Zen Founder: Startup. Family. Life. (@zenfounder)

In this episode of the podcast, Sherry reflects on the ups and downs of being an entrepreneur after returning from a spring vacation. Balancing a busy calendar and a full inbox has led her to contemplate the factors that affect our presence for those around us. As entrepreneurs, our emotional availability and presence are crucial for our teams, co-founders, and employees. It's about being able to truly listen, read between the lines, exercise patience, and show up authentically. Sherry dives into the topic of decision fatigue and how it can impact our primary relationships in today's episode.

Sherry sits down with Naveed Lalani and Brad Baum, the masterminds behind the Founder Mental Health Pledge. Their initiative encourages both investors and companies to recognize mental health treatment as a legitimate business expense. By prioritizing the mental health of founders and their teams, startups are more likely to succeed. The pledge promises to support founders in treating the costs associated with caring for their mental health, including therapy, coaching, group support, and app-based solutions. Lalani and Baum emphasize that mental health should be a top priority for every business owner. Tune in to learn more about the importance of supporting founder mental health in the startup world. Founder Mental Health Pledge

It's not uncommon for adults and adolescents to experience suicidal thoughts and feelings, but unfortunately, many people lack the necessary skills to address these sensitive conversations. Sherry sheds light on the topic of suicide and its impact on family members. She emphasizes the danger of believing the false notion that things would improve if we were no longer around and urges us to be vigilant against such thoughts. Additionally, she offers practical advice on how to seek help and support for ourselves or loved ones who may be struggling with suicidal ideation.

Sherry talks with Dr. Lea Lis a medical doctor who is a double board-certified Adult and Child Psychiatrist. Dr. Lea discusses the topic of communicating with our children about sex and overcoming any feelings of shame that may arise as parents when doing so. Dr. Lea also shares tactics to empower our children with the confidence and skills to make decisions and communicate effectively about their boundaries. Dr. Lea Lis

Sherry discusses one of the prevalent obstacles of entrepreneurship - unforeseen difficulties. When we undertake challenging endeavors, we do not have control over the type of difficulty we may encounter. Moreover, at times, we may not be able to predict the severity of the challenges we will face. Expected difficulties tend to be less demanding since we can respond to them appropriately. Conversely, unforeseen challenges can be overwhelming, catching us off guard and causing us to question our competence. Sherry also provides useful techniques for managing unexpected challenges.

In this episode Sherry talks about co-founder relationships and some of the strengths she sees in the best relationships that she works with. She provides numerous suggestions on aspects to emulate in your relationships with co-founders, which can also be useful in your intimate partner relationships.

In this week's episode, relationship expert Brooke Bergman Parr dives into the topic of sex in relationships and its significance in couples therapy. It's no secret that sex is often one of the top concerns that couples address when seeking counseling. Despite being a normal part of a healthy relationship, sex can be a source of tension and confusion for many couples. However, with the right guidance and support, it can also be a source of connection and play. Brooke shares with us the importance of addressing sexual concerns in couples therapy and provides practical tips and techniques for couples to improve their sexual relationship. She helps dispel common misconceptions about sexual frequency and provide a framework for what a healthy amount of sex may look like for different couples. Tune in to learn how to turn sex from a source of heartache to a source of connection and play in your relationship.

In this episode Sherry focuses on the foundation for a healthy co-founder relationship and its impact on overall business relationships and mental health. Research shows that relationship quality is one of the strongest predictors of mental health and therefore, it's impossible to discuss entrepreneur mental health and well-being without touching upon relationships. The podcast delves into the key elements that make up a healthy relationship, the common pitfalls and how to avoid them, and the impact it has on business success and personal well-being. Whether you are starting a business with a partner or dealing with internal relationships within your organization, this podcast offers valuable insights and practical tips to help build strong, healthy relationships.

