NAKED by The Future Farm

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 t...

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 unexpecte...

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...

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 li...

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 insig...

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...

*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...

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...

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...

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 T...

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 colleagu...

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...

“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...

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 identit...

“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 addres...

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 impa...

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 fi...

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...

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 (...

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 th...

Vladi and Nektarios reflect on their past conversation with Dame Kelly Holmes after she came out as gay at the age of 52. Nektarios shares his views on how this news impacted him, as well as Pride month and sexuality. They discuss why it still matters when people with a public profile come out as gay - it should be a part of reality for everybody. The work is far from being done. This leads the co...

This week’s guest is no stranger to The Future Farm, and you may have heard his name pop up from time to time in conversation with Nektarios. That’s because Drew Graham is Nektarios’ co-founder. He is also a serial business builder. He joins NAKED to talk about his entrepreneurial life, how he put that on hold and joined a bank, largely because his health was deteriorating. Drew is incredibly vuln...

Vladi and Nektarios revisit the recent conversations they’ve had on the podcast about neurodiversity. They reflect on the episodes with Nick Cavuoto and Sam Handfield-Jones, as well as Nektarios’ recent dinner with Dr. Michael Freeman where they discussed neurodiversity and entrepreneurship. They also talk about an upcoming episode that continues to explore the topic; recognising people’s needs in...

We continue our conversations with neurodivergent entrepreneurs by welcoming Sam Handfield-Jones to NAKED. Sam is an angel investor, builder of things, advocate, and passionate about sharing his experiences of living and working with ADHD, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. We talk to Sam about creating safe and inclusive work environments for individuals with ADHD, his own entrepreneurial...

For the first episode in our series of conversations with neurodivergent entrepreneurs, Nick Cavuoto joins NAKED. Nick is a serial entrepreneur who discovered late in life that he has ADD, Attention Deficit Disorder. We talk to Nick about living with ADD and how it translates into his entrepreneurial life. What does he mean when he describes it as his  ‘superpower’? Nick has been on a rollerc...