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RISHI SHRIDHARAN: Okay. This is an interview with Albina Rippy and date is RISHI SHRIDHARAN: February 28th, 2023. RISHI SHRIDHARAN: This is just for my records. RISHI SHRIDHARAN: So Albina, would you mind introducing yourself, please?

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ALBINA RIPPY: Sure. My name is Albina Rippy. ALBINA RIPPY: My maiden name is Galieva, actually. ALBINA RIPPY: And, I'm originally from Kazakhstan and I now ALBINA RIPPY: live in Austin, Texas.

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RISHI SHRIDHARAN: Awesome. So let's jump in. RISHI SHRIDHARAN: Would you mind please, sharing your story, including your childhood in Semi and RISHI SHRIDHARAN: how you came to the US? ALBINA RIPPY: Yes of course.

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ALBINA RIPPY: So I always tell the story how I grew up in a small ALBINA RIPPY: village in the middle of nowhere in Kazakhstan, with no running ALBINA RIPPY: water or electricity. ALBINA RIPPY: I was actually born in eastern Kazakhstan, close to

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ALBINA RIPPY: the border with China, in the village called Priozernoye. ALBINA RIPPY: I actually don't even know if it exists anymore. ALBINA RIPPY: I think over time the village lipidated and was kind of abandoned. ALBINA RIPPY: And I moved to Semi Semipalatinsk at the time

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ALBINA RIPPY: when I was three years old. ALBINA RIPPY: So ultimately my early childhood with with my grandparents in the ALBINA RIPPY: village and my first language was Kazakh. ALBINA RIPPY: That's my mother language.

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ALBINA RIPPY: And then when I was moved to the city, so to speak, to me, ALBINA RIPPY: I learned Russian. ALBINA RIPPY: So that's when I went to school. ALBINA RIPPY: I graduated high school as a valedictorian.

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ALBINA RIPPY: I went to art school for five years. ALBINA RIPPY: And then when I was 16 years old, a tremendous opportunity ALBINA RIPPY: came by. ALBINA RIPPY: Actually, Doctor Weinberg, I always call him my angel.

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ALBINA RIPPY: In 1996, and I remember there was no internet, ALBINA RIPPY: there were no smartphones. ALBINA RIPPY: And Doctor Weinberg literally took my handwritten ALBINA RIPPY: application to Houston and submitted my application

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ALBINA RIPPY: to the University of St Thomas. ALBINA RIPPY: Now, at the time, my mother and Doctor Weinberg were ALBINA RIPPY: colleagues in the Methodist project, I believe in Semi. ALBINA RIPPY: So in 96, I was accepted to the University of St Thomas.

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ALBINA RIPPY: I was 16 years old. ALBINA RIPPY: I came across the world on my own from Kazakhstan to ALBINA RIPPY: America to go to college. ALBINA RIPPY: And then I just stayed in, in, in Houston.

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ALBINA RIPPY: And I just recently moved out of Houston to Austin, a ALBINA RIPPY: couple of years ago. ALBINA RIPPY: But, do you want me to tell you my kind of story? ALBINA RIPPY: All of it. How much?

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RISHI SHRIDHARAN: Yeah, that would be great. RISHI SHRIDHARAN: Yeah. Okay. Sure. ALBINA RIPPY: So, I mean, needless to say, moving to America from, ALBINA RIPPY: you know, a small town in Kazakhstan.

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ALBINA RIPPY: Was a very challenging, you know, it ALBINA RIPPY: was, I always say every night I ALBINA RIPPY: cried. And. ALBINA RIPPY: But I never told my parents that I cried because, you know, my parents

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ALBINA RIPPY: sacrificed so much to send me to America for a better future. ALBINA RIPPY: So I felt responsible, you know, to deliver, so to speak. ALBINA RIPPY: But anyway, I improved my English. ALBINA RIPPY: I went to Saint Thomas University for the first year, and

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ALBINA RIPPY: then, the tuition for international students is really, really ALBINA RIPPY: expensive. And what I realized that is that as ALBINA RIPPY: international students, as an international student, I could not work ALBINA RIPPY: in America.

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ALBINA RIPPY: However, I am a hustler, Rishi. ALBINA RIPPY: So I found out that if I go to a state school, not only ALBINA RIPPY: can I get a scholarship and potentially get an ALBINA RIPPY: in-state tuition, but I could also get a permit

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ALBINA RIPPY: to work as long as it was in the area of my studies. ALBINA RIPPY: So that is exactly what I did. ALBINA RIPPY: I transferred to the University of Houston. ALBINA RIPPY: I applied for a scholarship, I got the scholarship, I got in-state

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ALBINA RIPPY: tuition, and I got a job permit to work along ALBINA RIPPY: the areas of my study. ALBINA RIPPY: So I worked at Aim Investments, which later became an Invesco ALBINA RIPPY: fund and that's, mutual mutual

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ALBINA RIPPY: fund, so as retirements and investments. ALBINA RIPPY: And then when I graduated from the university. ALBINA RIPPY: It was, I think, it was, I don't even remember ALBINA RIPPY: 2005, maybe 2006.

