staten Island, New York City, Vinny was cast for the Jersey shore back in 2009 and remained on the show for all six seasons up until 2012. He then went on to host the MTV talk show The Show with Vinny in 2013 then co-hosted Vinny & Ma Eat America with his mom on The Cooking Channel. In 2018, he reunited with his Jersey Shore castmates for Jersey Shore: Family Vacation, and also co-starred on A Double Shot at Love on MTV with DJ Pauly D. Vinny has supported campaigns around issues like anti-bullying and gay rights. As an advocate for the keto diet, he wrote “The Keto Guido Cookbook”. I sat down with Vinny to talk about the lessons he’s learned from keeping such a strict diet and how it’s impacted his life for this podcast.

The 5 questions I ask in this episode:

Like you, I grew up eating unhealthy without even realizing the harm it was causing me. What obstacles did you face as you changed your diet and how did you overcome them?
How has losing 50 pounds impacted how you feel about yourself, your career trajectory and the people closest to you?
You’ve been in the public eye for a decade. What aspects of fame have been most beneficial and harmful to your life?
You were bullied in high school, just like me, and have since used your platform to bring attention to the issue. How have you been able to prevent bullies and critics from hurting your self-confidence?
What is your best piece of career advice?

Follow Vinny’s journey: