The High-EQ Founder With Renita Kalhorn

Renita Kalhorn | Founder Coach
  • 4.4 (5)
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Updated Semiweekly

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. Aug 5

    The Communications Misperception Costing Founders Funding and Talent, Why Strategic Empathy Is a Founder's Secret Weapon, and Helping Deep Tech Startups Stand Out in a Noisy World, With Hailey Eustace

    Deep tech founders are building some of the most transformative companies on the planet — but cutting edge science alone isn’t enough to succeed. The difference between a company that scales and one that stalls often comes down to clear communication around what they’re doing and why it matters, to the right audience. In this episode, I’m speaking with Hailey Eustace, founder and CEO of Commplicated, the leading strategic communications firm for deep tech startups in the UK and Europe. Hailey began her path in deep tech as an analyst at one of the largest deep tech seed funds in the US, then led communications at MassChallenge, the world’s largest startup accelerator, before going in-house at a pre-seed deep tech startup in Cambridge and helping it grow to 50 employees and tens of millions in funding. We talked about: * the misperception that communications can wait until you have a product — and what it’s costing founders in funding, talent and attention * why founders should think of communications as an investment, not an expense — and what the ROI actually looks like * the golden KPI that tells you your communications strategy is working — and how it completely changes your leverage with investors * why overselling and being too understated are equally risky for deep tech founders — and the cost of getting it wrong Connect with Hailey on LinkedIn here. Connect with Renita on LinkedIn here. Get full access to The High-EQ Founder by Renita Kalhorn at renitakalhorn.substack.com/subscribe

    The Communications Misperception Costing Founders Funding and Talent, Why Strategic Empathy Is a Founder's Secret Weapon, and Helping Deep Tech Startups Stand Out in a Noisy World, With Hailey Eustace

  2. Jul 16

    The most effective founders start with the end in mind. (So why doesn't your brain want to do it?)

    Get full access to The High-EQ Founder by Renita Kalhorn at renitakalhorn.substack.com/subscribe

    The most effective founders start with the end in mind. (So why doesn't your brain want to do it?)

  3. Jul 6

    Is burnout the price of success?

    In this episode, I break down the Founder State Matrix — a diagnostic tool that maps the four states founders cycle through, from fear-driven burnout to vision-driven flow. You'll learn which state you're actually in, why most burnout advice doesn't work, and what's really driving your decisions and your team's behavior. Plus, real examples of founders who've made the shift from running on fear to building from vision. Get full access to The High-EQ Founder by Renita Kalhorn at renitakalhorn.substack.com/subscribe

  4. Apr 7

    Mapping the Five Deep Tech Founder Archetypes, The Power of Radical Honesty to Accelerate Growth, and Why Self-Forgiveness Might Turn Out to Be Your Competitive Advantage, With Chris Reichhelm

    Deep tech now accounts for 25% of new unicorn startups — but building a sustainable deep tech business is one of the hardest things you can do. So what separates the founders who go the distance from those who burn out? In this episode, I’m speaking with Chris Reichhelm, founder of Deep Tech Leaders, who’s spent 30 years in executive search working with the most ambitious companies on the planet — from advanced materials spinouts to quantum computing pioneers. We talked about: * the five founder CEO archetypes in deep tech — and the specific risk factors hiding inside each one (read Chris’ article here). * what radical honesty has to do with speed — and why the most candid cultures move the fastest * why love — yes, love — separates the good from the truly great and how it translates into a competitive advantage Enjoy my conversation with Chris! Connect with Chris on LinkedIn here. Connect with Renita on LinkedIn here. Get full access to The High-EQ Founder by Renita Kalhorn at renitakalhorn.substack.com/subscribe

    Mapping the Five Deep Tech Founder Archetypes, The Power of Radical Honesty to Accelerate Growth, and Why Self-Forgiveness Might Turn Out to Be Your Competitive Advantage, With Chris Reichhelm

  5. Mar 26

    What a Green Beret can teach you about empathy

    Most people don't associate empathy with the Special Forces. But in this episode, a Green Beret Captain shows us exactly what strategic empathy looks like in practice — and why it might be the most powerful leadership tool you're not using. Learn what it actually means to have empathy and three moves you can start using today — in your 1:1s, town halls, and board meetings. Get full access to The High-EQ Founder by Renita Kalhorn at renitakalhorn.substack.com/subscribe

    What a Green Beret can teach you about empathy

  6. Mar 4

    How the best founders give feedback

    In this episode, I break down two reframes that will change how you think about giving feedback. You'll learn why most feedback creates resistance instead of change, what continuous feedback actually looks like in practice, and how to give critical feedback without triggering a defensive reaction. Plus, real examples from founders who've made the shift. Get full access to The High-EQ Founder by Renita Kalhorn at renitakalhorn.substack.com/subscribe

  7. Feb 11

    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

    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

  8. 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

    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
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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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