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"People look at a picture from outside and they picture it differently. It's a beautiful picture. I wake up, I put on my makeup, I have a smile on my face. But people don't know the inside."

🎟️ Seed of Life Gala — September 30. Donate here:
https://www.wctf.org/how-to-help/
All proceeds support the World Children's Transplant Fund.

Louise Gill chairs a foundation that gives children in countries without the medical infrastructure a chance at a transplant. A diagnosis that's survivable here is a death sentence there. On September 30 she's trying to raise $1.2 million toward a fund in Armenia.

She has almost no presence online, and that's deliberate. This is the first long conversation she's given.

In this episode:
— the mother in Argentina whose dying request started the whole organisation
— what the money actually pays for, and where it goes
— what she learned from her mother, who helped resettle Armenian refugees for decades
— being on a police commission and what she's had to say from that seat
— what she says to one person who thinks they're not enough
— why she believes being humble is the highest form of integrity

TIMESTAMPS
00:00 "People see the picture"
00:33 When helping children became the thing she's here for
02:20 Her mother, ANCHA, and 68,000 refugees
04:20 The mother in Argentina whose dying wish started it
06:10 Why Armenia, and why now
08:30 What September 30 actually looks like
09:40 The two people being honoured
12:30 What the money does
13:50 "There's nothing about me on the internet"
16:20 "We're lacking the unity"
21:29 Taking care of other people's children
22:20 Three years
25:05 "People don't know the inside"
26:39 The ones who want the photo
31:53 To anyone who feels like just one person

INSIGHT is a long-form interview show about the stories behind the headlines, hosted by Emma Sargsyan. New episodes Saturdays 1pm PT.

Partnerships and guest suggestions: emma@emmasargsyan.com

#SeedOfLife #WCTF #philanthropy #Armenian #Burbank #INSIGHT

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The next time you see someone famous, look at the person just behind them — the one you're trained not to see. For 25 years, that was Anton Kalaydjian.

He has run security for 50 Cent, Alicia Keys, Ariana Grande, Justin Bieber and more. He got his start the hard way: shot on a hip-hop world tour, taking down an active shooter — which is how he got the job for good. A teenage stockbroker who became a single father at 18, he walked away from Wall Street and built Guardian Professional Security into one of the largest celebrity protection agencies in the world.

In this episode of INSIGHT, Anton opens a world almost no one gets to see: what fame actually looks like when the cameras go off, what the most famous people are truly afraid of, the 13 colleagues he's lost, and why the men who protect the powerful are "the gray man" that no one mourns.

And then the story underneath it all — as the descendant of an Armenian genocide- survivor family who couldn't be protected in their own homeland, he became one of the most trusted protectors in the world. Now he's buying land in the very country his family was forced to flee. A full-circle moment, in his own words.

⏱️ CHAPTERS
00:00 The person you're trained not to see
02:47 What people get wrong about bodyguards
04:56 The sacrifices no one sees
07:32 From teenage stockbroker to single father at 18
09:33 How he got shot — and got the job
10:36 The 51/49 decision that changed his life
11:44 "Fear is a gift"
12:08 Would he take a bullet? The fireman answer
13:42 Building Guardian: 700 employees, two worlds
16:55 The power to say no to famous clients
18:35 The 13 colleagues he's lost
19:34 "The gray man" — why no one mourns them
20:08 What fame actually does to a person
21:02 Why the humble stars last, and the divas don't
27:19 What the most famous people are really afraid of
28:20 Terrorism, Manchester, and thinking like a bad guy
30:50 Guns vs. protection dogs — answering Mike Israeli
34:00 The night in Lagos he didn't think he'd survive
35:13 Lying to his mother his whole life
44:13 "Who protects you?"
45:56 An Armenian genocide-survivor family
46:49 The healthy burden of surviving
47:42 Buying land in Armenia — the full circle
49:29 The protector, and the people who couldn't be protected
51:12 His advice to anyone who wants this life
53:18 What he wants the name Kalaydjian to mean

🎧 New INSIGHT episodes every Saturday, 1pm PT
Watch the full episode of INSIGHT — the first Armenian-English podcast on power and influence in the US

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Filmed at The Reserve Lounge, where luxury cigars, private events, and curated experiences come together, an elevated setting for conversation.
Instagram.com/ reserve_lounge

▶️ Watch next — Mike Israeli on protecting LA's wealthiest families: https://youtu.be/dC23Fm3tn78?si=TY5khBL5IWxUlMCy

—

ABOUT ANTON KALAYDJIAN Anton Kalaydjian is the founder of Guardian Professional Security, one of the largest celebrity and event protection agencies in the United States, with operations in over 60 countries. Over 25 years he has led security for many of the world's biggest artists. He is the lead instructor at the Executive Protection Institute and the subject of a documentary, with a book forthcoming.

