

The Happy Entrepreneur
The Happy Startup School
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.
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.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Aug 11, 2025 • 34min
Your story of change – Vision Tribe Summit 2025
Carlos, Laurence, and Lana present the second session in their Vision Tribe Summit from February 2025.This discussion will help youShift from traditional marketing approaches that target everyone to creating deeper impact with those who truly resonate with your valuesDiscover why vulnerability in sharing your journey can be your greatest asset in building genuine community connectionsUnderstand how stories serve as "light for others to follow," providing guidance through shared experiences of challenges and transformationSee how the principle "People like us do things like this" creates powerful cultural bonds that transcend traditional marketing approachesGain practical frameworks for using stories not just to sell products but to mobilize action, inspire change, and create safe spaces for deeper workLearn the value of crafting "future stories" that invite co-creation and collaboration, even before your vision has fully materialisedLinksJoin the conversation liveBecome a member of the Happy Startup SchoolJoin the next Vision 20/20 cohort

Jul 28, 2025 • 31min
Redefining success – Vision Tribe Summit 2025
Carlos, Laurence, and Lana present the first session in their Vision Tribe Summit from February 2025.In this session they explore four key dimensions of success:Finding ways to earn while doing what you love rather than chasing wealth at the expense of fulfilmentPrioritising what genuinely energises you rather than constant multitasking driven by feelings of "not-enoughness"Surrounding yourself with people who energise you and share your valuesCreating ripple effects by simply being your authentic self rather than trying to change the world through effortLinksJoin the conversation liveBecome a member of the Happy Startup SchoolJoin the next Vision 20/20 cohort

Jul 14, 2025 • 52min
The midlife renaissance: navigating purpose and professional transitions
Chip Conley is the founder of the Modern Elder Academy and author of Learning to Love Midlife: How to Embrace What’s Next. In this discussion with Laurence and Carlos, he delves into the opportunities and challenges of navigating purpose and professional transitions during this pivotal stage of life.If you’re an experienced professional or seasoned entrepreneur who’s achieved financial success but lost your sense of purpose, this conversation is for you.Perhaps you’ve experienced “purpose drift”, or feel weighed down by the armour you’ve built to protect yourself but which no longer serves you.Chip offers profound insights from his work and personal journey, showing how midlife is not a crisis but an opportunityto curate the rest of your life with intention, joy, and freedom.LinksJoin the conversation liveBecome a member of the Happy Startup SchoolJoin the next Vision 20/20 cohort

Jun 30, 2025 • 27min
How to commit to action
Lana Yelenyev, a speaker in the Happy Startup School community, shares insights on transforming fear into action. She highlights how understanding personal values can lead to meaningful entrepreneurial growth. The conversation delves into the neurobiology behind motivation, emphasizing community's role in overcoming emotional barriers when launching new ideas. Lana also discusses the 'fluffy launch' concept for building confidence and the ripple effect of personal commitments on community impact.

Jun 16, 2025 • 1h 1min
Nurture your inner rebel
What if it’s punk to pause? To quote the Nap Bishop Tricia Hersey, that “rest is a form of resistance”?Caro Turlings and Jobbe Holtes are multi-talented creatives and Vision alumni with a deep love for music, dancing, and dressing up. They join Laurence and Carlos to exploreHow to forget DIY and embrace DIT (Do it Together)Stepping out and stepping upHow creativity, rest, and discovering the rebel within can help to fuel the change you want to create in the world.If you want to make a positive impact but think the only way through is to push until you burn out, this conversation will help you find a new way to make a difference more sustainably.LinksJoin the conversation liveBecome a member of the Happy Startup SchoolJoin the next Vision 20/20 cohort

Jun 2, 2025 • 29min
How to make your idea real
Carlos and Lana dive into the concept of creating Minimum Lovable Products: products that "thingify" your thoughts and turn your ideas into tangible, helpful solutions.These MLPs help you connect with the people you want to serve, promote your mission, and build momentum for your idea.Whether you're looking to iterate your big vision or start marketing your idea, this episode is about creating connections and value.LinksJoin the conversation liveBecome a member of the Happy Startup SchoolJoin the next Vision 20/20 cohort

May 19, 2025 • 52min
Eat well, lead well
Sarah Bayliss is the author of Do Nourish: How to Eat for Resilience. She combines expertise with lived experience, helping professionals and entrepreneurs make intentional choices about their nutrition and overall wellbeing.Her approach goes beyond just food. In this episode, they explore how Sarah’s 7 Pillars can support resilience, energy, and clarity, the impact of small, mindful choices in nutrition and habits on your ability to live and work purposefully, and how her personal transformation from burnout to balance reignited her passion for learning and helping others to thrive.LinksJoin the conversation liveBecome a member of the Happy Startup SchoolJoin the next Vision 20/20 cohort

May 5, 2025 • 29min
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

Apr 21, 2025 • 31min
When values meet reality
This discussion dives into the relationship between personal values and real-world business experiences. The speakers share their own stories about how their values have guided them through tough times. A focus on the importance of clear communication helps establish a positive work culture. The critical role of leadership in modeling values is explored, with insights on building trust within teams. Finally, methods to articulate values for effective collaborations and community support for entrepreneurs are highlighted.

Apr 7, 2025 • 50min
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