The Conscious Entrepreneur | Leadership, Self-Awareness & Mindset

Curiosity is the leadership skill that helps you regulate your nervous system, interrupt fear loops, and make conscious choices in real time. This episode is part 2 of the Emotional Self-Regulation for Leaders series, where Sarah Lockwood is joined again by Marina Suholutsky, the founder of PurposeBuilt, and Beck Sydow, the founder of HumanKind Business Leaders, to discuss how curiosity plays an important role in nervous system regulation and managing emotions. They break down how fear contracts our experience and narrows our view, while curiosity invites expansion and presence. When leaders learn to pause and ask questions like “What else is true?” or “What story am I telling myself right now?”, they create access to agency, opening up space to shift out of reactivity and into conscious, grounded response. Marina and Beck offer tools that don’t require time away from work or structured rituals. These moments of emotional awareness can happen mid-meeting, mid-sentence, or mid-meltdown. Whether it’s noticing your peripheral vision, softening your tone, or naming what’s happening in the room, curiosity becomes a live practice that leaders can use to stay connected to themselves and others. The discussion also explores how modeling this curiosity builds team trust and strengthens leadership presence. For founders who want to lead with more ease and intention, this episode is an invitation and a toolkit. Episode Breakdown: 00:00 Curiosity as a Tool for Emotional Mastery 01:24 Using Curiosity to Shift from Fear to Possibility 02:55 How Curiosity Regulates the Nervous System 04:32 Interrupting Autopilot Responses with Better Questions 06:12 Building Agency Through Conscious Choice 09:59 Real-Time Techniques for Managing Emotions 12:34 Somatic Practices for Curiosity and Expansion 15:23 Leading with Curiosity in High-Stakes Moments 16:48 Asking Open-Ended Questions That Invite Collaboration 19:31 Why Curiosity Reflects True Leadership Confidence Links Connect with Beck Sydow: Connect with Beck on LinkedIn Humankind Business Leaders Connect with Marina Suholutsky: Connect with Marina on LinkedIn PurposeBuilt Connect with Sarah Lockwood: Connect with Sarah on LinkedIn Visit HiveCast Connect with The Conscious Entrepreneur: Visit The Conscious Entrepreneur website Follow The Conscious Entrepreneur on LinkedIn Follow The Conscious Entrepreneur on Instagram Subscribe to The Conscious Entrepreneur on YouTube HiveCast.fm is a proud sponsor of The Conscious Entrepreneur Podcast. Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Startup stress does not stop at the founder’s desk and the hidden emotional ripple effects inside a company may be shaping employee mental health startup culture and long term viability more than any strategy deck ever could. Sarah Lockwood is joined by Yael Benjamin founder of Startup Snapshot and Annika Sten Pärson founder of the Inner Foundation to unpack new research on the emotional reality inside early stage startups. Drawing on data from hundreds of employees alongside an investor perspective on mental health, the conversation challenges the assumption that stress lives mainly with founders. Anxiety burnout and sustained pressure show up across teams, often more intensely than leaders expect. What happens when employees feel startup stress without the context that helps them make sense of it? A core insight centers on trust and transparency. The research shows that lack of clarity is one of the strongest drivers of distress inside startup culture, outweighing concerns about compensation or company survival. When founders underestimate how much their stress is felt or assume silence is protective, teams often fill the gaps with fear driven narratives. The episode reframes emotional health as a real business variable and argues that how founders communicate, regulate pressure and build trust already shapes retention performance and long term outcomes. Episode Breakdown: 00:00 The Inner World of Startup Founders 03:54 Research Insights on Employee Well-being 07:32 The Impact of Founder Stress on Teams 12:04 The Importance of Transparency in Startups 16:43 Building Support Systems for Founders and Teams 21:10 Preventative Strategies for Startup Success Connect with Yael Benjamin and Annika Sten Pärson: Connect with Yael on LinkedIn Visit Startup Snapshot The Inner Circle - Startup Snapshot Link to the Research Connect with Annika on LinkedIn Visit the inner foundation Connect with Sarah Lockwood: Connect with Sarah on LinkedIn Visit HiveCast Connect with The Conscious Entrepreneur: Visit The Conscious Entrepreneur website Follow The Conscious Entrepreneur on LinkedIn Follow The Conscious Entrepreneur on Instagram Subscribe to The Conscious Entrepreneur on YouTube HiveCast.fm is a proud sponsor of The Conscious Entrepreneur Podcast. Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Most business plans fail before the first meeting because they use last year’s results to decide what is possible next. Sarah sits down with Debbie King, business strategist, executive coach, and author of Loving Your Business, about future self business planning as a more effective approach to strategic planning for entrepreneurs who want to learn how to stop letting past results limit your future business growth. Debbie questions the habit of treating prior performance as a ceiling and invites a different starting point for planning that begins with identity, belief, and vision. If your current results reflect who you have been, what changes when you plan from who you are becoming? The discussion turns to the quiet beliefs leaders carry about themselves, their teams, their market, and their offer, and how those beliefs shape decisions long before strategy enters the room. Which assumptions feel true simply because they are familiar? What might open up if you challenged them before pulling your team into the process? Debbie introduces the “How can we?” framework as a way to create forward motion without waiting for certainty, and the episode offers a grounded reset for entrepreneurs who want their 2026 planning to feel clear, focused, and genuinely expansive. Episode Breakdown: 00:00 Future Self Business Planning for 2026 03:02 Why Past Results Limit Future Business Growth 09:01 How Beliefs Shape Business Results 17:57 Strategic Planning Begins With Inner Work 26:58 The “How Can We” Framework for Expansion 44:09 Decide, Act, Evaluate, Iterate Connect with Debbie King: Visit the Loving Your Business website Connect with Debbie on LinkedIn Connect with Sarah Lockwood: Visit HiveCast Connect with Sarah on LinkedIn Connect with The Conscious Entrepreneur: Visit The Conscious Entrepreneur website Follow The Conscious Entrepreneur on LinkedIn Follow The Conscious Entrepreneur on Instagram Subscribe to The Conscious Entrepreneur on YouTube HiveCast.fm is a proud sponsor of The Conscious Entrepreneur Podcast. Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Few moments expose a leader’s true confidence faster than the stare of a camera lens. Karin Reed, founder of Speaker Dynamics, brings forward a clear view of why virtual communication rattles even seasoned leaders and what presence actually requires when the usual cues disappear. She points to a familiar pattern: people become smaller, flatter, or overly polished once the lens becomes the audience, and those shifts quietly shape how trustworthy or grounded they appear. The conversation asks an important question for anyone leading through a screen: what builds credibility when connection feels harder to access? Karin’s insight centers on the qualities that make leaders feel real on camera. Authentic expression carries farther than perfect delivery. Natural movement brings energy back into the voice. Audio quality influences how intelligent and credible someone seems. Early interaction sets the tone for participation. These elements are less about technique and more about the leader’s willingness to show up with a steady, human presence that invites others in. The conversation ultimately challenges leaders to rethink executive presence for a virtual world. Confidence becomes easier to project when leaders stop performing and start communicating with the same clarity and ease they rely on in person. The screen changes the environment, but it doesn’t change what people want from a leader: someone they can hear, follow, and trust. Episode Breakdown: 00:00 Leadership Communication in a Virtual World 01:55 Karin Reed’s Path to On-Camera Expertise 09:59 Eye Contact and Connection in Virtual Meetings 15:35 Body Language That Builds Executive Presence 24:10 The MVP Framework for Strong Virtual Communication 29:46 Why Production Quality Shapes Credibility 35:20 Authenticity and Executive Presence Connect with Karin Reed: Visit Speaker Dynamics Connect with Karin on LinkedIn Connect with Sarah Lockwood: Visit HiveCast Connect with Sarah on LinkedIn Connect with The Conscious Entrepreneur: Visit The Conscious Entrepreneur website Follow The Conscious Entrepreneur on LinkedIn Follow The Conscious Entrepreneur on Instagram Subscribe to The Conscious Entrepreneur on YouTube HiveCast.fm is a proud sponsor of The Conscious Entrepreneur Podcast. Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Work–Life Integration, Conscious Leadership, and Values-Aligned Staffing are at the heart of this conversation with entrepreneur, Scott Britton. Scott shares how he went from Princeton, Forbes 30 Under 30, and a startup sold to Salesforce to realizing that no amount of achievement could fix the feeling of being reactive, stressed, and out of sync inside his own life. He talks about the moment he began treating his reactions as data instead of flaws, and how that simple shift helped him see the patterns driving his stress and decision-making. Scott walks through his “freedom log” practice that any conscious leader can start using immediately, the difference between emotions and long-running patterns, and how everyday triggers at work can become practical entry points for awareness instead of something to hide or power through. Work stops being separate from inner growth and starts to become one of the most honest places to see what is actually going on inside you. Scott also shares how this path led to his book Conscious Accomplishment and to Conscious Talent, a staffing company that connects talent with companies committed to both professional excellence and inner work. For founders and leaders who feel like they have “outgrown” the company they built, his story offers a grounded look at what it means to bring more of your inner life into how you hire, lead, and shape culture. In this conversation, you’ll hear about: The point where external success stopped working for Scott and what he noticed next How he uses the “freedom log” to track triggers and unpack the stories underneath them Why work can be one of the most powerful places for real inner growth Practical ways to bring more authenticity into leadership without blowing up your culture overnight How Conscious Talent supports values-aligned staffing for leaders who care about both results and inner development Episode Breakdown: 00:00 Introduction 05:09 Scott Britton’s Turning Point and Inner Shift 07:55 How Business Becomes a Spiritual Dojo 17:51 Emotional Awareness Tools for Leaders 18:45 Why Scott Created Conscious Talent 31:30 Values-Aligned Hiring and Modern Leadership Links Connect with Scott Britton: Scott’s book: Conscious Accomplishment Learn more about Scott's Projects: ConsciousTalent.com https://linktr.ee/scottbritton Connect with Sarah Lockwood: Visit HiveCast Connect with Sarah on LinkedIn Connect with The Conscious Entrepreneur: Visit The Conscious Entrepreneur website Follow The Conscious Entrepreneur on LinkedIn Follow The Conscious Entrepreneur on Instagram Subscribe to The Conscious Entrepreneur on YouTube HiveCast.fm is a proud sponsor of The Conscious Entrepreneur Podcast. Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm.

The story you tell yourself as a leader becomes the culture your team lives in, and Nataly Kogan shows how to rewrite that story with agency, awareness, and action. Sarah sits down with Nataly Kogan for a grounded conversation about entrepreneurship, business, and wellbeing—how the way we think shapes the way we lead. Nataly shares how to “talk back to your brain,” a practice that helps quiet fear, interrupt unhelpful patterns, and create space for better choices. They discuss how mindset ripples through an organization, shaping how teams respond to uncertainty and whether they lean toward anxiety or possibility. Nataly offers simple tools to help leaders edit their thoughts and reframe challenges as creative prompts. What story are you telling your team right now—and is it one that invites courage, clarity, and connection? This episode is a reminder that leadership starts in the mind, but it comes to life through the stories we choose to share. Episode Breakdown: 00:00 Nataly Kogan on Entrepreneurship and Wellbeing 04:15 Why Confidence Follows Action 07:06 The Power of Agency in Times of Change 09:07 How to Talk Back to Your Brain 14:24 Reframing Negativity and Building Constructive Beliefs 18:04 From Obstacles to Possibilities 26:01 The Edit Your Thoughts Practice 34:01 Creating a Culture of Possibility in Business 42:56 Leading with Clarity, Courage, and Humanity Connect with Nataly Kogan:Visit Nataly Kogan’s Website Connect with Nataly on LinkedIn Connect with Sarah Lockwood: Visit HiveCast Connect with Sarah on LinkedIn Connect with The Conscious Entrepreneur: Visit The Conscious Entrepreneur website Follow The Conscious Entrepreneur on LinkedIn Follow The Conscious Entrepreneur on Instagram Subscribe to The Conscious Entrepreneur on YouTube HiveCast.fm is a proud sponsor of The Conscious Entrepreneur Podcast. Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

