Many business owners put profits first to survive, but long-term enterprise growth requires shifting your focus entirely toward your people and the quality of your product. In this episode of Leaders Creating Rukus, we welcome award-winning director and entrepreneur Ivan Gonzalez. Drawing on over 26 years of grueling, boots-on-the-ground film industry experience, Ivan grew from an ambitious production assistant to the owner of IG1 Communications. Tune in to hear how Ivan moved his business from a lean, overhead-free startup in a baby bedroom into a full-fledged Orange County agency with 12 full-time employees and 5 non-stop edit bays.

In this episode, we’ll talk about: 

🔸 Why "good enough is never good enough" must be your team's daily guiding principle
🔸 How to act as a general contractor and leverage a deep professional network
🔸 Shifting priorities from short-term profit to building a people-first workplace culturesIvan’s journey in the arts and film industry is rooted in a lifetime of creative exposure, starting with his childhood in Mexico City and Guadalajara, where his father worked as a motivational trainer.

After moving to California, Ivan honed his technical craft through the film programs at Orange Coast College and the LA Film School. Before launching his own venture, he spent decades on major commercial sets, moving up the ranks to produce national TV spots and infomercials. Today his company, IG1 Communications, is known across Orange County for delivering award-winning corporate and marketing videos that compete head-to-head with six-figure agency productions.

Connect with Ivan:

Instagram: @ig1comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gbpictures/
Website: www.ig1communications.comContact: [email protected]

Most AI tools are built for general consumers, but very few are sophisticated enough to handle the massive, messy reality of enterprise healthcare data.This Sunday at 4 PM PST on Leaders Creating Rukus, we welcome cardiologist and entrepreneur Dr. Saurabh Gupta. With decades of leadership experience at OHSU and the Oregon Medical Board, Dr. Gupta is tackling the fractured healthcare data head-on.

Tune in to hear how his company, CorMetrix, is using VerixAi to bridge the complex gap between massive medical records and legal/risk management analysis.In this episode, we'll talk about:

🔸 Balancing standardization and innovation in healthcare
🔸 Why the massive cost and nuances of enterprise AI are a wake-up call for health systems
🔸 Acknowledging what you don't know and building the right team

Dr. Gupta's journey to expanding his impact beyond the clinic began with medical training at Columbia University, followed by cardiology and interventional cardiology fellowships at the University of Utah. A former faculty member at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU), he served as Program Director for the Interventional Cardiology Fellowship and helped launch one of the first structural and valvular heart disease programs on the West Coast. Today, he channels that same leadership as the Chief of Cardiology for St. Charles Health System and a Professor of Medicine at Washington State University. He's also a member of the Board of Governors for the American College of Cardiology (2022–2025), building on his previous service with the Oregon Medical Board.

Connect with Dr. Gupta:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cormetrix/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CorMetrix
• Website: https://coretrix.com/

Most accountants are trained to look backward at your numbers, but very few are taught how to look forward at your business.


This episode on Leaders Creating Rukus, we welcome Joe Lessard, a CPA and specialized healthcare consultant. He is one of the financial world's most refreshing voices, working at the intersection of operational strategy, medical practice growth, and relational business. With years of experience guiding doctors, dentists, and veterinarians, Joe has had a front-row seat to exactly where standard accounting fails busy clinical professionals. Having cut his teeth in the high-stakes customer service culture of Nordstrom, he realized that what modern medical practices need isn't another desk-bound "pencil pusher," but a proactive strategist.In this episode, we’ll talk about:

🔸 Shifting the paradigm from reactive accounting to proactive consulting
🔸 Why the massive CPA shortage is a wake-up call for the industry
🔸 Overcoming introversion and mastering the art of relationship-driven networkingAs a dedicated father of four and an Elmhurst University alumnus, Joe is a leader who prioritizes collaboration over distance, working side-by-side with his clients to drive growth. He is a recipient of the Don Sveen Award in Accounting and an active member of the National Society of Certified Healthcare Business Consultants (NSCHBC), combining deep professional expertise with a steadfast commitment to ethics, comprehensive practice management, and exceptional customer service.


You can find him across through the following platforms
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/TheDoctorsCPA
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheDoctorsCPA
Instagram: @TheDoctorsCPA
Website: https://pbminc.net/

Women live longer than men but they spend 25% more of their lives in poor health.

