The High-EQ Founder With Renita Kalhorn

Renita Kalhorn | Founder Coach
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This is the High-EQ Founder, a podcast about how emotional intelligence can help you evolve faster and level up as a leader. Through interviews with founders and solo shares, deep tech leadership coach Renita Kalhorn shares nuanced insights and practical strategies for making hard decisions, extracting more learning from your mistakes and maximizing your ”return on luck” — so you can evolve faster and lead better. renitakalhorn.substack.com

  1. The Battery Recycling Startup Closing the Loop on Lithium, How First Principles Thinking Led to a Counterintuitive Pricing Strategy, and Avoiding the Trap of Hidden Assumptions, With Sarah Fleischer

    6D AGO

    The Battery Recycling Startup Closing the Loop on Lithium, How First Principles Thinking Led to a Counterintuitive Pricing Strategy, and Avoiding the Trap of Hidden Assumptions, With Sarah Fleischer

    In this episode, I’m speaking with Sarah Fleischer, co-founder and CEO of battery recycling startup tozero. With global lithium demand set to quadruple by 2030, Sarah and her team are on a mission to recover critical raw materials from lithium-ion batteries and reintroduce fresh raw materials back into the supply chain. Sarah and I talked about: * making fast decisions based on first principles thinking — and why she’s willing to do a complete 180 when new data changes her worldview * the counterintuitive pricing move that defied industry norms and customers loved * her two favorite phrases as CEO — and how she learned (the hard way) to strip away assumptions before making critical decisions * why she doesn’t believe in luck — and how she capitalizes on opportunities that most people don’t even see Enjoy my conversation with Sarah! Learn more about your FounderEQ and get your score for free in 5 minutes here. If you enjoyed this week’s episode, please consider: * Subscribing to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen. * Giving a rating and reviewing the podcast on Apple Podcasts. (Even a short two-sentence review helps!) * Want support in leveling up your leadership? Send an email to hello@renitakalhorn.com to learn how we can work together. Get full access to The High-EQ Founder by Renita Kalhorn at renitakalhorn.substack.com/subscribe

    30 min
  2. Lessons from Failing His Way to Building 10+ Businesses, The Sweet Spot For Finding Co-Founders, And The Software Flops That Positioned Him for the AI Revolution, With Deepak Shukla

    JAN 27

    Lessons from Failing His Way to Building 10+ Businesses, The Sweet Spot For Finding Co-Founders, And The Software Flops That Positioned Him for the AI Revolution, With Deepak Shukla

    Today, I’m speaking with Deepak Shukla, serial entrepreneur and CEO at Pearl Lemon Group, a diverse portfolio of 10+ companies, some of them very brick and mortar, like pet transport and event catering. We talked about: * why going into business with old friends often doesn’t work * what the sweet spot for finding business partners and co-founders actually is, and how to align expectations upfront to prevent painful breakdowns later * how a string of software company failures actually turned out to be good luck * how persistence, even with two years of zero traction, led to breakthrough success Enjoy my conversation with Deepak! Learn more about your FounderEQ and get your score for free in 5 minutes here. If you enjoyed this week's episode, please consider: * Subscribing to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen. * Giving a rating and reviewing the podcast on Apple Podcasts. (Even a short two-sentence review helps!) Want support in leveling up your leadership? Send an email to hello@renitakalhorn.com to learn how we can work together. Get full access to The High-EQ Founder by Renita Kalhorn at renitakalhorn.substack.com/subscribe

    28 min
  3. The three levels of self-awareness

    JAN 13

    The three levels of self-awareness

    In an age of AI, self-awareness will be a meta-skill. In this episode I zoom out and take a broader look — not as a fluffy “nice-to-have,” but as a practical operating system for how you lead, make decisions, and navigate hard conversations. Links mentioned in this episode: Schedule a call to get acquainted and let's see if the High-EQ Founder group coaching program is a fit. Want to get to Level 3 self-awareness faster? Get the High-EQ Founder newsletter every Friday: Get full access to The High-EQ Founder by Renita Kalhorn at renitakalhorn.substack.com/subscribe

    8 min

  4. 12/09/2025

    Why a Growth Mindset Isn’t Enough in High-Stakes Deals

    What if the key to game-changing partnerships isn’t strategy but emotional mastery? Too many founders enter negotiations armed with data and ambition but unprepared for emotional dynamics that make or break deals. In this episode you’ll learn: ✅ Renita Kalhorn’s practical system (FASTT) to anticipate emotional landmines in deals ✅ How to reframe “practice” as the most underused leadership advantage ✅ A high-integrity method for negotiating with power—even if you’re the smaller player If “growth mindset” is more than a buzzword for you, this episode will change how you partner for growth. 🎧 Listen now to discover the partnership advantage hidden in emotional intelligence. Share this episode via text, social media or email. Copy and paste this link: https://philhsc.com/interviews/renita-kalhorn Get full access to The High-EQ Founder by Renita Kalhorn at renitakalhorn.substack.com/subscribe

    1h 6m
  5. Why You Might Actually Be Able to Afford "Too Expensive" Talent, the Two Main Reasons Senior Hires Don’t Work Out, and What Separates Talent Investors From Talent Traders, With Raman Ramalingam

    10/20/2025

    Why You Might Actually Be Able to Afford "Too Expensive" Talent, the Two Main Reasons Senior Hires Don’t Work Out, and What Separates Talent Investors From Talent Traders, With Raman Ramalingam

