The Conscious Entrepreneur

EP30: Spiritual Wisdom in Entrepreneurship

“Disseminate spiritual wisdom.” This is a message Tami Simon heard loud and clear when she was just 21 and unsure of what she wanted to do and how she wanted to invest the sum of money she had inherited from her father. It remains her life’s purpose and the driving mission at the heart of Sounds True, the multimedia publishing company she founded. Sounds True  focuses on promoting spirituality, psychology, health and healing. She joins the Conscious Entrepreneur podcast to discuss the importance of being true to yourself, following your intuition, and why putting love ahead of money most often leads to money anyway. She compares founding and running a business to being in a long term relationship and, having recently passed on the CEO baton, what it feels like to let go.
 
Just as important as being yourself is allowing others to be themselves. One of the key components of the Inner MBA, which Sounds True puts on with LinkedIn and the annual Wisdom 2.0 conference, is learning how to make space for people who have different views from your own, learning to communicate and collaborate in order to achieve the best outcome for all. Creating such a culture within a corporation inevitably impacts the world at large.
 
Though she’s prone to a metaphor and a poetic line, Tami is committed to telling the truth, as it is one of the core principles, she says, of a spiritual entrepreneur. Join today’s discussion to hear more of Tami’s insights and initiatives which were well ahead of their time, and now, more timely than ever. 
 
Quotes
“For me it feels like a sacred contract, that’s one term that might shake people a bit. Or it feels like a promise that I made before I incarnated. It has that level of heft to it, in terms of how I experience it inside myself, as my purpose in life. And I’m very inspired by it. I continue to be inspired by it, it’s taken a lot of different forms over the years, and quite honestly it’s a little mysterious even to me.” (6:37 | Tami Simon)
“The interesting thing is, I tracked over time—every single love project ended up being financially successful. Every single one. And I think that part of it is if I loved it, it was for a reason. And maybe it hadn’t had the level of exposure yet, or whatever, but there was something very genuine there that was drawing me in.” (13:18 | Tami Simon) 
“Let die what needs to die so what can be born can be born.” (22:14 | Tami Simon)
“Be someone who says, ‘I take responsibility for the culture that we are creating together here. Here are my ideas. Be a vocal participant. And if we can invite and create organizations that encourage and welcome and inspire citizenship, we’ll find people acting like citizens in the world. And this is a connection that organizations can actually foster, the same kind of citizenship we want to see in our communities.” (38:49 | Tami Simon)
“If you don’t do it, people aren’t going to go to bat the next time. They’re not going to stand up and raise their hands if you just say, ’No, we’re going to make the economic decision, or what the professionals say.” (40:25 | Tami Simon)
“Spiritual integrity, as a person, is non-negotiable. It’s non-negotiable. How much money I make is negotiable.” (41:54 | Tami Simon) 
 
Links
Connect with Tami Simon:
https://innermba.soundstrue.com/
https://www.soundstrue.com/
Connect with Alex Raymond:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/afraymond/
Website: https://consciousentrepreneur.us/
HiveCast.fm is a proud sponsor of The Conscious Entrepreneur Podcast.
Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

EP29: The Burnout Breakthrough

“Going whichever way the wind blows, depending on what other people want, that’s driftwood in the ocean,” explains Dr. Neha Sangwan, CEO and Founder of Intuitive Intelligence Inc. and author of “Powered By Me.” “When I know who I am and make decisions based on my highest values, I become a sailboat with a rudder, charting my own course.” From an early age, Dr. Neha fulfilled her family’s needs and desires, leading her to become an internal medicine physician, a mechanical engineer at Motorola, as well as completely burnt out by age 31.  On today’s episode of The Conscious Entrepreneur, Neha talks to host Alex Raymond about the triad that comprises burnout, its alarm systems, and how to determine whether it’s acute or chronic.
 
Part of serving both ourselves and others in a “me-we world,” as Dr. Neha describes it, is strengthening the bond with those around you through healthy conflict and communication. Drawing from her book “Talk RX,” she provides scenarios and techniques for taking in data from others’ reactions as well as from your own, how not to personalize or assume the worst. When difficult conversations arise, she says, get curious, not furious.
 