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ALBINA RIPPY: And it was an economic slowdown in the US. ALBINA RIPPY: And again, as an international student, I mean, it was difficult to ALBINA RIPPY: find a job for anybody. ALBINA RIPPY: And it was particularly difficult to find a job for anybody who is an

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ALBINA RIPPY: international student, in other words, doesn't have a permission to work in the ALBINA RIPPY: US. But I was able to get a job at the along my area of ALBINA RIPPY: studies, which is accounting and finance. ALBINA RIPPY: And I was lucky enough to get a job at Deloitte that sponsored my

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ALBINA RIPPY: work visa, H-1b. ALBINA RIPPY: So then I worked at Deloitte. ALBINA RIPPY: And in the meanwhile, that break between my graduation and the moment I got a job ALBINA RIPPY: at Deloitte I also applied for a bunch of law schools, and I got accepted.

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ALBINA RIPPY: So my plan B was to go to law school and continue my studying. ALBINA RIPPY: If I, if I was unsuccessful to get a job because it was an economic downturn ALBINA RIPPY: and it was practically impossible to get a job as an international ALBINA RIPPY: student, but I put law school aside, and I worked

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ALBINA RIPPY: in public accounting for a couple of years. ALBINA RIPPY: Then I, well, it was actually ALBINA RIPPY: in the meanwhile, somewhere in there got married and my husband. ALBINA RIPPY: Minor detail.

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ALBINA RIPPY: I'm kidding. I got married, and my husband, his dream was always to ALBINA RIPPY: travel the world. ALBINA RIPPY: And,he was a lawyer at the time, and he wanted to, in a way, ALBINA RIPPY: to live vicariously through me.

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ALBINA RIPPY: And he was like, well, why don't you apply for Continental Airlines? ALBINA RIPPY: And I was like, well, I don't know, why would they give me a job? ALBINA RIPPY: Everybody wants to work at the Continental Airlines. ALBINA RIPPY: But ultimately he applied on my behalf and I got a job at

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ALBINA RIPPY: Continental Airlines at their corporate office working in finance. ALBINA RIPPY: And ultimately we spent the next two years traveling the world as massive perks ALBINA RIPPY: for Continental Airlines, which was amazing. ALBINA RIPPY: It was incredible.

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ALBINA RIPPY: And when I got pregnant with my first child, again, my ALBINA RIPPY: husband was like, well, in the ideal world, if you could do anything, what would you do? ALBINA RIPPY: And I said, naively, I said, oh, I'll open a yoga studio, because we were ALBINA RIPPY: really into yoga then.

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ALBINA RIPPY: And I thought, well. ALBINA RIPPY: I'll do a bunch of yoga, I'll spend a lot of time with my baby, ALBINA RIPPY: and then occasionally I'll run the business. ALBINA RIPPY: I say with naive, because the reality of opening a business,

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ALBINA RIPPY: a startup, is that you work all the time, and occasionally ALBINA RIPPY: you get to spend time with your children or do yoga. ALBINA RIPPY: So that is exactly what happened. ALBINA RIPPY: And over the next ten years, I jokingly call it we build a yoga empire.

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ALBINA RIPPY: So we had seven locations, seven yoga studios in Houston. ALBINA RIPPY: We had a organic local juice bar. ALBINA RIPPY: We had an online, probably one of the very first online ALBINA RIPPY: yoga platforms.

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ALBINA RIPPY: And then we also acquired a retreat center in Taos, ALBINA RIPPY: New Mexico, which is, it was a historic hotel ALBINA RIPPY: that we converted into a yoga and meditation retreat center. ALBINA RIPPY: And then, a couple of years later, which, Rishi, you know, if you stick

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ALBINA RIPPY: around, I'll tell you that, you know, my form of entrepreneurship is a little ALBINA RIPPY: bit probably unconventional because a lot of my ALBINA RIPPY: decision decisions are rooted in my meditation practice. ALBINA RIPPY: So in my meditation practice.

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ALBINA RIPPY: You know, it helps me develop my intuitive side. ALBINA RIPPY: Listen to the guidance, which I deeply believe that comes from something bigger ALBINA RIPPY: than me. But anyway, through my meditation practice, I just ALBINA RIPPY: was guided to sell my yoga studios.

