In this episode of Chu on This!, Dr. Katie W. Chu sits down with fellow optometrist and entrepreneur Dr. Chris Smiley for an inspiring conversation about leadership, gratitude, personal growth, and having the courage to bet on yourself.

Chris shares how an unexpected change in his career plans led him to purchase an optometry practice straight out of school, eventually growing it into a thriving business with six offices and 50 employees. Along the way, he learned that leadership sometimes requires making uncomfortable decisions, establishing healthy boundaries, and recognizing when it's time for change.

Katie and Chris also explore the importance of gratitude and finding joy in everyday moments. Katie shares a touching experience with a young patient who reminded her of the impact we can have on others, while Chris reflects on how focusing on positive experiences helps him stay connected to what truly matters.

The conversation becomes more personal as Katie discusses betting on herself by moving forward with her Journey of Discovery experience despite challenges securing sponsorships. Together, they explore the importance of reconnecting with your purpose, especially when the pressures of business and life begin to overshadow the passion that brought you there.

Ultimately, it's a conversation about trusting yourself, embracing uncertainty, and remembering that a fulfilling life is built on more than professional success. Sometimes the greatest opportunities come when you're willing to take a chance on yourself.

Good leadership sometimes requires uncomfortable decisions. Chris reflects on the challenges of making difficult staffing decisions and recognizing when change is necessary for a business and its people to grow.

Healthy boundaries strengthen relationships. Whether managing employees or navigating family relationships, Katie and Chris discuss how clear boundaries create healthier expectations and stronger connections.

Betting on yourself means moving forward without guarantees. From Chris's unexpected journey into practice ownership to Katie's Journey of Discovery experience, both share why meaningful growth often begins when you stop waiting for perfect circumstances.

“I think just as you share, it can be very, very helpful once you get through that hard part of this.”

“Practicing gratitude kind of like realigns me back to like what really matters.”

“We see each other professionally, but we don't always get to see each other personally.”

Dr. Chris Smiley is the owner of Vision Professionals, a multi-location private optometry practice serving Central Ohio. A 2001 graduate of The Ohio State University College of Optometry, he entered practice ownership immediately after graduation and has since built a thriving organization specializing in patient-centered care and specialty contact lenses.

Dr. Smiley serves as a clinical preceptor for contact lens residents at Ohio State and as faculty advisor for the Private Practice Club. He also represents Ohio as a VSP State Ambassador.

Beyond his practice, Chris consults with industry partners, participates in clinical research, and mentors aspiring optometric entrepreneurs. He is passionate about leadership, business growth, and helping the next generation of optometrists succeed.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/csmileyod

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/csmileyod/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/csmileyod

Vision Professionals: https://www.visionprofessionals.com/

In this episode of Chu on This!, Dr. Katie W. Chu sits down with fellow optometrist, educator, and entrepreneur Dr. Kriti Bhagat for an honest conversation about resilience, vulnerability, finding your voice, and embracing life's unexpected changes.

Kriti shares how an exciting career opportunity turned into a devastating setback when she relocated to Rhode Island, only to discover that her new position was no longer available. What initially brought uncertainty and self-doubt eventually opened doors to new experiences, professional growth, and the confidence to build her own optometry practice.

The conversation becomes deeply personal as Katie reflects on her breast cancer journey and the moment she realized that being strong didn't mean hiding her emotions. She and Kriti explore the expectations women often face to remain composed, put others first, and stay quiet, even when finding their own voice is exactly what they need.

They also discuss difficult relationship decisions, overcoming the fear of starting something new, and learning that asking for help is a strength rather than a weakness. Kriti shares how building her practice taught her that she didn't need to have every answer before taking the first step.

Ultimately, it's a conversation about discovering that strength doesn't always look the way we expect. Sometimes it means allowing yourself to be vulnerable, trusting your instincts, and finding the courage to move forward even when the path ahead is uncertain.

Strength doesn't always mean holding everything together. Katie and Kriti reflect on how vulnerability, uncertainty, and allowing yourself to experience difficult emotions can be important parts of resilience and healing.

Setbacks can create unexpected opportunities. What initially felt like a devastating career setback ultimately helped Kriti discover new possibilities and build the confidence to create something of her own.

You don't need to have everything figured out. Starting something new can feel overwhelming, but curiosity, determination, and a willingness to ask for help can take you further than waiting until you feel completely ready.

“At that time, I did not think there were any good reasons for this.”

“It is okay to be showing vulnerability.”

“You don't have to have all those answers.”