The world is suffering silently from burnout and self-care culture isn’t cutting it. Join today’s conversation to hear Dr. Neha talk about the power of vulnerability in the workplace and why failure can be our greatest strength. 
 
Quotes
“By 31, I had learned to push through my body, not partner with it. I was the master of knowing what the world wanted from me, and not knowing at all what the sound of my own heart was. I had surpassed my emotions, I had stopped communicating, because who needed to hear what I had to say, I just needed to know what you wanted from me.” (6:46 | Dr. Neha Sangwan)
“What I think the world needs now more than ever, is us not only understanding who we are and picking up signals for ourselves, but when we miss them—because we have the passion of an entrepreneur, because we have the love of a doctor to serve—but the people around us, we are connected enough to them that we can trust them to say, ‘Hey, Neha, is everything OK?’” (8:17 | Neha Sangwan) 
“One thing I know, being an entrepreneur for about, I don’t know, 15 or 16 years now, is that I’ve gone to zero twice in this endeavor, and people say, ‘Oh, my God. Doesn’t that scare you? Isn’t that awful?’ And I say, ‘No. Now if I ever go to zero again, I know I have the confidence to rebuild. That needed to happen. It was necessary. It wasn’t a failure. It’s probably my greatest strength. It’s probably the reason I have conviction in my voice.” (41:35 | Dr. Neha Sangwan)
“You can’t predict the world but that’s why we’re entrepreneurs, because we’re willing to go in the rough terrain, and we’re willing to figure it out. That’s our greatest gift.” (42:34 | Dr. Neha Sangwan)
Links
Connect with Neha Sangwan:
https://intuitiveintelligenceinc.com/burnout-rx/
https://intuitiveintelligenceinc.com/ifive/
https://nehasangwan.com/events/
Connect with Alex Raymond:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/afraymond/
Website: https://consciousentrepreneur.us/
HiveCast.fm is a proud sponsor of The Conscious Entrepreneur Podcast.
Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

EP28: Ripples of Impact

“We know the anti-aging message, which is a lot of things get worse with age, and I really wanted to focus on what gets better with age and why,” says Chip Conley founder of the Modern Elder Academy and author of several books about the benefits of aging including “Learning to Love Midlife: 12 Reasons Why Life Gets Better with Age.” There is a U-curve to aging and happiness hits a low at about age 47. After that, happiness increases. We begin to change our mindset from being concerned with what it says on our resume, money or status to leaving a legacy. Short term memory gets weaker while wisdom and Emotional Intelligence expand. Chip reveals major misconceptions about aging, the most crucial component to a healthy life in your 80s and 90s—and it isn’t diet, exercise or stress management—and why men tend to struggle more than women.
 
Like many successful entrepreneurs, Chip realized around the age of 50 that he had wisdom he wanted to share and found himself as a “men-tern” (a combination of mentor and intern) at AirBnB. There he learned the imposter syndrome is overcome by developing explorer syndrome, the importance of trading a fixed mindset to a growth mindset and what mentors can learn from mentees.
 
In this episode of The Conscious Entrepreneur, you will learn that your greatest years may just be ahead of you and that what once was considered a midlife crisis, is actually a midlife chrysalis. 
 
Quotes
“The societal narrative on aging is ‘Just don’t do it,’ and once you hit your mid-life crisis around 45 or 50, it’s all downhill from there. But that’s the societal narrative. The personal narrative, based upon this research, is, actually, people get happier after 50.”  (5:33 | Chip Conley)
“One of the things we get wrong is that we think our body is the only playing field of life.” (7:53 | Chip Conley)
“There are a lot of tech bros in Silicon Valley trying to help us live forever but they tend to be extremely focused on the scientific, physical side of longevity, and not the socio-emotional side of longevity which frankly, at this point, has a greater impact.” (12:54 | Chip Conley) 
“Believing you can learn, this is a growth mindset versus a fixed mindset. A fixed mindset has this belief that you have a fixed amount of knowledge, or a fixed amount of capacity or skill and you’re supposed to optimize it, and you want to prove yourself and you want to win. A growth mindset is less focused on proving yourself and more focused on improving yourself. It’s not about winning, it’s about learning.” (30:46 | Chip Conley) 
 
