Finding Founders

Jeff and Judy Bowman are the acclaimed founders and owners of the Living Waters Spa, which was an internationally renowned clothing-optional spa in Desert Hot Springs, California. Before becoming key members of the clothing optional community, Jeff & Judy were church folk who started and grew congregations across America. Suddenly Judy was diagnosed with breast cancer which led Jeff to question nudity and soon question his religion. This would send both of them on a quest to understand their relationship with nakedness and come face to face with a new clothing-optional lifestyle. Words of Wisdom: Jeff and Judy challenged their beliefs and found that in doing so, they were able to get more in touch with their spirituality. Sometimes trials are what you need to better understand yourself and others around you. They experimented with clothing optional facilities. Never be afraid to get out of your comfort zone. Self discovery can be the most enlightening part of life. They stayed true to their beliefs and ideals. You may lose people, but you’ll find a community that will be better suited to you. Subscribe to our Newsletter! https://findingfounders.co/subscribe Website: findingfounders.co Follow Sam: https://www.instagram.com/samueldonner/ Follow Finding Founders IG: https://www.instagram.com/findingfounderspodcast/ --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/finding-founders/support Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Originally from Seoul, Liah was studying architecture and feeling like she didn't really fit into the mold of South Korea. She decided to explore the idea of going into the beauty industry and released her first YouTube video. Not too long later, Liah Yoo is now a beauty guru and has amassed a following of over 1 million. But she wouldn't stop there. In 2017, Liah had a “lightbulb moment” and realized that the skincare market was overwhelming and oversaturated with products that created new skin problems rather than making skin healthier. She decided to launch Krave Beauty, a sustainable brand with a simple array of products designed with only the consumer in mind. https://kravebeauty.com/ Subscribe to our Newsletter! https://findingfounders.co/subscribe Website: findingfounders.co Follow Sam: https://www.instagram.com/samueldonner/ Follow Finding Founders IG: https://www.instagram.com/findingfounderspodcast/ --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/finding-founders/support Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What does it mean to fall in love with a place? In this episode, we explore this question by talking to Marnie Gustavson, the executive director of PARSA Afghanistan and leader of the Afghan Scouts revival movement. Though her journey actually began in Washington, Marnie was introduced to Afghanistan at 9 years old when her father relocated the family for his new job. Growing up in a foreign country, she struggled against cultural gender roles but eventually found her passion for leadership and directing through bargaining in Afghan markets. After returning to the US, Marnie realized how much she missed Afghanistan and decided she wanted it to be her permanent home. It was there she got her unlikely start at PARSA that led to the creation of her own program Sisters for Sisters and Brothers for Brothers. When the Afghan government unexpectedly collapsed during the 2021 Taliban Offensive, Marnie’s organization was faced with sudden social upheaval. In the face of great adversity, Marnie shares stories of resilience from Afghan citizens and reflects on her duty to the country she loves. Subscribe to our Newsletter! https://findingfounders.co/subscribe Website: findingfounders.co Follow Sam: https://www.instagram.com/samueldonner/ Follow Finding Founders IG: https://www.instagram.com/findingfounderspodcast/ --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/finding-founders/support Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

So today's guest I specifically sought out after reading his book “The Almanack of Naval Ravikant.” I was floored by essentially every sentence and thought the book was so incredible that I had to talk to the person who wrote it. That person is Eric Jorgenson. After working at a startup for a decade and technically being unemployed, he decided to delve into a myriad of projects including podcasts, blogs, and a self-paced course on leverage. His recent, and most successful book, is a guide to wealth and happiness curated and distilled entirely from Naval’s spoken and written words. If you haven't heard of Naval, he's semi famous within certain silicon valley circles. He's founder of AngelList, an angel investor, and a modern day philosopher. The wisdom inside this book is near unparalleled, and if you haven't read it already, I highly recommend you do. You can buy Eric's book, The Almanack of Naval Ravikant, right now on Amazon. Subscribe to our Newsletter! https://findingfounders.co/subscribe Website: findingfounders.co Follow Sam: https://www.instagram.com/samueldonner/ Follow Finding Founders IG: https://www.instagram.com/findingfounderspodcast/ --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/finding-founders/support Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