This realization made Vasanta launch a movement.

In this episode of Leaders Creating Rukus we welcome Vasanta Pundarika, CEO & Founder of Lotuspring. She is one of healthcare's most distinctive voices working at the messy intersection of women's health, behavioral health, and business strategy.

With nearly two decades as a healthcare investment banker, advising on deals from startups to multi-billion-dollar companies, Vasanta had a front-row seat to exactly where the system was failing women. So, she left banking to fix it.

On this episode we’ll talk about:

•  The decades of underfunding and underdiagnosing in women’s health
•  South Asian behavioral health stigma
•  Bridging the gap between an uncompromising clinical mission and sustainable business growth.

Vasanta is a board member, keynote speaker, Princeton alumna, and the kind of leader who does not observe from a distance but positions herself at the center of the work where the hardest problems actually live.

What if building your career meant amplifying who you already are instead of starting over from scratch? In this episode, we’re revisiting one of our favorite conversations on Leaders Creating Rukus with keynote speaker, entrepreneur, and LinkedIn authority Sheikh C. Ali. A former medical student who pivoted away from a traditional path, Sheikh is now the Founder and CEO of SC Medical Media, where he helps clinicians and healthcare executives transform their LinkedIn presence from boring to beaming. For the past two years, he has gone all in on LinkedIn, leveraging its dominance in the B2B space to help leaders build authority, attract high-level opportunities, and land speaking engagements through authentic personal branding. But his journey was not linear.

In this episode, Sheikh opens up about what it really means to pivot with purpose and how storytelling, community, and clarity can turn a platform into a powerful career asset.In this conversation, we dive into:

🔸 Why he walked away from medicine and leaned into entrepreneurship
🔸 How clinicians and executives can build real authority, not just impressions, on LinkedIn
🔸 The difference between visibility and impact in 2026
🔸 Why networking is a lifelong skill, not a last-minute scramble
🔸 And how personality, values, and voice are the real differentiators in the age of AI

💬 “Your personal brand is what people say about you when you’re not in the room, and LinkedIn gives you a way to shape that story intentionally.”

He had the dream job. The music industry. Celebrity clients. VIP events. Success by every traditional measure.Then at 31, while tying his shoes on a Monday morning, Matthew Emerzian thought he was having a heart attack.It wasn't a heart attack. It was the beginning of a battle with severe anxiety, depression, and a life-changing realization: everything he thought mattered didn't. In this episode of Leaders Creating Rukus, Aashi sits down with Matthew Emerzian, 4x best-selling author, keynote speaker, and Founder & CEO of Every Monday Matters, a movement helping millions of students, educators, employees, and seniors rediscover why they matter.From managing bands and working with some of the biggest names in music to building a global mission around belonging, purpose, and mental health, Matthew shares the journey that transformed his life and inspired his newest book, Make It Matter.

In this episode, Matthew opens up about:
🔸 Why achievement and success don't always create fulfillment
🔸 The surprising lesson his therapist taught him that changed everything
🔸 How helping others helped him find himself again
🔸 The power of mattering, to yourself, to others, and to the world
🔸 Why meaningful human connection may be the answer we're all searching for

If you've ever questioned your purpose, struggled with burnout, or wondered what truly makes a meaningful life, this conversation is for you.

She built an HR company that leads with compassion instead of corporate scripts. Traveled the country alone during the pandemic to rebuild her life from the inside out. And turned her own healing journey into a mission to create workplaces that are both human and impactful. In this episode of Leaders Creating Rukus Aashi sits down with LeiLani Quiray, founder and CEO of be the change HR, social entrepreneur, speaker, and conscious leader redefining what leadership can look like.What started as a payroll job as a teenager became an eight-year HR company helping small businesses build healthier workplaces while dedicating part of its mission to supporting survivors of trafficking and people rebuilding their lives. But behind the business growth was another story. One of addiction recovery, radical self-awareness, and choosing peace over performance. In this episode, Leilani opens up about:

🔸 Why company culture exists whether you define it or not
🔸 The life-changing road trip that forced her to confront what she was masking
🔸 Building a business rooted in care, accountability, and conscious capitalism
🔸 What leaders lose when they numb instead of feel
🔸 How vulnerability became her greatest leadership strength

From scaling a business to living out of a Mazda Miata during COVID, LeiLani’s story is a reminder that leadership is not about perfection. It is about honesty, evolution, and having the courage to become someone new.