ABOUT INSIGHT Hosted by Emma Sargsyan — PR strategist and founder of Saege PR — INSIGHT sits down with the people behind the headlines. New episodes Saturdays, 1pm PT.

#AntonKalaydjian #Bodyguard #50Cent #JustinBieber #ArianaGrande #INSIGHTPodcast #EmmaSargsyan #celebritysecurity #Armenian #executiveprotection

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He grew up thinking hummus was Armenian food. It took a trip to Armenia in 2015 to realize how much he didn't know — and it sent him village to village, recipe to recipe, all the way to Artsakh, documenting a cuisine right before the world changed.

Ara Zada is a chef, bestselling author, and the person who arguably made Armenian food cool to people who'd never heard the word before. In this conversation, we talk about what it means to document a place and then lose access to it, the diaspora question nobody says out loud — whether he was ever told he wasn't Armenian enough — what hate actually looks like in his comment section versus his DMs, and the immigrant grit behind his grandfather's journey from doctor to janitor to business owner.

He also explains why choosing joy isn't the same as avoiding grief, and gives one of the most useful, three-word philosophies on mastering anything we've heard on this show.

Filmed at The Reserve Lounge, where luxury cigars, private events, and curated experiences come together, an elevated setting for conversation.
Instagram.com/ reserve_lounge

This episode is presented in partnership with Garikimot, luxury lakefront vacation rentals set in the gated Terra Lago community of Indio, California, minutes from Palm Springs and Coachella. Private saltwater pools, lake and mountain views, and space for groups of up to 23. Plan your stay at garikimot.com.
Instagram.com/gariki_mot

Watch the full episode of INSIGHT — the first Armenian-English podcast on power and influence in the US — and follow for new episodes every week.

Follow INSIGHT:
Instagram.com/ emmasargsyan
https://open.spotify.com/show/033ll3Q...
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...
#ArmenianCuisine #Artsakh #INSIGHT #AraZada

TIMESTAMPS
0:00 – The Book
0:38 – "Cole" Means Eat: Growing Up in the Kitchen
2:33 – Realizing It Was a Career, Not a Hobby
5:20 – Armenian Food vs. the Fitness Obsession
7:42 – The Least Healthy Cuisines, Ranked
8:53 – The First Trip to Armenia That Changed Everything
11:26 – What Is "The" Armenian Dish?
12:15 – "Have You Ever Been Told You Weren't Armenian Enough?"
13:32 – What Genocide Erased
17:14 – The Cost of Fame
18:22 – Thank Your Haters
19:24 – What Hate Actually Looks Like
20:00 – The Turkish DMs Nobody Sees
36:58 – His Grandfather: Doctor, Janitor, Immigrant
37:17 – "I'll Show You How We Make Money Cooking"
39:44 – Chef, Author, Bow Hunter, Father: Which One Is Real?
41:07 – The 365-Hour Rule
42:53 – "Cavd Tanem, Let Me Take Your Pain"
43:12 – Choosing Joy Over Sorrow
43:51 – Closing: What He Hopes People Feel

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He was stealing liquor at seven. Smoking by eight. By fifteen, he'd had his first overdose. By twenty-seven, he'd attempted suicide three times and spent eleven days in a coma.

Ash Vardanyan is in long-term recovery — clean since December 15, 2011 — and now runs treatment programs, including work specifically with veterans. In this conversation, he goes through what he calls the real story, not the headline version: the childhood trauma that preceded the addiction, what actually happens inside a relapse, what treatment centers don't tell desperate families, and why he believes shame does as much damage as the drug itself.

Near the end, he speaks directly to two people who may be watching: a parent terrified their child is using, and someone still in it right now.

This is a conversation about addiction, recovery, and the difference between hope and action.

Watch the full episode of INSIGHT — the first Armenian-English podcast on power and influence in the US — and follow for new episodes every week.

