The Happy Entrepreneur

The Happy Startup School
  • 5.0 (4)
  • ENTREPRENEURSHIP
  • UPDATED SEMIMONTHLY
The Happy Entrepreneur

This podcast is a collection of stories and experiences to help entrepreneurs trying to navigate a new way of entrepreneurship. It isn’t just about the tactics and the strategies but also about the inner experience of being in business. I’m not here to give you any answers but to provoke you to look harder for the answers yourself. By sharing new insights and ideas with you we hope you’ll be inspired to look inside yourself to find out what’s really getting in the way. While you have the knowledge to take your work to another level maybe what’s stopping you is a lack of self inquiry.

  1. MAY 5

    Social media when unclear

    We know that people will benefit from what we do, and one way to help others find us is through posting on social media. But what do you do when you don't have a content strategy, a target audience, and you're not yet clear on what you're going to post about? If this sounds like you, you're not alone. A question submitted by the Happy Startup School community sparked this conversation: "How do you post on social media when I'm still not clear?" Laurence, Carlos, and Lana dive into their experiences, sharing honest reflections, and discussing how they developed an ability to post what they stand for and believe in online. LinksJoin the conversation liveBecome a member of the Happy Startup SchoolJoin the next Vision 20/20 cohort

    29 min

  2. APR 21

    When values meet reality

    A question submitted by our community sparked this conversation: "How are your values embodied with real examples in your current business? How have your values helped – or even emerged – when things get tough or friction arises?" In this episode, Carlos, Laurence, Lana and guest Stephanie dive into their stories, sharing honest reflections, and discussing how their manifestos shaped their actions, decisions, and resilience. LinksJoin the conversation liveBecome a member of the Happy Startup SchoolJoin the next Vision 20/20 cohort

    31 min

  3. APR 7

    Lovely messy startups

    How do you change direction without a map? By reconnecting to your inner navigation system. But many of us fall shy of it, because it means engaging with the messy parts of ourselves that we don’t want to acknowledge, let alone embrace. Someone who’s walked this tough but rewarding path is Vision 2020 alumnae Beth Derry. As a successful copywriter for 25 years, Beth has written for and collaborated with clients such as Microsoft, Allianz, and Heineken to help them communicate their impact on people and the planet. But when she reached her mid-forties, she knew she could trust her instincts – instincts that told her she wanted more from life. Beth knows all too well how life's difficulties can shape us. As a teenager and young adult, she faced painful mental health challenges and turned to self-harm as a way to cope. At the time, the support available wasn’t enough. She didn’t have the answers she needed. It wasn’t until decades later, after years of therapy, coaching, and innovative techniques like havening, that Beth found her way back to herself – and began envisioning a new way of working. In 2023 she founded Lovely Messy Humans, an initiative dedicated to educating people on the science of being human, focusing on emotional resilience, regulation, and healing from trauma. She joins Laurence and Carlos to explore embracing the messiness of a new venture, turning struggle into strength, integration, wholeness, and the power of starting small. LinksJoin the conversation liveBecome a member of the Happy Startup SchoolJoin the next Vision 20/20 cohort

    50 min

  4. MAR 24

    Embracing everything: From loss to aliveness

    You probably know about 4,000 weeks. It’s what Oliver Burkeman suggests is the average time we all have on this earth. But do you know about 90,000 hours? That’s how long many of us will spend working during our lives. And it's essentially a third of your life. Life isn’t about work, but work can profoundly shape the quality of your life. So it can feel painful to be stuck in a rut in your work or career and not know what to do next. Especially after a profound loss. Sue Deagle is a veteran c-suite executive, mother, and widow, rewriting the story of loss and vibrant living at the Luminist. She founded it after the profound personal transformation she went through following the sudden loss of her husband. Sue’s personal journey from profound personal loss to a vibrant, purpose-driven life offers inspiration and deep insights for anyone looking to redefine success, purpose, and impact—even without having experienced a life-altering loss themselves. LinksJoin the conversation liveBecome a member of the Happy Startup SchoolJoin the next Vision 20/20 cohort

