Chitra Ragavan

Jeremy Corr

Garrett Warren

https://media.blubrry.com/whenitmattered/ins.blubrry.com/whenitmattered/When_it_Mattered_68_RD1.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Email | RSS Ep. 68 — He survived a near-fatal shooting by a hitman hired by his ex-wife to become one of Hollywood’s top stuntmen / Garrett Warren, Stunt Actor/Director On May 20, 2000, Hollywood stuntman Garrett Warren was hanging out at his home in Westlake Village, California with his mom when the doorbell rang insistently. When Warren opened the door, he found himself facing the barrel of a gun. What happened next was not a stunt scene with fake bullets. Warren was shot four times, including in his right eye, and left to die on his front porch. The gunman fled the scene but not before he shot at Warren’s mother twice, missing narrowly, after she came to the door to see what all the commotion was about. Warren miraculously survived the attack but lost his right eye. His ex-wife, Claudio Haro, former wife of actor Joe Pesci, plead not guilty but was implicated in the attempted murder plot and sentenced to 12 years and four months in prision. Since then, Warren has gone on to become an immensely successful stunt performer, stunt double, fight coordinator, and unit director in major movies including Avatar, Mission Impossible III, the X-Men movies,  Logan, IronMan 2, Agents of SHIELD, and Spider-Man 2, to name just a few. He has taught martial arts and fight choreography to such celebrities as Jessica Alba, Jada Pinkett Smith, John Travolta, and Dwayne Johnson, a.k.a., “The Rock,” and is a personal trainer to many stars. I learned a wealth of information about the world of stunt choreography through my fascinating conversation with Garrett Warren and I know you will too! If you liked this episode, check out these other episodes: Ep. 65. Mexican gangsters faked avocado purchase to launder ransom payment / Patrick Struebi, Fairtrasa Ep. 63. Held hostage by a drug lord reveals the best and worst of humanity / Francisco Cantos Calderón / Former Vice President of Colombia Ep. 61. Heroism, activism, reconciliation with nature / Jerry White, Nobel laureate, landmine survivor Ep. 14. Terrifying robbery and kidnapping reveals what truly matters in life / Stanley Alpert, Attorney

Garrett Warren Read More »

Andy Dunn

https://media.blubrry.com/whenitmattered/ins.blubrry.com/whenitmattered/When_it_Mattered_67_RD1.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Email | RSS Ep. 67  — He built a successful startup while waging a life-threatening battle against bipolar disorder / Andy Dunn, Co-founder, Bonobos, and Author, “Burn Rate: Launching A Startup And Losing My Mind.” Andy Dunn would never have predicted that he would wind up naked and writhing on the floor of Bellevue Hospital’s psychiatric Emergency Room in New York — in the throes of a massive bipolar episode. Nor that when he would be released from Bellevue a week later, he would be arrested on charges of assaulting his then-girlfriend -now-wife, and her mother. That night in 2016 was a spectacular fall from grace for Andy Dunn, then the CEO and co-founder of the massively successful e-commerce-driven menswear brand, Bonobos. It was the most consequential but not the first time that Dunn had wound up in terrible situations during his nearly-two-decade battle against bipolar disorder.  All the while, he was leading and scaling Bonobos, which he ultimately sold to Walmart. Dunn writes about his struggle with bipolar disorder in unsparing detail in his new critically acclaimed bestseller, “Burn Rate: Launching a Startup and Losing My Mind.” In riveting parallel narratives, Dunn uses his own relentlessly-cyclical battles against hypomania and depression, the hallmarks of bipolar disorder or manic depression as it used to be called,  to place tech startup founders under an unsparing lens as he explores the prevalence of mental illness in Silicon Valley. And he brilliantly parses the fine line between inspired genius and megalomania which are common traits among these exponentially successful entrepreneurs. Thanks for Listening. If you liked this episode, do check out these other episodes from When It Mattered: Ep. 50. Great career despite insurmountable obstacles / Leigh Steinberg, Steinberg Sports Ep. 21. Disenchanted doctor finds secret inspiration in heroin addict / Dr. Andrew Lees, Neurologist Ep. 37. Tumultuous childhood led to career in human behavior / Nicole Fisher, HHR Strategies

Andy Dunn Read More »

Ep. 28 — An investor’s rejection leads to an epiphany about self and the future of AI-powered digital content creation / Iman Oubou, Founder & CEO, SWAAY, and Author, “The Glass Ledge.”