If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, SAMHSA's National Helpline is available 24/7 and confidential: 1-800-662-4357.
If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, call or text 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
To reach Ash's team directly at LACATC (Los Angeles County Addiction Treatment Center), call (844) 714-1200.

TIMESTAMPS
0:00 – Cold Open
0:50 – Intro
0:55 – Childhood in Armenia and the Roots of Trauma
5:05 – First High: "Gone Without One Smoke"
5:33 – First Overdose at 15
8:24 – Rock Bottom: 10 Overdoses
9:15 – Deciding to End His Life
9:54 – 11 Days in a Coma
10:46 – What People Don't Understand About Addiction
13:46 – Alone in the Room
14:52 – The Night of 400 Pills
17:35 – Raising His Son Differently
19:02 – What's Sold to Desperate Families
31:40 – The "Boy Child" Problem in Armenian Families
38:43 – Rejected by the Military for Being High
40:32 – From Rejected Addict to Treatment Center Founder
47:05 – Building a Home for Veterans in Recovery
48:04 – Clean Since December 15, 2011
49:38 – Is Shame Deadlier Than the Drug?
51:57 – If They Don't Want to Stop, They Won't
53:26 – A Message to Every Terrified Mother
55:03 – A Message to Anyone Still Using

Filmed at The Reserve Lounge, where luxury cigars, private events, and curated experiences come together, an elevated setting for conversation.
Instagram.com/ reserve_lounge

This episode is presented in partnership with Garikimot, luxury lakefront vacation rentals set in the gated Terra Lago community of Indio, California, minutes from Palm Springs and Coachella. Private saltwater pools, lake and mountain views, and space for groups of up to 23. Plan your stay at garikimot.com.
Instagram.com/gariki_mot

Watch the full episode of INSIGHT — the first Armenian-English podcast on power and influence in the US — and follow for new episodes every week.

Follow INSIGHT:
Instagram.com/ emmasargsyan
https://open.spotify.com/show/033ll3Q...
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...

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Botox is a neurotoxin. Most people getting it never think about that once.

We sat down with Dr. Yeranui Stepanyan, who runs an aesthetic medical practice in Beverly Hills and has also worked urgent care, to talk about what almost nobody says out loud in this industry: why a great deal on filler should scare you more than excite you, what "Ozempic face" actually looks like and why it happens, how hormones and even your menstrual cycle change the way your body responds to a needle, and the real difference between a licensed provider and someone with a certification bought online.

Most consultations end with a price and a before-and-after photo. We asked about the oath behind the needle, the patients she's had to turn away, and what she's seen go catastrophically wrong.

Timestamps:
00:00 Cold open: this could blind you
0:52 Intro
2:00 Meet Dr. Yeranui Stepanyan
2:17 The one thing nobody tells you in consultation
7:46 The $3 Botox problem
8:42 The kidney transplant test
9:26 The oath behind the needle
11:47 The red flag everyone ignores
12:18 It's literally a toxin
14:36 The 70-year-old and the TikTok request
17:21 Should you start Botox in your 20s?
20:19 Are GLP-1s a magic pill?
20:26 What "Ozempic face" actually looks like
30:54 Why men are finally getting Botox

Full episode above. Subscribe for the rest of the season.

Filmed at The Reserve Lounge, where luxury cigars, private events, and curated experiences come together, an elevated setting for conversation.
https://www.instagram.com/reserve_lounge/

This episode is presented in partnership with Garikimot, luxury lakefront vacation rentals set in the gated Terra Lago community of Indio, California, minutes from Palm Springs and Coachella. Private saltwater pools, lake and mountain views, and space for groups of up to 23. Plan your stay at garikimot.com.
instagram.com/gariki_mot

Watch the full episode of INSIGHT — the first Armenian-English podcast in the US — and follow for new episodes every week.

Follow INSIGHT:
Instagram.com/ emmasargsyan
https://open.spotify.com/show/033ll3Q...
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...

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Marvin "Krondon" Jones III plays Tombstone in Spider-Man: Brand New Day — but before the rap career, the acting career, and the biggest role of his life, he was a seven-year-old boy in South Central Los Angeles whose own community didn't know what to make of him: a Black man born with albinism, in a city where almost no one looked like him.

In this conversation, Krondon opens up about the identity battle that shaped him, the faith that gave him language for his purpose, why his own rarity may have kept him out of the streets that consumed so many young men around him, and what it actually means to be a man when no one taught you the words for it. He also shares the story of the night a legendary West African musician grabbed his face backstage and told him, in a language he didn't understand, exactly who he was.