Links
Connect with Chip Conley:
Website: https://www.meawisdom.com/
 
 
Connect with Alex Raymond:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/afraymond/
Website: https://consciousentrepreneur.us/
HiveCast.fm is a proud sponsor of The Conscious Entrepreneur Podcast. 
Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

EP27: Purpose-Driven Capitalism

Eleanor Allen joins The Conscious Entrepreneur podcast to discuss the power of business to act as a force for good. It’s a culture, she says, that is formed from the top. Following her passion for environmentalism and entrepreneurship, she worked as CEO of clean water charity Water for People and while there, she attended an inner development program run by a non-profit out of Paris called the Well-Being Project. 
There, while gaining tools and learning skills to help prevent the pitfalls frequently experienced by those in the social impact space—high rates of burnout, divorce, and depression—she also learned to be vulnerable, unlock her heart and to deal with her biggest fears, worries and impediments. Believing similar strategies would make CEOs better and more aligned with their missions, she founded Catapult for Change, a public benefit corporation (PBC) where, through her coaching and consulting services, she helps entrepreneurs launch new ideas that are grounded in well-being. 
After Water for People, Eleanor worked as a lead executive for B Lab, a global nonprofit which works to transform the economy so that it benefits all people, communities, and the planet. She explains what it takes for for-profit corporations to become B Corps—certified by B Lab to meet vigorous standards of social and environmental performance, transparency and accountability. She explains the difference between working under a shareholder’s mindset versus a stakeholder’s mindset, and balancing a mission with the ever-present need to make a profit. 
She and host Alex Raymond discuss her plans for a future of conscious capitalism in which all businesses run as B Corps. They also discuss the issue of corporate greenwashing and the importance of diversity in the workplace. 
 
Quotes
“I did have a very strong belief, and still do, of ‘Don’t stay too long in the seat.’ When you have a top job, don’t get too comfortable. And I had gotten to the point where I was super comfortable.” (6:56 | Eleanor Allen)
“I truly believe, and this has a lot to do with my own personal journey—that unlocking the full potential of leaders, of their teams and then of the greater organization, can really bring out the best in people and help them prepare for their future success.” (10:28 | Eleanor Allen)
“If you have a good, diverse mix of people with diversity of thought, diversity of experience, and diversity of where they are in the world, you’re going to get a stronger mix of ideas and almost certainly, better outcomes.” (31:40 | Eleanor Allen) 
“It is about organizational culture change, but we know it needs the tone at the top and the leadership to do these microshift and change their practices so that changes ripple through the organization.” (38:50 | Eleanor Allen)
Links
Connect with Eleanor Allen:
Website:https://catapultforchange.com/
LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/eleanor-allen/
Connect with Alex Raymond:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/afraymond/
Website: https://consciousentrepreneur.us/
 
HiveCast.fm is a proud sponsor of The Conscious Entrepreneur Podcast.
Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

EP26: The Key to Unlocking True Entrepreneurial Freedom

“Entrepreneurs are in a very small category in this world, and as such, it might seem like you’re kind of nutty sometimes in your own head and that people don’t get you except for your peers.”
Join us on The Conscious Entrepreneur as Rob Dube, co-founder of The 10 Disciplines, delves into the key insights of his latest book, “Shine: How Looking Inward is the Key to Unlocking True Entrepreneurial Freedom,” co-authored with Gino Wickman. This episode explores how entrepreneurs can achieve genuine freedom by embracing self-discovery and creating the life they've always wanted.
Rob emphasizes that entrepreneurs are unique, driven individuals who possess the power to change the world with their ideas and resilience. Yet, this drive often has its roots in past traumas, leading to challenges such as difficulty relaxing, delegating, and connecting with non-entrepreneurs. Despite these obstacles, Rob argues that the solution isn't to suppress this drive but to channel it more effectively through self-awareness. 
“Shine” encourages entrepreneurs to reflect on their motivations, whether they stem from love or ego, and offers a framework for using this awareness to make better decisions and align closer with their true desires. Rob assures listeners that true success and peace come from authenticity and self-understanding, leading to a life where one can operate at their highest potential.
Tune in to discover how to navigate the journey of self-discovery, redefine success, and unlock your true potential as an entrepreneur.
 
