Trading Secrets

David the Curious Canadian may have overdone it on the beers and hot dogs, leaving Jason Tartick with no choice but to host this week’s Trading Secrets 30-Minute Thursday solo. Jason takes over the mic, covers the biggest pop-culture stories of the week, and shares what’s coming next for him.
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This week, Jason is joined by Banfield Pet Hospital Chief Medical Officer Dr. Alea Harrison for a conversation about the real economics of pet ownership, why preventive care can be one of the smartest financial decisions pet owners make, and how planning ahead can help avoid thousands of dollars in unexpected veterinary expenses. Dr. Harrison shares her journey from leaving the country to attend veterinary school in St. Kitts to becoming a practicing veterinarian and eventually helping guide clinical strategy for roughly 3,600 veterinarians across more than 1,000 Banfield hospitals nationwide.

Dr. Harrison breaks down what people should actually budget for when bringing home a pet, including veterinary care, nutrition, grooming, training, boarding, and daycare—and why many of the biggest expenses are the ones owners rarely think about beforehand. She explains why choosing the right food should be based on a pet’s individual health, breed, and lifestyle rather than marketing or social media trends, and reveals why taking a proactive approach to veterinary care can dramatically change both a pet’s long-term health and the owner’s finances.

Jason and Dr. Harrison also dive into Banfield’s Optimum Wellness Plans, why they were designed to make preventive veterinary care more accessible and predictable, and how they differ from traditional pet insurance. Dr. Harrison explains how bundling preventive services can save clients more than 30% compared to paying for each service individually, while plans can include comprehensive exams, vaccinations, diagnostic testing, unlimited office visits, and 24/7 Pet Chat access. She also explains why pet insurance and wellness plans can work together, with insurance focused on unexpected illnesses, injuries, and surgeries while wellness plans focus on routine preventive care.

Plus, Dr. Harrison reveals some of the numbers that show just how expensive waiting can become. Heartworm prevention can cost around $25 per month, while treating heartworm disease can range from roughly $1,200 to $6,000 depending on the pet. She also shares that Banfield data shows 80% of dogs and 75% of cats have signs of dental disease by just one year old, explains how certain breeds can be predisposed to costly health problems, and breaks down why spaying and neutering can help prevent serious conditions and certain cancers in addition to controlling the pet population.

Dr. Harrison also gets candid about the challenges of becoming a veterinarian, from the competitiveness and financial burden of veterinary school to building a career that can extend far beyond treating individual patients. She explains how her own definition of impact evolved from caring for pets one-on-one to influencing thousands of veterinarians and ultimately helping improve care on a much larger scale.

Dr. Harrison reveals why creating predictability, staying proactive instead of reactive, and preparing for expenses before they become emergencies can make all the difference for pet owners. She also leaves Jason with her ultimate trading secret, a mantra she applies to business, family, and veterinary medicine: “If you stay ready, you don’t have to get ready.”

She reveals all this and so much more in another episode you can’t afford to miss!

Host: Jason Tartick

Audio: John Gurney

Video: Marc Colcer

Guest: Dr. Alea Harrison
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Jason Tartick and the Curious Canadian are back for a 30-minute Thursday episode! The guys recap their conversation with Stephanie Shojaee, dive into why Jason is genuinely terrified of going to the doctor, and unpack everything happening across pop culture right now. From the biggest takeaways from Stephanie’s episode to Jason’s latest fears and the stories everyone is talking about, this is your Thursday dose of Trading Secrets.
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This week, Jason is joined by The Real Housewives of Miami standout and Shoma Group president Stephanie Shojaee for a conversation about building massive wealth, growing a multi-billion-dollar real estate business, and why relentless ambition has been at the center of everything she has accomplished. The first-generation Colombian American opens up about growing up determined to become “filthy rich,” eventually helping lead a development company that has completed more than $6 billion in real estate transactions—and using reality TV as a platform to expand the Shoma brand globally.

Stephanie breaks down how her approach to money changed after meeting her husband, Masoud, from focusing solely on earning and saving to investing, using debt strategically, and continuously putting capital back to work. She shares how her modern approach to branding and marketing helped increase Shoma’s business by roughly 30%, while expanding its recognition beyond South Florida and into markets including Dubai. She also reveals the unforgettable $240,000 payday she earned after refusing to give up on a deal that fell apart three separate times.

Jason and Stephanie also dive into her unconventional leadership style, including building Shoma’s nine-person, all-women Latina marketing team largely with young hires straight out of school. Stephanie explains why she believes in discipline, tough love, and throwing employees “in the pool” to see whether they sink or swim—and why she has no problem moving on quickly when someone isn’t the right fit.

Plus, Stephanie gets candid about life on The Real Housewives of Miami, why she originally turned the show down for years, and why representing an ambitious, successful Latina businesswoman ultimately helped change her mind. She also shares the wild story of having more than $200,000 worth of belongings stolen from her villa in Cannes, her thoughts on prenups and combining love and money, and the luxury purchase that recently made her say, “Damn, that was expensive”—an Hermès bracelet costing upwards of $250,000.

Stephanie reveals why putting on the blinders, eliminating distractions, investing rather than simply earning, and staying relentlessly focused on your goals have been key to her success. She also leaves Jason with a different kind of trading secret: after 15 years with her husband, never go to bed angry and never allow disrespect to become normalized in a relationship.

She reveals all this and so much more in another episode you can’t afford to miss!

Host: Jason Tartick

Audio: John Gurney

Video: Marc Colcer

Guest: Stephanie Shojaee
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Jason Tartick and the Curious Canadian are back for another Thirty Minute Thursday! The boys recap their conversation with Rachel Mansfield, break down the biggest takeaways from the episode, and dive into everything happening across pop culture. From the latest headlines and celebrity news to the stories everyone is talking about, they cover it all in 30 minutes.

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