Episodes

  • To Feel Seen: Building Community & Finding Purpose with Sugary

    To Feel Seen: Building Community & Finding Purpose with Sugary
    May 12 2026
    What happens when the person who makes everyone feel seen has never felt it himself? In this episode of GUTS, host Topaz Adizes sits down with Gary Su, known as Sugary, a cultural curator who built a community of 30,000 people in New York City and nearly lost his life doing it. After a health crisis landed him in the ICU last August, Sugary had to confront the one person he had never really shown up for: himself. In this episode, we explore: - Growing up as the only child of Taiwanese immigrants - How bullying became the birthplace of a superpower - Building a city's community while practicing self-abandonment - The ICU moment that forced a hard reset - What it means to finally feel seen from the inside out - Connection, healing, and learning to receive what you give
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    1 hr and 12 mins
  • The Game of Serendipity with Lue Kraltchev

    The Game of Serendipity with Lue Kraltchev
    May 12 2026
    What if the story you're telling about someone else is the wall keeping you from ever reaching them? In this episode of GUTS, Topaz Adizes sits down with Lue Kraltchev, culture strategist, polyglot, and doctoral researcher who spent 30 years in corporate hospitality studying what actually breaks people apart at work and at the table. Her answer? The narratives we carry about each other, mostly without knowing it. In this episode: The lavender moment that made her go back and get the girl she left behind Why the stories leaders tell about their people create divides no training can fix How warmth isn't something you perform, it's something you design What hospitality taught her about the biology of belonging Why AI always lands in the danger zone of storytelling Gathering people around stories of meaning Follow GUTS: Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/guts.podcast/ LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/topazadizes/ Subscribe for updates: topazadizes.com
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    1 hr and 17 mins
  • Be Like the Bamboo with Iván Saldaña

    Be Like the Bamboo with Iván Saldaña
    Apr 27 2026
    What happens when the most productive thing you can do is learn to bend? In this episode of GUTS, host Topaz Adizes sits down with Ivan Saldaña, PhD biologist, master distiller, and co-founder of Casa Lumbre. After years building brands at the intersection of biology, culture, and commerce, Ivan has arrived at a new chapter, one that asks him to look inward as fiercely as he has always looked outward. In this episode, we explore: - Growing up in a household where storytelling was survival - Why agaves only become extraordinary under restriction - Building brands rooted in biology, not mythology - What it means to lead a growing team through your own transformation - Moving from achievement to legacy, and learning to teach what you know Listen to GUTS: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1GSiahH3NYTiFKZ4mIGQnJ?si=fce013635cfa4947 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/getting-under-the-skin/id1821276933 Follow GUTS: Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/guts.podcast/ LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/topazadizes/ Subscribe for updates: topazadizes.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 4 mins
  • Different Types of Love with Shan Boodram ​

    Different Types of Love with Shan Boodram ​
    Apr 20 2026
    What happens when you reach the top and it still doesn't feel like enough? In this episode of GUTS, host Topaz Adizes sits down with Shan Boodram, board-certified sexologist, bestselling author, and one of the most recognized voices in modern intimacy. After more than a decade of building a career around human connection, Shan hit a wall, a moment of hyper-isolation that forced her to question everything she had been running toward, and whether she had actually been running away from something deeper. Through stories from her upbringing, her marriage, her creative work, and her relationship with social media, Shan opens up about the tension between needing validation and finding genuine purpose, and what it looks like to finally explore the different types of love that were missing from her life. In this episode, we explore: - Growing up with immigrant parents and professional caregivers - The sediments that shape a life - Intimacy, desire, and building a body of work - Social media, discardability, and the fear of being forgotten - Finding meaning beyond performance - What it looks like to stop running and start living Listen to GUTS: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1GSiahH3NYTiFKZ4mIGQnJ?si=fce013635cfa4947 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/getting-under-the-skin/id1821276933 Follow GUTS: Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/guts.podcast/ LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/topazadizes/ Subscribe for updates: topazadizes.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    55 mins
  • Approve of Oneself with Mitchell Goldman

