The Conscious Entrepreneur | Leadership, Self-Awareness & Mindset

Pain and curiosity are two of the greatest forces for growth. Dr. Anna Yusim, a psychiatrist and spiritual teacher, shares how entrepreneurs can use both to tap into intuition, break free from limiting patterns, and build a more fulfilling path.   Her journey from Stanford and Yale-trained psychiatry to a deeper exploration of spirituality and Kabbalah wasn’t planned. It started through unexplaina...

Entrepreneurs chase optimization, but what happens when that’s not enough?   Jamie Wheal joins Alex Raymond to talk about flow, resilience, and the deeper search for meaning in leadership. He challenges the idea that personal optimization is the ultimate goal, suggesting it’s only the first step. The real work is in navigating uncertainty, making an impact, and staying grounded through Hedonic Eng...

Success isn’t supposed to feel like a grind. The real challenge is knowing when to let go and step into what feels effortless.   Alex Raymond sits down with Ret Taylor, the co-founder and former co-CEO of Ned, to talk about the moment he knew it was time to walk away. After years of building a wellness company with a mission he believed in, Ret found himself stuck in the day-to-day demands of runn...

Success won’t fix what you think it will—and Wil Schroter, founder of Startups.com, explains why so many entrepreneurs hit major milestones only to feel more lost than ever.   Wil has built, sold, and acquired multiple companies, yet he’s seen countless entrepreneurs hit their biggest milestones only to feel more lost than ever. He sits down with Alex Raymond to talk about why financial wins don’t...

Why do the most thoughtful leaders hesitate to share their stories online? Justin Nassiri, the founder and CEO of Executive Presence, believes those voices are exactly what the world needs. In this episode, Justin joins Alex Raymond to break down how leaders can use LinkedIn to build authentic personal brands that amplify trust and authority without losing their true selves.   From navigating disc...

Entrepreneurship throws constant challenges, but Ajay Prakash has mastered staying grounded through resilience, psychological safety, and a no-excuses approach to leadership.    In this episode, Ajay, the co-founder and CEO of Rinse—a company transforming the laundry and dry cleaning industry with a tech-driven approach—joins Alex Raymond to reflect on how he’s built Rinse into a national brand ov...

Happiness isn’t a destination. For Peter Teuscher, it’s the feedback guiding your choices, beliefs, and the way you see the world. But what does that really mean, and how can we shift our understanding of happiness from something we chase to something we cultivate every day?   Peter, an executive coach and the author of “Rethinking Happiness,” shares how his own journey—from outward entrepreneuria...

“Some would say they manage people. We like to think we lead hearts, and that if we tap into the power of the heart, then the mind and the hands and the effort comes much more powerfully thereafter,” shares Ryan Heckman, Olympic athlete turned private equity investor and co-founder of Rallyday Partners, a firm transforming private equity with a deeply human-centered approach.   In this episode, Ry...

“With an improved healthspan, cognitively, people are on their game. They’re in flow with their business. They’re able to be much more productive.” For Dr. Fred Grover Jr., the Chief Medical Officer of Phi Longevity, this is more than a vision—it is a measurable goal. By prioritizing proactive, integrative health strategies, Dr. Grover points out that optimizing physical and mental well-being goes...

“I set up Oyster as a software platform to enable any company in the world to tap into the global talent pool without setting up entities, hiring lawyers, accountants, payroll providers, benefit providers. I established it as a mission-driven company, first and foremost, because what I realized was if I align what I do with what I believe in, I feel more fulfilled. I feel happier in my life,” shar...

“How do we get organizations where everyone has the opportunity and the support to contribute to their fullest?” For Michele Zanini, the co-author of “Humanocracy: Creating Organizations as Amazing as the People Inside Them” with Gary Hamel, the answer lies in rethinking the way companies operate.    In this episode, Michele explains how organizations can move beyond rigid bureaucratic systems to...

Success on paper can hide a mountain of stress, as Andrew (Andy) Johns reveals in this episode how a seemingly perfect startup career left him barely holding it together, and what he learned about reclaiming resilience through nervous system mastery.     Why do so many entrepreneurs push themselves to the brink without realizing the cost? Andy, a Silicon Valley veteran, joins Alex Raymond to open...

