Eric Ries spent a decade building LTSE. The night it almost died, his body responded like it was dying too.

Eric Ries (author of The Lean Startup and the new book Incorruptible, founder of the Long-Term Stock Exchange) sits down with Vlada to walk through the part of founder life that almost never gets published: what happens to your body when the company you built starts to fail, and how naming what therapists call ego identification changed the work he's done since.

In this episode:

• Growing up in a family of doctors, and the IBM XT computer his father brought home that changed everything• The night LTSE almost died, and what ego identification feels like in the body• The board meeting Eric was sure would end his career, and how it became Lean Startup• Why he calls VC forecasts "a kabuki ritual"• How Costco's founder Jim Sinegal predicted Groupon's collapse with one phrase: "taking heroin"• Cloudflare's "be principled" value and the encryption decision it cost them• Why shareholder primacy isn't actually law, and how one conversation with one friend can puncture it• Eric's zero-courage tactic for changing any company from the inside

Subscribe to Heartful Wonders — conversations about following your heart when the path isn't clear. New episodes every other Tuesday.

👤 About Eric Ries:

Over the last two decades, Eric Ries's ideas about continuous innovation, long-term thinking, governance, and market reform have reshaped company building and management practices. He is the creator of the Lean Startup method, and the author of the New York Times bestseller The Lean Startup; The Leader's Guide; and The Startup Way.

As a founder, he has put his own ideas into practice with The Long-Term Stock Exchange (LTSE); Answer.AI, an AI R&D lab; Virgil, a legal services startup; and IMVU. On The Eric Ries Show, he talks with world-class technologists, thought leaders, and executives building for the long-term. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife and three children.

💻 Eric can be found:

Website: https://www.ericries.coLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eries/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ericriesactual/X: https://x.com/ericriesNewsletter: https://news.theleanstartup.com/Podcast: https://www.ericriesshow.com/Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theericriesshowNew Book — Incorruptible: https://www.amazon.com/Incorruptible-Shape-Companies-That-Stand/dp/B0FWZZBPZB

✨ About Vlada Bortnik:

Vlada Bortnik is the CEO and co-founder of Marco Polo, the video messaging app designed to help people feel close without sacrificing time, privacy, or wellbeing. A Ukrainian refugee who arrived in the U.S. at 11, she built the company alongside her husband Michał while raising two young children, guided by her belief that technology should strengthen human connection, not exploit it. Today, she leads Marco Polo as a profitable, mission-driven company and speaks candidly about balancing parenthood and entrepreneurship while building ethical technology that scales.

💻 Vlada can be found:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vladaSubstack: https://heartfulwonders.substack.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vladabortnikMarco Polo: https://www.marcopolo.me/

📎 Resources mentioned:

Answer.AI: https://www.answer.ai/

Mun Yee Kelly: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mun-yee-kelly-769868/

#HeartfulWonders #LeanStartup #EricRies #Founders #MissionDriven

Cheyanne Donald was born on a gold mine in Alaska. Her parents were hippies. Their nearest neighbors lived eight miles away. She grew up skiing under full moons, building a house, and believing there was no wrong decision. Just a decision.

At a young age she moved to California with fifty dollars in a duffel bag and a phone number for a Taekwondo instructor. From there, she built a life that didn't follow anyone's plan. She taught herself bodywork by reading every book her dad threw on a shelf for her. She studied every modality she could find. She raised her daughter alone, worked four jobs at a time when she needed to, and built a 30-year practice entirely by word of mouth. She also became an artist who runs festivals in Santa Cruz under a business she calls White Rabbit.

In this episode, Cheyanne and Vlada Bortnik talk about what it takes to build a life on your own terms. The ego trap of trying to be the magic. The discipline of staying out of your own way. And what changes when you stop treating society's path as the only one.

▶️ Watch the full episode now.

👤 About Cheyanne Donald:

Cheyanne Donald is a Bay Area artist and creative force whose work blends art-making, community building, and thoughtful curation. She is the creative mind behind White Rabbit Social Club, a community-oriented art and vendor collective she built from the ground up to give makers and artists the space, support, and audience she wished she had when she started vending her own work.