    Approve of Oneself with Mitchell Goldman
    Apr 13 2026
    What happens when you realise no one is coming to save you, and you have to face yourself? In this episode of GUTS, host Topaz Adizes sits down with Mitchell Goldman to unpack the moment everything shifted. From a breaking point in front of the mirror to confronting suicidal thoughts, Mitchell shares how he stopped seeking validation and took responsibility for his own life. This conversation explores identity, self-perception, and what it really means to approve of yourself. If you’ve ever felt stuck in your own patterns or disconnected from who you are, this episode offers a direct perspective on doing the inner work and rebuilding from within. In this episode, they explore: • The mirror moment that changed everything • Suicidal thoughts and self-confrontation • Taking responsibility for your own life • Approval vs external validation • Identity and self-perception • Healing from within Listen to GUTS: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1GSiahH3NYTiFKZ4mIGQnJ?si=fce013635cfa4947 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/getting-under-the-skin/id1821276933 Follow GUTS: Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/guts.podcast/ LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/topazadizes/ Subscribe for updates: topazadizes.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    59 mins
  • Starting From Victory With Pastor Tim Johnson

    Starting From Victory With Pastor Tim Johnson
    Apr 6 2026
    What does it mean to stop proving yourself and start living with purpose, identity, and faith? In this episode of GUTS, host Topaz Adizes sits down with Pastor Timothy Johnson, a former NFL player turned pastor, to explore the shift from performance-driven success to a purpose-driven life. Through stories of football, fatherhood, and spiritual growth, Timothy unpacks how chasing validation can disconnect us from who we truly are and what it looks like to start from victory instead of striving for it. This conversation explores identity, self-worth, faith, and mindset, from navigating fatherlessness to redefining success beyond achievement. If you’ve ever felt stuck chasing goals that don’t fulfill you, this episode offers a grounded perspective on purpose, belief, and living with intention. In this episode, they explore: • Finding purpose vs chasing success • Identity and self-worth • Faith and personal growth • Growing up without a father • Control vs surrender mindset • Overcoming the need for validation Listen to GUTS: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1GSiahH3NYTiFKZ4mIGQnJ?si=fce013635cfa4947 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/getting-under-the-skin/id1821276933 Follow GUTS: Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/guts.podcast/ LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/topazadizes/ Subscribe for updates: topazadizes.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    59 mins
  • What to Do With What You Have with Susan Asiyanbi

    What to Do With What You Have with Susan Asiyanbi
    Mar 30 2026
    What does it really mean to show up for others and why do we struggle to do it consistently? In this episode of GUTS, host Topaz Adizes sits down with Susan Asiyanbi, a leader working at the intersection of relationships, culture, and organizational change. Susan reflects on how her parents’ values shaped her understanding of service, community, and the belief that every day offers a chance to try again. Through stories of grief, friendship, and personal evolution, Susan challenges the idea that we are “good friends” by default. She explores the gap between how we see ourselves and how we actually show up, the tension between independence and community, and why relationships require more honesty than we’re comfortable with. From navigating loss to redefining what it means to give without expectation, this conversation exposes the complexity of connection. Together, they explore: • Why we’re not always the friends we think we are • The difference between giving freely and giving with expectation • How grief shifts perspective and what actually matters • Why asking for help is uncomfortable but necessary • The tension between independence and needing a village • What it means to be complete but not resolved Listen GUTS: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1GSiahH3NYTiFKZ4mIGQnJ?si=fce013635cfa4947 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/getting-under-the-skin/id1821276933 Follow GUTS: Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/guts.podcast/ LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/topazadizes/ Subscribe for updates: topazadizes.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 9 mins
  • Strong, Kind, Confident & Resilient with Luis Velasquez

    Strong, Kind, Confident & Resilient with Luis Velasquez
    Mar 23 2026
    What does it mean to choose your life, even when everything feels stacked against you? In this episode of GUTS, Topaz Adizes sits down with Luis Velasquez, executive coach, Stanford leadership facilitator, and author of Ordinary Resilience. This is a conversation about resilience that isn’t performative. It’s lived. Through stories of survival, identity, fatherhood, and near breaking points, Luis unpacks how reframing reality can become a tool for transformation and how the smallest shifts in perspective can change everything. In this episode, they explore: • Why resilience is built through choice, not circumstance • The difference between fearlessness and fearing less • How identity shapes behavior and long term growth • Reframing pain into purpose and forward movement • Parenting, legacy, and what it means to truly prepare your children for life _____________________________________________________________________ Listen GUTS: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1GSiahH3NYTiFKZ4mIGQnJ?si=fce013635cfa4947 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/getting-under-the-skin/id1821276933 Follow GUTS: Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/guts.podcast/ LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/topazadizes/ Subscribe for updates: topazadizes.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 3 mins