In this episode Sherry talks about the power of presence. The ability of being fully available to the person you are interacting with. In today's modern society, there are so many distractions vying for our attention, making it difficult to remain present. Sherry discusses some best practices you can implement to become more present in your life and to those around you.

Sherry talks about the conversation around how psychedelics may play a role in mental health treatment and care. With FDA approval for MDMA therapy as a treatment for PTSD possibly coming as soon as this year, she shares a personal story of what sparked her interest in the movement to integrate psychedelic medicine into mental healthcare. Sherry’s TEDx Talk

Sometimes external cues (a new calendar year, holidays), can give us the opportunity to remind ourselves to check in and evaluate. In this episode Sherry shares the process of doing a “double check” of self reflection that can help to reshape the direction of our personal and professional lives. Sherry’s TEDx Talk

Brooke Bergman hosts the podcast this week to talk about families of origin, grief, and how to find hope in what can be a challenging time of year for some people. As we move into the heart of the holiday season, she helps answer the question, what do we do if being home isn’t actually restful? Sherry Walling’s TEDx Talk

In today’s podcast Sherry talks with psychologist, writer, and teacher in the field of personal growth Gay Hendricks. They talk about how he got his start in psychology in his early days at Standford University, an accidental fall on some ice that changed his proception of self, and his discovery of “pure consciousness”. Hendricks Institute

Rob Walling joins the podcast this week to help Sherry talk through the question of whether or not to continue this podcast. They discuss the advantages, disadvantages, the podcast’s legacy, and new possible options for the future.

A fellow psychologist, Dr. Steve Thayer joins the podcast this week. Steve also shares an interest in entrepreneur mental health and the new wave of research around how psychedelic science can help people who suffer from mental illness or want to optimize or improve performance. Dr. Steve Thayer, Ph.D. Psychedelic Therapy Frontiers

Even with the holidays fast approaching, people can still feel alone this time of year. In this episode Sherry shares some reflections about the power of aloness and how to re-frame difficult interactions as an opportunity for sovereign aloness. Touching Two World

In this episode of Zenfounder, Brooke has a conversation with active duty service member Chad Conley, Green Beret. They discuss the ways his military service has supported his relationship skills as well as his work serving others through his non-profit, 50 for the fallen. 50 For The Fallen

Sherry talks with Mike Brcic, founder of Wayfinders, a project that seeks to facilitate connection to entrepreneurs who may be connection starved through community, challenge, and culture. Touching Two Worlds

Sherry talks with author & personal brand expert Jessica Zwieg, about the challenges of putting yourself out there. Jessica shares her wisdom of how a best personal brand comes from a sense of being who we truly are and how to convey that through social media. So whether you’re building a personal brand or just an entrepreneur with some kind of public presence, there are some great tips in this episode for you. Jessica Zweig

In today’s episode Sherry talks about the college decision. As an entrepreneur herself people often ask her if college is really worth it for their kids. Is the time better spent developing an actually business? Sherry offers some advice on these tough decisions.

Brooke Bergman Parr hosts the podcast this week to talk about how we can improve our relationships without using words. She discusses body language, the power of energy, the power of thoughts, and the power of play, all ways of learning to speak with our bodies.

Sherry interviews hypnotherapist Elliot Roe about the use of hypnosis to help entrepreneurs and other high performers accomplish their goals. Elliot has done a deep dive into hypnosis and how to use it to support people in their performance and overall mental health and well being. In this conversation they unpack how it works and the scientific underpinning that can make hypnotherapy successful for some people. Elliot Roe Touching Two Worlds

Relationship and marriage expert Brooke Bergman Parr hosts the podcast this week to talk about one of the biggest issues that plague couples. What to do when parenting styles aren’t aligned.