“It can be difficult for people to know who they can speak to about it,” says Amy Lewin, of entrepreneurs who are unhappy in their own companies. Amy is the Editor at Sifted, a media platform focused on Europe’s startup ecosystem and she joins The Conscious Entrepreneur podcast to discuss a survey Sifted recently posed to a number of entrepreneurs, the vast majority of whom reported experiencing poor mental health, high stress and even a strong desire to leave their businesses within the coming year. Though these figures may seem alarming, they merely shed light on common struggles and pressures felt by entrepreneurs which are so often swept under the rug for fear of looking weak or needing to maintain an ultra positive mindset in order to see their businesses succeed. On today’s episode Amy will reveal more of the survey’s findings as well as what venture capitalists (VCs) can do to support entrepreneurs, in whom they, after all, have a vested interest. The survey highlights the importance of a community in an entrepreneur’s life. Family and friends share the entrepreneur’s burden, while simultaneously being unable to relate. Professional networks of like-minded contemporaries can go a long way toward making isolated individuals feel heard and connected, as well as ease the mental health stigma. Today, Amy shares the common regret shared among most entrepreneurs and why quitting might be the best thing they could do for their careers. Quotes “It was just a real sign of the personal toll—and not just even on the founders, but on their family, on their friends, on their colleagues—just another reminder that building startups is really tough.” (4:48 | Amy Lewin) “Whenever we publish stories about that personal side of company building at Sifted, we get the most amazing response. People love knowing that they’re not the only ones. And I think sometimes, startup culture is so much that you’ve got to be optimistic. You’ve got to believe that your company can be the one in 100 that’s going to really make it. You hear from so many people that your idea is never going to work and you have to believe in it yourself and I think when times are really hard it can be difficult for people to know who they can speak to about it.” (6:27 | Amy Lewin) “That attitude that’s going to be out there from some corners that if you are struggling in any way then you are weak and that you’re not in it for the long term, which I obviously don’t believe, but is obviously what some people still think.” (13:04 | Amy Lewin) “Encourage founders to go on holiday. Encourage them to have a personal life. These things are important. We all need to recharge our batteries and ‘visionaries do,’ too. There’s that famous saying that comes from the VC world: “I’ve never seen a company go bust because the founder took a week off, but I have seen plenty of companies go bust because the founder didn’t.’” (18:26 | Amy Lewin and Alex Raymond) Links Connect with Amy Lewin: https://sifted.eu/articles/founder-mental-health-2024 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

Entrepreneurship demands resilience, but too many founders rely on pressure and self-criticism as their fuel. Mike Robbins joins Sarah Lockwood to unpack why most business leaders treat self-worth as a scoreboard metric, praising achievement while ignoring wellbeing. He draws a clear line between recognition (results-based approval) and appreciation (inherent value), making the case that positive self-talk is foundational to sustainable leadership. Mike shares how losing his professional baseball career forced him to confront a brutal truth: he had spent years chasing success without ever appreciating himself along the way. His philosophy of self-compassion isn’t about lowering standards, it’s about upgrading your mindset from harsh critic to effective coach. Entrepreneurs don’t need more pressure; they need healthier internal leadership. The discussion then turns to feedback, another place