When your business becomes your identity, resentment follows.

Entrepreneur and author Debbie King shares how she rebuilt her company, and herself, by separating self-worth from success metrics. Her framework, “the model,” links circumstance, thought, feeling, action, and result, revealing how the stories we tell ourselves drive outcomes. Facts are neutral; meaning is optional. Which thoughts support the kind of results and wellbeing you actually want in your business?

She explains how founders can interrupt unhelpful thinking through quick “thought downloads,” turning frustration into clarity instead of self-criticism. When results are viewed as data, not verdicts, entrepreneurship becomes a practice of learning and refinement.

Debbie also connects mindset to enterprise value. Every recurring pain point signals a risk: “no time” often means founder dependence; “too many mistakes” signals missing systems; low pricing power points to weak differentiation. Simplifying offers and building repeatable structures creates freedom, for both the owner and the company.

Her “future self” exercise ties mindset to strategy: put your goal in the result line, then ask what your future self believes and does to make it happen. Growth follows identity. When wellbeing and business align, entrepreneurship becomes sustainable, and success starts to feel like something worth keeping.

Episode Breakdown:

00:00 Identity Trap: When Business Becomes You

03:35 Rebuilding an Unsellable Business

05:38 The Model: Thoughts Create Results

17:46 Founder Mindset Shifts

25:27 Future Self Framework

32:06 Hidden Risks in Your Business

34:51 Systems That Scale

39:44 Data Over Drama

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

“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

Traditional leadership models tend to choose between kindness and clarity. Zen teacher and executive coach Marc Lesser argues that’s a false dichotomy.

In this episode, Sarah sits down with Marc to unpack the concept of compassionate accountability — or in Marc’s preferred language, alignment with caring. It’s the core of modern Entrepreneurship and Business leadership: setting clear expectations while staying deeply connected to the humans you work with. Instead of defaulting to micromanagement or passivity, leaders can choose high standards and high trust at the same time, the key to building high performing teams without sacrificing wellbeing.

Marc shares why psychological safety isn’t just a cultural ideal, it’s a metric that correlates directly with business performance. Referencing Google’s Project Aristotle, he explains how teams perform better when leaders normalize mistakes, invite real feedback, and resist the urge to appear infallible. A strong team culture isn’t born from rigid systems or motivational slogans, it comes from leaders modeling vulnerability and follow-through. If you’ve ever wondered how to hold people accountable with compassion, this episode is your roadmap.

Episode Breakdown:

00:00 Marc Lesser & Compassionate Accountability

02:51 What Compassionate Accountability Looks Like in Leadership

07:19 Misconceptions About Accountability and Compassion

13:14 Vulnerability as a Leadership Strategy

15:02 Google’s Psychological Safety Study & Business Impact

20:01 Emotional Intelligence and Business Performance

24:51 Turning Breakdowns Into Breakthroughs

29:21 How to Hold People Accountable With Compassion

32:05 Leadership Lessons From the Zen Monastery Kitchen

34:06 Prioritizing Joy and Humanity in High-Performing Teams

36:21 Daily Habits to Build Clarity and Trust

Connect with Marc Lesser:

Visit Marc’s website

Connect with Sarah Lockwood:

Visit HiveCast

Connect with Sarah on LinkedIn

Connect with The Conscious Entrepreneur:

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

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

Born on whitewater, built in an ammo can, Lavabox is Josh Thurmond’s proof that instinct and grit can power a bootstrapped business that gives back and keeps rivers wild.

What does it take to move from a design patent invention built in your garage to a product company trusted by tens of thousands? How do entrepreneurs balance protecting profits with opportunities for scale? And why might wellbeing and values be just as important as growth when inventing a new product and leading a business?

Josh shares how his background as a river guide shaped his entrepreneurship—reading the rapids, trusting instincts, and steering through uncertainty with purpose. He explains why he turned down multi-million-dollar deals, chose to stay 100% independent, and built Lavabox around authenticity, customer input, and community impact.

This episode offers a candid look at the entrepreneurship of product companies, what it really takes to bootstrap from idea to invention while protecting both your business and your wellbeing.

Episode Breakdown:

00:00 Josh Thurmond and LavaBox

03:16 The Birth of a Design Patent Invention

06:19 Patent Challenges and Market Strategy

10:25 Turning Down Multi-Million Dollar Deals

14:10 Bootstrapping and Financing a Product Company

19:00 Building a Lifestyle Brand and Company Culture

26:11 Giving Back Through Protect Our Rivers

27:46 Resilience and Advice for Entrepreneurs

Links

Connect with Josh Thurmond:

Connect with Josh on LinkedIn

Visit LavaBox Portable Campfire

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

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

Alex Raymond, founder of Amplify and creator of the Conscious Entrepreneur Summit, returns to share what’s happened since he set a bold goal on stage: turning Amplify into a $3M business in two years. Inspired by Dr. Benjamin Hardy’s “10x Is Easier Than 2x” and “The Science of Scaling,” Alex explains how “pathways thinking” has shifted his focus from incremental tasks to operating as if the goal is already achieved.

One of the biggest shifts? Writing his first book, “The Growth Department.” Alex opens up about the discipline, support, and courage it takes to codify his ideas into something meaningful, rather than just another business book. He also shares how building a mastermind after the summit has created accountability, momentum, and a community committed to thinking bigger together.

This conversation raises questions every founder faces: Are you running your business from a place of scarcity or scale? What would change if you truly operated from your goal, not just toward it?

Episode Breakdown:

00:00 Introduction and Big Goals

01:25 Pathways Thinking and 10X Growth

02:40 Writing The Growth Department

04:27 Book Timeline and Value Creation

09:58 Delegation and Building Scalable Structures

12:56 Mastermind Group and Accountability

14:53 Using AI as a Thinking Partner

16:28 Community, Momentum, and Entrepreneur Wellbeing

20:50 Lessons from Podcasting and Entrepreneurship

Connect with Alex Raymond:

Visit AMplify

Connect with Alex on LinkedIn

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