Lifestyle

What Every Celebrity Should Aspire to Be: Manisha Dass

Published

5 years ago

September 1, 2020

How many people use their celebrity to try to make lives better for others?

When most people achieve any sort of celebrity status, it’s rare for them to immediately put the newfound fame and respect they’ve earned into a means of helping others, whether at the individual level or at the cultural level. For most, they simply rest on their laurels and try to take advantage of their celebrity for whatever personal gain they can achieve.

Manisha Dass, a star on Netflix’s Indian Matchmaking, has not only used her celebrity to try to make lives better for those around her, but she is working to effect broad change in the way entire cultures perceive love and marriage.

Manisha explains how her celebrity journey began,

“In September of 2018, my cousin who is also one of my best friends came across a casting call post on Instagram for Indian Matchmaking. He managed to pretty easily convince me to send in an application – given that we had basically tried everything to find me a partner, but this. We had nothing to lose, and possibly everything to gain. Due to a lot of personal grief and loss I had gone through earlier that year, I was seeking change and positivity. We created my first ever biodata and this was followed by several interviews with the show’s production team. In April of 2019, I was informed that I was selected for the show. I met with Sima Taparia from Mumbai (the matchmaker) via FaceTime, and before I knew it was flying to Austin to meet my match.”

The process of becoming a star for Indian Matchmaking has been life-changing for Manisha, and she hopes to encourage people from all over the world to cultivate hope and take risks, even when they feel bound and trapped by cultural norms and expectations surrounding love and marriage. Manisha could have easily declined the offer to become part of the show and sunk back to cultural traditions that dictate when and how a woman should find love, but she didn’t. Manisha wants to dismantle long-held assumptions about these things, especially in the South Asian world, and help people to pursue their dreams, whether relationships or otherwise, at any age.

She explains to WUNC in North Carolina (her home state), “Change really is only going to happen if we can talk about the issues, and it’s nice to see that this show has, you know, kind of sparked a lot of these conversations. For so long, it’s been easier to kind of brush it under the carpet as a cultural sort of habit and not really talk about it, and it’s really great to see that people are coming forward and having conversations about it.”

While it’s been life-changing for her, being a part of Indian Matchmaking is just a tiny part of who Manisha is. She holds a Masters in Public Administration and a Masters in Occupational Therapy. She currently works in the public health sphere, aiming to blend humanitarian work and science. She regularly volunteers, tutoring Spanish to local high-schoolers and also works with the homeless and refugee community in the Research Triangle area of North Carolina. Not to mention, she’s fluent in four languages!

Manisha is what everyone who finds fame and celebrity should aspire to become: passionate about serving those in need, dedicated to helping dismantle cultural stigmas that can hold others back, and finding ways to make the world a better place. If only more celebrities followed her example!

Here are a few ways to get connected to Manisha:

Instagram: www.instagram.com/luvmanisha

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/luvmanisha

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/manisha-dass-181365173/

Twitter: www.twitter.com/manishadass83

Lifestyle

Derik Fay: The Quiet Power Broker Who Scales Empires and Empowers Generations

Published

7 hours ago

September 14, 2025

Michelle Langton

At 46 years old and standing at an impressive 6’1″, Derik Fay is more than an entrepreneur—he is the architect behind a network of thriving businesses and a digital mentor for thousands. His journey from a single neighborhood gym in Florida to holding stakes in over 40 companies spans decades of strategic vision, discipline, and authenticity.

From Modest Beginnings to a Marketplace Maven

Born on November 19, 1978, in Westerly, Rhode Island, Fay’s early environment offered little in the way of nepotism or crutches—but plenty of lessons. He dropped out of college after just one semester and embraced the grind. At just 22, with lean resources and fierce determination, he launched his first gym. That venture would eventually grow into Florida’s most successful independently owned fitness chain before being acquired by a publicly traded company.

This early win became the foundation for 3F Management, the private equity firm Fay launched post-exit. Today, 3F powers brands across sectors—from fintech and residential infrastructure to combat sports, entertainment, and beauty—each elevated through Fay’s hands-on approach to ownership and operational excellence.

Visibility as Strategic Leverage

Fay’s ascent into public consciousness was not staged. He built his online presence—now over 1.4 million followers strong—through honest, unfiltered takes on business, failure, leadership, and growth. His content resonates because it isn’t rehearsed; it’s earned. Followers tune in not for spectacle but for insight, often quoting “He doesn’t just invest—he builds your belief,” reflecting Fay’s authentic support.

Building Brands, Restoring Hope

Among his notable ventures is Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC)—a testament to his willingness to enter unorthodox sectors with strategic clarity. In other less obvious arenas, Fay reinvigorated a faltering beauty company by pairing it with Hollywood cachet and narrative-driven marketing. In another case, an AI startup saw its valuation ascend tenfold in under a year after Fay contributed not only capital but also storytelling structure and vision.

Estimated Net Worth & Long-Term Vision

Although Fay maintains a discrete public profile, credible industry estimates place his net worth somewhere between $100 million and $250 million. This valuation comes from his diverse equity stakes, successful exits, real estate investments, and his firm’s consistent growth and reinvestment cycle.

Personal Life Anchored in Legacy

Off-screen, Fay is a devoted partner to Shandra Phillips (since 2021) and a hands-on father to two daughters: Sophia Elena Fay and Isabella Roslyn Fay. He’s more than a mogul—he’s a mentor. An embodiment of “If I can do it, anyone can,” his presence in DMs or quick coaching call is not rare, but intentional.

Rerouting the Model of Modern Wealth

Unlike today’s entrepreneurs who prioritize visibility and virality, Fay applies visibility as a lever—not an objective. He quietly scales, confident that his systems and culture will outlive the trends. He mentors, not performatively, but tangibly. For him, success isn’t a moment—it’s a long-term ecosystem amplified through structure, not spotlight.