Climate CEOs: Scaling Startups Finding Purpose Out of Pain: Shawn Lesser on Mental Health & Entrepreneurship
Shawn Lesser, Cofounder of The Real, shares how burnout, depression, and identity tied to business shaped his journey and inspired a platform helping entrepreneurs find purpose through shared challenges.
⭐ My guest today is Shawn Lesser, Cofounder of The Real (current role) and Cofounder of Big Path Capital (prior role).
The Real is helping entrepreneurs deal with burnout and depression by connecting with others going through those same mental health challenges.
Big Path Capital is, according to Barron’s, “The Impact Investment Bank.” Their network of 2,500+ limited partners (investors) and 200+ impact-focused private equity firms led to billions of dollars flowing into companies that prioritize both profit and positive environmental or social impacts.
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🎙️ In this episode, we talked about:
What triggered his depression
The impacts of having too much of his identity tied up in his business
Why a fish bowl being shaken up relates to where he was
What he learned after spending three stints in centers to boost his mental health
The speaking tour that he and his cofounder, Brent Herd, are on
Why The Real is about finding purpose out of pain
What an Uber driver and a post-exit entrepreneur with $800M in cash have in common
And lots more
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