Ashar Ahmed has spent more than two decades navigating high-stakes litigation, business disputes, and complex legal battles, but behind the courtroom success is a story built on grit, reinvention, and relentless growth. Born and raised in Karachi, Pakistan, Ashar came to the U.S. in 1991 to study engineering at Purdue University. After realizing engineering was not his path, he pivoted to business and accounting, graduating summa cum laude before launching his career at KPMG and PricewaterhouseCoopers as a CPA and auditor. But Ashar knew he was meant to advocate, not just analyze numbers. He transitioned into law despite the challenges of navigating legal writing and litigation as a non-native English speaker. Through discipline, humility, and relentless hard work, he eventually became a partner at a national law firm before co-founding his own successful litigation practice. Today, Ashar represents companies and individuals in complex litigation involving financial fraud, corporate governance, trade secrets, consumer fraud, intellectual property, real estate disputes, and employment matters.

In this episode of Leaders Creating Rukus, Ashar opens up about:

🔸 Why embracing your weaknesses is the first step toward growth
🔸 Building a business through delegation, trust, and mindset
🔸 The grit required to succeed as an immigrant and entrepreneur
🔸 Why working “on” the business matters more than doing everything yourselfFrom immigrant student to law firm founder, Ashar’s journey is a powerful reminder that resilience and consistent effort can transform limitations into strengths.

Michael Trust spent more than 35 years navigating the realities of workplace leadership before becoming a California employment attorney. Today, he brings both worlds together, helping businesses and employees solve complex workplace challenges with a rare blend of legal expertise and real world HR insight.

In this episode of Leaders Creating Rukus Aashi sits down with Michael Trust, Esq., employment attorney, former HR executive, and trusted advisor on workplace culture, leadership, and conflict resolution.Before law school, Michael built a decades long career leading Human Resources and business operations across industries including healthcare, higher education, and real estate. After seeing firsthand how workplace issues escalate when people and culture are overlooked, he made the bold decision later in life to attend law school and become an employment attorney, combining practical business experience with legal strategy to help organizations build healthier, stronger workplaces.In this episode, 

Michael opens up about:

🔸 Why most companies wait too long to prioritize HR and culture
🔸 The hidden cost of poor leadership and unresolved workplace conflict
🔸 What business owners misunderstand most about employment law
🔸 Why emotional intelligence matters in leadership and HR
🔸 The growing ethical risks of using AI in hiring, performance, and workplace decisions
🔸 How proactive leadership can prevent costly legal and cultural breakdownsFrom navigating conflict to redefining what strong workplace culture actually looks like, this conversation is packed with practical wisdom for leaders, founders, HR professionals, and anyone building teams in today’s rapidly changing world.

If you lead people, manage teams, or want to create a healthier workplace culture, this episode is for you.

He trained at Princeton University, earned his M.D. from Weill Cornell Medical College, and built a decades-long career as a leading vascular surgeon. But behind the titles, accolades, and leadership roles is a story shaped by loss, reinvention, and an evolving definition of purpose. In this episode of Leaders Creating Rukus Aashi sits down with Dr. Arun Chervu, surgeon, systems thinker, and now a voice on what it really means to “retire” without stepping away from impact.After 30+ years in practice, scaling a vascular surgery group from 4 to 13 physicians and leading service-line development across major health systems, Arun made a bold shift, not because he had to, but because something no longer felt aligned.

In this episode, Arun opens up about:

🔸 Why losing passion can be a signal, not a failure, to evolve
🔸 The hidden cost of “shift mentality” in modern leadership and care
🔸 How expectations, of yourself and others, can both drive excellence and create friction
🔸 Redefining retirement as reinvention, not withdrawal
🔸 What it means to lead with discipline, clarity, and humanity across decades

From personal tragedy early in life to raising a family, building a respected medical career, and now stepping into advisory, consulting, and teaching roles, Arun’s journey is a masterclass in resilience, responsibility, and recalibration.

If you’ve ever questioned what’s next, even when things look successful on paper, this conversation will stay with you.