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ALBINA RIPPY: And it was in perfect timing and in a perfect way because I didn't even know ALBINA RIPPY: how perfect it was. ALBINA RIPPY: So we sold our studios. ALBINA RIPPY: Then we got rid of all of our worldly belongings, downsized to

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ALBINA RIPPY: a carry on luggage, just four pieces of luggage for me, my husband and my ALBINA RIPPY: two daughters, and we travel the world for a little over a year. ALBINA RIPPY: The reason why I say I didn't realize how perfect it was ALBINA RIPPY: until we came back from our world travels.

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ALBINA RIPPY: And literally a couple of months later, the entire world went into the global ALBINA RIPPY: shutdown due to the pandemic. ALBINA RIPPY: So in that moment, I realized it was perfect because not only ALBINA RIPPY: had I not sold my business, I would have probably been bankrupt because the vast

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ALBINA RIPPY: majority of yoga businesses went bankrupt during the pandemic. ALBINA RIPPY: But I also wouldn't have been able to travel the world with my children and with my ALBINA RIPPY: husband like I did, so it was perfect. ALBINA RIPPY: I turned around my hotel.

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ALBINA RIPPY: I made it hugely successful. ALBINA RIPPY: The year of the pandemic was actually our best performing year out of all the years. ALBINA RIPPY: Which people say impossible. ALBINA RIPPY: Again, all of that guidance comes to me through meditation.

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ALBINA RIPPY: And last April, I sold my retreat center, my hotel ALBINA RIPPY: . And then, in perfect timing, I started working. ALBINA RIPPY: I'm. These days I consult on yoga ALBINA RIPPY: boutique fitnesses.

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ALBINA RIPPY: I consult on the business of the wellness business, as well as ALBINA RIPPY: developing programming around yoga and fitness. ALBINA RIPPY: And I do a lot of coaching, personal coaching, success coaching ALBINA RIPPY: and lead retreats, yoga, meditation, personal growth

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ALBINA RIPPY: retreats around the world. ALBINA RIPPY: So that's kind of a long story of I mean, take it ALBINA RIPPY: whatever you you find useful. ALBINA RIPPY: But that's my story.

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RISHI SHRIDHARAN: Yeah, that's super fascinating. RISHI SHRIDHARAN: It seems like life is throwing everything at you, and you're coming out on top all the RISHI SHRIDHARAN: time. And that's it's it's inspiring also. ALBINA RIPPY: Thank you.

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RISHI SHRIDHARAN: So I'm hoping that you'd be able to take a minute and look at this from a bird's eye RISHI SHRIDHARAN: view. Yeah. And like from the philosophical lens, I'm curious RISHI SHRIDHARAN: how your upbringing in Kazakhstan instilled in you RISHI SHRIDHARAN: specific values or some things that have stuck with you and served

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RISHI SHRIDHARAN: you throughout this journey that you narrated to us so beautifully? ALBINA RIPPY: Yeah, that's a really great question. ALBINA RIPPY: You know, even though I consider my life rooted in ALBINA RIPPY: America, I do know that I come from Kazakhstan

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ALBINA RIPPY: and my ancestry is there. ALBINA RIPPY: I would say what comes from my mother in particular ALBINA RIPPY: is, you know, extremely high work ethics. ALBINA RIPPY: My ambition and my drive certainly come from my

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ALBINA RIPPY: mother culturally from ALBINA RIPPY: Kazakhstan. You know, there is, it's an Asian ALBINA RIPPY: culture, so, family is a big ALBINA RIPPY: value, right family supporting family.

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ALBINA RIPPY: Being connected with family. ALBINA RIPPY: Honoring your lineage, your roots. ALBINA RIPPY: All of that inevitably is a is a big part of me. ALBINA RIPPY: The most important thing I'd say is, as you said, through

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ALBINA RIPPY: life challenges, I think the most important thing is that ALBINA RIPPY: what my mother told me taught me. ALBINA RIPPY: Never, ever give up. ALBINA RIPPY: Never, ever give up.

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ALBINA RIPPY: So that that is certainly something that I learned as ALBINA RIPPY: part of my upbringing. RISHI SHRIDHARAN: Awesome. And then speaking a little more to something that you mentioned. RISHI SHRIDHARAN: I'm curious if you might speak to your meditation practice.

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RISHI SHRIDHARAN: How did this emerge? RISHI SHRIDHARAN: What does it tell you and how does it guide you? ALBINA RIPPY: Yeah, my meditation practice is something that I'm very passionate about. ALBINA RIPPY: So my journey into yoga started with the asana physical practice,

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ALBINA RIPPY: and I read all the books, and all the books said that the asana, the ALBINA RIPPY: physical practice was simply a preparation for meditation. ALBINA RIPPY: And Rishi, I did not believe that in the in the past I was ALBINA RIPPY: like, oh my gosh, meditation is so boring.

