The Happy Entrepreneur

Every Friday Luke Swann spends time doing nothing. He creates space for rest, wellbeing and focussing on what he feels is important. He calls it his Friday Flourish.In this episode, Carlos and Laurence learn from Luke what he does to create this space and why it's so important to him.In this fast paced world we're all too eager to be busy and stay on top of our to do lists. But what if those to do lists aren't filled with things that are actually benefitting us? Luke's eager to focus on the things that are really important to him. Which means regularly taking stock of what he really wants and needs.He has a fascinating story of a challenging upbringing, difficulties with mental health and encounters with the law. He's been on his own journey of transformation and through a disciplined approach of connecting with himself he's found more purpose in his life."If you don't know yourself well, others will tell you who you are."Luke is an educator, author and entrepreneur and founder of New Purpose: a wellbeing programme enabling students to develop character and pursue purpose in life. As a result of his childhood experiences and having been able to tune in to his own intrinsic needs he's now on a mission to improve education and wellbeing together.Listen to learn more about his story and be inspired by his journey of transformation. Learn what it took for him to go from not caring much about anything and having low self-esteem to being motivated and driven to make real social change… while still looking after his happiness.LinksConnect with Luke via LinkedInVision 20/20 – Join the next tribe

What does it mean to be a good dad?Carlos has two kids; Gabriel is 13 and Esmé is 9. And for nearly a decade and a half he’s been trying to work out the best way to be their dad.He has no manual nor any training... only lots of questions.Should he be disciplined or relaxed? Should he focus on their financial security or their emotional wellbeing? Where do his dreams and ambitions fit in? How can he balance it all?When answering these questions, Carlos has relied on his gut instinct… and his own role model.His dad.But following his way of fathering has also been a challenge. There are many things that Carlos is grateful to him for, and also things that he would have like to do differently.And doing things differently is where some of the struggle has been.Carlos wants to understand his father’s past struggles, present fears, and his lifelong passions to shake up his old assumptions and discover what really makes him dad tick.In this episode, Carlos and his dad Luigi talk about going from a shepherd to a guide; his childhood, education, money, working with people, solitude, art, dreams, and responsibility.

There's something about being in nature that helps us reset our nervous systems.Maybe it's the wonder and awe it can create in ourselves. Carlos likes to think, particularly when around mountains, the awe of being near such massive and ancient structures drowns out the noise of our everyday lives.And without that noise we can start to think differently and more clearly.Every year, before the pandemic, Laurence and Carlos would take groups of entrepreneurs and professionals to the French Alps to take some time away from their busy lives and have an opportunity to think about things differently.It wasn't about following a program or improving ourselves. It was about giving space for the ideas and intentions that we never have time for during our hustle and bustle.These things get forgotten. And sometimes they're the most important messages we need to hear in order to live more intentionally.On this episode of the podcast, we are introduced to two friend that Laurence and Carlos met in the mountains and share their stories and our stories of why taking a natural pause is so important.LinksThe Happy Startup SchoolAlptitudeConnect with Sally-Anne on LinkedInSally-Anne’s Evolving Leadership programmeConnect with Arno on LinkedInAlpAdventures

What is stopping you from doing what you’d love to do?When Chris Packe quit his well paid job he was told that he was in a privileged position and that it was all down to luck of circumstance.But he believes it’s also down to choices and priorities.He’s noticed that people often deny that they have the power to change things, saying their lives are out of their control.However, unless you are one of the very unfortunate ones in society, the situation you are in (or not in) is most probably a product of choices you have made (or not made), whether deliberately or passively.When talking to someone he once worked with, they said what they most wanted to do was leave their job, but couldn’t.They needed to keep working to pay for the massive house, the kids’ school fees and their love of fine wine and fine art.To Chris, money can facilitate or limit a person. Their sense of freedom and autonomy depends as much on lifestyle as income.When Chris decided to leave his job as an investment banker, money was a practical consideration but the real driver was simply to allow himself to have an adventure.For most people, making a big change in their lives comes down to priorities, not circumstance.Or whether they are willing to make the choice at all.In this episode of the Friday Fireside we’ll hear more about Chris’ journey from working in finance to working in nature - running youth programmes and events for teenage boys and girls, fathers and sons, fathers and daughters, adults and business folk.

If you're like me (or the me 10 years ago) you believe in mind over matter.As a hyper rational human I used think that thinking was all there was.My body was just a vehicle through which my mind would navigate life.I always lived in my head and ignored the signals that came from my body (other than pleasure, pain and hunger).Because of that I was very much cut off and unaware of my feelings.I thought that feelings only started in the mind.But I've now come to understand how much the sensations in our bodies affect the quality of our thinking.And how our thinking can ramp up the feelings in our bodies.It's a highly interconnected system that can go horribly wrong if you ignore the connection.Burnout, poor decision making and inability to face real challenges are all symptoms of being out of touch with our bodies.We can't only think our ways to success; we also have to feel our way there too.On the Friday Fireside we'll be exploring how we can get ourselves being more aware of our bodies and we'll present a different way of thinking and learning that isn't just head driven.We'll be joined by Ruth Polden. She's a Certified Feldenkrais Practitioner, Yoga teacher, YogaBirth Senior Tutor and former dancer /choreographer.The Feldenkrais Method is a powerful, innovative approach to learning. Blending biology, physics, neuroscience, and motor development, it is designed to engage with our brain’s “neuroplasticity,” (our brain’s awesome ability to change, rewire itself, adapt and repair), to benefit our body and how we move and function in life.Being a physicist I'm looking forward to seeing how physics and feelings combine!

