Founders and Builders
Founders and Builders
Podcast Description
Founders & Builders is your go-to channel for in-depth conversations with the world's best startup founders and operators.
Whether you’re an aspiring founder, a seasoned entrepreneur, or simply curious about the journey of building your own business, you'll find real-world experiences, and candid advice from successful entrepreneurs who have been in the trenches. Join us as we explore the highs and lows of entrepreneurship, uncover the secrets to startup success, and dive into the future of technology and business. Subscribe to be inspired, informed, and equipped to build something great!
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The podcast focuses on themes such as entrepreneurship, startup strategies, technology innovation, and AI in business. Episodes delve into topics like building AI-native products, the challenges of clinical trials in biotech, and successful SaaS development, with concrete examples including Akash Bajwa's insights on AI startups and David Brear's exploration of redefining banking.
Founders & Builders is your go-to channel for in-depth conversations with the world’s best startup founders and operators.
Whether you’re an aspiring founder, a seasoned entrepreneur, or simply curious about the journey of building your own business, you’ll find real-world experiences, and candid advice from successful entrepreneurs who have been in the trenches. Join us as we explore the highs and lows of entrepreneurship, uncover the secrets to startup success, and dive into the future of technology and business. Subscribe to be inspired, informed, and equipped to build something great!
Steve is the co-founder of Unmind, a workplace mental-health platform that’s raised $80M and scaled to serve companies worldwide.
With a background as both a musician and entrepreneur, he’s now helping leaders design cultures where wellbeing and performance go hand in hand.
In this episode Steve opens up about the morning his life short-circuited, the five-month breakdown that followed, and what it really takes to build a company without breaking.
As always, if you enjoy this episode, make sure to like and subscribe 🔔
Chapters:
(00:00) Intro
(00:59) The morning everything changed
(03:01) “Not burnout — a full systems breakdown”
(04:30) From musician to startup founder
(06:37) Identity vs. the role: Who is Steve beyond “co-founder”?
(07:23) Panic, A&E visits, and derealisation
(09:54) Heavy metals, genetics & detox pathways
(12:14) Healing: nature, rest, and reconnecting
(13:23) Foundations: sleep, movement, journaling, morning pages
(14:29) The eulogy exercise & values work
(16:16) Play, inner child, and curiosity over comparison
(18:25) “Not a machine”: Taylorism and the modern workplace
(21:09) The two strands that led to Unmind
(24:18) Toxic leadership, real costs & the spark to act
(26:25) Meeting Nick Taylor and spotting the gap
(27:41) Launching Unmind: proactive, stigma-breaking mental health
(28:35) Mission vs. growth capital: naming the tension
(29:52) Culture quadrants: clan, market, hierarchy, adhocracy
(33:41) Polarity mapping: results & wellbeing as co-KPIs
(35:12) Trust, visibility & psychological safety from leadership
(37:00) Evidence: leadership wellbeing drives performance
(38:15) Coaching founders: reconnecting to humanity
(39:31) Escaping comparison; widening your sources of meaning
(40:38) Steve’s sacred place: the woods and the tree
(42:12) “What was it all for?” — honoring life
⭐ Listener Suggestion – Software of the Week: Granola (AI meeting notes) – https://www.granola.ai/
👍 Why subscribe?If you sketch business ideas on napkins, obsess over product-market fit, or dream of building humane, high-performance teams, this channel is for you.
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#Startups #Founders #MentalHealth
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