Built by Margin with Laurie Chen

What happens when the person trained to assess clinical risk becomes the patient at the center of a life-threatening event? In episode 49 of Built by Margin , Laurie Chen speaks with Kristin Gype, DNP, MSQM, APRN-CRNA, CNE, a lead CRNA, healthcare entrepreneur, adjunct instructor, and Duke Fuqua MSQM alum. Kristin shares how her background in anesthesia, healthcare analytics, patient safety, and m...

In episode 48 of Built by Margin , Laurie Chen speaks with John Konhilas , founder, professor, and Chief Science Officer at BioXGen, about what it really takes to turn scientific discovery into a product that can reach patients. John shares his unconventional path from studying art at Duke University to earning a PhD in physiology, spending nearly two decades as a professor at the University of Ar...

In episode 47 of Built by Margin , Laurie Chen sits down with Adi Daryanani, founder and CEO of Lyncoris, to talk about the hidden complexity behind dental insurance, billing, and collections. After acquiring a dental practice with his wife, Adi saw firsthand how fragmented and manual the insurance verification and claims process still is for independent practices. That experience became the found...

In episode 46 of Built by Margin , Laurie Chen talks with Elizabeth Ringas , president of American Coaster Enthusiasts , an international 7,000-member nonprofit dedicated to preserving, celebrating, and educating people about roller coasters. Elizabeth shares how a lifelong love of roller coasters grew into more than two decades of volunteer leadership, eventually leading her to guide ACE through...

In episode 45 of Built by Margin , Laurie Chen sits down with Phil Fortin , CEO of OCFit in Ottawa, Canada, to talk about his journey from respiratory therapist to gym owner. After 12 years working in hospitals and seeing the long-term consequences of poor health, Phil felt called to build something focused on prevention rather than crisis care. He shares how he opened OC Fit with no business back...

In episode 44 of Built by Margin , Laurie Chen sits down with Jaramogi Adams , founder of Jarkara Strategies, to discuss his journey from dot-com consulting to an 18-year career at American Express, global finance leadership, to fractional COO and strategic advisory work. With an educational background from Duke University and Stanford Graduate School of Business, Jaramogi shares how his name — me...

In episode 43 of Built by Margin , Laurie Chen sits down with Alisha Esmail , founder and CEO of Latch, an AI-native customer retention platform helping founders detect churn before it happens. Alisha shares her unexpected journey from international development and building a coffee company with fully female supply chains and microloans, to launching a tech company focused on customer success and...

In episode 42 of Built by Margin , Laurie Chen sits down with Javier Casado-Cocero, Duke MBA graduate and founder working on Valyd, an identity infrastructure company using decentralized identity technology to fight fraud in healthcare and secure the next era of AI agents. Javier shares how his work evolved from blockchain and decentralized technologies into a broader mission: proving who is behin...

In episode 41 of Built by Margin , Laurie Chen sits down with Gunjan Vermani , physiotherapist, entrepreneur, mentor, and founder of PhysioCare Physiotherapy, to talk about the risks, numbers, and decisions behind building a healthcare business with both scale and soul. What if the smartest way to scale isn’t moving faster — but building deeper? Gunjan shares how entrepreneurship began not as a bu...

In episode 40 of Built by Margin, Laurie Chen sits down with Basil Khan, founder of Rev Trinity and LifeOS Technologies, to explore what it means to build an AI-driven startup from a constraint-heavy environment. Basil shares how he structures his companies across Pakistan and Delaware, using local operations and revenue-generating engines to preserve founder control while building toward a scalab...

In episode 39 of Built by Margin , Laurie Chen sits down with Myra D’Souza, founder of Autyn , an AI-native mortgage origination platform built for mortgage brokers. Myra shares how her background in software engineering, data science, fintech, and real estate investing led her to identify a major gap in the mortgage lending process: borrowers often feel left in the dark, while brokers are buried...

In episode 38 of Built by Margin , Laurie Chen sits down with Johnny Terra, CPA, Partner at LPT CPAs and Advisors ,  for a conversation about tax strategy, risk management, AI, leadership, and the personal growth that comes from taking bold professional risks. Johnny shares his journey from growing up in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to coming to Texas on a basketball scholarship, building a solo accoun...

