Between his career, playing guitar, writing music, running, and exploring his interest in food, Colardi has built a life around pursuits that challenge him in very different ways.
His academic path did not begin with healthcare. After attending SUNY Farmingdale, he transferred to SUNY Old Westbury and graduated Cum Laude in 2019 with a BA in History. He later returned to university and completed a second degree at Molloy University, graduating Magna Cum Laude in 2024 before beginning his healthcare career.
Outside of work, music has remained an important part of his life. Colardi is the lead guitarist and a songwriter for Oolong and has toured across the United States with the band. He also studies and plays jazz guitar.
Running provides another outlet. It gives Vincent “Vinny” Colardi a way to stay active, challenge himself, and step away from the demands of work and music. He is also a self-described foodie who enjoys the experience of discovering and appreciating good food.
Rather than feeling pressure to fit into one category, Colardi has embraced having different interests. His career provides structure, music gives him a creative outlet, running offers a physical challenge, and food is something he simply enjoys.
You’ve taken a fairly unconventional path professionally. Did you always expect your career to look like this?
Not really. My path has changed quite a bit over time. I originally studied history, spending a year at SUNY Farmingdale before transferring to SUNY Old Westbury. I graduated Cum Laude with a BA in History in 2019.
At that point, I hadn’t decided that I was going to work in healthcare. I eventually returned to school at Molloy University, completed another degree, and moved into the healthcare field.
At the same time, music was always there. I was writing, playing guitar, and performing with Oolong. I don’t think I ever pictured everything fitting together exactly this way, but I’ve become comfortable having different parts of my life that don’t necessarily look connected on paper.
What made you willing to go back to university and start in a different field?
It was a big decision because I had already completed one degree. Going back meant becoming a student again and committing myself to something completely different.
I think going through university the first time helped because I already understood the importance of being organised and keeping up with the workload. I knew it would require a lot of time, but I was willing to make the change.
Graduating Magna Cum Laude from Molloy University in 2024 was something I was proud of because it represented several years of taking that new direction seriously.
Do you think changing career direction became easier once you stopped expecting your path to be completely linear?
I think people sometimes assume that whatever they study first has to determine what they do forever.
That wasn’t the case for me. I studied history, spent several years working with technology, pursued music, and eventually moved into healthcare.
Looking back, I don’t see those earlier experiences as wasted time. They were different stages of my life, and I learned something from each of them.
Running has also become an important interest for you. What do you enjoy about it?
I like that running is simple in a lot of ways. You can go out, focus on what you’re doing, and challenge yourself.
There’s also something satisfying about the consistency involved. You aren’t going to improve because of one run. It comes from continuing to show up and putting the work in over time.
It gives me something completely separate from my professional life and music. Sometimes it’s good to have an activity where the only thing you really need to focus on is putting one foot in front of the other.
Does running appeal to the same side of you that enjoys music, or is it completely different?
I think they overlap in the sense that both reward consistency.
With guitar, you don’t practise once and suddenly become a better player. You spend years working on things, learning new techniques, listening, and improving little by little.
Running can have that same feeling. There’s always another goal you can work towards, but a lot of it comes down to staying consistent.
At the same time, they feel very different when you’re actually doing them. Music is creative and collaborative, while running can be much more individual.
How important has music remained while your professional life has developed?
Music has always been a constant for me. I’m the lead guitarist and a songwriter for Oolong, and I’ve had the opportunity to tour across the country with the band.
Touring is a unique experience because there’s a lot more involved than just going onstage. There’s travelling, practising, rehearsing, writing, and spending a lot of time together as a band.
I also play jazz guitar and enjoy going to jazz concerts. Jazz is something I can keep studying because there’s always more to learn. That’s one of the things I like most about music in general.
You’re also a foodie. What do you enjoy about food beyond simply eating?
Food is something I genuinely enjoy. It can be part of travelling, spending time with people, or just discovering something you haven’t tried before.
I think being interested in food also fits with being curious in general. There are always different cuisines, restaurants, ingredients, and styles to experience.
It doesn’t have to be complicated. Sometimes it’s just about finding something really good and appreciating it.
Does food become an especially interesting part of travelling with a band?
Travelling naturally gives you the chance to experience places differently. Food can be one of the easiest ways to get a feel for where you are because every city has its own restaurants and local favourites.
When you’re travelling for music, obviously the show is the main reason you’re there, but it’s nice when you also get the chance to see a little bit of the city and try something different.
Those experiences become part of the memories of travelling as much as some of the venues do.
Between work, running, music, and your other interests, how do you avoid feeling like you have to choose just one identity?
I don’t really think of it that way. They’re all parts of my life, and they serve different purposes.
My career is something I take seriously. Music gives me a creative outlet. Running gives me a physical challenge, and food is something I enjoy exploring.
I think having those different interests is healthy for me because everything doesn’t revolve around one thing. If all of your energy goes into one part of your life, it can become difficult to step away from it.
What has your path taught you about changing direction and developing new interests?
Probably that you don’t have to have everything figured out from the beginning.
I studied history first, worked in technology, pursued music, went back to university, entered healthcare, and continued finding other things I enjoyed along the way.
None of those experiences looked like one obvious path at the time, but that doesn’t bother me.
I think people can change direction without treating everything that came before as a mistake. Sometimes those different experiences are what eventually make your life interesting.
