Chu On This!

In this episode of Chu on This!, Dr. Katie W. Chu sits down with optometrist and business owner Dr. Stacy T. Gin for a candid and heartfelt conversation about life, motherhood, success, and the moments that truly matter. Recorded in a lively setting following a professional gathering, the conversation moves seamlessly between lighthearted reflections and deeply personal experiences. Dr. Gin shares...

In this episode of Chu on This!, Dr. Katie W. Chu sits down with cataract and glaucoma surgeon Dr. Kay Khine for a warm, honest, and deeply relatable conversation about identity, leadership, and what it really means to grow into yourself. Dr. Khine shares her journey from growing up as one of the few minorities in a small town in Minnesota to building a practice with her husband in Pasadena. Along...

In this episode of Chu on This!, Dr. Katie W. Chu sits down with optometrist Dr. John Larcabal for a deeply reflective conversation about purpose, perspective, and what it truly means to live a meaningful life. Dr. Larcabal shares his journey from building and running multiple successful optometry practices to stepping into semi retirement, where he now dedicates much of his time to international...

In this episode of Chu on This!, Dr. Katie W. Chu sits down with optometrist Dr. Arash Sadeghian for a powerful and deeply personal conversation about purpose, sacrifice, identity, and the defining moments that shape our lives. Recorded during a break at the California Optometric Association House of Delegates, this episode moves seamlessly between lighthearted reflections and profound life insigh...

In this episode of Chu on This!, Dr. Katie W. Chu sits down with optometrist Dr. Vin Dang for a thoughtful and wide ranging conversation about resilience, identity, and the experiences that shape the paths we choose. Dr. Dang shares his remarkable journey from being born in Paris to immigrant parents of Chinese Vietnamese heritage, to eventually building a career in the United States as an optomet...

In this episode of Chu on This!, Dr. Katie W. Chu sits down with optometrist and healthcare leader Dr. Beverly Bianes for a heartfelt conversation about growth, reinvention, and the courage to keep evolving at every stage of life. Recorded in a lively San Diego setting during the California Optometric Association House of Delegates meeting, the discussion blends humor, reflection, and deeply perso...

In Part 2 of this powerful continuation of Chu on This!, Dr. Katie W. Chu and executive coach Aashi Arora move from reflection into action, exploring what courage looks like in real time. The conversation opens with creativity and identity as Katie shares how LinkedIn unexpectedly became a space to reclaim a part of herself she once set aside, her artistic voice. What began as professional visibil...

In Part 1 of this deeply revealing episode of Chu on This!, Dr. Katie W. Chu sits down with executive coach Aashi Arora for a conversation that moves far beyond leadership theory and into the deeply personal roots of identity, conflict, and resilience. Aashi shares her journey from a 20 plus year executive career in healthcare leadership to founding iRISE Executive Coaching. She reflects on the cr...

In this special, spontaneous episode of Chu on This!, recorded aboard the Royal Caribbean Navigator of the Seas, Dr. Katie W. Chu sits down with leadership consultant Mandy Cansler following a full day team retreat with the Chu Crew. Set against a backdrop of renewal, reflection, and intentional growth, this conversation explores emotional intelligence, vulnerability in leadership, and what it tru...

In this spontaneous and deeply reflective episode of Chu on This!, Dr. Katie W. Chu sits down with Mandy Cansler for an honest, in the moment conversation recorded during a cruise retreat in Ensenada, Mexico. What begins as an unplanned podcast unfolds into a powerful dialogue about leadership, anxiety, rest, confidence, and the evolving nature of self belief.   Katie and Mandy explore how staying...

In this deeply personal episode of Chu on This!, Dr. Katie W. Chu sits down with her longtime friend Claudia Jimenez for an honest and reflective conversation about friendship, identity, confidence, and the quiet work of becoming who you were always meant to be. Spanning more than two decades of shared history, Katie and Claudia reflect on meeting as young single mothers, raising daughters side by...

In this deeply moving episode of Chu on This!, Dr. Katie W. Chu sits down with Zelene Zaragoza, a police dispatcher and lifelong member of the San Gabriel Valley community, for an emotionally honest conversation about cancer, grief, survival, and the lifelong impact of loss. Zelene shares the story of losing her mother to stage-four gallbladder cancer when she was just nineteen years old. What fol...

In this episode of Chu on This!, Dr. Katie W. Chu sits down with her longtime colleague and friend Dr. Alan Berg, a highly respected cataract and LASIK surgeon, for a thoughtful and deeply human conversation about purpose, kindness, humility, and how we choose to move through life. Rather than focusing on titles or accolades, the conversation centers on what it truly means to live on purpose. Dr....

In this episode of Chu on This!, Dr. Katie W. Chu sits down with Kathy Cruz, a respected leader in the optical industry and a passionate advocate for women, community, and intentional living, for a deeply honest conversation about boundaries, healing, faith, and rebuilding yourself when life doesn’t go as planned. What begins as a lighthearted discussion about family traditions and everyday life u...

In this episode of Chu on This!, Dr. Katie W. Chu sits down with her close friend and longtime colleague Dr. Linda Vu for a warm, thoughtful, and deeply personal conversation about purpose, faith, clarity, and the courage to move forward even when the path ahead is unclear. Together, they reflect on decades of serving a diverse, immigrant-rich community in the San Gabriel Valley and the legacy cre...

In this episode of Chu on This!, Dr. Katie W. Chu sits down with Tony Sommer, whose journey spans military service in the U.S. Air Force, corporate leadership, and ultimately a purpose-driven career in optometry and myopia management. Recorded in an Atlanta hotel just hours after Dr. Chu landed, this intimate conversation weaves together stories of service, family, fear, faith, and vulnerability....

In this episode of Chu on This!, Dr. Katie W. Chu sits down with Jeremy Hill, a seasoned ophthalmology professional with more than 30 years of experience in medicine, for a deeply reflective conversation about faith, resilience, mentorship, and what truly matters in life. Jeremy shares his journey of working every role in ophthalmology — from the front desk to administration — and how those experi...

In this episode of Chu on This!, Dr. Katie W. Chu sits down with leadership expert, author, entrepreneur, and speaker Tiana Sanchez for a deeply engaging and honest conversation about boldness, calling, faith, and the transformative role of failure. Tiana shares her journey from being laid off during the 2011 recession to launching her own business and stepping into her purpose — even when it terr...

In this special Thanksgiving episode of Chu on This!, Dr. Katie W. Chu sits down with internationally recognized optometrist, educator, author, and professional life coach Dr. Melissa Barnett for a deeply heartfelt conversation about gratitude, leadership, loss, motherhood, and the personal transformations that shape who we become. Dr. Barnett shares how gratitude became the foundation of her life...

In this powerful and heartfelt episode of Chu on This!, Dr. Katie W. Chu sits down with cataract surgeon Dr. Elson Lai to explore what it really means to care for patients in a healthcare system that often makes that harder than it should be. Dr. Lai shares his journey from starting a practice to becoming one of the few ophthalmologists willing to advocate fiercely for Medi-Cal patients — especial...

In this deeply intimate and emotionally rich conversation, Dr. Katie W. Chu sits down with Mandy Cansler to explore what resilience, strength, and vulnerability truly mean when life breaks you open. Through raw storytelling, both reflect on the emotional scars they’ve carried — and how facing them head-on transformed their lives. They unpack how “strong” evolves over time, why vulnerability is not...