Episodi
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In this episode of the NAKED podcast, our hosts Nektarios, Vladimira, and our guest, Emmalyn Shaw from Flourish Ventures, explore the importance of prioritising psychological safety in entrepreneurship and venture capital.
The discussion centres around how Flourish Ventures prioritises mental health and well-being within their organisation and how they support their portfolio companies,
Specific topics covered in the episode include:
The recognition of mental health and well-being in the venture capital community.
How Flourish Ventures supports their portfolio entrepreneurs’s wellbeing.
The role that venture capital firms can play in providing mental health support to entrepreneurs.
Different playbooks and interventions for investors to support entrepreneurs dealing with mental health challenges.
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In this episode of the NAKED podcast, our hosts Nektarios, Vladimira, and our guest, Fatin, explore the anxiety Fatin faced whilst she was building her first business.
The discussion centres on the experience of being a female entrepreneur in an emerging market, the journey towards self-awareness regarding one’s mental health, and the tools necessary for navigating life after facing such unexpected obstacles.
Specific topics covered in the episode include:
Fatin's personal account of dealing with anxiety and its impact on her ability to function in daily work life.
Her exploration of multiple paths to recovery, including individual therapy, group therapy and building a support system.
The episode also touches on how she navigated her co-founder relationships at this time, highlighting the need for empathy and uncomfortable conversations to maintain a healthy business environment.
Strategies for distinguishing one’s self-worth from one’s business achievements.
Reflections on the entrepreneurial experience in Pakistan as a woman, offering a perspective on the challenges and rewards of building a business in an emerging market.
Join Nektarios, Vladimira, and Fatin as they discuss the intersections of entrepreneurship, mental health, and personal growth, offering valuable lessons and strategies for navigating the complexities of startup life in an emerging market.
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Episodi mancanti?
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In this NAKED podcast episode, our hosts Nektarios, Vladimira, and our guest, Emma, explore the complex emotions and challenges that came up for her after exiting a startup.
They discuss the importance of addressing unresolved issues from the past, understanding one’s motivations for success, and the role of mental health and self-awareness in navigating post-exit life.
Specific topics covered in the episode include:
The unexpected emotional impact and identity crisis following a startup exit.
The journey of self-discovery and the importance of reconnecting with personal values, friends, and interests.
Strategies and toolkits for rebuilding oneself and integrating self-care and wellness practices into daily life.
The significance of acknowledging and addressing mental health struggles that may arise after significant life changes.
Reflecting on the entrepreneurial experience and its lessons for personal growth and future endeavors.
Join Nektarios, Vladimira, and Emma as they discuss navigating the aftermath of a startup exit, the path to personal recovery, and the strategies for building a fulfilling life beyond entrepreneurship.
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In this NAKED podcast episode, our hosts Nektarios, Vladimira, and our guest, Lottie, discuss her breakdown and how it took her by surprise.
They discuss learning to look out for signals, the importance of introspection and self-awareness and how to get better by integrating wellbeing into one’s life.
Specific topics covered in the episode include:
What does the experience of a breakdown look like?
Understanding one’s own needs and starting with small steps to meet those needs.
Integrating routines into a busy life and making them non-negotiable.
The importance of sleep and exercise
Planning for when you sense it might be happening again
The role of a sharing with people for support and accountability
Join Vladimira, Nektarios, and Lottie as they discuss breakdowns, strategies for getting better and integrating wellbeing into the demands of a founder’s life.
#NAKEDPodcast #foundershealth #mentalhealth #empowerment #podcast #entrepreneurship
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In this NAKED podcast episode, our hosts Nektarios, Vladimira, and our guest, Eia, discuss neurodiversity, coping with depression and trauma, and the importance of vulnerability and ongoing growth.
They also discuss tactics for communicating diagnoses of neurodiversity and navigating societal perceptions while operating in a team or co-founding relationship.
