Shayla Higginbotham

Leilani Quiray

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

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

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.

Arun Chervu

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.

Mridu Parikh

She left a fast-paced corporate career. Moved cities with a newborn. Started multiple businesses that didn’t work before finding the one that did. And somewhere in the middle of all that, Mridu Parikh realized… being busy all day doesn’t mean you’re actually productive. If you missed Sunday’s Leaders Creating Rukus, go find this one. It is practical, honest, and surprisingly freeing. Five things that will stay with me: 🔸 Productivity is a feeling, not a checklist. You can finish 20 tasks and still feel unaccomplished, or complete 2 meaningful ones and feel truly successful. 🔸 Start your day with intention, not reaction. Asking “What will make me feel successful tonight?” changes everything about how you prioritize. 🔸 There is no perfect system. The best tool is simply the one you will actually use consistently. 🔸 If everything stays in your head, it creates stress. Getting it out, even if it feels overwhelming at first, creates clarity and space to think. 🔸 Just because you are good at something doesn’t mean you should keep doing it. Growth often requires letting go of what feels comfortable.If you have ever felt scattered, overwhelmed, or stuck in the cycle of doing more but feeling less, this episode will hit home.