Quotes
“Isn’t it funny, but not funny, how things just come together in life when you allow yourself to let go and follow what’s on the inside.” (4:31 | Rob Dube)
“When we say ‘maximize your energy,’ we’re talking about vibrating high, every single day.” (28:02 | Rob Dube)
“The resilience–when you keep getting knocked down over and over again–the resilience we have is unbelievable. Except for a momentary blip where we doubt ourselves, but then we just get right back up. It’s a super power.”  (30: 21 | Rob Dube)
“For me, I had these traumatic experiences, as I mentioned at the outset. So, what did I want to do? I wanted to control my life. How can I control my life in business? If I go get a job, I can’t control that. So, I decided being an entrepreneur was the way I was going to control things, even though I later found out I can’t control anything. But you think you can because you’re self-employed. I’m going to make my own way.” (32:32 | Rob Dube)
“Your true self is the real you. It’s the most authentic version of who you are. It’s unshaped by societal expectations, professional roles or social masks. It’s the core identity that remains constant beneath the various hats that you wear in different areas of your life and it’s typically buried behind your ego, your personality and the suit of armor that you’ve developed over your lifetime, often due to some kind of pain, trauma, conditioning, imprints, things of that nature.” (40:56 | Rob Dube ) 
“One of the things that entrepreneurs fear is that driven nature that they have and that in some way they think that if they let go of that edge, for peace, they won’t be as they hoped. And what we’re saying is, you’re not going to have to let go of the driven nature, you’re actually going to use it better.”  (47:26 | Rob Dube) 
Links
Connect with Rob Dube:
Book: https://the10disciplines.com/shine/
 
Connect with Alex Raymond:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/afraymond/
Website: https://consciousentrepreneur.us/
HiveCast.fm is a proud sponsor of The Conscious Entrepreneur Podcast.
Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm
 

EP25: Less Corporate, More Conscious

“I really had to face off with myself,” says Dom Farnan, founder of DotConnect, about the courage, humility and work it took to admit that since 2019, when she transitioned from a solopreneur to leading a team of nearly 100 people, she had been acting as a toxic boss. She was controlling, deep in her ego, and helped foster a culture of drama and gossip. In 2020, however, after hiring a coach, attending the MasterMind personal growth summit, and reading books such as “The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership,” she began to create a conscious culture with her team, a “Dot 2.0,” as she calls it. And she chronicled the whole journey in a book entitled “Now Here: A Journey from Toxic Boss to Conscious Connector.”
On this episode of The Conscious Entrepreneur, Dom explains how she dealt with the skepticism and eye rolling she received from certain team members when she explained the new direction in which she’d be taking the company. She discusses which of the 15 commitments she uses most often in her daily practice, the therapeutic modalities she incorporates into meetings and the deep digging she did to find the source of her toxicity. 
As Alex notes, of all the resources available to entrepreneurs, bosses, and CEOs, there are few that deal with the inner feelings involved with those positions. Dom describes the burnout that led her to create a team in the first place as well as her struggles with imposter syndrome and how she leaned on fellow women entrepreneurs when male counterparts rattled her confidence. Led by DotConnect’s Vivid Vision mission statement, Dom and her team are continuing to co-create a more conscious working environment. 
 
Quotes
“I was really scared. I thought my clients wouldn’t want to still work with people who were not me. I was really big in my ego, ‘Oh, they’ll only work with me.’ Well, it turns out that they would work with my team, whoever I endorsed to bring in.” (5:20 | Dom Farnan)
“I didn’t know that I was toxic, I wouldn’t have called myself that. That wasn’t a term that was even on my radar. But how that showed up in my company was there was drama, there was gossip, there was probably a sense of insecurity from the team. I was super emotionally reactive. I was a perfectionist and so if things didn’t go exactly perfect, my way, I would lose my mind over the small details and very much controlling of everything.”  (9:54 | Dom Farnan) 
“I just really had to unlearn everything that I thought I knew, so it’s been an unbecoming-who-I-thought-I-was process, and now a kind of putting-myself-back-together process.” (10:58 | Dom Farnan) 
“I put that out into the world and I shared it with the team, and some people were excited and some people left. They just weren’t aligned and didn’t want to support the vision, which was totally acceptable. That’s exactly, actually, what I wanted to happen. I wanted it to weed out anybody who wasn’t game for it.” (22:02 | Dom Farnan)
Links
Connect with Dom Farnan:
Website:https://www.domfarnan.com/
Vivid Vision: https://dotconnectllc.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/VIVID-VISION-X-DC-1-1.pdf
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dom-farnan/
 
