In this episode of I'm an Artist, Not a Salesman, Luis Guzman sits down with creative strategist and marketing rebel Ankur Garg, the CEO of Youngry and founder of Flex Work Studios, for one of the most brutally honest conversations we've had on this show. If you’re expecting a polished tale of success, this ain’t it. This is a real one—messy, inspiring, and filled with the kind of truth most people are too afraid to say out loud.
Ankur walks us through his “Z to A” philosophy—a method where he helps people visualize their end goal first and then reverse engineer the steps to get there. But he’s quick to say most people don’t actually want to do the work. They want the shortcut. They want the result without the process. He doesn’t sugarcoat it. He’s seen it too many times—people with all the talk and none of the action.
We get into the rise and collapse of his earlier ventures, including the one that made headlines: Shreds. He opens up about losing it all—money, reputation, friendships—and how walking away wasn’t just a business move. It was a moral choice. After discovering people close to him were getting paid before the employees and vendors, he had to step out. But leaving meant giving up everything he helped build. That decision haunted him for years.
This episode pulls no punches. We talk about betrayal, misplaced loyalty, and how easy it is to misread people when your gut’s not tuned in. Ankur admits he missed the signs. He questions whether he betrayed people too—not out of malice, but by promising more than he could deliver when he was young, hungry, and blinded by the rush of success.
We explore how rock bottom changed him. After years of living large, Ankur found himself back at his parents’ house, broke, depressed, and questioning his worth. No sponsors, no co-signs, no golden parachute. Just Uber driving, $25 flyer gigs, and a deep need to find his footing again. What followed was three years in Pittsburgh, where he rebuilt quietly. No flash. No ego. Just work.
He talks about losing confidence, dealing with physical symptoms of stress, and eventually finding his strength again—mentally, emotionally, and financially. It’s not a redemption montage. It’s a slow, grinding climb. But when his beard grew back (literally), he knew something inside had shifted. He finally loved himself again.
Luis and Ankur go deep on loyalty, adult friendships, and why Ankur keeps his circle small. He shares how trauma shaped the way he gives and receives love, and why a simple act—like someone bringing him a coffee—can mean more than words ever could. They talk about chasing accomplishment vs. chasing validation, and how sometimes, you just need to hear “you were right” to get that fire back.
They also unpack the origin story of Youngry—a name Ankur held onto for 20 years, waiting for the right moment. That moment is now. He explains how he brought in trusted partners to build something bigger than himself. The agency isn’t just about marketing—it’s about creating opportunities for creators and entrepreneurs who want to work smart, build loud, and do it without selling out.
This is more than a story about business. It’s about falling apart and coming back stronger. It’s about the identity shifts we all go through and what it takes to truly reinvent yourself when nobody’s watching. Ankur’s story will hit home for anyone who’s ever been humbled by life and had to start over.
If you’ve ever felt like giving up, or like your past disqualified you from your future, you need to hear this one. Not because it’s pretty—but because it’s real.