Dr. Kriti Bhagat, OD, FAAO, is an accomplished optometrist, educator, and entrepreneur. She is the founder and owner of Eyediology Vision in Providence, Rhode Island, where she specializes in corneal health and specialty contact lenses.

A Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry, Dr. Bhagat has built a career spanning clinical practice, education, research, and leadership. She serves as an adjunct faculty member at Salus University, has published numerous professional articles, and regularly speaks at industry conferences. Her contributions to education earned her the Pennsylvania College of Optometry's Professor of the Year award.

Beyond her practice, Kriti serves on the boards of the Rhode Island Optometric Association and Junior Achievement of Rhode Island. She is passionate about mentoring others, advancing eye care, and helping the next generation of professionals succeed.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kriti-bhagat-9a40b9218/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brew.reading

In this episode of Chu on This!, Dr. Katie W. Chu sits down with longtime friend, fellow optometrist, and entrepreneur Dr. Osama Said for an honest conversation about success, family, perfectionism, personal growth, and learning when it's time to let go.

Osama shares his journey from electrical engineering into optometry, eventually building a successful group of practices before selling to private equity. Along the way, he discovered that growing a business meant learning to delegate, trusting others, and accepting that perfection isn't always necessary for success.

The conversation becomes more personal as Katie and Osama reflect on raising daughters and the challenges of watching them become independent adults. Osama admits that letting go has been harder than expected, while Katie shares how becoming an empty nester has opened the door to rediscovering herself, writing books, and pursuing new passions.

They also explore the expectations we carry throughout life, from the desire to please our parents to the pressure to keep achieving more. Katie opens up about finding the courage to leave an abusive marriage and why she now feels ready to share more of her story.

Ultimately, it's a conversation about recognizing that success doesn't always mean doing more. Sometimes the greatest growth comes from accepting what you've accomplished, releasing what you can no longer control, and giving yourself permission to enjoy the next chapter.

Letting go can be one of the hardest parts of success. Whether it's delegating responsibilities in business or allowing your children to become independent, growth sometimes means stepping back and trusting others to find their own way.

Perfection isn't the goal. Osama learned that allowing others to take responsibility, even when they approach things differently, creates opportunities for everyone to grow.

Every new chapter brings new possibilities. Katie and Osama reflect on redefining success, questioning old expectations, and discovering that personal growth doesn't stop when you've achieved your goals.

“It's hard for me to let go of them, although they are ready to fly.”

“Perfection really isn't attainable.”

“I'm actually having the best time of my life right now.”

Dr. Osama Said is an experienced optometrist and entrepreneur based in Raleigh, North Carolina. Throughout his career, he has built and managed multiple optometry practices, developing extensive experience in business growth, leadership, and patient care.

Specializing in comprehensive eye examinations, vision correction, and eye health, Dr. Said is committed to providing personalized care while helping patients maintain healthy vision.

His journey from engineering to optometry and entrepreneurship reflects his passion for learning, building businesses, and embracing new opportunities.

MyEyeDr: https://www.myeyedr.com/

In this episode of Chu on This!, Dr. Katie W. Chu sits down with Rita Kandamkalam for a deeply personal conversation about growth, faith, identity, belonging, vulnerability, and learning to find more joy in the person you're becoming.

Rita shares how a recent trip to Italy unexpectedly shifted her perspective. Returning to Los Angeles, she realized that parts of her old life no longer seemed to fit in quite the same way. Friendships were changing, her idea of home was evolving, and she was discovering that even positive growth can sometimes feel uncomfortable.

Katie and Rita also explore faith, intuition, and learning to trust the voice that tells you when it's time to move forward. Rita reflects on her Catholic upbringing, questioning institutions while holding onto her faith, and why choosing to be baptized as an adult became such a meaningful commitment.

One of the most revealing parts of their conversation centers on Rita's desire to continually become a better version of herself. Her therapist challenged her to consider whether constantly focusing on who she's becoming might prevent her from appreciating who she already is.

It's a conversation about letting go of what no longer fits, trusting yourself through seasons of change, and moving beyond having "just enough" joy to creating a life that's truly filled with it.

Growth can be positive and still feel painful. As we change, relationships, places, and even our sense of home can change with us. Something falling away doesn't necessarily mean something has gone wrong.

Working on yourself doesn't mean doing it alone. Katie reflects on the importance of allowing her "village" to support her and realizing that asking for help can be part of becoming stronger.

Don't become so focused on growth that you forget to experience joy. There's value in becoming who you want to be, but also in recognizing and celebrating who you already are.

“The only person that could ever hold myself back is me.”

“I always say your intuition is God speaking directly to you.”