Connect with Alex Raymond:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/afraymond/
Website: https://consciousentrepreneur.us/
HiveCast.fm is a proud sponsor of The Conscious Entrepreneur Podcast.
Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

EP24: A Modern Trail Guide to Leading a More Intentional Life with Bart Foster

“It’s not just outside in nature, it’s out of your comfort zone and outside of corporate norms, and doing things a little bit differently.” Shortly after moving to Boulder, CO, Bart Foster, founder and CEO of BusinessOutside, took a meeting with a fellow entrepreneur. Instead of meeting for lunch or coffee, they went for a walk. Hiking in nature, Bart found, imbued him with a sense of creativity, vulnerability, renewed energy and wellbeing, and allowed him to open up to his colleague about a recent professional trauma. 
Soon he began rethinking traditional workplace settings and culture, and how we can cut through mindless small talk and ask questions that “go deeper, faster” and generate more genuine and productive business relationships. Motion, he says, causes emotion.
After all, time is precious. He explains how he used the “zip code strategy,” taught by Jim Sharpe of Harvard Business School to move his family from Atlanta to Boulder. Picking out where you want to live first, and figuring out the rest later is part of Bart’s goal to minimize regret. 
Bart’s story is one of personal growth, creativity, and self-discovery in entrepreneurship. He walks listeners through some questions they can ask themselves to determine their personal value set, outside of the values assigned by society, and how to create what he calls “a gratitude loop.” 
 
Quotes
“I realized when I’m outside, I’m more creative, I’m more authentic, I’m more innovative. I feel happier, I feel more alive, I feel more energetic.” (4:12 | Bart Foster) 
“What I learned is if I can go deeper, quicker, it gives other people the permission.”(10:09 | Bart Foster)
“It’s lonely. We often feel that we have to put up this mask, this veneer, ‘I’m raising capital,” and all these things. It’s hard. It’s really, really hard to be an entrepreneur and it’s lonely,” (11:50 | Bart Foster)
“I got people to be vulnerable. I got them outside, we walked and all of a sudden, you could just feel it, the energy was different. And that just put me on this journey of, ‘Hey, I wonder if there’s a different way to do business?’” (23:40 | Bart Foster) 
“It’s not just outside in nature, it’s out of your comfort zone and outside of corporate norms, and doing things a little bit differently.” (24:52 | Bart Foster)
“Health, money and time. How do we calibrate to maximize our life energy? That’s what I’m trying to do.” (33:40 | Bart Foster)
“Shared experiences, not advice. We say to have empathy, not to judge. You want to have no judgment and just say, ‘Hey, this is what happened to me, here’s how I handled it.’ And then you get to make the decision.” (39:34 | Bart Foster)
 
Links
Connect with Bart Foster:
Website: https://www.businessoutside.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fosterbart/
Connection Questions: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/658f0890ea656379d1a749a6/t/659db7683bf81b506ddc4a06/1704834920419/BusinessOutside+Connection+Questions.pdf
 
Connect with Alex Raymond:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/afraymond/
Website: https://consciousentrepreneur.us/
HiveCast.fm is a proud sponsor of The Conscious Entrepreneur Podcast.
Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