💻 Cheyanne can be found:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/white_rabbit_ink_/
• Website: https://wearethewhiterabbit.com/

✨ About Vlada Bortnik:

Vlada Bortnik is the CEO and co-founder of Marco Polo, the video messaging app designed to help people feel close without sacrificing time, privacy, or wellbeing. A Ukrainian refugee who arrived in the U.S. at 11, she built the company alongside her husband Michał while raising two young children, guided by her belief that technology should strengthen human connection, not exploit it. Today, she leads Marco Polo as a profitable, mission-driven company and speaks candidly about balancing parenthood and entrepreneurship while building ethical technology that scales.

💻 Vlada can be found:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vlada
• Substack: https://heartfulwonders.substack.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vladabortnik
• Marco Polo: https://www.marcopolo.me/

📎 Resources mentioned:

• White Rabbit Social Club: https://wearethewhiterabbit.com/

Dr. Nseyo spent years fighting to become the doctor she always dreamed of being.

Then she got there, and she burned out.

Ono Nseyo is an OB-GYN, women's health advocate, and podcast host who grew up watching her Nigerian immigrant father change lives in his community. Literally!

That image of her dad shaped everything for her. She pushed through Stanford, organic chemistry, pre-med haters, eight years of training, and the systemic racism that still exists in medicine, all to show up for her patients.

And then one day she realized she wasn't really showing up, not the way she wanted.

In this episode, we talk about what burnout actually feels like from the inside, how she found her way back, and the moment in a college lecture that told her exactly why she was put on this earth.

We also get into the maternal health crisis that still doesn't get enough attention: Black women are still 3 to 4 times more likely to die in childbirth. The statistics haven't improved. And Ono is one of the people fighting to change that.

Key takeaways:

• How you know something is actually your calling. Dr. Nseyo didn't decide to go into women's health. Something "ignited" her. There's a difference .. and she names it.

• What burnout actually feels like from the inside. Not just tired. Not stressed. Muted. Like someone put a filter on your life and turned the color down.

• Why she started a podcast when she already had a full career.
  The exam room couldn't hold everything she wanted and needed to say. So she built something that could.

• The importance of community showing up. Dr. Nseyo shares the moment she almost quit medicine and who flew across the country to stop her? Her mom!

• What happens when you stop chasing the numbers. Dr. Nseyo got obsessed with metrics and it nearly killed the thing she loved. Letting go of that is what saved it.

• The statistic that ignited her life's work (and had me fuming). Black women in America are still three to four times more likely to die in childbirth. Decades of effort. The number hasn't moved.

• Impact of being loved by someone who won't give up on you. She says she's a better person because of her husband. Not in a cheesy, greeting card way. In a very real way.

▶️ Watch the full episode now and subscribe.

👤 About Ono Nseyo:
Ono Nseyo, MD FACOG is a board-certified OB/GYN and former Medical Director of Women's Health for Sutter East Bay Medical Group, where she led strategic initiatives to expand access and equity in care. Based in Berkeley, Oakland, and Richmond, she serves a diverse patient population with a focus on compassionate, equitable care. She earned her undergraduate degree in Human Biology from Stanford University and completed her medical training at UCSF, with a career shaped by her commitment to addressing health disparities. Passionate about maternal health and matrescence, she founded the Hour.FM podcast to elevate women's voices and experiences across the health spectrum.

💻 Ono can be found:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goldenhour.fm
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@goldenhour.fm
Golden Hour FM Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@GoldenHourFM

✨ About Vlada Bortnik:
Vlada Bortnik is the CEO and co-founder of Marco Polo, the video messaging app designed to help people feel close without sacrificing time, privacy, or wellbeing. A Ukrainian refugee who arrived in the U.S. at 11, she built the company alongside her husband Michał while raising two young children, guided by her belief that technology should strengthen human connection, not exploit it. Today, she leads Marco Polo as a profitable, mission-driven company and speaks candidly about balancing parenthood and entrepreneurship while building ethical technology that scales.