In episode 37 of Built by Margin , Laurie Chen speaks with Rafael Fernandes , Co-Founder and CEO of Compass Health , a membership-based healthcare company launching in Tampa, Florida. Rafael shares how his background in operations, supply chain, and large-scale corporate growth shaped his leap into entrepreneurship, and how the Duke Fuqua network helped him move from idea to execution.  Rafael exp...

In episode 36 of Built by Margin , Laurie Chen sits down with Landon Lynch, founder and principal of Motive, to explore what it really takes to build high-performing leaders and scalable organizations.  Landon shares his unconventional path from nonprofit leadership into executive coaching and consulting, where he now works with founder CEOs, investor-backed companies, and leadership teams to stre...

In episode 35 of Built by Margin, Laurie Chen talks with Anekha Sokhal, founder of Moshi, an AI startup building an “AI super analyst” for financial investors. Anekha shares how her path from J.P. Morgan trader to machine learning researcher at Rice University led her to raise venture capital and launch a company at the intersection of finance, data science, and AI. They discuss how Moshi is using...

In episode 34 of Built by Margin , Laurie Chen sits down with Jennie Lopez, Founder and CEO of Intentional Unicorn, to talk about what it really means to bet on yourself, build in alignment, and make decisions rooted in authenticity rather than fear. Jennie shares her journey from a 23-year corporate career spanning chemical engineering, operations, and global talent leadership into entrepreneursh...

In episode 33 of Built by Margin , Laurie Chen sits down with Jynafer Yanez to explore what it really takes to turn a book into a business. Jynafer shares how she built Archimedes Books by thinking beyond publishing and focusing on audience ownership, brand development, intellectual property, and long-term ecosystem building. From author platforms to film projects, this conversation highlights how...

In episode 32 of Built by Margin , Laurie Chen sits down with Won Choi to talk about burnout, alignment, entrepreneurship, and the kind of decision-making that blends both strategy and inner knowing. We unpack how burnout is often less about working hard and more about living out of alignment, how entrepreneurs can build trust in themselves while navigating uncertainty, and why some of the biggest...

In episode 31 of Built by Margin , Laurie Chen sits down with AI strategist and founder Andrea Palacio to explore how artificial intelligence is reshaping the way service-based businesses operate, grow, and make decisions. Andrea shares her entrepreneurial journey from e-commerce and business acquisition to building an AI company born out of operational overwhelm, and explains how founders can use...

In episode 30 of Built by Margin , Laurie Chen shares key insights from her upcoming book Risk Worthy - decisions compound. Most people think of compounding only in financial terms, but the same principle applies to the choices we make every day—how we spend our time, what we prioritize, the risks we take, and the future we build through repeated action. This episode unpacks why small decisions ar...

In episode 29 of Built By Margin , Laurie Chen shares key insights from her upcoming book Risk Worthy . — bold outcomes are rarely built through reckless leaps. Using startup failure data as the backdrop, Laurie breaks down why founders, angel investors, and venture capitalists still make asymmetric bets despite long odds and frequent losses. The deeper lesson is that risk becomes worth pursuing n...

In episode 28 of Built By Margin , Laurie Chen shares key insights from her upcoming book Risk Worthy . — Why Numbers Matter — numbers don’t drive the decision—but they absolutely protect it .   If Risk Worthy is about qualitative ROI, purpose, alignment, and growth, why do numbers still matter? Laurie walks through the four pillars—Best Self, Best Possible Future, Variance Engineering, and Start...

In episode 27 of Built By Margin , Laurie Chen interviews Dr. Greg Pursley, a business coach, author, and CEO, who discusses the pivotal moment that led him to transform his business into a sellable asset and how he now helps entrepreneurs break through mental barriers to achieve sustainable growth. Tune in for insights on gaining clarity, boosting income, and creating lasting impact in your busin...

In episode 26 of Built By Margin , Laurie Chen interviews Jaben Makings, the founder of Onnix Investments, as he shares his journey of disrupting the real estate investing world by redefining how agents and investors collaborate. Risk Worthy isn’t reckless — it’s calculated. In this episode, Jaben Makings breaks down how he evaluates off-market deals, builds a team, and makes decisions that compou...

In episode 25 of Built By Margin , Laurie Chen interviews Fahim Talukdar, VP of Finance at Praetorian, as he shares his unique career journey, starting from commercial and personal banking to his current role in a cutting-edge cybersecurity company.  Tune in to learn more about Fahim's experiences and the evolving landscape of finance in the corporate cybertechnology space. TIMESTAMPS [00:01:...