EP23: Transcending The Entrepreneurial Journey

“The real source of why I’m starting this company is actually deep love–deep love for myself, deep love and a desire for connection for anybody that struggles with loneliness,” said Tracy Lawrence of founding her company Chewse. The company, which provides group format catering for offices, was founded as a response to the social isolation and bullying she experienced as a kid in school. 
Throughout the next decade she would have subsequent encounters with loneliness which she met with rigorous introspection, honesty, and courage. Each time she emerged with an understanding that while she was fully empowered on her own, we are all interconnected and can—and must—rely on each other in order to thrive. 
Her journey brought her into the world of psychedelics and after selling Chewse, she began to practice psychedelic integration work and now does healing coaching in Honolulu. She explains modalities that listeners can engage in to promote their own healing, including Peter Levine’s alternative therapy known as somatic experiencing, as well as helpful teachings from Richard Schwartz and Joe Dispenza. 
On today’s episode of the Conscious Entrepreneur, Tracy takes us through her experiences with burnout, and shares what she learned from and about her team each time she chose to be honest and vulnerable with them instead of hiding her emotions. 
 
Quotes
“I built a company that was group format-style catering because I wanted to make sure nobody ever ate alone.” (5:42 | Tracy Lawrence) 
“I thought ‘No, no, no.’ Leaders do not express fear. We are always in control and we are always powerful.’ No fear. We’re courageous.” (9:19 | Tracy Lawrence)
“And in the moment, I looked at the team, and I told them, I said, I love working with you. And genuinely, I would be so devastated if we didn't raise this round, and we didn't get a chance to work together. And there was not a dry eye in the room. And it was a huge moment for my personal leadership philosophy being developed.” (9:46 | Tracy Lawrence)
“In the psychedelic world, and in that journey, what happens is that all of the defense systems, all your layers, what you might call the protectors, they all stand down. You’ll see them start to stand down in layers, so that you can really see what your pure, highest self looks like looking out at the world.” (21:14 | Tracy Lawrence) 
“There is no spiritual practice like being deathly ill and coming to terms with the fact that you might not wake up the next day.” (36:58 | Tracy Lawrence)
“If the brain thinks, the heart knows.” (45:44 | Tracy Lawrence)
Links
Connect with Tracy Lawrence:
Guide: https://tracy-lawrence.ck.page/banishburnout
Website: https://goloveengine.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tracylawrence/
 
Connect with Alex Raymond:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/afraymond/
Website: https://consciousentrepreneur.us/
 
HiveCast.fm is a proud sponsor of The Conscious Entrepreneur Podcast.
Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

EP22: Mental and Emotional Resilience for Entrepreneurial Success

Bryan Leach spent his school days and much of his early life “chasing a series of brass rings.” A self-described “anxious achiever,” he basked in the social cache of attending Harvard, Oxford University, and finally Yale Law and later clerking for U.S. Supreme Court justices and making partner at a major firm. Eventually, though, he found himself wanting to be more creative and to put something new into the world. He founded Ibotta, leading cashback rewards network in the United States and the first-ever performance-based marketing tool, one which powers large loyalty programs with major corporations like Kroger, Walmart, and Dollar General.
This new venture required not only a new set of skills, but a whole new mindset from the one he developed as a lawyer. Being driven by praise and reward helped him to advance academically and professionally, but left him averse to taking risks–a trait essential to entrepreneurship.  As a lawyer, he was used to boasting his credentials and “being paid to be right,” while as an entrepreneur, he had to stand on the strength of his ideas and the results he delivered. How could he change his perspective so that the same obsessiveness and passion that made him successful didn’t burn him out or drive him crazy? 
The answers are somewhat paradoxical. You have to be vulnerable enough to care deeply about your work, but also be OK if it never works out and you don’t get what you want. By asking more questions, showing you don’t have all the answers, sharing credit as well as pressure, you show yourself to be a more effective leader than if you act like you can do it all and have it all under control. The bigger the company grows, the more you must trust others to help control it.
Though you must keep your identity from being too wrapped up in your company, your personal history and life events will show up in your work style. Bryan tauts the virtues of therapy and shares how he navigated the many instances of what Ben Horowitz calls WFIO (We’re F**ked, It’s Over). Everyone has WFIO moments, and their own unique path to success, despite our cultures insistence on sharing only superhero stories. In this episode, Bryan shares how, through  mental and emotional resilience, we can successfully navigate our own course. 
 