Through Eia's experiences and insights, they offer advice for individuals starting their mental health journeys while working in the entrepreneurial space.Specific topics covered in the episode include:
• Neurodiversity and its impact on individuals' lives
• Coping with depression, suicidal ideation, and trauma
• Seeking the right kind of support and being open to new experiences
• The importance of vulnerability and the ongoing process of learning and growth
• Communicating diagnoses of neurodiversity, such as ADHD and autism, with the outside world
• Navigating societal perceptions and self-acceptance of neurodiversity traits
• Strategies for operating in a team or co-founding relationship while being aware of one's mental health needs and neurodiversity traitsIn addition, they discuss the following questions:
1. How do individuals communicate their diagnoses of neurodiversity, such as ADHD and autism, with the outside world, especially in the context of leadership roles and team dynamics?
2. What are the challenges and strategies for operating in a team or co-founding relationship while being aware of one's mental health needs and neurodiversity traits?
3. What are the experiences of individuals who have been diagnosed with conditions like ADHD and autism, and how do they navigate societal perceptions and self-acceptance?
4. How can individuals use creativity as a tool for self-exploration and personal growth in the context of entrepreneurship?
Join Vladimira, Nektarios, and Eia as they discuss neurodiversity (including ADHD & Autism), coping with depression, trauma, and the challenges of leadership and team dynamics in entrepreneurial settings.#NAKEDPodcast #foundershealth #mentalhealth #empowerment #podcast #entrepreneurship
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In this NAKED podcast episode, serial entrepreneur Hardi shares with us how he would start a company and struggled two years in, each stage spurred by difficulties due to a reluctance to face responsibilities.
The conversation unfolds to reveal Hardi's pivotal moment when burnout, both physically and mentally, led to both his body and his relationships collapsing.
His way to deal with this was to avoid addressing the underlying issues and to numb himself with substances. Vladimira and Nektarios enquire about the signs Hardi ignored, the impact of his behaviour on his team, and his exploration of psychedelic-assisted therapy to comprehend childhood traumas influencing his behaviour.
Specific topics covered in the episode include:
• Starting companies and then leaving them
• Patterns and avoidance of responsibilities
• Experience of burnout
• Coping mechanisms during burnout
• Impact on relationships and team dynamics
• Seeking help through mentorship and coaching
• Exploration of psychedelic-assisted therapy
In addition, they discuss the following questions:
1. What signs of burnout did Hardi recognize as an entrepreneur, and how did they affect him?
2. How did burnout impact his personal and professional relationships?
3. How would he define burnout, and how did it manifest for him?
4. Why did he follow a pattern of leaving businesses and avoiding responsibilities?
5. How was his journey seeking help through mentorship?
6. How did psychedelic-assisted therapy contribute to his personal growth?
7. In what ways did childhood traumas influence his adult behaviours as an entrepreneur and person?
Join Vladimira, Nektarios, and Hardi as they delve into the complexities of entrepreneurship,burnout, and self-discovery in this NAKED podcast episode.
#NAKEDPodcast #foundershealth #mentalhealth #empowerment #podcast #entrepreneurship
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*Please be advised that this episode contains content related to suicide.*Suicidal ideation among entrepreneurs: let’s talk about it.In this episode, Vladimira and Nektarios engage in a conversation with their guest, Juliette Devillard, delving into her personal experience with suicidal ideation. The discussion explores common challenges faced by entrepreneurs, such as impostor syndrome, fear of failure, and the constant rejection inherent in startup life.
