This week, we sit down with a true gem of a person — a man who's spent his career making people feel lighter, brighter, and more connected. Mark DeCarlo is a three-time Emmy Award winner, comedian, and TV host known for ABC's Windy City LIVE, Travel Channel's Taste of America, and voicing Hugh Neutron in The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius.

But long before the Emmys, Mark learned a lesson most people spend their whole lives avoiding: fear is never the reason to stay where you are. Two brushes with his own mortality as a teenager rewired how he thinks about risk, happiness, and what it actually means to live without regret.

In this episode, Harakh and Mark dig into risk, fear, and chasing the life you actually want. Mark makes the case for spirituality without the middleman, shares the story behind his grandfather's ring and a deathbed promise to God, and leaves us with maybe the simplest, most useful gem of an insight all year: tell your fear to take a hike.

00:00 Precap — "Fear is always and only bad for you"

00:49 Introduction — Gems With Harakh

01:33 Meet Mark DeCarlo

02:32 Born funny or built that way? Mark's path into comedy

04:40 Discovering Second City as a teenager

07:07 The childhood events that shaped his entire outlook

07:46 250 pounds in eighth grade — and the public bet to change it

10:55 The shot put accident that nearly killed him

12:01 Life is short: chasing joy over wealth

12:35 Harakh — what his name means and his higher purpose

14:02 A life with no schedule — corporate speaking and travel

16:35 Risk: Mark's bet vs. Harakh launching his own brand in 2017

18:18 Failure as the real teacher

19:46 Mark's mantra for fear and unhappiness

22:05 Find the diamond in the rough

27:14 Spirituality as the soul of the HARAKH brand

28:14 Eastern vs. Western spirituality — removing the middleman

34:32 The grandfather's ring — a deathbed promise to God

38:06 Gem of an Insight — tell your fear to take a hike

40:51 What's next for Mark — corporate events and new projects

42:07 Closing and outro

Julie Feldman is the founder of Orenda, a line of yoga towels and apparel rooted in chakra science, mantra, and compassionate design. The towels are made from recycled plastic bottles. The colors are mapped to the chakra system. And every hoodie carries words of intention on the inner sleeve — just for you.

In this episode, Harakh Mehta sits down with Julie to explore what it means to build a business from the inside out — why self-worth is the foundation from which everything blooms, how a single piece of jewelry became an act of self-reclamation, and what happens when two founders discover their brands were built on the exact same frequency.

Gems of insight you won't want to miss.

00:00 Precap

00:35 Introduction — Julie Feldman & Orenda

01:12 Chapter 1: What is Orenda and how was it born?

02:40 Chapter 2: The name, the logo, and the infinity connection

04:35 Chapter 3: Harakh's name means joy — the Drops of Joy collection

06:45 Chapter 4: Compassion as a core value — it's in the genes

08:30 Chapter 5: The Feldman Family Foundation — wealth as a tool for good

10:18 Chapter 6: How intention elevates a product beyond what you can see

12:00 Chapter 7: Chakras, colors, and building the Orenda product system

14:45 Chapter 8: Unlocking the throat chakra — finding your voice and worth

17:25 Chapter 9: Growing up between two worlds — luxury, struggle, and identity

19:40 Chapter 10: Choosing your own path

21:55 Chapter 11: The crown necklace — jewelry as self-reclamation

23:25 Chapter 12: Jewelry as talisman — grandmother's earring worn close to the heart

24:55 Chapter 13: Quiet luxury — what jewelry really means to those who collect it

26:24 Chapter 14: HARAKH artisans break for yoga — intention in every piece

27:55 Chapter 15: Recycled bottles, Reiki on every box — building with responsibility

30:15 Chapter 16: Gem of an Insight — know your worth; choose your 'I am'

32:08 Closing — I am Harakh. I am joy.

Jules Hurst coached executives, trained college students, and spoken at conferences — all on one simple idea: respect.

Jules Hurst is an etiquette expert and founder of Jewels First, certified since 2006. She specializes in business etiquette, dining, teen programs, and afternoon tea — helping people show up as the best version of themselves in every room they enter.

In this episode, Harakh Mehta sits down with Jules to explore the art of making lasting impressions — why putting your phone away is an act of respect, how a blazer can change the way you carry yourself, and why jewelry is the most underrated conversation starter in any room.

Gems of insight you won't want to miss.

Chapters

00:00 Precap

00:35 Introduction — Jules Hurst

01:12 Chapter 1: How Jules fell into etiquette

02:39 Chapter 2: Social vs. business etiquette

04:10 Chapter 3: Where to start — etiquette basics for everyone

05:00 Chapter 4: The phone rule — presence is respect

07:32 Chapter 5: Etiquette is life skills, not just high society

09:02 Chapter 6: Saying no with grace — respecting yourself

11:25 Chapter 7: Digital etiquette — texting, email, social media

14:26 Chapter 8: Respecting elders across cultures

17:27 Chapter 9: Dress for confidence — the blazer rule

20:33 Chapter 10: Jewelry etiquette — the art of 'know your audience'

23:01 Chapter 11: Colorless diamonds and flawless etiquette

26:26 Chapter 12: Where does Harakh find inspiration?

28:22 Chapter 13: Gem of an Insight — don't make yourself small

30:11 Chapter 14: What's next for Jules Hurst

31:13 Outro