Sherry interviews Rob Walling, Co-Founder of TinySeed, about what he’s learned about entrepreneur psychology and success in the years he has been running his startup accelerator. Sherry’s Entrepreneur.com Articles Touching Two Worlds

Back from her vacation in Iceland, Sherry returns to the podcast to have a conversation with Mary Firestone about how healing happens. Mary talks about the traumatic experience that unraveled her and the variety of strategies she explored to find a new sense of wholeness

Relationship expert Brooke Bergman hosts the podcast this week to discuss the topic of affairs and open relationships. Brooke sheds some light on attachment styles and how they relate to commitment and infidelity.

A book two years in the making is finally ready to launch, “Touching Two Worlds” is officially released. A work that poured out of Sherry as she processed the deaths of both her father and brother. It’s part memoir, part psychological assessment, written as a daughter and a sister but also as a clinical psychologist. In it she critiques how grief typically unfolds in western culture and offers suggestions on how we can do it better. Sherry ends this episode by reading a short excerpt from her book. Touching Two Worlds

Relationship expert and ZenFounder team member Brooke Bergman hosts the podcast this week to talk about love and grief. She explores how they both impact and interact with one another, how the ability to grieve well can determine the course of your love , and things to consider when one or both partners in a relationship are grieving. Touching Two Worlds

In this episode Sherry interviews writer, entrepreneur, and power-lifter Jodie Cook about her upcoming book “Ten Year Career”. They discuss in detail Jodie’s framework for achieving the success you want, while maintaining the freedom/life style you want, in a much shorter time frame. JodieCook.com

In this episode Sherry interviews author, speaker, and founder of Priority VA Trivinia Barber to answer the question “how to ask for help”? Trivina helps high performing executives, entrepreneurs , and leaders get connected to the help they need to make their businesses and lives run more smoothly. Touching Two Worlds

Creating and sharing things are at the heart of entrepreneurship. With the release date of Sherry’s new book “Touching Two Worlds” upcoming, she talks about some of the things she’s learned from this launch. Some of the topics covered are the power of relationships, managing your own mindset, and the importance of being strategic on what feedback you let in and what feedback you should disengage with. Touching Two Worlds: A Guide for Finding Hope in the Landscape of Loss

Relationship expert Brooke Bergman hosts the podcast this week to talk about creating the summer of love. She shares tips on how to nurture, create, and ignite more passion and love in your relationship. She also shares her own unique approach to couples “date night” and what you can do to improve your routine.

In this episode Sherry talks with author, TEDx speaker, and storyteller Heather Chauvin about how she reshaped her outlook on life and how she wanted to show up as a mother after being diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. They talk about raising teens and some core concepts on parenting from her book “dying to be a good mother”. Heather’s Book Heather’s Podcast

In this episode Sherry talks with Amber Capone, Co-Founder of VETS: Veterans Exploring Treatment Solutions, Inc. VETS is nonprofit providing for U.S. military veterans seeking psychedelic-assisted therapy. Amber tells the story of her husband, who is a former U.S. Navy SEAL, and his struggle of transitioning to civilian life, dealing with depression and PTSD, and the journey of fail treatments until they finally found something that worked. VETS

In this episode Sherry interviews Andrew Amann, CEO of NineTwoThree Digital Ventures, an agency that builds apps for mobile and web. Whats interesting about Andrew’s story is his company faced a unique challenge this past few months as 25 members of his team are based in Ukraine. He joins the podcast to talk about how his company has supported those team members and what he is learning about leadership and mental health from this experience. NineTwoThree.co NineTwoThree Blog

In this episode Sherry interviews Marika Reese who formed the “Community Healing Team” in Minnesota. The healing team is comprised of members of the African American community, including barbers, political activists, politicians and faith leaders focused on the mental health of their local community. Marika talks about the unique set of challenges she faces pursuing a non-conventional approach to mental health outreach.

In this episode Sherry interviews Andrew Herr, CEO of Fount, a company whose mission is designing a suite of health and performance solutions to give the mind and body what they need to perform at their best. Andrew’s vision is to figure out how to apply the science of individualized performance optimization to the population at scale. He also gives some practical tips entrepreneurs can start doing to increase cognitive performance.