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ALBINA RIPPY: So I remember I would do my asana practice and say, oh, that's my ALBINA RIPPY: moving meditation. ALBINA RIPPY: Or I go walking and I say, oh, that's my walking meditation. ALBINA RIPPY: And even though it is true, and you can certainly

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ALBINA RIPPY: take a lot of a lot of out of the moving meditation or walking ALBINA RIPPY: meditation, but the sitting quietly ALBINA RIPPY: with your own thoughts for a lengthy periods of time, that ALBINA RIPPY: is really challenging.

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ALBINA RIPPY: And because it's so challenging, most people give up and they don't do it. ALBINA RIPPY: Now. The reason, the reason why I got really into meditation, which is a little ALBINA RIPPY: bit selfish. ALBINA RIPPY: When I was running my businesses, what I found out is like in the moments when I got

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ALBINA RIPPY: really quiet and still, I would tap into bigger ALBINA RIPPY: guidance. I would literally get what I call an ALBINA RIPPY: instruction manual on what to do with my businesses. ALBINA RIPPY: So I would, you know, it would come as a form, an inspiration to open this

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ALBINA RIPPY: location, roll out this new offering. ALBINA RIPPY: Do this and do that. ALBINA RIPPY: So I'd sit in meditation, get that guidance and simply execute and I just make it ALBINA RIPPY: happen. And, the more it happened, the more I started

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ALBINA RIPPY: trusting my meditation. ALBINA RIPPY: And the interesting part is like. ALBINA RIPPY: That's how I ultimately got fascinated with it, because the results were ALBINA RIPPY: mind blowing, like selling my business and perfect timing.

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ALBINA RIPPY: And in a perfect way, it came to me as a in a meditation. ALBINA RIPPY: So I then started leaning more into this concept of energy ALBINA RIPPY: to matter creation, ultimately. ALBINA RIPPY: When we create matter to matter, it's always going to take us a lot of time and a lot of

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ALBINA RIPPY: energy, a lot of efforts. ALBINA RIPPY: But if you lean into something that I call energetic matter creation, then you ALBINA RIPPY: literally defy the laws of nature and you collapse time and you make things happen ALBINA RIPPY: in no time.

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ALBINA RIPPY: So now, I mean, it's so fast. ALBINA RIPPY: My meditation practice is my experiment with destiny. ALBINA RIPPY: So it's fascinating to me the things that are happening in my life are ALBINA RIPPY: absolutely illogical.

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ALBINA RIPPY: They're beyond the analytical mind. ALBINA RIPPY: They defy the laws of nature. ALBINA RIPPY: People say it's impossible, and I know it is impossible ALBINA RIPPY: in the physical world.

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ALBINA RIPPY: The matter to matter, because I'm not creating it for matter. ALBINA RIPPY: I'm like, right now it's 6:00 in the morning. ALBINA RIPPY: I already spent two hours in my meditation practice. ALBINA RIPPY: Yeah, I wake up super early and I daily devote a lot of

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ALBINA RIPPY: time to my sits. ALBINA RIPPY: Again, I can talk about it for hours, but that's just a little something for ALBINA RIPPY: you. RISHI SHRIDHARAN: Oh, that's so wonderful trailer.

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RISHI SHRIDHARAN: Yeah. Piques the interest. RISHI SHRIDHARAN: I'm curious if you could if we could shift gears here. RISHI SHRIDHARAN: Yeah. To the Houston semi collaboration that you mentioned that your mother worked with RISHI SHRIDHARAN: Doctor Weinberg in.

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RISHI SHRIDHARAN: Yeah. I'm curious how you were involved and how you saw any benefit out of this RISHI SHRIDHARAN: collaboration. ALBINA RIPPY: Yes, absolutely. ALBINA RIPPY: So, I don't know the particulars of the collaboration.

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ALBINA RIPPY: My mother will be a better person to explain that. ALBINA RIPPY: I'll just tell you about my experience of the collaboration. ALBINA RIPPY: Now, that was the early 1990s. ALBINA RIPPY: And remember the The Iron Curtain

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ALBINA RIPPY: has just fallen. ALBINA RIPPY: There was no internet back then. ALBINA RIPPY: So for us. ALBINA RIPPY: Just seeing Doctor Weinberg and his colleagues come to see me.

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ALBINA RIPPY: I'm sorry. This is my coffee machine. ALBINA RIPPY: The Doctor Weinberg coming to see me ALBINA RIPPY: would be an equivalent of an alien coming to Earth right now. ALBINA RIPPY: I mean, we have never seen a foreigner in flesh.

