Description: Episode 191
Guest: Ekta Agarwal, senior technology leader turned startup founder and AI enthusiast
After 20 years driving results inside someone else's system, Ekta asked a harder question at 39: what happens when you stop optimizing another person's vision and start building your own? We talk about starting when you're stuck, leading without a title, why AI should amplify judgment instead of replacing it, and how belonging is something you sometimes have to create.
Takeaways
If you don't feel you belong, create your own space rather than waiting for permission.
AI's real power is amplifying judgment and speeding good work, not replacing capable people.
Keep learning the new tools; engineers who adapt keep building, they don't get sidelined.
Treat ideas as living: watch what's already working elsewhere, refine fast, and stay open to change.
Use AI with standards (especially in healthcare): privacy, security, and human review still own the outcome.
Leadership is a process, not a bottleneck at the top; invite more minds into decisions as speed increases.
Self-doubt is common; capability is often larger than the story you're telling yourself.
Chapters
0:00 Welcome and why Ekta left certainty for possibility
1:33 Growing up in India, moving to the U.S., and creating belonging
4:41 Early career and the boss who saw more potential
6:16 Leaving corporate, reclaiming hobbies, and stepping into leadership roles
7:50 Does AI replace software engineers or make them faster?
12:33 Finding ideas, learning from what already exists, and building in public
15:39 Using AI for honest critique, not flattery
17:13 Local AI, Apple's pace, and healthcare data privacy
21:56 Leadership as process when one person becomes the bottleneck
25:05 How AI changes the speed and shape of building companies
29:47 Women in tech: capability, multitasking, and moving past self-doubt
34:28 What's next for Ekta: startup goals and helping others
Links
Throttle Up Leadership: https://throttleupleadership.com
LinkedIn (Dr. John P. Dentico): https://www.linkedin.com/in/johndentico
Guest: https://cdn.bmapinc.com/shareables/20043159/articles/iw_4065-2026-07-20-19-00-39-square.png
Meaning is the new money.