One thing that can really undermine someone’s mental well-being, focus, and productivity is conflict. Conflict on the team or conflict at home has the power to disrupt even the most disciplined entrepreneur. Brooke Bergman Parr hosts this episode to talk about 3 different types of conflict (solvable, perpetual, and gridlock) and how to manage them with you or your team.

The way we work is changing. One of the biggest changes is the move away from the traditional workplace and towards a more remote setup. Sherry talks with Liam Martin, who has a book ‘Running Remote”, on this very topic. They discuss some of the best strategies for growing a remote company.

Breath is the most effective strategy to calm down an anxious mind and body. Sherry interviews Robbie Bent, CEO and Founder of Othership about the transformational power of breathwork. They talk about the birth of his company and it’s community driven mission as well as the benefits of breathwork and techniques you can use yourself to get the most out of it. Othership

One common topic you hear talked about often in the entrepreneurship world is the idea of Imposter Syndrome. There is a lot of advice given around this subject and Rob joins Sherry on the podcast to give his insights on how to parse the good from the bad. They also dismantle some common tropes people give out as advice like, “fake it til you make it” and “nobody really knows what their doing”.

In this episode Sherry talks about compartmentalization and integration. The idea of how we combine different elements of our personal and professional selves or when and how we choose to separate them. This topic hits close to home for Sherry as she prepares for a book tour for her new book about grief called “Touching Two Worlds”. touchingtwoworlds.com

ZenFounder team member, Brooke Bergman Parr hosts the podcast this week to talk about how the pandemic has reshaped romance. She shares reflections of the state of our relationships 2 years into Covid. From her work as a relationship expert she gives her insights and hopes to change the conversation about how we love.

In today’s episode Sherry interviews Danielle Steer, managing director at Lunar Startups about personal growth, commitment to self awareness and self reflection. They also discuss the unique challenges experienced by the founders she supports and her goal of shifting the value systems in venture capital.

Sherry is joined on today’s podcast by Julie Ellis, Co-Founder of Mabel’s Labels, an award winning Canadian small business. They talk about Julie’s upcoming book, “Big Gorgeous Goals” and her early entrepreneurial endeavors and the stories that inspired her to write her first book. Touching Two Worlds Julie Ellis & co.

To celebrate the 300th episode milestone, Rob joins Sherry to talk about the evolution of the podcast and reflect on what it has meant to them. They discuss some of their favorite episodes as well as what the future holds for ZenFounder.

This episode focuses on sensuality and sexuality, what to do when our level of desire of intimacy differs from our partner. Though on its surface it doesn’t sound like an entrepreneurial or business problem but Sherry has found in her work with entrepreneurs over the years that the ups and downs of business can have a negative effect the level of focus towards a romantic relationship. Sherry enlists the help of relationship expert Brooke Bergman to shine some light on the topic.

Rob joins Sherry on the podcast to talk about a story that has to do with such a simple question, “how many kids do you have?” Despite the simplicity of the question, for Rob and Sherry the answer is quite complicated. They update you on the journey of integrating a new member into the family, a long battle fighting to keep her (legally), and the heartbreak of having to let go. To catch up on the full backstory check Episode 146

This week's episode is hosted by Brooke Bergman, a ZenFounder team member and relationship specialist. Brooke talks about some practical ways you can improve your mental health and prevent problemsbefore they arise. She discusses strategies and dives deep on the differences between flow state and non-flow state exercises.

Due to the covid-19 landscape more people than ever have left their jobs and plan on creating their own opportunities. Having been recently contacted by Intuit Inc. to be involved in a campaign to help raise awareness around the unique challenges and needs of early stage entrepreneurs, Sherry shares her insights on the topic in this episode.

Rob Walling joins Sherry on the podcast to talk about shipping content. He shares his ideas and wisdom of how to setup your life & mindset to consistently create content for yourself and business. He discusses his journey of becoming comfortable in front of the camera and shares tips on how you can do the same.