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ALBINA RIPPY: In the flesh. ALBINA RIPPY: So just as a kid, I remember that alone was just to see an ALBINA RIPPY: American, to hear them talk, to see how they dressed ALBINA RIPPY: was, like, incredibly curious.

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ALBINA RIPPY: It was fascinating. ALBINA RIPPY: And obviously my mom went when she went to Houston, she would come ALBINA RIPPY: back with incredible stories of America, and would just spend ALBINA RIPPY: long hours at night sitting at the table listening to

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ALBINA RIPPY: the tales of America. ALBINA RIPPY: But my personal experience with it, like I said, Doctor Weinberg ALBINA RIPPY: was a pivotal. ALBINA RIPPY: A key figure of me coming to America had helped me apply.

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ALBINA RIPPY: For the college here. ALBINA RIPPY: So in a way, my life completely pivoted as a result of that ALBINA RIPPY: collaboration. ALBINA RIPPY: But I remember, you know, when I first came to Houston, there was I, the

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ALBINA RIPPY: delegation of doctors came to the Methodist Hospital. ALBINA RIPPY: And I mean, again, I was just a kid, so I don't know the particulars of those ALBINA RIPPY: visits, but what I do know with Doctor Weinberg would take us to ALBINA RIPPY: dinners. And in my culture, you can't just come to dinner and

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ALBINA RIPPY: sit. You would have to give toasts. ALBINA RIPPY: You know, part of the culture is to raise a glass of ALBINA RIPPY: whatever and give a toast. ALBINA RIPPY: So I remember, you know, like.

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ALBINA RIPPY: I had to say a toast. ALBINA RIPPY: And in a way I was representing not only the doctors, ALBINA RIPPY: my family. ALBINA RIPPY: I was representing the entire country of Kazakhstan in that toast.

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ALBINA RIPPY: But anyways, just an anecdotal story. ALBINA RIPPY: Of my experience of those days, so for a little while I ALBINA RIPPY: also how now has been a while. ALBINA RIPPY: I remember coming to Doctor Weinberg's office.

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ALBINA RIPPY: I think I even, like, helped out with, like, filing the documents at some ALBINA RIPPY: point. And I would hear all these conversations about the collaboration ALBINA RIPPY: and, the effectiveness of that partnership. ALBINA RIPPY: But again, I.

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ALBINA RIPPY: I'm sorry. I probably am not the best person to give out all the details and the results ALBINA RIPPY: and the fruits of those efforts, so to speak. RISHI SHRIDHARAN: Yeah. No worries. I think this was. ALBINA RIPPY: In my early teens.

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ALBINA RIPPY: Rishi. So I was just a kid then. RISHI SHRIDHARAN: I think your perception and your engagement with the partnership is, is RISHI SHRIDHARAN: plenty, especially for the scope of this conversation. ALBINA RIPPY: Yeah

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RISHI SHRIDHARAN: So it's great. Since you have been so well traveled. ALBINA RIPPY: Yeah. RISHI SHRIDHARAN: I'm curious if you can speak to with an eye focused in RISHI SHRIDHARAN: Kazakhstan.

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ALBINA RIPPY: Yeah. RISHI SHRIDHARAN: The way in which you have seen Kazakhstan progress. RISHI SHRIDHARAN: And this is in specific relation to, of course, a number of other places that you've RISHI SHRIDHARAN: visited. And I'm curious whether you've seen any kind of trend

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RISHI SHRIDHARAN: over time, from the time that you were growing up to the present day, in terms of RISHI SHRIDHARAN: what's improved, what you see as needs for improvement, and whether you see RISHI SHRIDHARAN: any new problems emerging. RISHI SHRIDHARAN: And I know this is a handful.

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ALBINA RIPPY: Yeah. While initially, you know, in the early 90s ALBINA RIPPY: when let's just say Doctor Weinberg and the Methodist came to Kazakhstan. ALBINA RIPPY: The results were obvious, and that is the time when the ALBINA RIPPY: country quantum leaped forward economically, developmentally,

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ALBINA RIPPY: like, you could see the country growing with tremendous speed. ALBINA RIPPY: And even in their 2000 that that ALBINA RIPPY: growth was tremendous. ALBINA RIPPY: And my mother at the time had the pharmaceutical company.

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ALBINA RIPPY: The pharmaceutical company grew tremendously over that span of 30 ALBINA RIPPY: years. You know, new construction, new capital. ALBINA RIPPY: You know, I would go visit Kazakhstan, and I was blown away by the ALBINA RIPPY: massive growth, expansion of wealth in the country.

