Rashmi Airan was raised by Indian immigrant parents who instilled in her an extraordinary work ethic and a deep sense of responsibility. She became a lawyer, built a successful career and did everything she believed a high-achieving daughter was supposed to do.

But underneath that success, Rashmi had begun tying her worth to what she could achieve.

When a business opportunity appeared at a moment when she felt she needed it to survive, Rashmi ignored the voice telling her to walk away. Four years later, the FBI arrived at her home. She answered their questions for four hours without an attorney. Months later, she was told she was a target.

Rashmi eventually pleaded guilty and was sentenced to a year and a day in federal prison.

In this deeply honest conversation, Rashmi takes us inside the decisions that changed her life—not to excuse them, but to understand how fear, scarcity, ego and our own cognitive biases can distort our judgment.

We talk about:

• The invisible pressure carried by many children of immigrants
• What happens when achievement becomes the source of your self-worth
• Why Rashmi ignored her inner voice even when she knew something was wrong
• The moment the FBI came to her home
• Finding the courage to plead guilty and accept the consequences
• How fear and scarcity influence ethical decision-making
• The family support that carried her through indictment and prison
• Rebuilding an identity after losing her career, reputation and freedom
• Letting go of ego and the judgment of others
• Why forgiving herself became the first real step forward
• How she found purpose by transforming her experience into work that helps other leaders make better decisions

This is not only a story about going to prison. It is a conversation about the moments when we abandon ourselves, the consequences of the choices we make under pressure, and whether it is possible to take full accountability without believing we must be punished forever.

If you have ever ignored your instincts, tied your worth to achievement or found yourself rebuilding after a decision you cannot undo, this conversation is for you.

Listen to REBUILT: The Courage to Begin Again with Lorena Armitage.

New episodes explore what it really takes to rebuild your body, business, career, confidence and life.

Learn more and watch the episode at www.rebuiltpodcast.com.

Long before Ruth Zukerman co-founded SoulCycle and Flywheel, she was a shy girl navigating a challenging upbringing who found confidence, freedom and a sense of identity through dance. Years later, following divorce and a period of profound personal change, that same connection to movement helped her build two of the most influential brands in boutique fitness.

But the public success is only part of the story.

In this deeply honest conversation, Ruth reflects on the journey behind SoulCycle, her decision to leave and help create Flywheel, and the personal impact of navigating major professional transitions. She shares what it felt like when chapters so closely connected to her identity came to an end—and how she found the resilience to keep moving forward and imagine what could come next.

We talk about starting a business later in life, why there is no age at which you have to give up, the power of community, taking care of yourself when you feel at your lowest and discovering that resilience often appears when life asks you to continue without knowing exactly where the path will lead.

This is the personal story behind the public success—and a reminder that the end of one chapter does not take away your ability to create another.

But this episode isn’t the polished version of those events. It’s about the private decisions behind them—the moments when I had no clear plan, the identities I had to release and the smallest acts of courage that moved my life forward. In the first episode of REBUILT, I’m sharing why this podcast had to exist, what rebuilding has taught me and why the moments that dismantle our lives may also reveal who we are becoming.

Everyone celebrates the comeback. No one talks about what it takes to begin again. We do.

REBUILT is a podcast about the moments that ask us to start over. Lorena Armitage sits down with people who have lost, changed, walked away—and found the courage to build what came next.

New episodes every Tuesday.