    Today, I’m speaking with Raman Ramalingan, a Partner at TalentX,who helps tech founders and their leadership teams hire the right people at the right time so they can scale through critical growth phases — the more complex or borderline impossible the assignment, the better. We talked about: * the difference between hiring a “talent investor” versus a “talent trader.” * the “affordability paradox” and why it’s more possible to attract experienced hires than you think * the two most common reasons executive recruitments fail — and how to avoid them * why founders should always be optimizing for effectiveness versus efficiency — and what that looks like in practice Enjoy my conversation with Raman! Get full access to The High-EQ Founder by Renita Kalhorn at renitakalhorn.substack.com/subscribe

    31 min
  6. Hard Lessons Learned From Bootstrapping Three Startups, Why Purple Ocean Strategy Beats Blue Ocean Disruption and The Surprising Self-Sabotage Trap That Came With Success, With Melissa Kwan

    07/02/2025

    Hard Lessons Learned From Bootstrapping Three Startups, Why Purple Ocean Strategy Beats Blue Ocean Disruption and The Surprising Self-Sabotage Trap That Came With Success, With Melissa Kwan

    There's a lot of hype around disruption and building a "blue ocean" business: Where you create new, uncontested market space rather than competing head-to-head in existing markets. But here’s a reality check: 90% of startups fail and 42% of those fail because they create something nobody wants. Meanwhile, savvy startups are looking for a "purple ocean" — taking proven ideas and applying them to specific verticals. On the latest episode of The High-EQ Founder, I spoke with Melissa Kwan, serial entrepreneur and CEO of eWebinar, who did exactly this by applying existing webinar technology to customer success teams tired of repeating the same demos and trainings. Melissa’s been on the entrepreneurial journey for 14 years. Here’s what she shared: 🌊 The trap of trying to be completely original, and why entrepreneurs should aim for "purple oceans" instead 🚀 How bootstrapping chose her when venture capital wasn't an option—and the many benefits she’s discovered 🧠 The unexpected way success started triggering self-sabotage behaviors that nearly derailed her progress It’s a playbook in scrappiness and turning limitations into competitive advantages. Connect with Melissa on her Substack the founder next door and on Linkedin. Want to know your Founder EQ? Take the (free) 3-minute assessment here. Get full access to The High-EQ Founder by Renita Kalhorn at renitakalhorn.substack.com/subscribe

    36 min
  7. Turning Environmental Impact Into Bottom-Line Wins, Navigating The Bleeding Edge Of Innovation, And Building Relationships That Trump Luck, With Nadine Cino

    05/02/2025

    Turning Environmental Impact Into Bottom-Line Wins, Navigating The Bleeding Edge Of Innovation, And Building Relationships That Trump Luck, With Nadine Cino

    Did you know companies 'lose' 10-15% of their physical assets every year? That's thousands of chairs, computers, mobile devices and specialized equipment that just get moved around or disappear. So what happens? Operations managers end up buying replacements for stuff they already have. No wonder the asset tracking market is on track to hit $55.1 billion by 2026. On the latest episode of The High-EQ Founder, I sat down with Nadine Cino, CEO and co-founder of TygaSmart, which specializes in sustainable moving, storage and asset tracking solutions. Nadine and I covered a lot in this 20-minute convo: * The pitfalls of being the first-mover and when to make the painful decision to quit a product that’s not working * Learning the hard way that companies won’t pay attention until there’s an impact on their bottom line (and the magic number that gets companies to make a change) * How persistence and pivoting helped TygaSmart evolve from reusable moving boxes to comprehensive asset tracking technology * Her approach to relationship-building that has sustained her business through 30 years of economic ups and downs Connect with Nadine on Linkedin here. Connect with Renita on Linkedin here. Want to know your Founder EQ? Take the five-minute quiz here. Get full access to The High-EQ Founder by Renita Kalhorn at renitakalhorn.substack.com/subscribe

    24 min
  8. Tackling Food Waste In the $72B Cruise Industry, Overcoming the Odds of an “Incurable” Health Condition and The Mindset That Helps Him Consistently Create His Own Luck, With Robert E. Buchanan

    03/21/2025

    Tackling Food Waste In the $72B Cruise Industry, Overcoming the Odds of an “Incurable” Health Condition and The Mindset That Helps Him Consistently Create His Own Luck, With Robert E. Buchanan

    Ever been on a cruise? If not, no doubt you know someone who has. Because the global cruise industry is big business and growing steadily: There are about 323 cruise ships out there right now, and each one is serving over 20,000 meals a day. That's a ton of food on board these floating cities. And with all that food comes a serious question: how do you manage the supply chain and minimize waste? On the latest episode of The High-EQ Founder, I sat down with Robert Buchanan, the CEO and co-founder of Adhere Gear. His company is on a mission to transform single-use cardboard boxes into "smart" reusable containers. Containers that can actually collect important data about environmental impact, cargo conditions and how efficiently the supply chain is running. Robert and I talked about: ▶️ That age-old question: to be a specialist or a generalist — and how it affects the way you build your team. ▶️ How he was faced with a sudden health scare - with doctors giving him just a 7% chance of recovery - a year and a half into building his startup. ▶️ His belief in creating his own luck and the incredible lengths he goes to prepare when opportunity knocks. It's a conversation filled with grit, determination, and some serious wisdom. Connect with Robert on Linkedin here. Want to know your Founder EQ? Take the five-minute quiz here. Get full access to The High-EQ Founder by Renita Kalhorn at renitakalhorn.substack.com/subscribe

    33 min
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This is the High-EQ Founder, a podcast about how emotional intelligence can help you evolve faster and level up as a leader. Through interviews with founders and solo shares, deep tech leadership coach Renita Kalhorn shares nuanced insights and practical strategies for making hard decisions, extracting more learning from your mistakes and maximizing your ”return on luck” — so you can evolve faster and lead better. renitakalhorn.substack.com

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