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ALBINA RIPPY: Unfortunately, in the recent years. ALBINA RIPPY: And I want to be mindful the way I talk about it. ALBINA RIPPY: So my mother grew a pharmaceutical empire. ALBINA RIPPY: She had five pharmaceutical factories.

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ALBINA RIPPY: She had thousands of people working for her. ALBINA RIPPY: I mean, they made a massive impact to the population of ALBINA RIPPY: Kazakhstan by providing vital ALBINA RIPPY: medication, like vaccines

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ALBINA RIPPY: tuberculosis medication, syringes to the Kazakhstan ALBINA RIPPY: market. Now, the country is incredibly corrupt, and it has ALBINA RIPPY: gotten worse so in the last few years. ALBINA RIPPY: I mean, everything was taken away from my mother.

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ALBINA RIPPY: Everything. Her pharmaceutical company, all her assets ALBINA RIPPY: her and her husband had to escape the country. ALBINA RIPPY: I mean, they're lucky to be alive, Rishi. ALBINA RIPPY: They're lucky to be alive.

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ALBINA RIPPY: And, you know, even though she lost all the, you ALBINA RIPPY: know, like, actual personal assets. ALBINA RIPPY: And she says, she always says, oh, I lost everything. ALBINA RIPPY: And I say, no, you didn't lose everything.

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ALBINA RIPPY: You've got the most important, the most valuable thing, which is your life. ALBINA RIPPY: And that's what matters. ALBINA RIPPY: So in a way, witnessing all of that, I'll tell you ALBINA RIPPY: personally how it affected me, because I saw my mother.

00:23:25.030 - 00:23:38.650

ALBINA RIPPY: My mother is is an orphan. ALBINA RIPPY: Her parents, both of her parents, died when she was seven years old. ALBINA RIPPY: So she is absolutely a self-made woman. ALBINA RIPPY: So I witnessed my mother, and that's where my ambition comes from, by the

00:23:38.650 - 00:23:52.030

ALBINA RIPPY: way. I witnessed my mother build everything, build herself ALBINA RIPPY: from the ground up. ALBINA RIPPY: I saw her growth, career growth. ALBINA RIPPY: I saw her building a massive pharmaceutical empire that had a massive impact in the

00:23:52.030 - 00:24:07.220

ALBINA RIPPY: world. And I also saw her lose everything. ALBINA RIPPY: And the way it affected me. ALBINA RIPPY: It made it very clear. ALBINA RIPPY: Because my mother would work around work all the time, and a lot of times she'd

00:24:07.220 - 00:24:22.660

ALBINA RIPPY: sacrifice precious time with family to devote all her time to her ALBINA RIPPY: business. So what I the biggest learning that I learned is that [pause] ALBINA RIPPY: the most important thing in life is my family. ALBINA RIPPY: The work is secondary.

00:24:22.990 - 00:24:36.640

ALBINA RIPPY: And, you know, I saw what a tremendous I know from my own experience with ALBINA RIPPY: tremendous amount of work that builds, it takes to build something up. ALBINA RIPPY: But I also saw that you can lose it in a second. ALBINA RIPPY: You can lose it overnight.

00:24:36.640 - 00:24:52.580

ALBINA RIPPY: And in the end of the day, what you're left with is your family. ALBINA RIPPY: And that is the most important part for me. ALBINA RIPPY: That's why when we sold our business, we took our kids to travel the world. ALBINA RIPPY: We always spend time, quality time with our children because that's what

00:24:52.580 - 00:25:04.910

ALBINA RIPPY: matters the most. ALBINA RIPPY: Empires come and go. ALBINA RIPPY: Countries come and go, you know. ALBINA RIPPY: But like your loved ones are always there with you and you need to devote

00:25:04.910 - 00:25:17.030

ALBINA RIPPY: time to cultivate those relationships. RISHI SHRIDHARAN: That's that's just beautiful. RISHI SHRIDHARAN: And for our listening audience, The name of the company is RISHI SHRIDHARAN: Romont.