“In the context of entrepreneurship, ADHD can be an advantage, but it surely can be a disadvantage in life,” says Dr. John Torrens, an accomplished entrepreneur, professor of entrepreneurial practice at Syracuse University, and author of “Lightning in a Bottle: How Entrepreneurs Can Harness Their ADHD to Win.” Joining Alex Raymond in this episode, he discusses how traits like impulsivity and hyper...

“Resting requires a stillness and a surrender that is uncomfortable.”   Alex Raymond is joined by Tovi Scruggs-Hussein, a visionary leader and healer, to explore how meditation and emotional intelligence can reshape how we live and lead. Tovi shares her journey from a life of high achievement to one grounded in mindfulness and self-awareness. How can rest, ease, and intentionality bring flow into...

“Happiness is a choice, but also happiness is a skill set. And if we do certain things on a consistent basis—not once or twice, but on a daily basis—then I promise you and I guarantee you that you will live a happy and fulfilled life,” says Dr. Elia Gourgouris, known as the Happiness Doctor. In this episode, he joins Alex Raymond to discuss how happiness is an essential foundation for both persona...

“Live authentically, as much as possible, and as soon as possible.” This is the advice from entrepreneur Travis Luther, who joins Alex Raymond in this episode to explore the weighty themes of mortality, regret, and pursuing a life true to oneself. Having spent the past year interviewing terminally ill entrepreneurs, Travis brings forward the moving insights he’s gathered on what truly matters when...

Effective leadership in times of uncertainty hinges on trust, especially when chaos is in play. Retired Brigadier General Tom Kolditz joins Alex Raymond to share leadership insights drawn from his military experience and his book, “In Extremis Leadership.” Tom explains how startup founders, like military leaders in crisis, often face overwhelming uncertainty. And for him, the key to guiding a team...

“Our fundamental belief is that what we currently understand as these conditions that are treatment-resistant or intractable, we will have ways to treat them such that people can not just get to their baseline, but actually ultimately flourish. And that’s really, I would say, a huge focus of ours,” says Greg Kubin, as he refers to conditions like depression and PTSD. He discusses the future of men...

“For me, every time I fasted, the goal was to gain clarity on a specific aspect of the entrepreneurial journey—like the calling, who I understood God needed me to be,” says Samella Watson, tech entrepreneur and founder of BLCK. She joins Alex Raymond in this episode to share how faith and spirituality have been key to her growth, both personally and in business. Fasting, in particular, has been he...

“Mattering is our inherent need to feel significant and to feel significant to the people around us,” explains Zach Mercurio, an expert on mattering and its crucial role in creating meaningful and engaging workplaces. In his conversation with Alex Raymond, Zach stresses that mattering is more than just a feel-good concept—it’s a fundamental human need that can transform motivation, productivity, a...

“The main lesson I’ve learned is to distinguish what’s like the E=mc² of culture—simplifying something extremely complex. And what I see is that the simplification of culture rides on trust, but the currency of trust is really in agreements,” Robert Richman shares as he reflects on his research while writing his book The Culture Blueprint: A Guide to Building the High-Performance Workplace.   As a...

“This is ancient knowledge and cutting-edge technology brought together into a product that is helping thousands of people all over the world,” says Anna Gudmundson, the CEO and co-founder of Sensate. She sits down with Alex Raymond in this episode to explore how Sensate is transforming stress management with its innovative technology. Sensate’s device combines sound and infrasonic therapy to help...

“I love helping entrepreneurs shift into focusing on their ‘inner game,’ because then they get to both have a better experience—more joyful, less stressful, more enlivening, more playful—and more likely to succeed,” says Dave Kashen, a highly regarded leadership coach in Silicon Valley. He shares how embracing life as it unfolds, instead of clinging to rigid expectations, can help entrepreneurs ta...

“A lot of people are lonely and they don’t even really know it until they find a connection, until they find that sense of community and involvement,” says Sadie Lincoln, co-founder of barre3, a fitness franchise that blends strength, cardio, and mindfulness. In this episode, she joins Alex Raymond to share her personal journey—from feeling isolated as a new parent to building a global community t...

“Psychological safety is the belief that you can speak up without fear of humiliation or punishment. It’s essentially an environment where candor is expected. It’s not comfortable, it’s not easy, and it’s not an environment free from negative feedback. It’s a learning environment, and it’s being misused,” says Amy Edmondson, Novartis Professor at Harvard Business School. This week, Amy joins Alex...