Welcome to the Founders’ Fears & Failures podcast, a weekly podcast aimed at normalizing mental health struggles and redefining failure in the startup ecosystem.
Join me, Dr. Melissa Parks, an entrepreneur, former therapist, and executive coach for entrepreneurs, as I interview founders, investors, mentors, and experts around the globe. Learn from their personal experiences, and the valuable insights and strategies they share for how to navigate the ups and downs of entrepreneurship.
Tune in for a new episode each Tuesday as we shine a light on the fears and failures that come with starting, and growing, a business, and learn how to turn them into opportunities for growth and success.
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Episode 26: Harnessing Her Passion for Women’s Health to Overcome Obstacles as a Non-Technical Femtech Founder with Olivia Orchowski
You can find a link to the full transcript for this episode HERE. In this episode I’m introducing you to an inspiring femtech founder, Olivia Ochowski. In a previous chapter, Olivia worked as personal trainer, women's health coach, and doula. Today, as the founder and...
Episode 25: Reflections on Half a Year as a Podcast Host
You can find the full transcript for this episode at the bottom of this page I came up with the idea for this podcast in about early 2022 and got serious about it about launching it towards the end of the year. The first episodes went live in February 2023 and I've...
Episode 24: Exited Founder and Author of “Founder Therapy” on Successful Entrepreneurship without Burnout with Mike Buonaiuto
You can find the full transcript for this episode at the bottom of this page This week on the show I’m introducing you to Mike Buonaiuto, exited founder and author of the recently released book, Founder Therapy, which was born out of his own experience with burnout...
Episode 23: Normalizing Entrepreneur Mental Health Differences with a Leading Researcher in the Field, Dr. Michael Freeman
You can find the full transcript for this episode at the bottom of this page Nearly 40% of entrepreneurs have one or more diagnosable mental health condition, 3% of entrepreneurs had made suicide attempts and 1.7% had a history of psychiatric hospitalization. It’s...
Episode 22: A Startup Executive Psychologist On Navigating Cofounder Conflict with Dr. Matthew Jones
You can find the full transcript for this episode at the bottom of this page Successfully navigating cofounder conflict is an important, yet often overlooked, topic which directly impacts the success and sustainability of startups. When conflicts arise between...
Episode 21: The Importance of Creativity and Community for Entrepreneur Well-Being with Tova Safra
You can find the full transcript for this episode at the bottom of this page What role does creativity have in your life as a founder? Do you make sure you find ways to protect and prioritize it? Do you ever worry that your creativity might derail you and lead to...
Episode 20: A Trailblazer in the Field of Entrepreneur Mental Health on the Human Experience of Building a Business with Kristin Darga
You can find the full transcript for this episode at the bottom of this page This week’s guest is a trailblazer in the field of entrepreneur mental health. She started working to shift the conversation on this important topic nearly a decade ago, when no one else was...
Episode 19: You Can’t Stop the Waves: Dealing with the Uncertainty of Entrepreneur Life
You can find the full transcript for this episode at the bottom of this page Entrepreneur life is full of uncertainty and things that are outside of our control. Being a successful founder requires to you to find ways to thrive amidst this inevitable chaos. In this...
Episode 18: You’re Not Alone: Normalizing Imposter Syndrome
You can find the full transcript for this episode at the bottom of this page This week on the show we’re mixing things up and instead of interviewing someone else I’ll be speaking on one of my favorite topics to talk about - imposter syndrome. It’s one I’m very...
Episode 17: How Therapy Made Me a Better Founder with Ryan Schwartz
You can find the full transcript for this episode at the bottom of this page Too often we think about therapy as something to seek out as a last resort, when we’re in crisis and have exhausted all our other options. Even if you suspect that it might help you to...