00:25:17.330 - 00:25:26.990

ALBINA RIPPY: Yes. Romont. RISHI SHRIDHARAN: Okay, awesome. RISHI SHRIDHARAN: Just so we have it on record. RISHI SHRIDHARAN: Yeah. There are so many gems from this conversation, so it's hard

00:25:26.990 - 00:25:44.180

RISHI SHRIDHARAN: for me to navigate not only the limited time that we have, RISHI SHRIDHARAN: but also where to go next in the conversation. RISHI SHRIDHARAN: So I'm hoping that we can close on something that stuck with me from the last RISHI SHRIDHARAN: time that you mentioned from from the time we spoke first, which is that you coach

00:25:44.180 - 00:26:00.620

RISHI SHRIDHARAN: others to achieve their own impossible much, much RISHI SHRIDHARAN: in the ways that you have discussed with us. RISHI SHRIDHARAN: I'm curious if we can focus on this and if you might narrate for us a few RISHI SHRIDHARAN: instances when you personally have been faced with things that that have seemed

00:26:00.620 - 00:26:17.570

RISHI SHRIDHARAN: impossible, but you have managed to overcome them? ALBINA RIPPY: Yeah, really, there are so many moments of the ALBINA RIPPY: impossible in my life, and remember that I'm deep in my heart. ALBINA RIPPY: I am a Yogi, so I do lean on the practice, the

00:26:18.020 - 00:26:34.610

ALBINA RIPPY: philosophy of the teachings of yoga. ALBINA RIPPY: But I'd say one of the pivotal moments in my life was. ALBINA RIPPY: There was one year when my husband and I opened ALBINA RIPPY: three yoga studios in one year.

00:26:34.640 - 00:26:51.160

ALBINA RIPPY: I don't recommend that anybody does that. ALBINA RIPPY: So we had I think we had two and in that year we ALBINA RIPPY: grew it to five and we overstretched ourselves. ALBINA RIPPY: And in one of the studios, we were supposed to have a partner.

00:26:51.340 - 00:27:08.170

ALBINA RIPPY: And literally the day before the giant construction ALBINA RIPPY: bill was due, the partner decided not to ALBINA RIPPY: be involved anymore. ALBINA RIPPY: So what that meant is we were already stretched thin and

00:27:08.170 - 00:27:20.920

ALBINA RIPPY: losing a partner, which was, by the way, was the best thing ever in ALBINA RIPPY: retrospect. But at the time we faced a tremendous ALBINA RIPPY: financial responsibility. ALBINA RIPPY: So in other words, we didn't know how to pay this bill.

00:27:20.920 - 00:27:35.950

ALBINA RIPPY: We didn't know how to pay our team. ALBINA RIPPY: And when when you're faced with such a challenge, I think ALBINA RIPPY: it's natural to start questioning yourself as it is this ALBINA RIPPY: am I cut for this?

00:27:35.950 - 00:27:49.010

ALBINA RIPPY: Was that a huge mistake? ALBINA RIPPY: Should I quit now? ALBINA RIPPY: You know. So I remember there we couldn't sleep and it was like ALBINA RIPPY: 4:00 in the morning. And my husband, I could tell he's awake.

00:27:49.160 - 00:28:00.740

ALBINA RIPPY: So he's like, hey, do you want to pray with me? ALBINA RIPPY: And, you know, we've never prayed together before. ALBINA RIPPY: I said sure, so we prayed. ALBINA RIPPY: We held hands and it was dark still outside.

00:28:00.740 - 00:28:17.600

ALBINA RIPPY: And what he said was like, ultimately he asked the divine for a sign. ALBINA RIPPY: So give us a sign that it is the right path, that we're doing what we're ALBINA RIPPY: supposed to do, and it will all be all right. ALBINA RIPPY: And that day we worked 15 hour a day because we led what we called yoga teacher

00:28:17.600 - 00:28:32.780

ALBINA RIPPY: training. It's very, very long day. ALBINA RIPPY: We lead a group of 50 something trainees through ALBINA RIPPY: yoga practice, through personal growth work, etc., etc. ALBINA RIPPY: so in the end of that day, when I'm completely exhausted, a woman

00:28:32.780 - 00:28:43.870

ALBINA RIPPY: comes up to me and she says. ALBINA RIPPY: Whatever her name was, I don't even know. ALBINA RIPPY: But she says, hey, Albina, I know that you don't know me, but I need to tell you ALBINA RIPPY: something.

00:28:43.870 - 00:28:57.340

ALBINA RIPPY: She said earlier this year, I wanted to kill myself. ALBINA RIPPY: And on my way home, I was actually planning it out in my head how ALBINA RIPPY: I was going to do it. ALBINA RIPPY: Rishi, hold that thought.

00:28:57.340 - 00:29:03.670

ALBINA RIPPY: I need to plug in my computer. ALBINA RIPPY: Cli- on the cliff. ALBINA RIPPY: I'm leaving you on the cliff. ALBINA RIPPY: One second.

