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Gena Gorlin: Psychology, founders and the nature of ambition

Jun 28, 2021

Professor and psychologist, Gena Gorlin, discusses how individuals can overcome psychological obstacles to achieve goals. Topics covered include the nature of ambition, common challenges faced by founders, parenting's role, and the intersection of psychology and mental health within the ambitious population.

01:59:18

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Episode guests

Gena Gorlin

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Episode notes

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Quick takeaways

Understanding and overcoming psychological challenges is key to achieving goals as an ambitious innovator.

Parenting plays a crucial role in nurturing ambition by providing challenging problems for children to solve and fostering empowerment.

Founders must navigate the tension between conforming to expectations and following their own judgment, while maintaining discipline and aligning goals with reality.

Deep dives

The Importance of Overcoming Psychological Obstacles

The podcast episode focuses on how individuals can overcome psychological obstacles to achieve their goals. The guest, Gina Galwin, a professor and practicing psychologist, discusses her work with ambitious innovators, particularly startup founders, and the value of attending to the challenges faced by these individuals.

Introduction

3min

Disrupting Industries, Psychology, and Ambition

4min

The Complex Relationship with Ambition

18min

Providing Value and Delivering on Promises

7min

Exploring Self-Reflection and Self-Deception in Entrepreneurship

7min

Admitting Vulnerability and Long-Term Thinking

12min

The Impact of Stereotype Threat

7min

The Importance of Tailored Materials and Observing Children's Development

2min

Gena Gorlin is a professor and practicing psychologist. Both her academic and her clinical work focuses on how individuals can overcome psychological obstacles to achieve goals. She’s become especially interested in working with ambitious innovators, particularly startup founders. Over the last few months, I’ve been lucky to work with Gena on a major project in my day job at Entrepreneur First and I thought that her observations would be interesting to a broader audience. In this conversation we discuss the nature of ambition, the most common psychological challenges founders face, the role of parenting, and much more.

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Thanks to Cofruition for consulting on and producing the show. You can learn more about Entrepreneur First at www.joinef.com and subscribe to my weekly newsletter at tib.matthewclifford.com