The Next Mountain Podcast

Next Mountain

The Next Mountain Podcast brings you real, unfiltered conversations with exited founders, leaders, investors and expert who are redefining success in a quickly changing world. Hosted by the team behind Next Mountain, each episode explores what happens after the exit and how accomplished individuals can turn transitions into clarity, purpose, and impact. From achievement to alignment. From success to stewardship. From solo hustle to collective impact.

  1. Mar 26

    From C-Suite to Awakening: Louis Gagnon on Meditation, Intention and Human Regeneration

    What if the most powerful business decision you ever make is to stop analyzing and start listening to your heart? In this episode of The Next Mountain Podcast, Louis Gagnon shares a career that defies a single label. He left McKinsey in his twenties to build an AIDS prevention program in Rwanda, work that saved an estimated 15,000 lives. He then went on to hold senior leadership roles at Monster, Amazon's Audible, and multiple venture-backed startups, scaling companies from millions to hundreds of millions in revenue. But in 2021, after two near-death experiences, Louis made a different kind of decision. He stopped optimizing. He stopped strategizing. And he started following what his heart had been telling him all along. Today he dedicates his time to what he calls human regeneration, helping entrepreneurs and systems move from extraction to renewal, one relationship at a time. We explore why he built a company around three unusual values (compassion, passion, and dispassion), how he dropped weekly KPIs and never missed a number, and what it really takes to shift from leading with your head to living from your heart. Key Themes in This Conversation Leaving McKinsey for Rwanda and the life experience that shaped everythingThe yogi who told him he was already enoughCompassion, passion, and dispassion as company valuesWhy replacing KPI reviews with connection conversations actually worksThe practice of witnessing: meditation, breath, and questioning your beliefsMoving from forcing your way through life to letting life flow through youHuman regeneration and what the entrepreneurial class owes the world Learn More About Louis Louis Gagnon on LinkedIn

    48 min
  2. Mar 11

    From Witch to $50M AgTech Founder: Ananda Fitzsimmons on Regeneration and Climate

    What if the skills that make you an entrepreneur are exactly what the planet needs right now? In this episode of The Next Mountain Podcast, Ananda Fitzsimmons shares her unlikely journey from psychotherapist to ag-biotech founder. She built a company that raised $50 million, all while navigating a world that couldn't quite make sense of someone who called herself "just a witch." After her exit in 2017, Ananda didn't retire. She dove deeper into the work that had called her from the beginning: ecosystem restoration and regenerative agriculture. We explore living systems thinking in soil, in business, and in life. Ananda explains why real climate solutions go far beyond carbon and electric cars. She reveals how the complex web of soil, water, and biodiversity holds the key to planetary regeneration. We also talk about the messy reality of post-exit transition, the courage it takes to follow passion over business logic, and how exited founders are uniquely positioned to become stewards of regenerative systems. ✨ Key Themes in This Conversation Following intuition into entrepreneurship without any experienceWhy living soils and ecosystem restoration actually matter for climateThe three pillars of life: carbon, water, and biodiversityHow passion attracts what you need, even when the path isn't clearThe economic system shift we need to truly value nature and life Learn More About Ananda Restoring the Pillars of Life (Ananda's book)Regeneration CanadaAnanda's website

    52 min

About

The Next Mountain Podcast brings you real, unfiltered conversations with exited founders, leaders, investors and expert who are redefining success in a quickly changing world. Hosted by the team behind Next Mountain, each episode explores what happens after the exit and how accomplished individuals can turn transitions into clarity, purpose, and impact. From achievement to alignment. From success to stewardship. From solo hustle to collective impact.