Quotes
“You have to figure out how to build the muscle of rebounding from emotional setbacks and failure at a much higher rate than you ever did when you were striving to be a lawyer.” (9:18 | Bryan Leach)
“It’s very tempting to fall back on that storytelling trope that we have as a society which overemphasizes the contributions of the founder, hides all the struggles of the founder, and also leads everyone to kind of expect that.” (19:28 | Bryan Leach)
“The more vulnerable you are, the more you admit you don’t know, the more you seek opportunities to apologize, take responsibility, the stronger you come across, the more authentic you are seen as a leader, the more effective you are.” (25:03 | Bryan Leach)
“A lot of people who are successful are happy to share credit but when there’s blame they internalize all that blame within themselves. What you should be able to do is share credit and share ownership and responsibility for problem solving, so you’re not putting the weight of the Western world on your shoulders all the time.” (28:30 | Bryan Leach) 
“You have to create a world where if the company fails you’re still OK and proud of yourself, and you’re still happy and you learn things and you can go on and try something different. (29:26 | Bryan Leach)
Links
Connect with Bryan Leach:
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEriFU1JEYM
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bwleach/
Website: https://home.ibotta.com/
 
Connect with Alex Raymond:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/afraymond/
Website: https://consciousentrepreneur.us/
HiveCast.fm is a proud sponsor of The Conscious Entrepreneur Podcast.
Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

EP21: Are Entrepreneurs Touched with Fire?

Entrepreneurship is more than a career or an identity; it's an emotional journey that demands resilience. In this episode of The Conscious Entrepreneur podcast, host Alex Raymond invites Dr. Michael Freeman to explore the intricate relationship between mental health and entrepreneurial success. Dr. Freeman, a renowned psychiatrist and expert in entrepreneur mental health, sheds light on the unique challenges faced by those in the entrepreneurial world.
Discussing the highs and lows inherent in entrepreneurship, Dr. Freeman emphasizes the critical role of mental health resources in sustaining growth and wellbeing. His research offers a surprising perspective: entrepreneurs with mental health conditions often have an edge in business, a testament to the complex interplay between personality traits and mental wellbeing.
Dr. Freeman shares essential strategies for maintaining mental health, including prioritizing rest, exercise, and connecting with nature. He also highlights the value of building a support network of peers and engaging in authentic relationships within entrepreneurial communities.
As the conversation draws to a close, Dr. Freeman calls for a shift in entrepreneurial culture – one where mental health is as prioritized as business strategy. He envisions a future where entrepreneurs openly embrace their mental health journey, integrating self-care into their roadmap to success. By redefining the entrepreneurial narrative to include mental wellness, Dr. Freeman believes we can foster a new generation of resilient, balanced, and successful entrepreneurs.
 
Quotes:
“The research over and over and over again demonstrates that entrepreneurs would have had more successful lives by a number of metrics had they pursued a career instead.”  (4:46 | Michael Freeman)
“My colleagues and I studied a thousand entrepreneurs and we found that there was a 3% suicide rate among these people. It's a very good sample that we did this with the Gallup organization and we got a national probability sample, a very good robust methodology, 3.3% suicidality, suicide attempts, 1.7% psychiatric hospitalization, and about 40% of this whole group had one or more diagnosable mental health conditions. So that's worth knowing because the symptoms from those mental health conditions can derail your personal life and your professional life, and they can mostly be prevented. That's part one. Part two is that they're also associated with superpowers, and you can make those superpowers work for you, and that's part of why entrepreneurs succeed.” (8:32 | Michael Freeman) 
“Personality traits are neither good nor bad. You just need to understand what they are and then have ways of managing them so they work for you, not against you.” (18:21 | Michael Freeman) 
“The entrepreneurs that I've worked with tend to feel like they are the hero in the action drama of their own startup. And that if the startup succeeds, that means they succeed. And if the startup fails, that means they're a failure. Not true. And so being able to get out of that mentality, I think, is a level of consciousness that allows you to be way less stressed out about building business.” (26:00 | Michael Freeman) 
 
 
Links
Connect with Michael A. Freeman:
Website: https://econa.net/ 
Are Entrepreneurs Touched with Fire? https://econa.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Are-Entrepreneurs-Touched-with-Fire.pdf
Connect with Alex Raymond:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/afraymond/Website: https://consciousentrepreneur.us/
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