As a leader of a business it’s up to you to tell everyone where you’re going.It’s your responsibility to create a clear vision for everyone to buy into and have clarity as to the direction and relevance of their work.However, in an ever-changing world what happens when you don’t have all the answers.How do you balance the vulnerability of not knowing with the need for a clear vision of the future?And how do you cope, after spending a big chunk of your life knowing exactly where you’re going and what you’re aiming for, when you need to change but don’t know what that change should be.You can do all the rational analysis you want but you can still feel unclear.This is where being more in tune with your body can help.And cultivating (and trusting) your instincts.On this episode of the Friday Fireside we’re joined by Pauline Tenner, author of Laid Bare: What The Business Leader Learnt From The Stripper.It’s a self-help book for business leaders and entrepreneurs that care about employee well-being and business profitability.But the bit that interested me was how it talks to showing up unapologetically in your role as a business leader.I’m also fascinated by Paulina’s current journey of transitioning out of her business and finding a new path.As well as an author, Paulina is an entrepreneur, an angel investor, TEDx speaker and a founder of GrantTree. She started her business with a purpose to help tech startups navigate the complex world of government funding and since 2010 has grown her team organically from 2 to 50 and raised over £200M for more than 600 technology startups.A couple of fascinating aspects of GrantTree are that it has an open culture company which pioneered a self set salary scheme and that it also employs holacracy in its management approach.Her new book, which encapsulated her learnings is now a Hot New Release on Amazon which you can pre-order here [http://www.paulinatenner.com/book.](http://www.paulinatenner.com/book.)Mentioned in this episode:Happy Startup Summer Camp 2022 Join us s for a weekend of possibility, and a lifetime of impact. 16th-18th September.

Shamash Alidina is a mindfulness and ACT trainer. And is also the author of mindfulness for dummies.ACT stands for acceptance and commitment therapy and in this episode of the podcast Shamash shares some of the principles of ACT and how they can help us cultivate more resilience and self-compassion in our lives.In summary the key principles of ACT are:Be presentOpen upDo what mattersBy following these principles we’re more able to make conscious choices and overcome any challenges we face because of them.Most of the time there are no wrong or right choices.There are just choices and repercussions.If we believe that we’re able to deal with any repercussions then it becomes much easier to make choices.It’s when we find ourselves unable to make choices that we get stuck.We also talk to Shamash about how pain and purpose are two sides of the same coin.And how doing something meaningful usually mean that it’s also going to be challenging.We talk about how achieving goals and living our values affect our sense of happiness and meaning.As well as the pressure we put ourselves under to always be happy, particularly in our community.Being happy all the time isn’t really the point. Particularly if we criticise ourselves for not being so.If you're an entrepreneur or you're starting a new project or venture and you’re wondering if you’ll be able to overcome all the difficulties and challenges that will inevitably come your way then I recommend you listen to this episode.Because there are a few nuggets of wisdom that Shamash will share with you that will help you cultivate the resilience and resourcefulness you need.Mentioned in this episode:Happy Startup Summer Camp 2022 Join us s for a weekend of possibility, and a lifetime of impact. 16th-18th September.

"Think Different" is the famous slogan used by Apple to differentiate themselves from the grey PC boxes that IBM were churning out in the 80s and 90s.However, what if you think differently at a fundamental level? You see the world differently. You process the world differently. And you engage with the world differently.On this episode, Carlos and Laurence talk with Matthew Bellringer - coach, consultant, speaker and divergent pathfinder.They learn from him and guests about neurodivergence and why the conventional ways of working and being in business aren't suited to everyone.Matthew himself has recently been diagnosed with ADHD and he's been on a journey of understanding how to align the way he works with the way he thinks.If you feel like a misfit at work or an unconventional entrepreneur that needs to do things differently, you're in the right place.Mentioned in this episode:Happy Startup Summer Camp 2022 Join us s for a weekend of possibility, and a lifetime of impact. 16th-18th September.

Marianne is training as a Purpose Guide™ and on this Friday Fireside we're going to explore with her what it means to discover our true purpose.It's easy to beat yourself up because you haven't started living your life's purpose yet.But purpose may not be a process of searching outside of you.Maybe it's about looking inside and sensing.If you'd like to feel your way to purpose rather than forcing yourself to find it then join us."The place where your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet"Mentioned in this episode:Happy Startup Summer Camp 2022 Join us s for a weekend of possibility, and a lifetime of impact. 16th-18th September.

What's your 10 year plan? What's you 5 year plan? What are your goals for next year? WTF are you actually going to do tomorrow?In business people are obsessed with plans and strategy. But what happens if you don't really know what you want? And what happens if you change your mind?What happens if the world changes along the way?Carlos loves plans, and hates uncertainty. But he's learned about the power of serendipity and the power of being present.In a volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous world, how do we navigate our way to success in our lives and in our businesses.It's one step at a time. Simple to say, Harder to do.In this conversation, Laurence and Carlos explore this topic together and reflect on how it's been core to how they've got this far with the Happy Startup School.Mentioned in this episode:Happy Startup Summer Camp 2022 Join us s for a weekend of possibility, and a lifetime of impact. 16th-18th September.