💻 Vlada can be found:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vlada
Substack: https://heartfulwonders.substack.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vladabortnik

Most of us have a voice in our heads that sounds like wisdom.Mun Yee Kelly spent years listening to hers, and it told her that being herself was the problem.So she stopped. She changed her hair, her personality, her city. Twice. And it worked, until it didn't.

In this conversation, we go deep on the moment she finally stopped believing everything she thought, and what happened when she started following her heart instead.If you've ever talked yourself out of something that felt right, this one's for you.

Key takeaways:

• The belief that kept Mun stuck for years, and how she uncovered it

• Her journey through an eating disorder, therapy, and building businesses she loved

• Why following your heart isn't always a choice

• "Be suspicious of your own suspicions" — the mindset shift that changed everything

#mentalhealth #healing #selfworth

📹 Watch the full episode now.

👤 About Mun Yee Kelly:

Mun Yee Kelly is an entrepreneur, community builder, and lifelong student of what it means to follow your heart, even when it's inconvenient or hard to explain. She believes that fostering genuine human connection is a form of activism, and that building community isn't separate from the work; it is the work. She lives in Oakland, California, where she hosts a weekly dinner table open to all and is working to expand that spirit into a larger space where more people can gather and connect.

💻 Mun can be found:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mun-yee-kelly-769868/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mun_the_bun/

X/Twitter: https://x.com/erischan

✨ About Vlada Bortnik:

Vlada Bortnik is the CEO and co-founder of Marco Polo, the video messaging app designed to help people feel close without sacrificing time, privacy, or wellbeing. A Ukrainian refugee who arrived in the U.S. at 11, she built the company alongside her husband Michał while raising two young children, guided by her belief that technology should strengthen human connection, not exploit it. Today, she leads Marco Polo as a profitable, mission-driven company and speaks candidly about balancing parenthood and entrepreneurship while building ethical technology that scales.

💻 Vlada can be found:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vlada

Substack: https://heartfulwonders.substack.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vladabortnik

📎 Resources mentioned:

Groundbreakers: https://www.groundbreakers.co/

Byron Katie – The Work: https://thework.com/

Harvard Business Review: https://hbr.org/

Jess Ekstrom has built companies, written books, and become one of the most sought-after speakers in the world. She also started all of it trying to right a wrong no one asked her to fix.

At sixteen, Jess's family was caught in the Bernie Madoff scandal — her mom's uncle had stolen billions. The media, the betrayal, the upheaval. And Jess, quietly, decided she was going to do something so good it covered up the bad.

In this conversation, she traces that thread all the way to now — the purpose test she runs before chasing anything new, the failure/regret reframe that changed how she handles rejection, and the question she's still sitting with in her thirties: what's enough?

We talk candidly about postpartum depression, the addiction to impact, and why learning to be still can feel so hard.

👤 About Jess Ekstrom:Jess Ekstrom is the founder of Headbands of Hope and Mic Drop Workshop, an investor in women, bestselling author, Forbes Top Rated Speaker, and mom. Her entrepreneurial journey began at age twelve selling toys on eBay, and since then her work has been featured on the TODAY Show and Good Morning America. Through her companies, she has helped millions of women and girls worldwide, and she is the author of Chasing the Bright Side and Create Your Bright Ideas.

💻 Jess can be found:

www.instagram.com/jess_ekstrom

www.facebook.com/jessekstrom

www.twitter.com/jess_ekstrom

https://www.tiktok.com/@jessekstrom

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jess-ekstrom-59160342/

https://micdropworkshop.com/

https://jessekstrom.com/

✨ About Vlada Bortnik:

Vlada Bortnik is the CEO and co-founder of Marco Polo, the video messaging app designed to help people feel close without sacrificing time, privacy, or wellbeing. A Ukrainian refugee who arrived in the U.S. at 11, she built the company alongside her husband Michał while raising two young children, guided by her belief that technology should strengthen human connection, not exploit it. Today, she leads Marco Polo as a profitable, mission-driven company and speaks candidly about balancing parenthood and entrepreneurship while building ethical technology that scales.