    34 min

  5. MAR 10

    Wayfinding your path to success

    When Laurence and Carlos started the Happy Startup School, they didn’t have a business plan. Instead, they focused on what felt important: community, creativity, and meaningful work. They followed their intuition and sensed their way forward, building connections, thinking out loud, and engaging with guides, not gurus. Many solopreneurs and freelancers think they need a clear path or a step-by-step plan to reach a defined goal. But if you’re feeling stuck and procrastinating, it’s likely because that plan is missing something. Wayfinding is about trusting your intuition and tapping into your creativity to explore possibilities. It’s not about having a fixed destination; it’s about discovering the right one, through experimentation, reflection, and bold action. Join Laurence, Lana, and Carlos as they discuss what wayfinding is and how it can help you get unstuck and take action. LinksJoin the conversation liveBecome a member of the Happy Startup SchoolJoin the next Vision 20/20 cohort

    46 min

  6. FEB 24

    Finding your second wind

    You’ve exited your business or you’ve left your job. What next? You’ve gone from being busy and feeling like you had direction to now floating around aimlessly. This is what our guest David Spinks calls the Abyss. In his Substack post, he shared his experience of stepping down from the company that he co-founded and trying to work out what’s next. In this conversation with David, you’ll hear about his experience of the abyss, what he felt, what he did, and where he's at now. He shares how he navigated the inner journey, which helped him understand how he got to where he got to and what he needs to do differently. Whether you're still floating in the middle of the ocean or have caught a glimpse of the shoreline, this episode will give you some compass headings and the courage to keep on swimming. LinksJoin the conversation liveBecome a member of the Happy Startup SchoolJoin the next Vision 20/20 cohort

    58 min

  7. FEB 10

    Leadership based on feeling, not just thinking

    Michelle Grant is an alumna of our Vision 20/20 program and was part of Tribe 2 that started in September 2020. She’s the founder of The Great Full and offers coaching and community for women leaders within the realms of food systems, sustainability, and regeneration. Michelle combines her deep knowledge of sustainable systems with her passion for personal and professional development. Her leadership programs like "Be the Change" and "Lead the Change" offer a supportive community and tools to empower women changemakers to take care of their personal wellbeing, as well as that of the planet. She’s passionate about the importance of inner work to create impactful outer change, blending theory and practice, science and philosophy, and engaging the head, heart, and hands in her learning journeys. She is also a professionally certified coach with the International Coaching Federation, trained in the Enneagram, and a seasoned yoga and meditation teacher. In this episode, Carlos, Laurence, and Michelle explore questions like How can we develop more intuitive leaders?How can we promote more feminine energy in leadership?Why does the old style leadership need to change anyway? LinksJoin the conversation liveBecome a member of the Happy Startup SchoolJoin the next Vision 20/20 cohort

    56 min

  8. JAN 27

    Build your career like an entrepreneur

    Can you learn to be more creative, courageous, and resourceful when it comes to pivoting your professional life? On this episode, Carlos and Laurence are joined by Iesha Small, a career pivot coach and seasoned communications professional, to talk about how we can adopt an entrepreneur’s mindset when thinking about following a new professional path. Iesha shares her inspiring journey from maths teacher to career-change champion, and what she needed to do to navigate that transition. Iesha isn’t just about making bold moves; she's about making smart, strategic decisions that lead to personal freedom and fulfilment. She explains her unique approach of treating career development like an entrepreneur, focusing on experimentation and creating opportunities that offer more choice. LinksJoin the conversation liveBecome a member of the Happy Startup SchoolJoin the next Vision 20/20 cohort

    54 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
4 Ratings

About

This podcast is a collection of stories and experiences to help entrepreneurs trying to navigate a new way of entrepreneurship. It isn’t just about the tactics and the strategies but also about the inner experience of being in business. I’m not here to give you any answers but to provoke you to look harder for the answers yourself. By sharing new insights and ideas with you we hope you’ll be inspired to look inside yourself to find out what’s really getting in the way. While you have the knowledge to take your work to another level maybe what’s stopping you is a lack of self inquiry.

Information

  • Creator
    The Happy Startup School
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2025
  • Episodes
    156
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © The Happy Startup School
  • Show Website
    The Happy Entrepreneur

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