00:29:04.940 - 00:29:56.900

RISHI SHRIDHARAN: Really a cliffhanger. ALBINA RIPPY: Sorry. So. ALBINA RIPPY: Yeah. On that day. ALBINA RIPPY: The woman said I - I was going home and I was planning my head how I

00:29:56.900 - 00:30:09.590

ALBINA RIPPY: was going to do it this time. ALBINA RIPPY: And she said that she saw, you know, yoga on the signage of our ALBINA RIPPY: yoga studios. ALBINA RIPPY: And she said something inside of me like pulled me to go and to go into the

00:30:09.590 - 00:30:21.440

ALBINA RIPPY: studio. And she did. ALBINA RIPPY: And she said, I've been coming every day since then. ALBINA RIPPY: And it changed my life. ALBINA RIPPY: And I just needed to tell you that you saved me.

00:30:22.130 - 00:30:32.300

ALBINA RIPPY: You saved my life. ALBINA RIPPY: You changed my life. ALBINA RIPPY: And all I could do is just cry. ALBINA RIPPY: Because in my mind, not was only a deeply moving story, but

00:30:32.300 - 00:30:49.690

ALBINA RIPPY: it was that sign that we asked for and to me, ALBINA RIPPY: again, like I said, I call myself a spiritual entrepreneur. ALBINA RIPPY: Yes, I make smart decisions. ALBINA RIPPY: Yes, I move my business as I make turn around businesses in record time.

00:30:49.930 - 00:31:05.920

ALBINA RIPPY: But a lot of what I do is rooted in intuition, and that ALBINA RIPPY: sensing and listening to the guidance that comes from something bigger than ALBINA RIPPY: me. So ultimately in my coaching, I teach people ALBINA RIPPY: how to do that.

00:31:06.340 - 00:31:25.160

ALBINA RIPPY: And like I said I have an incredible record that ALBINA RIPPY: shows that I do the impossible things, and the ALBINA RIPPY: impossible things come from my connection to something ALBINA RIPPY: greater. In the language of yoga or in the language spirituality would

00:31:25.160 - 00:31:40.700

ALBINA RIPPY: be it will be called surrender. ALBINA RIPPY: It would be called listening to the guidance from something bigger than you. ALBINA RIPPY: Does that make sense? RISHI SHRIDHARAN: It does, it does, I think, but it's it's a very large concept and it's hard to wrap the

00:31:40.700 - 00:31:50.950

RISHI SHRIDHARAN: mind around. ALBINA RIPPY: Yeah. I mean. ALBINA RIPPY: Yeah. That's why, you know, it takes a little bit of time to to ALBINA RIPPY: teach people that.

00:31:50.950 - 00:32:04.580

ALBINA RIPPY: And it's a lifelong journey for every single one of us. RISHI SHRIDHARAN: Just beautiful. RISHI SHRIDHARAN: That's that's really wonderful. RISHI SHRIDHARAN: So in conclusion, I know I want to be cognizant and respectful of your time.

00:32:05.450 - 00:32:26.830

RISHI SHRIDHARAN: I wonder if there's anything that I didn't ask you that you'd like to mention. ALBINA RIPPY: Well, you know, there is the only thing that I can say, ALBINA RIPPY: Rishi, is that, you know, gratitude is ALBINA RIPPY: a big part of of this incredible journey.

00:32:26.830 - 00:32:41.530

ALBINA RIPPY: And the more grateful you are, the more miracles, synchronicities, opportunities ALBINA RIPPY: show your way. ALBINA RIPPY: I'm very grateful for this time we get to spend together. ALBINA RIPPY: And I'm also deeply, deeply grateful that Doctor

00:32:41.890 - 00:33:00.280

ALBINA RIPPY: Weinberg came into my life at the time when he did, and the partnership with the ALBINA RIPPY: Methodist came into my life, because if it wasn't for that ALBINA RIPPY: partnership and for Doctor Weinberg, I always call him my angel. ALBINA RIPPY: If it wasn't for him, like because of him, my life

00:33:00.280 - 00:33:16.930

ALBINA RIPPY: turned like turned a different trajectory. ALBINA RIPPY: You know, and I'm here in a way because of his contribution, his help, his ALBINA RIPPY: guidance. And for that, I'm very grateful. RISHI SHRIDHARAN: Thank you. Yeah, this has been a fantastic time.

00:33:17.440 - 00:33:36.880

RISHI SHRIDHARAN: I've really enjoyed hearing your stories, and I'm sure that folks who are hearing RISHI SHRIDHARAN: this recording will similarly enjoy and hopefully RISHI SHRIDHARAN: feel grateful for the the willingness to for you to RISHI SHRIDHARAN: so selflessly give your time so that we can preserve this gem

00:33:36.880 - 00:33:42.970

RISHI SHRIDHARAN: of information for the future. ALBINA RIPPY: It's my pleasure, Rishi. ALBINA RIPPY: Thank you so much. RISHI SHRIDHARAN: Thank you, Albina.