Danielle Vasinova: How a Shy Farm Girl Became a Hollywood Star | E103

Welcome to another episode In Search of Excellence! My guest today is Danielle Vasinova. Danielle is an actor, model, producer, entrepreneur, avid equestrian, and drummer, she has been in more than 50 movies and TV shows and is best known for her colorful action-adventure rolls. And she has graced the cover of many magazines, including Vogue, and Harper's Bazaar. In this episode, Danielle shares her story of overcoming shyness through cheerleading, starting a modeling career, and landing her first movie role. Randy discovers how he unexpectedly landed a role in a movie alongside Sharon Stone despite having no acting experience and emphasizes the importance of taking advantage of every opportunity you get in life. Time stamps:01:23 Danielle’s backgroundHer grandmother was an actress and singer in PragueEscaped communism at 17Met her future husband at displaced persons’ camps in GermanyThey came to New York City togetherHer mom worked for American AirlinesDad tested airplane engines for Pratt and WhitneyFell in love and moved to Connecticut03:46 Childhood memoriesDad bought her a ponyFarm animals became her friendsPainfully shy as a kidCreating a character is a form of protectionReluctantly became a cheerleaderHelped her to break out of the shellA training accident 11:12 Modeling at 13Competition at the local mallThe scout came up to her and offered her to be a modelWent to New York and signed a contractCastings, auditions, rejections and bookings 18:23 Taking advantage of opportunitiesDanielle’s bucket listRandy’s advice on how to get to peopleRandy’s story about meeting a famous actressPeople do respond to bold movesMyocarditis on a date 29:16 Do you need education to be an actor?UConn collageWas a waitress the whole timeBecame a Patriots cheerleaderComing to Santa Barbara 32:31 Young and Restless castingCalled for casting through her momWent to LA and auditionedGot the part 35:05 Randy’s hilarious experience with the movie industryBecoming friends with Bruce McNallCasting for the role in the movieGetting the role of a police officerMeeting Sharon StoneShooting the scenesBecoming friends with a certain directorBeing offered a role in his show 50:53 Randy’s first podcast guestsMeeting Sam Zell and becoming friendsSharon Stone andCliff Kingsbury, a football coachMark Cuban responded to his emailThe greatest piece of advice Randy got from his mentorDoing things that no one else has done beforeAbout Randall Kaplan: Randall Kaplan is a serial entrepreneur, venture capitalist, executive coach, co-founder of Akamai Technologies, founder and CEO of JUMP Investors, and host of In Search of Excellence. Through his Extreme Preparation™ methodology, he helps founders, executives, business owners, and ambitious professionals improve strategy, communication, decision-making, and execution.Coaching and Staying Connected:1-on-1 Coaching | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok | LinkedIn | X