where leaders misinterpret signals. Instead of defaulting to defense or shame, Mike suggests receiving feedback with curiosity rather than judgment. That small shift turns critique into growth material instead of evidence of failure. This conversation reframes business success as an inner game as much as an external one. When wellbeing and performance are treated as allies rather than opposites, leaders become both more effective and more human. Episode Breakdown: 00:00 Why Entrepreneurs Struggle with Self-Talk 01:14 The Leadership Mindset Shift 05:41 Mike Robbins’ Baseball Story and the Cost of Self-Judgment 09:34 How to Build Self-Compassion Without Losing Your Edge 14:07 Receiving Feedback Without Crumbling or Getting Defensive 18:37 How to Ask for Better Feedback (and Actually Grow from It) 22:05 Balancing High Performance with Humanity in Leadership 24:10 Evolving as Entrepreneurs Beyond Grit Alone Links Connect with Mike Robbins: Connect with Mike on LinkedIn Visit Mike Robbin’s Website Connect with Sarah Lockwood: Connect with Sarah on LinkedIn Visit HiveCast Connect with The Conscious Entrepreneur: The Conscious Entrepreneur Follow The Conscious Entrepreneur on LinkedIn Follow The Conscious Entrepreneur on Instagram Subscribe to The Conscious Entrepreneur on YouTube HiveCast.fm is a proud sponsor of The Conscious Entrepreneur Podcast. Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Employee recognition might sound obvious, but why do so many leaders miss it in practice? Dr. Bob Nelson joins Sarah Lockwood to explains why low-cost recognition ideas often matter more than paychecks or perks when it comes to real employee motivation. How do you create loyalty from day one with a new hire? What’s the difference between a generic end-of-year award and genuine recognition that lands in the moment? And how can asking employees for their ideas spark both engagement and business growth? Dr. Nelson brings decades of research and real-world examples to these questions, offering workplace culture tips that work whether you’re leading a small team or a global workforce. He shows that recognition doesn’t have to be expensive, but it does have to feel thoughtful and consistent if you want it to change company culture. This episode reminds us that company culture is built in the small choices leaders make each day to notice, acknowledge, and value the people doing the work. Episode Breakdown: 00:00 Why Employee Recognition Matters 01:52 Common Misconceptions About Recognition 04:07 Onboarding Tips That Build Loyalty 05:52 How Employees Want to Be Recognized 07:45 Low-Cost Recognition Ideas That Work 09:07 Involving Employees in Decision-Making 10:02 Real Examples of Employee Ideas Driving Growth 14:06 The Role of Leadership in Company Culture 16:10 Recognition for Remote and Global Teams 21:28 Continuous Development and Retention Connect with Dr. Bob Nelson:Visit Dr. Bob Nelson’s Website Connect with Sarah Lockwood: Visit HiveCast Connect with Sarah on LinkedIn Connect with The Conscious Entrepreneur: The Conscious Entrepreneur Follow The Conscious Entrepreneur on LinkedIn Follow The Conscious Entrepreneur on Instagram Subscribe to The Conscious Entrepreneur on YouTube HiveCast.fm is a proud sponsor of The Conscious Entrepreneur Podcast. Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Sue Heilbronner, serial entrepreneur and conscious leadership executive coach, believes the strongest businesses are built when sales feel less like chasing and more like alignment. Joining Sarah Lockwood in this episode, she introduces the idea of “passionate ambivalence,” a values-based sales mindset that pairs genuine enthusiasm for your work with the ability to detach from any single outcome. How do you recognize when a client is the right fit? Sue points to conscious client qualification as the key. By asking clear, sometimes disqualifying questions, you invite the kind of honesty that builds trust from the very start. She also shares her perspective on pricing strategy, reminding entrepreneurs that protecting your time and holding your value are essential parts of sustainable growth. This episode invites you to reflect on your own sales mindset. Are you creating relationships rooted in clarity and confidence, or relying on pressure and persuasion? What would shift if you treated sales as a mutual process instead of a one-sided pitch? Episode Breakdown: 00:00 Radical Mindset Shift in Sales 02:07 Passionate Ambivalence Explained 04:15 