Made By Challenge

Rashmi Airan had built the life she thought she was supposed to have: Columbia Law School, a career at Morgan Stanley, her own successful law firm and a growing family. Then a series of decisions changed everything, ultimately leading to a federal conviction and prison.

In this episode of Made By Challenge, Rashmi sits down with Alberto Sardiñas to unpack how pressure, perfectionism and rationalization led her to ignore her own instincts, and what happened when she finally chose accountability.

She shares what it was like to lose her freedom, career and identity, why nearly 200 people became part of her journey toward redemption, and how prison fundamentally changed the way she viewed success, judgment and herself.

Today, Rashmi has transformed those lessons into a new purpose, helping others make better decisions under pressure and understand that our worst moments don't have to define the rest of our lives.

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Chef Brad Delgado’s path to Hell’s Kitchen was anything but traditional. After dropping out of school and deciding to become a chef at 3AM, an unexpected Instagram DM eventually changed his career.

After dropping out of acting school and lasting just two weeks in business school, Brad had a late-night realization that changed everything: he was going to become a chef. He committed to culinary school, proved the doubters wrong, and eventually landed an opportunity to compete on Gordon Ramsay’s Hell’s Kitchen through an unexpected Instagram message.

In this episode of Made By Challenge, Brad sits down with Alberto Sardiñas to share the unconventional journey behind Chef Brad, from struggling to find his place in school and pursuing acting to discovering his calling in the kitchen and building an audience through food and social media. Brad also opens up about family, authenticity, embracing what makes you different, and the unexpected road that eventually took him to one of the biggest cooking competitions on television.

It’s a funny, honest conversation about what can happen when the path you’re “supposed” to follow turns out not to be yours.

In this episode:
Brad’s unconventional road to becoming a chef • leaving acting and business school • the 3AM moment that changed his direction • culinary school • getting discovered for Hell’s Kitchen through Instagram • building a community online • family and identity • turning setbacks into fuel

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Most people think success comes from talent, hustle, or having the perfect business idea. Eddy Arriola believes it comes from something much simpler: relationships.

After founding Apollo Bank during the 2008 financial crisis and eventually selling it at a $168 million valuation, Eddy discovered that every major breakthrough in his life came through people, not shortcuts.

In this episode of Made by Challenge, host Alberto Sardiñas sits down with entrepreneur, author, and former Apollo Bank CEO Eddy Arriola to discuss how relationships became the foundation of building and selling a bank valued at $168 million.

Whether you're launching a company, growing your career, or simply trying to become someone others want to work with, this episode offers practical advice you can start using today.

💬 What's one relationship that changed the course of your career? Let us know in the comments.

📖 Get It's All About Relationships by Eddy Arriola:
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🌐 Learn more about Eddy:
https://eddyarriola.com

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A single mom. No college degree. Working three jobs and wondering if life would ever get easier.

Today, after more than 35 years hiring talent, Martita Mestre shares the lessons that transformed rejection into opportunity and reveals what actually gets people hired in the age of AI.

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From being overlooked because she was a woman in tech, to receiving a life-changing job offer while working at a hot dog stand, this conversation is packed with practical advice on resilience, networking, confidence, and creating opportunities when no one is opening doors for you.

Whether you're looking for your first job, changing careers, or rebuilding after rejection, this episode will change how you think about success.

How do you win an election at just 23 years old with only $16,000?

Before becoming the first woman to lead the City of Doral, Christie Fraga was a young accountant with no political experience, no major donors, and little reason to believe she could beat seasoned opponents. Yet she did.

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In this episode of Made By Challenge, Christie shares how she built a grassroots campaign, balanced entrepreneurship with public service, overcame self-doubt, and stayed true to her values through some of the biggest challenges of her career.

She also opens up about leadership, taking risks, political betrayal, speaking up when it matters, and why being useful is more important than being important.

🎧 Listen to the podcast:
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In this episode of Made By Challenge, entrepreneur Andrés Moreno, founder of Open English, shares the lessons behind building one of Latin America's biggest education companies, raising more than $150 million, serving millions of students, and launching new ventures including Escala and Longevi.

From dropping out of engineering school to sleeping on couches in Silicon Valley while pitching investors, Andrés explains why resilience, discipline, and execution matter more than having the perfect idea.

Whether you're building your first startup, growing a business, or looking for the confidence to finally begin, this conversation is packed with practical advice you can apply immediately.

If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe for more conversations with entrepreneurs, creators and leaders who turn challenges into opportunities.

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Can you follow your passion and still build a successful career?

After finishing his freshman year with a 0.0 GPA, Gregory Cheng could have accepted failure. Instead, he rebuilt his life, pursued music, became a conductor, launched businesses, led teams in wealth management, and ultimately co-founded a firm where creativity, leadership, and purpose matter just as much as financial success.

In this episode of Made By Challenge, Gregory joins Alberto Sardiñas to share why failure isn't something to fear, how artists can thrive in business, and why the skills you develop through your passions may become your greatest competitive advantage. Whether you're pursuing a creative dream, considering a career change, or searching for more meaning in your work, this conversation will challenge the way you think about success.

If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe for more conversations with entrepreneurs, creators, and leaders who turn challenges into opportunities.

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In this episode of Made By Challenge, Alberto Sardiñas sits down with attorney, entrepreneur, and branding expert Amanda Demanda for a practical conversation about building a career with purpose.

Instead of chasing shortcuts, Amanda explains how discipline, personal branding, confidence, and resilience helped her create one of the most recognizable professional brands in South Florida.

Whether you're starting your career, growing a business, or looking for your next breakthrough, this conversation is packed with actionable ideas you can apply immediately.

If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe for more conversations with entrepreneurs, creators and leaders who turn challenges into opportunities.
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How do you rebuild your life when everything changes in an instant?

In this episode of Made By Challenge, host Alberto Sardiñas sits down with performance coach, entrepreneur, and author Brett Eaton to discuss the challenges that shaped his life and career.

Brett shares the personal story of losing his father at a young age, overcoming a career-ending injury, and discovering the mindset that helped him transform adversity into purpose. Together, Brett and Alberto explore confidence, resilience, personal growth, entrepreneurship, and the lessons that emerge during life's most difficult moments.

If you've ever faced uncertainty, loss, or a major setback, this conversation offers practical insights on moving forward with intention and confidence.

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Born in Cuba during one of the country's most difficult periods, Yane Diaz grew up surrounded by scarcity, uncertainty, and limited choices. Yet those challenges became the foundation for a remarkable journey that would take her from immigrant entrepreneur to AI professor, emotional intelligence coach, and business leader.

In this episode of Made By Challenge, Yane shares how growing up during Cuba's Special Period shaped her mindset, why she walked away from a traditional path, the painful lessons of losing a company she built, and how emotional intelligence became one of her greatest competitive advantages.

This is a conversation about resilience, entrepreneurship, leadership, reinvention, and what it truly means to create your own opportunities when none seem available.

If you've ever faced setbacks, career pivots, or moments that forced you to start over, this episode is for you.

Hosted by Alberto Sardiñas.

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