Lifestyle

A Rising Social Media Star, Gianni Mendes, is a Man Who Can Do It All!

Published

5 years ago

July 11, 2020

It is easy to add #YOLO under a picture on social media. It does not come as a surprise that this hashtag is one of the most commonly used captions among social media influencers and users. Used by millions of people, including adolescents, youngsters, and adults, the term ‘YOLO,’ holds a much deeper meaning than people have anticipated, and is much more than just a trending hashtag.

The phrase, ‘You Only Live Once,’ holds a deep message, especially for people who spend their entire lives building a stable career. YOLO is a form of motivation to push people into pursuing their passion, live their dreams, do everything on their wish list, and LIVE, because this life is the only chance they have.

Indeed, building a stable career to ensure financial stability is imperative for living a carefree life, but what is the point of earning big when one does not have the time to spend it? YOLO is a movement to help people understand that besides working on their careers, they need to make time for things that they admire and love.

Living life, the right way, and doing justice to the movement is Gianni Mendes Toniutti, better known as Gianni Mendes, an immigration lawyer, entertainer, singer, guitar virtuoso, and a rising social media star. Watching this man do everything in life has caused many people to think that he is not good at any of these fields, thanks to one of the most popularly used figures of speech, “Jack of all trades, master of none.” Gianni, who is referred to as the ‘immigration guru’ in the United States, is changing perspectives with the kind of lifestyle he spends. He not only is a highly-esteemed Italian-American immigration lawyer, but is also a singer, an accomplished guitar player, a successful entertainer, and a social media influencer.

Gianni Mendes is the jack of all trades and master of everything that he does. He is an inspiration for the people living in a world where dreams and passions are crushed in the name of professional stability. As a young boy, Gianni had multiple passions, but did he let ‘professional stability,’ get in his way towards success? No. He gave all his passions equal attention and time. In 2002, when he completed his Juris Doctor degree, he also released his first album, “Colores.” He took both his passions together, following the true meaning of the phrase, ‘You Only Live Once.’

Becoming a social media phenomenon

Gianni is the co-founder of TLRT, an Italian-American law firm, and currently heads the immigration department. Being a lawyer was always his passion, but the entertainment sector was also where his interest lay. After thinking of ways he could stay connected to both these industries, he decided to become an immigration lawyer.

Referred to as the ‘Immigration Lawyer of the VIPs’ by several notable media platforms, Gianni has worked with innumerable celebrities from the entertainment industry. As an immigration lawyer, he has worked with notable Brazilian and Russian models, national and international modeling agencies, top 500 Fortune companies, entrepreneurs investing in multi-million-dollar deals, and several others.

After finding success in the world of law, he decided it was time to make a name in the social media sector. Owner of a vibrant personality, Gianni came up with an out-of-this-world idea, something that never crossed anyone’s mind.

One day, he entered the Zara Store, not with an intention to shop but to do something hilarious. He went in front of the escalator, right where shoppers could see him easily, and pretended to be a human mannequin, the first-ever human mannequin. The two-minute video was uploaded on Instagram and YouTube, becoming viral in just a few hours. It spread a lot of smiles and laughter and acquired more than 260,000 views on Instagram and over 30,000 views on YouTube. The video helped him become a huge Instagram sensation. Due to his rapid fame through this and many other viral videos, many media platforms have started referring to him as the next Gianluca Vacchi, a business tycoon who became a social media sensation after his dancing video went viral.

Gianni’s love for the world of law and entertainment helped him stay determined throughout. He is a well-known immigration lawyer, with his law firm operating in New York, Miami, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Rome, and Milan. Moreover, the passionate individual born in Sao Paolo, Brazil, and raised in Bologna, Italy, is working on his first Latin-Pop single, “Te Amaré,” which is inspired by Latin and Brazilian rhythms. With all his successes in life, he proves to the world that Gianni Mendes, indeed, is a man who can do it all!

Lifestyle

Wanda Knight on Blending Culture, Style, and Leadership Through Travel

Published

13 hours ago

December 24, 2025

Michelle Langton

The best lessons in leadership do not always come from a classroom or a boardroom. Sometimes they come from a crowded market in a foreign city, a train ride through unfamiliar landscapes, or a quiet conversation with someone whose life looks very different from your own.

Wanda Knight has built her career in enterprise sales and leadership for more than three decades, working with some of the world’s largest companies and guiding teams through constant change. But ask her what shaped her most, and she will point not just to her professional milestones but to the way travel has expanded her perspective. With 38 countries visited and more on the horizon, her worldview has been formed as much by her passport as by her resume.

Travel entered her life early. Her parents valued exploration, and before she began college, she had already lived in Italy. That experience, stepping into a different culture at such a young age, left a lasting impression. It showed her that the world was much bigger than the environment she grew up in and that adaptability was not just useful, it was necessary. Those early lessons of curiosity and openness would later shape the way she led in business.

Sales, at its core, is about connection. Numbers matter, but relationships determine long-term success. Wanda’s time abroad taught her how to connect across differences. Navigating unfamiliar places and adjusting to environments that operated on different expectations gave her the patience and awareness to understand people first, and business second. That approach carried over into leadership, where she built a reputation for giving her teams the space to take ownership while standing firmly behind them when it mattered most.

The link between travel and leadership becomes even clearer in moments of challenge. Unfamiliar settings require flexibility, quick decision-making, and the ability to stay calm under pressure. The same skills are critical in enterprise sales, where strategies shift quickly and no deal is ever guaranteed. Knight learned that success comes from being willing to step into the unknown, whether that means exploring a new country or taking on a leadership role she had not originally planned to pursue.

Her travels have also influenced her eye for style and her creative pursuits. Fashion, for Wanda, is more than clothing; it is a reflection of culture, history, and identity. Experiencing how different communities express themselves, from the craftsmanship of Italian textiles to the energy of street style in cities around the world, has deepened her appreciation for aesthetics as a form of storytelling. Rather than keeping her professional and personal worlds separate, she has learned to blend them, carrying the discipline and strategy of her sales career into her creative interests and vice versa.

None of this has been about starting over. It has been about adding layers, expanding her perspective without erasing the experiences that came before. Wanda’s story is not one of leaving a career behind but of integrating all the parts of who she is: a leader shaped by high-stakes business, a traveler shaped by global culture, and a creative voice learning to merge both worlds.

What stands out most is how she continues to approach both leadership and life with the same curiosity that first took her beyond her comfort zone. Each new country is an opportunity to learn, just as each new role has been a chance to grow. For those looking at her path, the lesson is clear: leadership is not about staying in one lane; it is about collecting experiences that teach you how to see, how to adapt, and how to connect.

As she looks to the future, Wanda Knight’s compass still points outward. She will keep adding stamps to her passport, finding inspiration in new cultures, and carrying those insights back into the rooms where strategy is shaped and decisions are made. Her legacy will not be measured only by deals closed or positions held but by the perspective she brought, and the way she showed that leading with a global view can change the story for everyone around you.