Contrarian Sales Mindset vs. Traditional Selling 06:04 Never Ask for the Sale: Practical Examples 10:12 Startup Fundraising and Playing Small 15:08 Pricing Strategy and Early Sales Lessons 19:22 Fit Calls and Client Qualification 27:08 Overcoming Limiting Beliefs in Sales Connect with Sue Heilbronner: Hey Sue Connect with Sue on LinkedIn Connect with Sarah Lockwood: HiveCast Connect with Sarah on LinkedIn Connect with The Conscious Entrepreneur: The Conscious Entrepreneur Follow The Conscious Entrepreneur on LinkedIn Follow The Conscious Entrepreneur on Instagram Subscribe to The Conscious Entrepreneur on YouTube HiveCast.fm is a proud sponsor of The Conscious Entrepreneur Podcast. Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

True fulfillment as an entrepreneur often begins the moment you step outside yourself and give back. Sarah Lockwood shares a personal reflection on her uncle, Ralph Junker, who quietly gave blood every two weeks for nearly twenty years. It was never mentioned at his funeral or in his obituary, yet it may have been the most defining part of his legacy. What does it mean when the most meaningful acts of service in a life are the ones done quietly, without recognition? And how might those same choices shape who we become as leaders? This episode invites you to look at philanthropy not as a grand gesture but as a steady practice that creates life satisfaction, perspective, and connection. Inward work like meditation and journaling has its place, but service pulls us into the lives of others and reminds us that leadership is rooted in humanity. Sarah offers a challenge worth sitting with: what if giving back became a rhythm in your life and your business? It doesn’t have to start big. Maybe it’s a volunteer day, matching donations for your team, or simply stepping in when someone in your community needs help. However it looks, those choices ripple outward, shaping stronger leaders, more grounded teams, and a legacy that speaks louder than words. Connect with Sarah Lockwood: HiveCast Connect with Sarah on LinkedIn Connect with The Conscious Entrepreneur: The Conscious Entrepreneur Follow The Conscious Entrepreneur on LinkedIn Follow The Conscious Entrepreneur on Instagram Subscribe to The Conscious Entrepreneur on YouTube HiveCast.fm is a proud sponsor of The Conscious Entrepreneur Podcast. Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Annual reviews are broken, and leadership coach Mike Goldman, author of “The Strength of Talent” has a different way to think about performance management that puts people growth at the heart of profit growth. Joining Sarah Lockwood in this episode, Mike questions why so many organizations still rely on outdated HR metrics and rigid systems like annual reviews or quarterly reviews when so few leaders believe they make a real impact. He introduces the idea of “talent density,” a measure of the gap between high and low performers, and explains why it’s a sharper way to understand organizational health. He walks through his five-step framework that calls for clear expectations, honest assessments done as a team, real leadership accountability, and a balance between productivity and culture fit. How often do we keep a top producer who quietly undermines the culture? Where is “good enough” quietly slowing the roles that drive a company forward? Mike shares strategies leaders can start using right away, even without company-wide adoption, and explains why a slow, thoughtful rollout builds trust and lasting results. This episode challenges the way performance management is typically done and offers a grounded approach to helping both people and the business grow stronger. Episode Breakdown: 00:00 Talent Density Explained 01:51 People Growth Drives Profit 03:55 Assessing Performance Beyond Annual Reviews 06:25 Leadership Accountability for People Growth 08:01 Broken Performance Management System 09:17 Quarterly Talent Assessment Meeting (QTAM) 11:14 Talent Density Indicator (TDI) Overview 14:40 Culture Fit as a Performance Metric 18:45 Roles Where Good Enough Fails 23:06 Applying the System as a Middle Manager 29:01 Change Management and Rollout Strategy Connect with Mike Goldman: Website Book: “The Strength of Talent” LinkedIn Connect with Sarah Lockwood: Website LinkedIn Connect with The Conscious Entrepreneur: Website LinkedIn Instagram YouTube HiveCast.fm is a proud sponsor of The Conscious Entrepreneur Podcast. Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm