When growth stalls and doubt gets loud, most founders push harder—or walk away. In this vulnerable solo episode, Joanna Trojak shares how a stretch of unsettling silence revealed not burnout, but disconnection—and how one pivotal book (Rob Fitzpatrick’s The Mom Test) plus nine honest user conversations changed her roadmap for Heart Renew from isolated journaling to shared solitude and gentle, non-performative connection.

If you’ve wondered whether your product is broken, your vision still matters, or whether it’s time to quit—this one’s for you. You’ll hear the exact questions Joanna asked, the emotional truths users shared, and the product shifts that followed.

You’ll learn:

• Why “I’m burned out” sometimes masks I’m disconnected
• How to use The Mom Test to get truth, not politeness
• The insight behind solitude + witness (attachment theory in practice)
• Product ideas for quiet connection: group journaling hours, anonymous reflections, soft presence signals
• A simple founder ritual to stay connected to users, self, and why

Chapters

• 00:00 Intro & hook — “I wasn’t burned out. I was disconnected.”
• 00:27 The silence that scared me
• 02:48 The real problem: who am I building for?
• 05:06 The Mom Test & better questions
• 07:07 9 user calls and what they actually said
• 09:33 The pattern: solitude needs a witness
• 11:58 From isolation to shared solitude (product shift)
• 14:17 Reconnecting to users before features
• 14:45 Listening vs. validation
• 15:53 If you’re stuck: do this next
• 18:05 Building for people, not metrics

Keywords (SEO): startup founder, user interviews, The Mom Test, product-market fit, customer discovery, loneliness & belonging, attachment theory, product strategy, Startup Stories & Lessons, Heart Renew.

What happens when the glossy promise of an event collides with the gritty truth of reality? In this deeply honest episode, Joanna Trojak takes us to Ericeira, Portugal, where she pitched her startup Heart Renew—not with perfect slides, but with a clear why.

What began as a retreat that looked stunning online but fell short in real life became an unexpected masterclass in clarity, resilience, and authenticity. Joanna reflects on how imperfect experiences can sharpen your purpose, why honesty beats polish every time, and how founders can extract value even when the container is flawed.

If you’ve ever been disappointed by an accelerator, retreat, or “empowerment” event that didn’t live up to its promise, this episode is your reminder that growth doesn’t require perfection—it requires presence.

You’ll learn:

• How to extract value from spaces that don’t match their marketing
• Why your why matters more than your slides or polish
• How to hold gratitude and disappointment at the same time
• Why your real, unfiltered story is your most powerful strategy

Keywords: founder resilience, authenticity, startup lessons, entrepreneurship, solo founder, self-awareness, startup storytelling, female founders, self-dating app, Portugal retreat, founder mindset.

Support the show

https://app.blissfulheartrenew.com/

https://www.blissfulheartrenew.com/

joannatrojak.com

https://www.instagram.com/joannnatrojak/

https://www.instagram.com/heart.renew/

s a Saturday night alone a red flag—or a research-backed power move? In this episode, Joanna Trojak unpacks the neuroscience and psychology behind self-dating and explains why chosen solitude is fundamentally different from loneliness. We dig into polyvagal theory, self-compassion research, and attachment science to show how intentional time with yourself lowers stress, boosts creativity, and builds the inner security founders need to make better decisions. You’ll learn seven evidence-based benefits of self-dating—from breaking codependency cycles to improving physical health—plus practical rituals (mindful walks, solo date nights, flow-friendly blocks) you can implement this week. If you’re building a company or a career, this is your cheat code for resilience without burnout.

You’ll learn:

• Why autonomous solitude calms the nervous system and reduces stress
• How self-compassion protects against burnout and sharpens judgment
• The link between alone time and breakthrough ideas for entrepreneurs
• Tactical, research-backed solo practices you can start today

Keywords: self-dating, solitude, neuroscience, polyvagal theory, self-compassion, attachment theory, founder resilience, creativity, burnout prevention, entrepreneurship.

Support the show

https://app.blissfulheartrenew.com/

https://www.blissfulheartrenew.com/

joannatrojak.com

https://www.instagram.com/joannnatrojak/

https://www.instagram.com/heart.renew/

What truly happens when a founder decides to show everything — the wins, the doubts, and the messy middle?
In this deeply personal episode, Joanna Trojak, founder of a self-dating app, shares seven powerful lessons from over 100 days of building in public — a journey that began as an experiment in transparency and evolved into a practice of self-awareness, consistency, and authentic connection.

This isn’t a story about viral growth or startup hacks. It’s a reflection on what changes when you stop performing success and start showing up truthfully — even when no one’s clapping. Joanna explores:

• Why consistency builds momentum even when inspiration fades
• How vulnerability connects more than any metric ever could
• The surprising link between founder well-being and product clarity
• Why alignment matters more than virality
• And how your story itself becomes a product of trust and transformation

If you’ve ever struggled with self-doubt, burnout, or the pressure to perform online, this episode will remind you that honesty is the most powerful growth strategy of all.

☕ Grab your coffee, settle in, and listen to a founder strip away the filters to reveal what it really takes to build — in public and within yourself.

Support the show

https://app.blissfulheartrenew.com/

https://www.blissfulheartrenew.com/

joannatrojak.com

https://www.instagram.com/joannnatrojak/

https://www.instagram.com/heart.renew/

Most startups don’t end with headlines—they fade with a flicker. In this candid episode, Joanna Trojak shares the slow, quiet signs that her first company was failing and the psychology that kept her pushing long after the data (and her gut) said “stop.” We unpack sunk-cost fallacy, loss aversion, confirmation bias, identity fusion, and why intermittent wins can make founders addicted to “one more feature.”

You’ll hear a practical framework to tell burnout from real failure, how to listen to your body as much as your metrics, and why letting go can be the most courageous leadership move you make. Joanna also explains how closing one venture created space for her next—building a self-dating app with clearer boundaries, better feedback loops, and a healthier identity.

What you’ll learn

• The subtle red flags: sliding engagement, reactive roadmaps, and celebration without progress
• The brain traps: sunk cost (Kahneman & Tversky), escalation of commitment, reward loops (Judson Brewer), idea attachment (Gregory Berns)
• Tools that bring clarity: pre-mortems, expressive writing (James Pennebaker), daily motivation checks
• A decision filter: vision-led vs. panic-driven moves; tired vs. truly disconnected
• How to grieve the ending and carry forward the ROI of failure: wisdom, resilience, clarity, humility

Perfect for: founders, operators, product builders, and anyone standing at the line between “push through” and “let go.”

Support the show

https://app.blissfulheartrenew.com/

https://www.blissfulheartrenew.com/

joannatrojak.com

https://www.instagram.com/joannnatrojak/

https://www.instagram.com/heart.renew/

What if success in tech meant helping people log off?

In this thought-provoking episode of Founder Unfiltered, host Joanna Trojak challenges one of Silicon Valley’s most sacred metrics: retention. She explores the radical idea of building digital products that respect attention instead of hijacking it.

Joanna introduces her concept of Healing-Focused UX — a design philosophy that prioritizes user wellbeing over engagement metrics. From removing streaks and guilt-based reminders to building natural pauses and gentle endings, she shares how emotional flow and trust-based loyalty can redefine what “success” means in tech.

This isn’t a philosophical rant — it’s a practical, deeply ethical blueprint for founders, designers, and investors ready to rethink the attention economy.

If you’ve ever questioned whether your app is serving people or simply keeping them hooked, this conversation will make you pause — and maybe even close your laptop for a bit.

Support the show

https://app.blissfulheartrenew.com/

https://www.blissfulheartrenew.com/

joannatrojak.com

https://www.instagram.com/joannnatrojak/

https://www.instagram.com/heart.renew/

Heartbreak doesn’t just make you miss them—it can make you miss yourself. In this episode of Founder Unfiltered, I unpack what really happens to your brain and identity after a breakup and why “just give it time” isn’t enough. We dive into the neuroscience of romantic loss (why rejection lights up pain and craving circuits), how identity gets entwined in relationships, and the founder-specific ripple effects on leadership, decision-making, and self-worth.

I share a practical, research-informed playbook for rebuilding the self—what I call self-dating—from day-one nervous-system safety to values reconnection and future-self integration. Expect concrete rituals (micro check-ins, expressive writing, gentle solo dates, self-trust anchors) and a 30-day arc you can actually follow. You’ll also hear how these principles shape the self-dating app I’m building—no streaks, no guilt loops—just technology that holds space for presence over performance.

If you’re a founder navigating a breakup (romantic or co-founder), this is your field guide to reclaiming clarity, stability, and creative energy—so you can lead from wholeness, not withdrawal.

Support the show

https://app.blissfulheartrenew.com/

https://www.blissfulheartrenew.com/

joannatrojak.com

https://www.instagram.com/joannnatrojak/

https://www.instagram.com/heart.renew/

What if your next big startup win wasn’t about streaks, growth hacks, or crushing it — but about creating space to simply be?

In this episode of Founder Unfiltered, I challenge the assumptions behind today’s attention economy and explore what happens when we design apps that prioritize presence over productivity. From Duolingo’s gamified guilt trips to the rise of digital burnout, I unpack the hidden costs of optimization-driven design — and why I’m building my self-dating app around stillness, softness, and emotional connection instead.

This isn’t just a conversation about UX. It’s about reimagining the role of technology in our lives: how metrics shape our moods, why gamification often manipulates rather than motivates, and how founders can design products that actually support human flourishing.

If you’ve ever felt drained by your apps, pressured by streaks, or guilty for not “keeping up,” this episode is for you. Let’s talk about the radical act of building technology that lets you breathe.

Support the show

https://app.blissfulheartrenew.com/

https://www.blissfulheartrenew.com/

joannatrojak.com

https://www.instagram.com/joannnatrojak/

https://www.instagram.com/heart.renew/

As founders, it’s easy to let our startups define us. Metrics rise and we feel unstoppable. Metrics fall and we feel worthless. What starts as passion can quietly morph into identity fusion — where who we are becomes completely entangled with what we’re building.

In this episode, I unpack one of the most overlooked challenges in entrepreneurship: the psychological trap of founder identity captivity. Drawing from my own first startup experience and research on founder mental health, I explore why this happens, how startup culture and investors reinforce it, and the real costs it has on resilience, creativity, and wellbeing.

Most importantly, I share the tools, exercises, and mindset shifts that have helped me reclaim my sense of self while building my second startup. From reintroducing myself to forgotten passions, to tracking internal wins instead of just external metrics, to building systems of identity support — this is a roadmap for separating your worth from your company’s performance.

Because the truth is: you are not your roadmap, your pitch deck, or your quarterly numbers. You’re the person building the company — and the more grounded you are in your full identity, the stronger and more sustainable your startup will become.

Support the show

https://app.blissfulheartrenew.com/

https://www.blissfulheartrenew.com/

joannatrojak.com

https://www.instagram.com/joannnatrojak/

https://www.instagram.com/heart.renew/

There’s a moment in every founder’s journey when you realize you’ve changed — when you’re no longer the rookie trying to prove yourself but the confident, capable founder you once dreamed of becoming.

In this episode, I share a personal story of how an ordinary LinkedIn scroll turned into an unexpected mirror of my growth. What used to trigger self-doubt and comparison now gave me clarity — clarity that I’ve built something real, clarity that my skills and experience speak for themselves, and clarity that the person I used to look up to wasn’t as impressive as I once thought.

I talk about the subtle but powerful mindset shift that happens as you build your startup: learning to trust your instincts, owning your expertise, and finally seeing yourself as the professional you’ve become. Whether you’re just starting out or in the middle of scaling your vision, this episode is a reminder that growth often shows up in quiet, surprising ways — and that confidence is built one milestone at a time.

Support the show

https://app.blissfulheartrenew.com/

https://www.blissfulheartrenew.com/

joannatrojak.com

https://www.instagram.com/joannnatrojak/

https://www.instagram.com/heart.renew/