In this episode of Chu on This!, Dr. Katie W. Chu sits down with Kathy Cruz, a respected leader in the optical industry and a passionate advocate for women, community, and intentional living, for a deeply honest conversation about boundaries, healing, faith, and rebuilding yourself when life doesn’t go as planned.

What begins as a lighthearted discussion about family traditions and everyday life unfolds into a powerful dialogue about the emotional labor many women carry quietly. Kathy shares her journey of navigating family expectations, caregiving roles, and the difficult but necessary decision to set boundaries in order to protect her mental health and peace.

Together, Katie and Kathy reflect on pivotal life moments — layoffs, divorce, caregiving, trauma, and identity shifts — and how those experiences became invitations to rebuild from a place of self-trust and clarity. Kathy opens up about therapy, redefining her identity beyond long-held roles, and reclaiming her maiden name as an act of self-honoring.

The conversation also highlights Kathy’s leadership within the Optical Women’s Association, including the importance of creating safe, unplugged spaces where women can reconnect with themselves beyond titles, productivity, and expectations.

This episode is a reminder that boundaries are not walls against others — they are bridges back to yourself.

Boundaries are acts of self-preservation, not punishment. Kathy explains that setting boundaries is not about hurting others, but about protecting your mental health and honoring your needs.

Rebuilding starts internally, not professionally. True rebuilding begins with self-awareness, reflection, and healing. Career clarity follows personal clarity — not the other way around.

Safe spaces create stronger leaders. Unplugged, judgment-free environments allow people to heal, reconnect, and return to life and leadership more grounded and aligned.

“You’re not setting a boundary against someone — you’re setting a boundary for yourself.”

“I had to rebuild myself personally before anything else could work.”

“Legacy isn’t something you leave behind — it’s something you’re actively creating.”

In this episode of Chu on This!, Dr. Katie W. Chu sits down with her close friend and longtime colleague Dr. Linda Vu for a warm, thoughtful, and deeply personal conversation about purpose, faith, clarity, and the courage to move forward even when the path ahead is unclear.

Together, they reflect on decades of serving a diverse, immigrant-rich community in the San Gabriel Valley and the legacy created through hundreds of thousands of patient encounters. Dr. Vu shares her journey of stepping away from the comfort of employment to open her own practice, navigating uncertainty, impostor syndrome, and the fear of not being “ready.”

Through honest reflection and heartfelt storytelling, this episode explores how clarity often comes after action, not before it. Dr. Chu and Dr. Vu discuss identity, confidence, healing, and the quiet ways patients can teach us to value ourselves more deeply.

Filled with humor, wisdom, and moments of deep insight, this conversation is a reminder that impact is built through presence, kindness, and connection — not perfection or certainty.

You don’t need clarity to begin — you just need the first step. Dr. Vu shares how growth happened by moving forward without a perfect roadmap, trusting that each step would reveal the next.

Purpose is often revealed through service to others. Years of patient care reminded both doctors that true impact goes beyond clinical outcomes — it lives in human connection and compassion.

Faith and community create courage when certainty is missing. Family, faith, and support systems made it possible to take risks, knowing that even if things didn’t go as planned, they wouldn’t face it alone.

“You don’t always have to have a clear pathway — you just have to get started.”

“It’s okay to not have clarity, as long as you take the first step.”

“If I can make every patient leave feeling just a little bit happier, I’ve already done my job.”

Website: https://www.lindavision.com/

In this episode of Chu on This!, Dr. Katie W. Chu sits down with Tony Sommer, whose journey spans military service in the U.S. Air Force, corporate leadership, and ultimately a purpose-driven career in optometry and myopia management.

Recorded in an Atlanta hotel just hours after Dr. Chu landed, this intimate conversation weaves together stories of service, family, fear, faith, and vulnerability. Tony reflects on leaving the military to prioritize family, navigating the corporate world, and discovering fulfillment through meaningful, values-aligned work. Along the way, he shares moments of courage, including confronting deep fears, redefining success, and learning to surrender control.

Dr. Chu also opens up about her own transformative experiences — leaving an abusive marriage, confronting childhood trauma, and choosing vulnerability as an act of strength. Together, they explore how their generation was taught to “suck it up,” and why unlearning that mindset has been essential for healing, leadership, and inner peace.

This episode is an honest, wide-ranging dialogue about choosing courage over comfort, releasing facades, honoring legacy, and understanding that true success has nothing to do with material goods — and everything to do with impact, faith, and connection.

Vulnerability is not weakness — it’s strength refined. Katie and Tony reflect on how openness around fear, trauma, and uncertainty has become a powerful source of connection and leadership. Vulnerability allows others to feel seen and less alone.

Success isn’t material — it’s relational and meaningful. Tony shares how releasing the pursuit of titles, status, and possessions brought clarity and peace. True success is measured by impact, wisdom, and the people you help along the way.

Courage often means choosing discomfort in service of purpose. From facing fears in the wilderness to launching deeply personal work, both speakers highlight moments where courage required stepping into discomfort to live more fully aligned lives.

“Being vulnerable now is one hundred percent a sign of strength.”

“Material goods aren’t success. Impact on others is.”

“You can’t live authentically if you’re always wearing a facade.”

Website: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tsommerjr

My latest project: https://www.treehouseeyes.com/