The Reboot Podcast

Simon Cant's path to becoming a VC has been a windy road. Building on a career that includes stints as a lawyer, founder, consultant, director of a non-profit and advisor, he is now an LP in Reinventure, an Australian fintech fund. Alongside his meandering career path, Simon has battled to slow the swing between a strong desire to exert control and an acute awareness of his own need to surrender. In this conversation Jerry leads Simon to remember that there is no such thing as a perfect surrender. Instead, surrender is a lifelong practice. Links Grace, VC and Surrender - https://hackernoon.com/grace-vc-and-surrender-4475a6c1e325#.hqn5apr6h Simon Cant on Twitter - https://twitter.com/simoncant

"If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other." - Mother Teresa For Bijan Sabet- an investor, US citizen by birth and descendant of Korean and Iranian immigrants- the January 27th Trump administration issue of an executive order banning the entry of residents and refugees from a number of Muslim countries deeply disturbed him for a number of reasons. Recalling his own early experience of being othered as the child of an Iranian immigrant during the Iran Hostage Crisis of the late 70s, his heart broke that other. Driven to mobilize his heart ache to action the best way he knew how, he launched a fund matching campaign for the ACLU. Bijan's initial expectations of a several month timeline to raise the funds were blown away when the campaign received overwhelming support and reached its goal (and beyond) in less than 3 days. In this conversation, Jerry and Bijan discuss the experience of feeling othered and how that changes what it feels like to belong. The shame and embarrassment of feeling different or outside, and the healing that occurs when we find ourselves on the other side- feeling a part of and knowing we are not alone anymore. Links Bijan Sibet on Twitter - https://twitter.com/bijan "Not Alone Anymore" - https://goo.gl/HXRgxH Episode #20 Investors Are Human Too - https://www.reboot.io/episode/investors-are-human-too/ Episode #19 Building a House of Belonging - https://www.reboot.io/episode/building-a-house-of-belonging Stickball - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stickball

But little by little, as you left their voices behind, the stars began to burn through the sheets of clouds, and there was a new voice which you slowly recognized as your own, that kept you company as you strode deeper and deeper into the world, determined to do the only thing you could do-- determined to save the only life you could save. - Mary Oliver, The Journey John Guydon first appeared on the podcast in Episode #41: Are You Afraid of Your Own Power. It has been just under a year since that episode and a lot has changed for John. The company he discussed on that episode, Lassy Project, has come to close and he is diving head first into two new projects-- a documentary film and a new company, Master The Book. As in the last episode, John's exuberance for these new endeavors is palpable, but in this discussion he and Jerry notice a fear underneath the charisma. In this episode Jerry and John build on the idea of embracing your super power, discuss the fear in being labeled, and how John's purpose continues to undergird all he does. Links John Guydon on Twitter is @IamJohnGuydon - https://twitter.com/IamJohnGuydon The Dark Dollar - http://thedarkdollar.com #41 – Are you afraid of your own power? – with John Guydon - https://www.reboot.io/episode/41-afraid-of-your-own-power-john-guydon/ Master the Book - http://www.masterthebook.com #43 – The Dharma of Inclusivity – with Konda Mason - https://www.reboot.io/episode/43-dharma-of-inclusivity-konda-mason/

"To pay attention, this is our endless and proper work." - Mary Oliver In this episode Jerry Colonna is joined by Roshi Joan Halifax, a Buddhist teacher, Zen teacher and anthropologist. Jerry first met Roshi Joan a few years ago when she was presenting on her G.R.A.C.E. model, a process for cultivating compassion in leaders and applicable to anyone looking to cultivate practicing compassion in their lives. Throughout the episode Jerry and Roshi Joan discuss how leaders can learn to best allocate their attention, the pitfalls of pathological altruism, and how practicing compassion is the cornerstone to wise leadership. Links Roshi Joan Halifax on Twitter - https://twitter.com/jhalifax Upaya Zen Center - https://www.upaya.org When Things Fall Apart - http://a.co/edOQ1a7

A disciple asks the rebbe: "Why does Torah tell us to 'place these words upon your hearts'? Why does it not tell us to place these holy words in our hearts?" The rebbe answers: "It is because as we are, our hearts are closed, and we cannot place the holy words in our hearts. So we place them on top of our hearts. And there they stay until, one day, the heart breaks and the words fall in." - Hasidic Tale, as told by Parker Palmer Every entrepreneur hears the call of an inner voice. We may call it drive, intuition, or our guiding voice. Regardless of name it pushes us forward. This voice can be our most powerful ally in the pursuit of authentic leadership, or become our greatest enemy when clouded by fear, anxiety, or self-judgment. Most of us equate struggle as a bad or wasted experience. But as we find in this episode, that association is far from the truth. Instead, heartbreak holds our greatest potential to allow true transformation to be possible. Fresh off an $8M round, Matt Munson led his team at Twenty20, a crowd-sourced commercial photography catalogue, in a radical pivot--changing the business model from B2C to B2B. The business seemed to be moving in the right direction, yet Matt began to feel crippling pressure to achieve more growth. This pressure, perhaps better defined as anxiety, quickly became all consuming, permeating through the entire Twenty20 team. It wasn't long until the company had reached another tipping point to survive. With the support of his board, Matt made the difficult decision to layoff nearly 80% of his staff and embrace a new path-- one centered around simplicity, transparency, and embracing the open-hearted warrior within. Links Matt Munson on Twitter - https://twitter.com/mattmuns Twenty20 on Twitter - https://twitter.com/Twenty20app Twenty20 - https://www.twenty20.com How I burned 10 Million Dollars so you don't have to - https://goo.gl/MIpPbW Getting Real - https://gettingreal.io

