The Personas Playing You: How Founders Get Trapped in Drama & Identity

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Show Notes:
00:00 – Intro + why entrepreneurship doesn’t have to be painful
01:30 – What is a persona? (And why we mistake it for our true self)
04:00 – The firefighter, the hero, the nice guy, the newscaster mom
06:00 – Playing your persona vs. letting it play you
08:00 – Drama Triangle: Victim, Villain, Hero explained
10:00 – A real founder example: sales team missed quota
12:00 – Why “saving the day” undermines growth
14:00 – How founders create crises just to play hero
16:00 – Resentment: when saving others starts to backfire
18:00 – How these patterns cycle inside one person’s mind
21:00 – Recognizing victimhood, blame, and savior energy
23:00 – Identifying your default persona
25:00 – The lie of “that’s not me” and the power of discomfort
28:00 – Internal Family Systems (IFS) explained
30:00 – The parts inside you: protectors, exiles, managers
32:00 – A real-world IFS coaching example (part of me wants to sell…)
35:00 – Jesse’s parts: anxious achiever, the sad boy, and the protector
37:00 – What every part really wants: safety
39:00 – Embracing the shadow: liar, judge, and critic
42:00 – Self-love and reclaiming “ugly” parts
44:00 – Why entrepreneurs avoid emotions with packed calendars
46:00 – Behavioral flexibility = leadership power
48:00 – The awareness cure: why sunlight heals shadows
50:00 – Practical ways to break the drama loop
52:00 – Jesse’s story: “Mr. Unsatisfied” and naming your personas
54:00 – Final exercise: ham up your persona to break its spell

What You’ll Learn:
This episode dives deep into the mental and emotional patterns that silently run the show for most founders—and shows you how to reclaim your power by becoming aware of them.
Jesse Pujji and Dave Kashen unpack the concept of personas and the Drama Triangle (Victim, Villain, Hero), then go further with Internal Family Systems (IFS), exploring how parts of us form in childhood to keep us safe—and later, hold us back.

You’ll learn:
• What personas are and how they limit your leadership

• How the Drama Triangle silently fuels resentment, chaos, and sabotage

• The connection between fear, avoidance, and distorted decision-making

• How to identify your own go-to personas and unconscious patterns

• Practical tools to bring awareness, clarity, and freedom

• The surprising power of “naming the part” (e.g., Mr. Unsatisfied)

In this episode of Heart of Entrepreneurship, Jesse and Dave explore the hidden mental frameworks that drive how founders lead, react, and self-sabotage.
From the Drama Triangle (victim, villain, hero) to IFS-inspired founder mindset coaching, they explain how our internal personas shape everything—from decision fatigue to leadership blind spots. If you’ve been looking for a framework to build more emotional intelligence, self-awareness, and behavioral flexibility, this episode is a masterclass.
Whether you're working on releasing limiting beliefs, improving conflict resolution, or building a more conscious company culture, this episode gives you the tools to break free from reactive patterns and step into clarity and presence.

Enjoyed the episode? Like, comment with the persona you’re working on, and subscribe for more real-talk on leadership, growth, and the emotional side of entrepreneurship.
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