“Now I have to go and fill my life with complete joy.”

Rita Kandamkalam is endlessly curious about people, the lives we build, and the places and experiences that shape us. Born in Kerala, India, raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, and now living in Los Angeles, she loves traveling, exploring unfamiliar places, writing, and finding meaning in both the profound and the beautifully ordinary.

Her career has spanned hospitality, brand, technology, workplace, and real estate, with a common thread of understanding how people experience the world around them and how thoughtful spaces, systems, and design can help them feel more connected and supported.

When she's not working or traveling, Rita can often be found tucked away in a coffee shop or exploring town with her dog, Theodore.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ritamk

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ritamk_

Sensere Studio: https://www.instagram.com/sensere.studio

In this episode of Chu on This!, Dr. Katie W. Chu sits down with fellow optometrist and entrepreneur Dr. Thanh Mai for a candid conversation about business, leadership, asking for help, and learning to live with greater intention.

Thanh shares his journey from opening an optometry practice from scratch to growing through acquisitions and additional locations. Along the way, he learned lessons that only come from building a business, including choosing the right partners, understanding the numbers, creating accountability, having difficult conversations, and learning when to let go.

The conversation also becomes personal as Katie reflects on finally hearing her own voice after years of putting others first. She and Thanh discuss celebrating the people around them while remembering to celebrate themselves, asking for help without seeing it as weakness, and giving themselves more grace when things don't go perfectly.

Ultimately, it's a conversation about continuing to grow at every stage of life, surrounding yourself with the right people, and realizing that you really can do hard things without having to do them all alone.

You can do hard things without doing everything alone. Asking for help isn't a sign that you're incapable. Sometimes knowing when to lean on your "village" is part of becoming stronger.

Growing a business means learning to let go. Clear roles, accountability, and trusting the right people become increasingly important as a business grows beyond its founder.

Give yourself permission to grow imperfectly. Growth doesn't require getting everything right. Sometimes it means becoming a little gentler with yourself and allowing room for things not to go exactly as planned.

“I have never lived my life with so much intention. Everything is with intention.”

“The best news I hear is when good things happen to my friends and family.”

“Most of the commitments we break are with ourselves.”

Dr. Thanh Mai is the co-founder and CEO of Insight Vision Center Optometry, a multi-location group practice. He is a Fellow of the Scleral Lens Education Society, founder of the Scleral Lens Practitioners group of more than 9,000 optometrists, and a contributing author for Review of Optometric Business.

Thanh has personally managed more than 1,000 myopia cases and speaks nationally on myopia management, scleral lenses, practice management, and AI. He also works with Vision Source and Treehouse Eyes in various leadership roles.

Despite all of that, Thanh's preferred bio for years was simply: "Thanh is just a guy." His mentor eventually made him stop.

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/insightvisionoc

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/insightvisionoc

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/insightvisionOC/

In this episode of Chu on This!, Dr. Katie W. Chu sits down with longtime optical industry colleague and friend David Carneal for a thoughtful conversation about perspective, clarity, relationships, gratitude, and learning to see ourselves differently.

After 25 years in the optical industry, David moved into consulting, workflow and process development, and perspective alignment coaching. He and Katie explore a simple but powerful idea: sometimes changing the angle from which we look at something can completely change what we see.

Katie reflects on how her therapist became an important mirror, helping her recognize things about herself she couldn't see alone. David shares lessons from his father, who believed that "less is more" and taught by giving David the tools to discover his own answers.

Their conversation moves between business and life as they discuss parenting, learning from their adult children, acts of kindness, carefully chosen words, and why seemingly small details can have an enormous impact on the people around us.

Ultimately, they return to the reality that life is finite. Rather than creating fear, that awareness can give us the courage to act on what matters, connect more deeply, and pursue the things that genuinely light us up.

Sometimes clarity requires changing the angle. Other people can act as mirrors, helping us recognize perspectives, patterns, and possibilities we may not be able to see ourselves.

The little things matter. Whether in business or relationships, meaningful impact often comes through small actions, thoughtful words, and simply showing up when someone needs us.

Knowing life is finite can change how you live. Recognizing that time isn't guaranteed can create the courage to stop waiting and act on what genuinely matters.

“The little things are what matter.”

“I'm competitive against myself.”

“There's an urgency for me to do whatever I feel lights up my heart, and I just do it.”

David Carneal is the Founder and Principal of Digital Efficiency Consulting Group in Orange County, California. With more than 25 years of experience in operations and the optical industry, he helps organizations improve how work gets done through workflow diagnostics, process development, and practical operational improvement.

