Leaders Creating Rukus

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.

Veena Murthy

She moved across continents as a teenager, alone, uncertain, and determined to choose her own path. She walked away from expectations, questioned success, and rebuilt her career more than once to find alignment. And through it all, Veena Murthy kept returning to one powerful question: Why? In this episode of Leaders Creating Rukus Aashi sits down with Veena Murthy, healthcare leader, strategist, and creator of the “Back to Me” framework, who has spent over two decades shaping value-based care while helping high-achieving women reconnect with who they truly are. From navigating cultural displacement to leading in high-stakes healthcare environments, Veena shares what it really means to succeed without losing yourself, and why so many leaders feel misaligned even at the top. In this episode, Veena opens up about: 🔸 Why success without alignment can feel empty, even when everything looks right 🔸 The “whispers” we ignore until life forces us to listen 🔸 How understanding your why becomes a compass for every decisionIf you have ever felt like you are doing everything right but something still feels off, this conversation will stay with you.

Shayla Higginbotham

Shayla Higginbotham has spent 20+ years navigating the complexity of healthcare, building, advising, and challenging systems from the inside out. Raised in a small town in West Virginia, she learned early what it meant to be different and that success requires more than hard work. It takes thinking differently.A minority woman in male-dominated spaces, Shayla did not just find her voice. She created space for others to have one. Today, she is the Founder and Managing Partner of SYSTEM PARTNERS, helping healthcare organizations bridge the gap between strategy and execution, turning big ideas into real-world results. In this episode of Leaders Creating Rukus, Aashi sits down with Shayla Higginbotham, healthcare executive, advisor, and a leader who embodies healthy disruption. From building health systems to launching her own firm, Shayla shares what it really takes to lead in complex environments. In this episode, Shayla opens up about: 🔸 Why healthy disruption drives growth 🔸 The gap between strategy and execution 🔸 Building a personal brand that evolves 🔸 Why you have to go through it to get through it 🔸 The power of giving everyone a voice If you have ever felt stuck, unheard, or ready to lead differently, this one is for you.