Juliette shares the steps that helped her navigate these struggles, emphasizing the importance of recognizing and prioritizing mental health. Michael Freeman's insights on mental health being like a sport, requiring practice for improvement, add depth to the conversation. Juliette's wellbeing management strategies, including a checklist for signals and the Beyond Resilience initiative, contribute to her journey toward healing and resilience.Specific topics covered in the episode include:• Juliette's personal experience with suicidal ideation.• The gradual buildup of thoughts and patterns leading to dark moments.• Common challenges faced by entrepreneurs: impostor syndrome, fear of failure, and constant rejection.• Recognizing and prioritizing mental health in the entrepreneurial journey.• Insights from Michael Freeman on treating mental health like a sport.• Juliette's strategies for managing her wellbeing, including a checklist for signals.• Beyond Resilience initiative: Bringing learnings and techniques to the entrepreneurial world.In addition, they discuss the following questions:1. What were the contributing factors that led to Juliette's suicidal thoughts?2. How did she recognize the need to prioritize getting better?3. What small and big steps did Juliette take to navigate her struggles?4. How does Michael Freeman's perspective on mental health resonate with Juliette's journey?5. What strategies does Juliette employ to manage her wellbeing and look for signals?6. How has her experience led to the creation of the Beyond Resilience initiative?Join them in this conversation as they delve into the topic of mental health in entrepreneurship, featuring Juliette Devillard's journey from suicidal ideation to resilience, offering essential insights for prioritizing well-being in the startup landscape.#NAKEDPodcast #foundershealth #mentalhealth #empowerment #podcast #entrepreneurship
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In this episode of the NAKED Podcast, Vladimira and Nektarios focus on co-founder dynamics through the lens of stress research and therapeutic practices. They explore a powerful conflict resolution tool known as "constellations" and emphasize the importance of communication among co-founders. The conversation extends to the impact of stress on entrepreneurs, drawing insights from Dr. Ute Stephan's mental health research specifically on entrepreneurs. The episode also sheds light on the paradox of finding fulfilment amidst entrepreneurial stress and addresses the challenges of social isolation, particularly for solo founders.Specific topics covered in this episode include:
• Co-founder dynamics and unity.
• The constellations exercise for conflict resolution.
• Communication within co-founder teams.
• The impact of stress on entrepreneurs.
• Dr. Ute Stephan's research on mental health.
• The relationship between fulfilment and stress in entrepreneurship.
• Loneliness and social isolation among founders.
• Supportive community building.
In addition, they discuss the following questions:• How can co-founders strengthen their unity?
• What is the constellations exercise, and how does it work?
• What are the implications of stress for entrepreneurs?
• How does Dr. Ute Stephan's research relate to personal entrepreneurship experiences?
• Can entrepreneurs be both fulfilled and stressed simultaneously?
• What challenges do solo founders face in terms of loneliness/isolation?
• How can founders build a supportive community for themselves?Join them in this conversation as they delve into conflict resolution, co-founder dynamics, and the impact of entrepreneurship on mental health.
#NAKEDPodcast #foundershealth #mentalhealth #empowerment #podcast #entrepreneurship
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In this episode of the NAKED Podcast, Vladimira and Nektarios are joined by Ute Stephan, Professor of Entrepreneurship at King's Business School, King's College London, and a renowned expert in the Psychology of Entrepreneurship. Together, they explore the intersection of entrepreneurship, well-being, and societal impact.Specific topics covered in this episode include:
• Setting realistic goals when working with social issues within the bounds of your enterprise
• Overcoming challenges when hitting rock bottom
• The need for support and resources for entrepreneurs in established and emerging economies
• The importance of motivation and inspiration
• How can entrepreneurs address mental health in their businesses and support their employees' well-being?
• What are some specific resources and support systems that can be put in place to help entrepreneurs in emerging vs. developed economies?Join them in this conversation as they explore entrepreneurship, well-being, and social impact.
#NAKEDPodcast #foundershealth #mentalhealth #empowerment #podcast #entrepreneurship
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In this candid NAKED episode, Vladimira and Nektarios are back to dive into the world of entrepreneurship. Explore the challenges of fear, uncertainty, and power dynamics with investors as they share personal experiences.
Over the past 3+ years, they've gained valuable insights into the entrepreneurial and investment landscape.
Specific topics covered in this episode include:
Overcoming fear The intricacies of working with external partners The art of maintaining structure amidst chaos Navigating the rollercoaster of personal growth Understanding power dynamics with investors Delving into the underlying causes of traumaIn addition, they discuss the following questions:
How do you conquer your fears as an entrepreneur? What strategies can you employ when working with external partners? How can you maintain order and structure amid entrepreneurial challenges? What insights can you share about personal growth on your entrepreneurial journey? What are the key aspects to consider in power dynamics with investors? How can understanding trauma and its causes benefit entrepreneurs in their pursuit of success?Join them for this conversation as they uncover essential aspects of the entrepreneurial journey and offer valuable strategies for your journey.
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Vladi and Nektarios are back together for the first Naked episode of a new year. They discuss a topic that they have touched upon previously: the power of speaking up and feeling empowered to call out someone’s bad behaviour, something that is often difficult to do in a business situation. Vladi shares a recent story of when she felt empowered to speak up on behalf of her business and her colleagues. She also talks about managing the conflict in the aftermath and how they dealt with it as a team. They talked about how it impacted individuals and the bigger topics that arise from an experience like this: what do you go through as an entrepreneur, what is okay and not okay, and what is the role of investors?
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As we come to the end of another year, Vladi and Nektarios pause and look back on the past 12 months. They talk about how things have changed, particularly in relation to how their respective fintech businesses now occupy most of their time, but that it’s important to remember to take time off and remember that your personal wellbeing matters. We hope you enjoy reflecting on a number of the topics that we’ve covered on the Naked podcast this year, including: imposter syndrome; co-founder conflict; investors and the role they play; neurodiversity; self-awareness; identity, and many more.
Show notes
Share your questions with Vladi and Nektarios at [email protected]
How can you support the podcast?
Tell your friends and share online.
Subscribe & review: Please make sure to review, share comments and subscribe to the show on the various platforms (YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify & Google Podcasts).
Spread the word: Help grow our reach by sharing your enthusiasm for the podcast and/or your favourite episodes by posting it on social media.
If you enjoy the podcast, please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts. It takes less than 60 seconds, and it really makes a difference in helping to convince future guests to share their stories!
For show notes and past guests, visit https://www.thefuturefarm.co/naked-podcast
Don’t forget to sign up for more!
Follow The Future Farm on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube
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“My escape was to try and be good at things, for no other reasons than for people to like me… I was seeking validation.” Our next podcast guest is Chris Howard, a reluctant founder and somebody who prefers the term ‘creator’. Chris joins us to talk about how he started building a business to fix things in his life and to seek validation from others. As his marriage fell apart, he started to behave in ways that he now finds troubling, and was ultimately asked to leave the company by his co-founder and board.
Chris talks about the signals he ignored; the difference between self-esteem and confidence; and where to look for help to start looking for the more deeply rooted causes that affect our self-esteem. He talks about how he has become academically obsessed with understanding trauma.
We discuss the following:
What does it take for somebody to be kicked out of the business they created? How do you feel when you’re being described as a wrecking ball? Self-esteem and confidence; Signals are there for a reason and how can we recognise and acknowledge them?Show notes
Connect with Chris: LinkedIn | Instagram | Twitter | Web
Resources
The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind and Body in the Healing of Trauma | Bessel van der Kolk, M.D. The Rattle Derren Brown Richard WisemanHow can you support the podcast?
Tell your friends and share online.
Subscribe & review: Please make sure to review, share comments and subscribe to the show on the various platforms (YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify & Google Podcasts)
Spread the word: Help grow our reach by sharing your enthusiasm for the podcast and/or your favourite episodes by posting it on social media.
If you enjoy the podcast, please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts. It takes less than 60 seconds, and it really makes a difference in helping to convince future guests to share their stories!
For show notes and past guests, visit https://www.thefuturefarm.co/naked-podcast
Follow The Future Farm on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube
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Vladi and Nektarios are back with a new episode, covering a number of themes we’ve heard on Naked before. They catch up and talk about being triggered, the power of visualisation in times when you’re feeling overwhelmed and having a choice. They spend much of the episode discussing the chat with Nemo D’Qrill; the impact it had on them, and some of the topics in that conversation, including identity, compromise and choice - including choosing when to speak up and when to stay silent (if you haven’t listened to the episode already, you can catch up here).
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“Entrepreneurship has definitely been the most challenging thing I’ve ever done, forget about the army.” Imagine you show up to a meeting and you can sense that people don’t know what to do with you. Imagine you go for a job interview and you hear “you’re not what we are looking for”.