https://media.blubrry.com/techtopiawithchitraragavan/ins.blubrry.com/techtopiawithchitraragavan/Techtopia_28_RD1.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Email | RSS Do you want to be a writer but suffer from writer’s block? I know I often do! Well, my guest today may have the perfect solution for us — the world’s first AI-powered writing and publishing platform — that she says will help you put words 3x faster on the page, and transform the future of writing, publishing, and connecting. The AI platform is the brainchild of tech entrepreneur, startup founder, and former beauty queen, Iman Oubou. Oubou is the author of a new book just released called, “The Glass Ledge: How To Break Through Self-Sabotage, Embrace Your Power, And Create Your Success.” A Moroccan-American, Oubou is the Founder and CEO of SWAAY, a digital women’s content and empowerment platform. But as her candid book indicates, this journey from pageant winner to startup founder and now author has not been an easy one.  If you liked this episode, check out these other episodes from my podcast, When It Mattered (👍 Please subscribe to both podcasts and give them a Thumbs Up!)  Ep. 11. Reluctant beauty pageant winner finds unique path to public service / Erin Walczewski, Attorney WIM Ep. 28. Dermatologist breaks mold in medicine, sports, Silicon Valley / Dr. Michelle Longmire, Medable Ep. 46. Impulsive career move leads to big inflection point / Julie Schafer, The Flu Lab Ep. 44. Mentee takes up mentor’s mantle / Karen A. Clark, City National Bank Ep. 37. Tumultuous childhood led to career in human behavior / Nicole Fisher, HHR Strategies Ep. 6. Martial arts contest gives polymath life lesson / Dr. Shawna Pandya, Citizen-Scientist Astronaut  Ep. 47. Busy diplomat’s bored wife pursues unusual psychology career / Anne Speckhard, ICSVE

Ep. 28 — An investor’s rejection leads to an epiphany about self and the future of AI-powered digital content creation / Iman Oubou, Founder & CEO, SWAAY, and Author, “The Glass Ledge.” Read More »

Marie Yovanovitch

https://media.blubrry.com/whenitmattered/ins.blubrry.com/whenitmattered/When_it_Mattered_66_RD3.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Email | RSS Ep. No. 66 — Fired by President Donald Trump, a distinguished diplomat helps impeach him and reclaims her narrative / Marie Yovanovitch, Former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine and author, “Lessons from the Edge”. On April 24, 2019, in the dead of night, with no explanation, Marie Yovanovitch got a call from the U.S State Department, essentially removing her immediately from her post as Ambassador to Ukraine. A few days later, back in Washington DC — a shell-shocked Yovanovitch learned the extraordinary details of why she had been fired from her job and that the man behind it was none other than her boss, President Donald Trump. After the shock wore off, Ambassador Yovanovitch decided to fight back. Pilloried by the right-wing media, she publicly testified in Congress under oath during Trump’s impeachment hearings, resulting in his first of two impeachments. Yovanovitch has written a fascinating new memoir called “Lessons from the Edge,”  in which she systematically lays out the months-long attempts by Trump and his cronies to ruin her reputation and subvert democracy using a foreign power, Ukraine. And she describes how she seized back her narrative from the former president. As Congressional hearings cast new light on Trump’s last-ditch efforts to stay in power — culminating in the January 6, 2021 riots in the US Capitol by his supporters — I’m so honored to welcome the former US Ambassador to Ukraine, Marie Yovanovitch. If you liked this episode, please check out these other episodes: When It Mattered: 60. Putin laid his cards on the table years before Ukraine invasion / Gen. James Jones, USMC  56. Retired cop learns his job has just begun / Thomas Manger, US Capitol Police 15. Big-time political advisor returns to his small-town roots, finds urgent new cause /James Carville Techtopia: 26. Technology is re-wiring Ukraine’s narrative / Alex Deane and Bryan Cunningham

Marie Yovanovitch Read More »

Ep. 27 — The U.S. Government attempts to shape sweeping crypto policies amidst market turbulence and massive ransomware hacks / Carole House, Director of Cybersecurity and Secure Digital Innovation at National Security Council, The White House

https://media.blubrry.com/techtopiawithchitraragavan/ins.blubrry.com/techtopiawithchitraragavan/Techtopia_27_RD1.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Email | RSS This past April, the FBI disclosed an astonishing fact about the breach of the blockchain behind the popular “play to earn” game Axie Infinity a few weeks earlier. The FBI said the hackers who stole $615 million dollars in cryptocurrency were, in fact, from the group “Lazarus” which has direct ties to the government of North Korea. To add insult to injury, the brazen attack took place just weeks after President Joe Biden had released an Executive Order, authorizing a whole-of federal government approach to derisking digital assets. It was the equivalent of North Korea thumbing its nose at the U.S. Government. The incident revealed the incredible challenges confronting President Joe Biden and his national security and economic teams as they attempt to craft sweeping policies to protect consumers without hindering financial innovation, at the same time earning the trust of and cooperation from the crypto communities to help police the space, without violating the libertarian ethos undergirding blockchain, cryptocurrency, and digital assets. With all these challenges swirling about, I am delighted to share my recent wide-ranging conversation on crypto regulation and compliance with a key White House official who has been thinking about this and working on these complex issues for years. Carole House is the former Director for Cybersecurity and Secure Digital Innovation for the National Security Council, The White House. She joined the NSC on detail from the U.S. Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), where she led cybersecurity, virtual currency, and emerging technology policy efforts as a Senior Cyber and Emerging Technology Policy Officer. House has just returned back to FinCEN after her White House tour of duty. Please like, rate, review, and subscribe to my new YouTube channel! https://www.youtube.com/c/ChitraRagavan If you liked this episode, please check out these other episodes! What does IRS Criminal Investigation Do? Are NFTs overhyped? What’s driving the bitcoin mania? Father’s gift and brother’s illness led him to crypto

Ep. 27 — The U.S. Government attempts to shape sweeping crypto policies amidst market turbulence and massive ransomware hacks / Carole House, Director of Cybersecurity and Secure Digital Innovation at National Security Council, The White House Read More »