This is a conversation about representation, faith, masculinity, and the difference between being ordinary and being extraordinary — from a man who's spent his life redefining what "different" means.

🎬 Marvin "Krondon" Jones III plays Tombstone in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, in theaters now.

Watch the full episode of INSIGHT — the first Armenian-English podcast in the US — and follow for new episodes every week.

Follow INSIGHT:
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https://open.spotify.com/show/033ll3QADF1iuXkdC73OIb?si=UmoTF7ayQWqorXmYex5Whg
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/insight-with-emma/id1896798552

#Krondon #Tombstone #SpiderManBrandNewDay #Albinism #INSIGHT

TIMESTAMPS
0:00 – Cold Open
0:53 – Intro
1:14 – Born Different: South Central, 1980
23:14 – Finding His Voice
26:29 – The Light Under the Table
31:12 – You Can't Give What You Don't Have
35:15 – What Makes a Man
41:38 – Men Are Dying in Silence
50:40 – On Feminism, Ego, and God
1:00:56 – Playing Villains Who Were Never Understood
1:06:57 – Better Than the Worst Thing You've Done
1:10:29 – Meeting Salif Keita Backstage
1:18:48 – Being Over Doing
1:19:17 – Why God Gave Me This Platform
1:23:22 – Closing

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They pepper sprayed his client's dogs for 24 minutes.
The dogs went back, cleaned their eyes, and attacked again. And again. Until neighbors called the police and the intruders ran.
Those dogs were trained by Mike Israeli, founder of Delta K9 Academy, the man LA's wealthiest families call when they want protection that doesn't fail. His dogs have made the news for stopping home invasions. His clients include people who already spent six figures elsewhere and found out the hard way what they actually bought.
Because here's what Mike told me: most of what's sold as a "protection dog" in this industry is fake. A dog that performs on training equipment and freezes in real life. In this episode, he explains exactly how to tell the difference, and why he'll personally play the attacker to prove a dog isn't what its owner was promised.
We talk about why the dog sometimes chooses the owner. Why he's refused wealthy clients outright. What he really thinks about police K9 training (he knows this answer will make people angry, and he says it anyway). The legal reality of what happens when your dog bites an intruder. And the part nobody expects: why he holds back his own affection from the dogs he trains, so they can fully love the family they're going to protect.
Mike came to this country and built something he calls a legacy, not a business. By the end of this conversation you'll understand why he means it.
⏱ CHAPTERS

00:47 "They taught me more than I taught them"
02:58 Why Delta exists: crime in LA and a dog named Graph
05:04 Fake dogs: the fraud inside the protection dog industry
07:25 A protection dog is a weapon: the owner problem
09:58 Training the kids, not just the dog
11:49 "Tell your dog to attack me" — how Mike tests a dog
17:26 The dog chooses the owner
18:38 What a $100,000 dog should actually do
24:17 Status symbol or security: who really buys these dogs
28:17 The law: when you're liable for a bite and when you're not
31:24 The pepper spray home invasion story
33:42 Criminals adapt, so the dogs must too
37:05 The clients Mike refuses
38:36 Holding back love: why Mike won't bond with Shadow
41:36 "Police dogs should be more trained"
45:19 Armenian families vs Beverly Hills families
48:21 What your dog eats is killing it
49:13 Before you spend $100,000: Mike's final answer
🎙 ABOUT INSIGHT
INSIGHT is the first Armenian-English podcast in the US, hosted by Emma Sargsyan. Long-form conversations with leaders in business, medicine, sport and public life — the stories behind the people. New episodes every Saturday, 1pm PT.
Subscribe so you don't miss what's coming next: https://www.youtube.com/@UChSO072QVzwQzM8Ue8T1_7w
📍 Follow INSIGHT
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emmasargsyan/
TikTok:https://www.tiktok.com/@emmasargsya
🤝 Work with Emma
PR, media strategy and personal branding — Saege PR: https://www.emmasargsyan.com/
Contact: emma@emmasargsyan.com
🐕 Follow Mike Israeli & Delta K9 Academy
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mikeisraelyan/
Website: https://www.deltak9academy.com/
#INSIGHT #EmmaInsight #DeltaK9 #ProtectionDogs #MikeIsraeli #K9Training #GuardDogs #DogTraining #Podcast

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