These experiences open up a lot of questions and our podcast guest, Nemo D’Qrill, has started a business to address them from their own experience. The conversation revolves around the subject of authenticity and the compromises we have to make when one is different, where one doesn’t meet the expectations of their audience. For Nemo, it’s all about looking at their options and recommitting to the cause. Or not, if it no longer feels right.
We discuss the following questions:
What does it mean when you are raising money and you have to make a choice on how you show up? How do you deal with that constant conflict between authenticity and the reality of the environment you operate in? -
Vladi and Nektarios reconnect and share what’s been happening in their working and personal lives over the past few weeks. Nektarios talks about bumping into several former colleagues at an industry conference, hearing from people that appreciate what you do, and feeling overwhelmed by some of the corporate world. They then switch conversation to discuss some of the recent global news and the impact it has on them. Vladi shares more about where her space in the conversation is, how she shows up for herself, and using her voice. They talk about ‘otherness’, identity and belonging, as well as the support systems that people have in place where they can authentically talk about a shared experience.
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In our first LinkedIn Live episode of NAKED, Vladi and Nektarios discuss the dynamic between entrepreneurs and investors, and the impact that relationship can have on an entrepreneur's mental health. Continuing the investor conversation they started a few weeks ago, they start by sharing their own personal experiences; as they are both currently in the middle of fundraising for their respective fintech ventures.
They talk about the beginning of the entrepreneurial journey. Impostor syndrome, loneliness, co-founder conflict and questions around identity all come into play during the fundraising process. How does this process really impact the individual? How difficult is it to find investors that care and understand about the entrepreneurial pains?
Over the last couple of years, we've seen investors starting to question and redefine their own weaknesses and recognise that healthier founders increase the chances of the success for the business they've invested in. Vladi and Nektarios discuss:
What can investors do to support entrepreneurs? How much should investors care? How does this blur the lines between being supportive and interfering?
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We started the NAKED podcast because we wanted to draw attention to the subject of mental wellbeing for entrepreneurs and to share authentic, real stories of founders who ‘have been there’. At the same time, we must acknowledge that the reasons why entrepreneurs experience mental health challenges are still largely unaddressed.
Is it all about startup life just being harder than a normal job? Who is contributing to this? What are they doing about it? Are they even aware?Continuing our conversations with investors, in this episode we are talking to Lisa Mikkelsen, Head of Global Human Capital at Flourish Ventures. Lisa shares how the Fund’s partners lead by example: honesty and vulnerability are key. They start early by trying to understand the leadership team of a business they invest in. Building a relationship of trust is paramount.
We discuss the following questions:
How do you manage the delicate balance between investors and startup? What is the power dynamic there? How do more junior team members of the Fund come into this with the right mindset? What support do the heads of people at VCs need? -
This week’s episode is a special one as Vladi and Nektarios talk about the role of investors on entrepreneurial mental health and the fundraising experience. They talk about the personal - and sometimes painful - experiences that they’re currently going through in their own fundraising journeys; how it is having an impact on their teams; and whether investors should see entrepreneurs like humans (listen to our previous conversations with Dr. Michael Freeman for more on this topic). They also share some of their stressors, the ambiguity of the whole experience, and how to deal with the elements that are out of their control. This all leads to the introduction of something we have been working on for some time, The Future Farm’s masterclass on ‘how to become a compassionate investor’, where we are inviting investors to discover actionable tools, resources, and best practices to support founders’ mental health across their investment practices.
For more information on the Masterclass and to sign-up to attend, visit: https://www.thefuturefarm.co/masterclass-compassionate-investor
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This week Vladi and Nektarios discuss a topic we’ve talked about a few times on NAKED - co-founder conflict. They talk about the constant work that is required and their relationships with their co-founders. How do you manage yourself after a conflict - whether you’re directly involved or a mediator? How do you find the energy to continue with everyday business activities amid the conflict? And they discuss the importance of reflecting on the triggers - and what their own triggers are - that led to the conflict, in order to move on.
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