The Reboot Podcast #180 - Navigating Darkness, Perfectionism, and Purpose as an Entrepreneur - with Melissa Bernstein & Jerry Colonna
Oct 23, 2025
Melissa Bernstein, co-founder of Melissa & Doug and author of The Heart of Entrepreneurship, shares her journey through creativity and perfectionism. She emphasizes the importance of passion and patience in entrepreneurship. Discussing the emotional rollercoaster of highs and lows, she reveals how the pursuit of certainty can hinder growth. Melissa dives into the detrimental effects of seeking external validation and highlights how vulnerability fosters connection. With her new venture, Lifelines, she champions sensory well-being and creative expression.
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Passion Plus Patience
- Entrepreneurship lives where passion meets patience and willingness to endure uncertainty.
- Melissa says good ideas take time and require staying with the unknown to allow them to mature.
Exilifying: Thrill And Terror
- Entrepreneurship is
Ship At Eighty Percent
- Release products at about 80% so they can enter the world and be improved.
- Use market feedback to iterate toward higher quality instead of waiting for imagined perfection.
