In this two-part interview, we revisit the New York City property acquired by the Romualdez family – a prominent clan in Philippine politics –which was first exposed during the launch of this podcast. My assignment this week is to understand how the family of former House Speaker Martin Romualdez acquired their wealth.

We speak to Ruben Carranza, who was the commissioner of the Presidential Commission on Good Government from 2001-2004, in charge of litigating and investigating ill-gotten wealth accumulated by former President Ferdinand E. Marcos, his family, and associates – including the Romualdezes.

Now a lawyer with the International Center for Transitional Justice, he tells us about the family’s historical ties to the Marcos dictatorship, their rise to wealth and power, and the mechanisms they used to accumulate and hide their assets.

Stay tuned for Part 2.

If you want to learn more about the New York City property, listen to Episode 1.

Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or via your favorite podcast app: https://onassignmentwithme.transistor.fm/

Follow @natashya_g on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, X and Facebook.

Support independent journalism and this podcast: buymeacoffee.com/natashya_g

To know more about my work, go to natashyagutierrez.com

On this bonus episode, we continue our previous conversation with Dr. Ritesh Malik (Episode 4), a doctor from India who left medicine behind to pursue entrepreneurship... and became a millionaire in his 30s.

Ritesh realized he didn't feel fulfilled as a doctor, took a huge leap, and shifted careers. In 2015, he founded Innov8 Coworking, a startup that just four years later, was acquired by Softbank-backed OYO, an Indian multinational hospitality chain. Today, Innov8 is a significant coworking player across India – offering flexible offices in major cities like Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru.

As a young leader in India’s digital startup ecosystem, Ritesh now plays an active role in backing over 125 startups, and investing in public equities and real estate. In this extension of our original conversation, we talk about how he chooses to invest his money, his tips on how to become successful, and what mission drives him today.

If you want to listen to the start of the conversation, check out Episode 4.

Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or via your favorite podcast app: https://onassignmentwithme.transistor.fm/

Follow @natashya_g on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, X and Facebook.

Support independent journalism and this podcast: buymeacoffee.com/natashya_g

To know more about my work, go to natashyagutierrez.com

On this special New Year's episode, we sit down with Dr. Ritesh Malik, an Indian medical doctor turned entrepreneur. Ritesh realized he didn't feel fulfilled as a doctor, took a huge leap, and shifted careers. In 2015, he founded Innov8 Coworking, a startup that just four years later, was acquired by Softbank-backed OYO, an Indian multinational hospitality chain. Today, Innov8 is a significant coworking player across India – offering flexible offices in major cities like Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru – and Ritesh is a millionaire.

As a young leader in India’s digital startup ecosystem, Ritesh now plays an active role in backing over 125 startups, and investing in public equities and real estate. In this intimate conversation, we discuss his major learnings, the values that guide his life and decisions, and why one of his superpowers is having JOMO or the joy of missing out.

My final assignment of the year is to leave you with some inspiration as you enter 2026.

Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or via your favorite podcast app: https://onassignmentwithme.transistor.fm/

Follow @natashya_g on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, X and Facebook.

Support independent journalism and this podcast: buymeacoffee.com/natashya_g

To know more about my work, go to natashyagutierrez.com