So when I talked to today's guests it was during the Halloween Haunt, an event took place in the same village as my LARPing adventure with John Basset (episode #96). But this interview would be extra special because I would be talking to the head honcho of the LARPs in that area... David Pulcifer. David Pulcifer is the President of the LARP City Project, an organization with the goal of creating the best Live Action Role Play (LARP) sites across the United States. David has over 20 years of experience, and the LARP City Project is currently pursuing an ambitious goal to build 6 permanent LARP sites across the country over the next 2 decades. David believes in the positive impact of Live Action Role Play, and that it can improve the lives of gamers’ through the encouragement of creativity, positive social interaction, and physical health. Subscribe to our Newsletter! https://findingfounders.co/subscribe Website: findingfounders.co Follow Sam: https://www.instagram.com/samueldonner/ Follow Finding Founders IG: https://www.instagram.com/findingfounderspodcast/ --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/finding-founders/support Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is a follow up interview with Andrew Warner (episode 48)-- we told his life story back in November of 2020. Quick recap on Andrew. Shortly after college, Andrew was handling millions of dollars and taking on massive risk. Only a few years later, he’d resign from that frantic lifestyle, jump ship and head for a respite in the Caribbean. It was here he reflected on his life and returned to his youth, a childhood filled with libraries, books, and learning. He realized that his own life with all the peaks and valleys of the entrepreneurial journey, mirrors that of his initial mentors who lived within the pages of those books. He took those lessons, founded a few companies, and now continues to learn from entrepreneurs with his show Mixergy, asking the question: What do startup founders know that you don’t? Since our initial interview, we've stayed in touch and he's been giving me great advice. In this episode of founder wisdom we're going to dive into his new book, we're going to learn how to focus on the big vision and ignore noise, and finally he's going to detail how he uses his interview skills to create better relationships and business opportunities.  Towards the end of the episode I'll ask him some advice on the projects I've been working on! You can buy Andrew's new book, Stop Asking Questions, right now on Amazon. Subscribe to our Newsletter! https://findingfounders.co/subscribe Website: findingfounders.co Follow Sam: https://www.instagram.com/samueldonner/ Follow Finding Founders IG: https://www.instagram.com/findingfounderspodcast/ --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/finding-founders/support Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How do you make digital art physical? How can you print video? Infinite Objects founder and CEO, Joe Saavedra is answering these questions. Growing up in a small town, Joe tapped into artistic self expression with the saxophone. He took this artistic interest to college as he discovered how he could create art using technology which would spark a life's mission to combine these interests. This journey has lead him to play a leading role in the creation of so many cool products, including the Google Talking Shoe and a wearable personal pollution monitor egg. Most recently, he has become the founder and CEO of Infinite Objects, a company at the forefront of NFT tech that essentially “prints” videos in physical form. However, a journey of passion always has its trials and tribulations. https://infiniteobjects.com/ Subscribe to our Newsletter! https://findingfounders.co/subscribe Website: findingfounders.co Follow Sam: https://www.instagram.com/samueldonner/ Follow Finding Founders IG: https://www.instagram.com/findingfounderspodcast/ --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/finding-founders/support Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Giuliana Furci was born in London but her family returned to Chile when she was 15 years old. At 19, she stumbled across a bright orange mushroom which caught her eye while doing field work in the forest. This moment inspired Giuliana to devote her life to addressing the lack of information on fungi. Starting her career as a self-taught amateur, she became the first female field mycologist in Chile and started the Fungi Foundation, the first NGO dedicated to fungi in the world. Under her leadership, Chile became the first country in the world to include the Fungi kingdom in its environmental legislation. https://ffungi.org/eng/ Subscribe to our Newsletter! https://findingfounders.co/subscribe Website: findingfounders.co Follow Sam: https://www.instagram.com/samueldonner/ Follow Finding Founders IG: https://www.instagram.com/findingfounderspodcast/ --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/finding-founders/support Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we sit down with Lori Kay, a sculptor, business woman, mother, naturist, and owner of Lupin Lodge. As a kid, Lori learned to adapt and have an open mind as her family moved around due to her father’s military service. When Lori was a young adult she studied abroad in Switzerland, where she experienced first hand a different approach to nudity. When weekly trips to a sauna meant wearing nothing but a towel in a coed room, Lori was not judgmental but rather embraced the cultural difference. When she returned to the U.S. Lori was introduced to Lupin’s community (a nudist retreat) and quickly became a regular member. This led to her falling in love with the owner and eventually becoming an owner herself. Find out how her determination would build a community of body positivity and self discovery. https://www.lupinlodge.com/ https://findingfounders.co/subscribe Website: findingfounders.co Follow Sam: https://www.instagram.com/samueldonner/ Follow Finding Founders IG: https://www.instagram.com/findingfounderspodcast/ --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/finding-founders/support Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Elyse Burden founded Real World Scholars (2014), where she works to give students the opportunity and resources needed to become change makers and social entrepreneurs in their communities – not one day, but right now. She provides money for the students to help pursue their business, pay it forward, and invest in the greater good. She believes in creative solutions and recognizes that young people are brilliant, creative, and angry enough to help the world find solutions to some of our scariest challenges. https://www.realworldscholars.org/ Subscribe to our Newsletter! https://findingfounders.co/subscribe Website: findingfounders.co Follow Sam: https://www.instagram.com/samueldonner/ Follow Finding Founders IG: https://www.instagram.com/findingfounderspodcast/ --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/finding-founders/support Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices