Welcome to Risky Routes, a short interview series telling the stories of moments when travel forces you to grow up and adapt fast. Because risk creates perspective. And perspective creates success. We talk about the chaotic, uncomfortable, borderline-bad-idea journeys that pushed people to level up, trust themselves, and take control of their lives.
Risky Routes
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22 episodes
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Podcast Overview
Welcome to Risky Routes, a short interview series telling the stories of moments when travel forces you to grow up and adapt fast. Because risk creates perspective. And perspective creates success. We talk about the chaotic, uncomfortable, borderline-bad-idea journeys that pushed people to level up, trust themselves, and take control of their lives.
Language
🇺🇲
Publishing Since
2/9/2026
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Recent Episodes
July 14, 2026
High Speed Train Chase Across Russia with Elena Levine, Managing Partner at Forcoda Ventures
<p><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/lenalevine/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Elena Levine</a> has spent the last 12 years building technology companies, helping founders bring products to market, and now raising a venture fund focused on AI and fintech. But one of the biggest lessons that shaped her leadership came during a Christmas trip home to Russia.</p><p>After missing an overnight train to see her family, Elena found herself stranded in St. Petersburg exhausted, without cash, and convinced the trip was over. Then a ticket agent предложed (see what I did there, haha) an unexpected solution: board a high-speed train to Moscow, race ahead of her original train, and intercept it several hours later. Against all odds, it worked.</p><p>That story became a metaphor for how Elena approaches entrepreneurship. Missing one opportunity doesn't mean the journey is over. Sometimes the fastest path forward is the one you never planned.</p>
July 7, 2026
The Mount Everest Base Camp Lie with Lauren Molenda, Co-owner of Riveter Design
<p><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurenmolenda/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">Lauren Molenda</a>, co-owner of <a href="https://riveterdesign.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">Riveter Design</a>, has trekked to Everest Base Camp, summited Kilimanjaro, run a marathon through the Alps, and spent years intentionally putting herself in uncomfortable situations. But one of the most important lessons she learned came from a moment when she was convinced she was failing.</p><p>While trekking to Everest Base Camp, Lauren struggled with the altitude and the mental weight of comparing herself to everyone around her. She became convinced she was slowing the group down and falling behind. Then she learned the truth: she wasn't at the back of the group at all. She was near the front.</p><p>That experience revealed the "Everest Base Camp Lie" a story our brains tell us when we're tired, uncomfortable, or uncertain. Often the narrative in our heads is far harsher than reality.</p><p>In this episode of Risky Routes, Lauren shares how adventure, endurance, and discomfort have shaped her leadership style, why confidence is built through evidence rather than motivation, and what challenging experiences can teach us about self-perception. We also discuss fear, resilience, and why some of life's biggest breakthroughs happen when you're willing to be uncomfortable for longer than everyone else.</p>
June 29, 2026
Inside Walgreens during the $150MM Theranos Fraud with Harry Leider, former Chief Medical Officer at Walgreens
<p><strong>What do you do when something feels wrong but everyone else seems convinced it’s right?</strong></p><p>In this episode of Risky Routes, I sit down with <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/hleider/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Harry Leider</a> to discuss one of the most infamous corporate failures in recent history: <strong>Theranos.</strong></p><p>As Chief Medical Officer at Walgreens, Harry had a front-row seat to the partnership between Walgreens and Theranos as the company promised to revolutionize blood testing. What started as an exciting vision for the future of healthcare eventually became a lesson in skepticism and leadership.</p><p>We talk about decision-making under uncertainty, asking difficult questions, and why experience often teaches you what success cannot.</p>
22 total episodes available
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