David also works as a Perspective Navigator, using Perspective Alignment Coaching to help individuals and teams examine how they interpret situations, improve communication, gain clarity, and make better decisions.

Connect: https://dot.cards/dcarneal

Website: www.thedecg.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dmcarneal/

In this episode of Chu on This!, Dr. Katie W. Chu sits down with longtime industry colleague Ryan Solomon for a personal conversation about success, loss, family, mentorship, service, and learning that strength doesn't mean doing everything alone.

Ryan shares how losing his mother to breast cancer at just 24 changed the direction of his life. It forced him to rethink the "lone wolf" mentality he had carried as a young man and learn the importance of asking for help, finding mentors, and surrounding himself with people he could trust.

Katie and Ryan also explore how their definitions of success have evolved. Ryan stopped measuring himself against other people's achievements and instead began asking a much simpler question: Was that your best? Katie reflects on how motherhood helped her move away from perfectionism and accept that sometimes doing your best with the circumstances you're given is enough.

The conversation eventually turns to service and legacy. Ryan shares why mentoring young men through the Kaizen Young Men's Weekend has become so meaningful to him, while Katie discusses writing her memoir, How I Glow, and her desire to leave her story for generations of her family she may never meet.

This episode is a reminder that life doesn't have to be navigated alone, and that sometimes our greatest success is found not in what we achieve, but in who we help along the way.

Asking for help is a form of strength. Ryan learned that taking responsibility for your life doesn't mean handling everything alone. The right mentors and support system can change the direction of your life.

Success has to be defined for yourself. Instead of comparing yourself to others, success can be as simple as knowing you gave your best with what you had.

Achievement can become service. As our definition of success evolves, the focus often shifts from what we can accomplish to how we can use what we've learned to help others.

“The moment that changed for me is when I stopped defining success based upon what everyone else is achieving and defined it by what I wanted out of my life.”

“You can't do it yourself, and you've got to have a good support system and people around you.”

“Once you see that your life has meaning, it changes everything that you do.”

Ryan Solomon is a Senior Area Sales Manager for Lumenis Vision and a Southern California native. A former Cal Poly football player, Ryan brings the lessons of teamwork, discipline, and perseverance into both his professional and personal life.

Beyond his career, Ryan is passionate about mentorship and giving back, including his work with the Kaizen Young Men's Weekend, where he helps support and guide the next generation of young men.

Instagram: https://instagram.com/LA_dryeyeguy

Lumenis: https://lumenis.com/

In this episode of Chu on This!, Dr. Katie W. Chu sits down with longtime Oakley leader Kyle Lan Franco for an honest conversation about resilience, identity, persistence, mental health, and rebuilding yourself when life doesn't go according to plan.

Kyle shares the persistence that eventually landed him a role at Oakley after around 20 interviews, beginning a career that has now lasted almost 17 years. He and Katie discuss saying yes to opportunities, trying things before you feel completely ready, and refusing to let fear decide what's possible.

The conversation becomes more personal as both reflect on periods when they lost their sense of identity. Katie shares her experience of rebuilding after an abusive marriage and breast cancer, while Kyle talks about reaching a point where he had to look in the mirror and ask himself what he needed to change to feel happy again.

Together, they speak openly about anxiety, depression, therapy, vulnerability, and the reality that healing doesn't have a perfect finish line.

This episode is a reminder that difficult experiences may change you, but they don't have to define what's possible next. Sometimes rebuilding begins by accepting who you are today and having the courage to keep moving forward.

Rebuilding doesn't mean going backwards. Growth isn't always about becoming the person you used to be. Sometimes it's about accepting who you've become and deciding who you want to be next.

Vulnerability creates connection. Katie and Kyle's openness about anxiety, depression, and healing shows how powerful it can be to discover you're not alone.

Persistence can change your life. Kyle went through around 20 interviews before getting his opportunity with Oakley. Almost 17 years later, his story proves the value of continuing to knock on the door.

“I had to look in the mirror and reset and reevaluate what I needed to do to be happy.”

“There's a moment of darkness. You're down. But a black eye heals.”

“We're not done yet.”

Kyle Lan Franco has spent more than 15 years building his career with Oakley, one of the world's most recognized and innovative eyewear brands.

After earning his MBA in 2015, Kyle has focused on developing strong business partnerships, driving growth, and building teams that deliver results. He is passionate about the relationships he has built throughout his career and the opportunity to represent a brand he genuinely believes in.

Outside of work, Kyle loves spending time in the mountains and taking every opportunity he can to get out on the snow.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lanfranco/