Almost all successful entrepreneurs will fail - if not fail, fail, fail, and fail again - on their path to success. Every human being made choices in their lives which they regret, are embarrassed of and have caused them deep shame. What would your life be like if you were known only by the worst thing you had ever done? Catherine Hoke is the founder of Defy Ventures, a program that helps incarcerated individuals transform their hustle to entrepreneurial ventures. Following a chance visit (as a guest) to a prison at the age of 26, Catherine left behind a successful investment career to launch a program to build on what she recognized were valuable entrepreneurial skills - simply applied to illegal businesses. Through the journey of building two wildly successful organizations, Cat had her own personal experience of failure, great shame and having to grant herself grace, and a second chance. Nestled in this conversation about failure, mercy and second chances, is an important second discussion. Joined by investor Brad Feld, this episode also includes a heartfelt reflection on the lottery of birth, acknowledging our own privilege, and what we can do when confronted with these realizations. Links Cat Hoke on Twitter - https://twitter.com/Catherine_Hoke Defy Ventures on Twitter - https://twitter.com/DefyVentures Brad Feld on Twitter - https://twitter.com/bfeld Understanding Privilege – My Experience in Prison - http://feld.com/archives/2016/11/understanding-privilege-experience-prison.html Feld Thoughts - http://feld.com Defy Ventures - https://defyventures.org This former drug dealer is now running a successful gym - https://www.facebook.com/NowThisNews/videos/1127697567320366/ Defy Ventures is helping inmates transform their hustle. - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLoacd_rJsY Episode #43 – The Dharma of Inclusivity – with Konda Mason - https://www.reboot.io/episode/43-dharma-of-inclusivity-konda-mason/

"If we hope to go anywhere or develop ourselves in any way, we can only step from where we are standing. If we don't really know where we are standing... We may only go in circles..." ― John Kabat-Zinn The Reboot podcast was started because we believed that there needed to be an authentic, real conversation about the emotional journey of entrepreneurship. One that included its valleys and not just its peaks. One in three entrepreneurs will struggle with depression or burnout in their career, yet when it happens to them, many entrepreneurs feel totally alone in their experience. Rob Symington is a founder and entrepreneur who experienced a debilitating period of burnout following the launch of his startup, a startup that was inspired by the idea that work could be more fulfilling, less stressful and generally improve people's lives no less. In this conversation, Jerry and Rob discuss his experience, why Rob believes it's so important for him to share it, how he is moving forward, and the fact that the pressure of doing something you passionately believe in can challenge you unlike anything else. Links Escape the City - http://www.escapethecity.org "Email to team on my startup burnout, lessons learned, & finding a new way forwards" - goo.gl/A7vW2w Elle Harrison - http://www.wildcourage.com "It's not you, it's the startup life" - https://medium.com/reboot-leadership-resiliency/its-not-you-it-s-the-startup-life-9290a5183ee9#.kenj6fbw0 "How to avoid burnout" - https://medium.com/reboot-leadership-resiliency/how-to-avoid-burnout-9690601852d8#.syts nzk4h "Love After Love" by Derek Walcott - https://allpoetry.com/Love-After-Love

Join leadership expert Jerry Colonna and renowned Jungian psychoanalyst James Hollis as they dive deep into the concept of the 'shadow.' They discuss how confronting our darker aspects can lead to authentic leadership and personal growth. With insights on emotional awareness, they explore how unresolved issues impact relationships and leadership style. Listen in to discover the power of self-reflection and love in navigating challenges and transforming oneself for the greater good.

This is the bright home in which I live, this is where I ask my friends to come, this is where I want to love all the things it has taken me so long to learn to love. - David Whyte, from "The House of Belonging" Virginia Bauman and Iris Bainum-Houle have experienced great success- Virginia as an entrepreneur and founder, Iris as a designer for film and entertainment- and both have also experienced great feelings of otherness. While successful, both felt a call to live and work differently, a call that arose out of the desire to be their full authentic self at all times. This new connection led them to take their own experiences of otherness and transform them to create a sense of belonging, love, acceptance, and community for others. Links Cuties - http://hicuties.com/about/ "The Dharma of Inclusivity" – with Konda Mason - https://www.reboot.io/episode/43-dharma-of-inclusivity-konda-mason/

Fred Wilson, a seasoned venture capitalist, joins Jerry Colonna to delve into the transformative power of 360 reviews. They discuss how these reviews can enhance board-CEO relationships by providing critical insights into leadership behaviors. Fred highlights the necessity of honest feedback for personal and organizational growth, especially in uncovering blind spots. The conversation emphasizes a holistic approach to leadership evaluation, advocating for the integration of diverse feedback to foster transparency and accountability in management.