💻 Vlada can be found:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vlada

Substack: https://heartfulwonders.substack.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vladabortnik

📎 Resources mentioned:

Marco Polo: https://www.marcopolo.me/

The Big Leap – Gay Hendricks: https://gayhendricks.com/the-big-leap/

Talkadot: https://www.talkadot.com/

Brick: https://getbrick.app/

Headbands of Hope: https://www.headbandsofhope.com/

Mic Drop Workshop: https://micdropworkshop.com/

Making It Without Losing It – Jess Ekstrom: https://www.jessekstrom.com/book

Chasing the Bright Side – Jess Ekstrom: https://www.jessekstrom.com/books

Create Your Bright Ideas – Jess Ekstrom: https://www.jessekstrom.com/books

Pamela Gray Daniel spent years trying to heal the world — until burnout cracked her open and showed her the healing had to start with herself first.

In this episode of Heartful Wonders, Pamela — founder of We Are One Consulting and author of Healing Our History — shares what she discovered on the other side of exhaustion. How she learned to stop working to be seen and start working just to be. How she found purpose in her most painful experiences. And what it looks like to truly know yourself so deeply that nothing and no one can define you.

She talks about growing up as one of the only Black kids in her town — and what it did to her sense of worth. The dream that showed her she was trying to heal others while she herself was still open on the table. The journaling that became a book she never planned to write. And what happened when that book found its way into the world at one of the most painful moments in recent history.

We also go deep on shadow work — not as a buzzword, but as a real practice of letting the parts of yourself you've been hiding become advisers instead of enemies. The four levels of consciousness, from victim to oneness. What it means to desire something without being destroyed by not having it. And why our personal healing is never separate from our healing of one another.

If you've ever felt like you're doing everything right and it's still not enough — this one is for you.

👤 About Pamela Gray Daniel:

Pamela Gray Daniel is a transformation coach, author, and personal and social wellness educator devoted to helping individuals and organizations align their lives and leadership with their deepest values. Through her work in evolutionary wellness, shadow work, ancestral healing, and oneness consciousness, she bridges personal growth and collective healing, guiding others to live with integrity, compassion, and purpose.

💻 Pamela can be found:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pamelagraydaniel/

Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/PamelaGrayDaniel/

Website: https://www.pamelagraydaniel.com/

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pamelagraydaniel

✨ About Vlada Bortnik:

Vlada Bortnik is the CEO and co-founder of Marco Polo, the video messaging app designed to help people feel close without sacrificing time, privacy, or wellbeing. A Ukrainian refugee who arrived in the U.S. at 11, she built the company alongside her husband Michał while raising two young children, guided by her belief that technology has the potential to strengthen human connection. Today, she leads Marco Polo as a profitable, mission-driven company and speaks candidly about balancing parenthood and entrepreneurship while building ethical technology that scales.

💻 Vlada can be found:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vlada

Substack: https://heartfulwonders.substack.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vladabortnik

📎 Resources mentioned:

Healing Our History and Co-Creating a Culture of Oneness: https://www.pamelagraydaniel.com/

Awakening to the Gift That Is You: https://www.pamelagraydaniel.com/

Living Buddha, Living Christ – Thich Nhat Hanh: https://plumvillage.org/books/living-buddha-living-christ

The Big Leap – Gay Hendricks: https://hendricks.com/the-big-leap/

I knew Robert Hartline as a savvy businessman and someone who'd been a big Marco Polo fan for years. Then I read his LinkedIn post about love. I had to have this conversation.Robert spent 22 years building something extraordinary — 78 stores, 450 people, the fastest-growing business in middle Tennessee two years running. And slowly, quietly, he was going numb.Then T-Mobile acquired Sprint overnight. Everything collapsed in months. He was lost, using weed, and writing in his journal every day about fear. Until one day, what came out wasn't just fear. He told a friend. The friend said: come to Costa Rica. That yes changed everything.There's a moment in this conversation that was particularly meaningful to me. A breathwork facilitator asked him what he does. He said: "I sell cell phones." She said: "You help people connect with each other. You connect people." He got emotional just retelling it. So did I. Like he'd fallen asleep and suddenly remembered who he was.Nine years sober. A breathwork facilitator. A leader helping entrepreneurs stop running from themselves and start leading from their hearts. A man whose whole philosophy — and last name — is Heartline.▶️ Watch the full episode now.👤 Robert can be found:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/roberthartlinejrLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobbyhartline/Website: https://roberthartline.com/Website: www.scalingsober.com ✨Vlada can be found:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vlada/Substack: https://heartfulwonders.substack.com/Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/vladabortnik/📎 Resources mentioned:Traction: https://www.eosworldwide.com/traction-bookThree Marriages: https://www.davidwhyte.com/three-marriages10x Is Easier Than 2x: https://www.10xeasierbook.com/EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System): https://www.eosworldwide.com/Strategic Coach: https://www.strategiccoach.com/Evolution of Dave (YouTube): https://www.youtube.com/@EvolutionofDaveEnvision Festival: https://www.envisionfestival.com/Power vs. Force – David R. Hawkins: https://veritaspub.com/product/power-vs-force/

What does it feel like when your heart is calling you toward something that makes no sense to anyone else? Rachel Zurer has left "good enough" (at least) twice in her life—first, an established magazine career for a tiny startup, and years later, her marriage and job within months of each other. She shares the practice of recognizing truth in your body, starting small to build trust, and what becomes possible when you stop pretending you don't already know.

Episode is brought to you by:

Marco Polo, the most magical way to stay close to your loved ones. There are no ads, no endless feeds, just authentic, face to face connection on your own time. The app is completely free. You can download it on App Store or Google Play or by going to www.marcopolo.me

In this episode, we explore:

• The physical sensation of "whole body yes"—and how to recognize truth in your body
• Why stillness and embodiment practices are the doorway to clarity→ Choosing between an established magazine (300,000 readers) and a startup (1,500 readers)—and how the decision came in Shavasana
• The caterpillar and cocoon metaphor: when people who love you get scared of your transformation
• Why her mom asked if she could "get back in the box"—and what happened when Rachel said no
• The practice of starting small: choosing produce, meeting times, and menu items based on what feels true
• The "if I did know" reframe that cuts through confusion and self-doubt
• Why you can't think your way to the right decision when your heart already knows→ Breaking the norm of "pushing through" and learning to honor what your body needs
• The messiness of transformation: giving herself a D on her marriage and an A on leaving her next job
• What becomes possible after a decade of practice: abundant time, work you love, and deep trust in yourself

Rachel opens up about how the big leaps are built on a thousand small acts of listening. She shares why following your heart sometimes means breaking the very norms that kept you safe, and how community reflection helps quiet the voices that say "you're not enough."

This conversation is for anyone who's ever sensed something calling them toward change but dismissed it as impractical, or who's tired of optimizing for what looks good rather than what feels true.

About Rachel Zurer:

Rachel Zurer is a business coach and former magazine editor based in Boulder, Colorado. After leaving her established magazine career and navigating major life transitions, Rachel now helps conscious entrepreneurs and service providers follow their heart's calling while building sustainable, aligned businesses. She's known for her weekly newsletter that explores words and phrases that bring more sparkle to your life and business.

Rachel can be found:

• Website: https://wildgenius.com
• Instagram: @rachelzurer

Vlada can be found:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vlada/
• Substack: https://heartfulwonders.substack.com/
• Instagram: @vladabortnik

Resources mentioned:

• Diana Chapman https://www.dianachapman.com/
• Conscious Leadership Group https://conscious.is
• Gay and Katie Hendricks https://hendricks.com
• Resources from CLG about Whole Body Yes (including the meditation mentioned): https://wholebodyyes.com
• Headspace meditation app: https://www.headspace.com
• The Way meditation app https://www.thewayapp.com
• 15 Questions to Ask As Your Soul Business Gestates (free journal prompts) https://wildgenius.com

What happens when following your heart means choosing yourself over family expectations? Energy healer Jessica Lyda shares her journey from social media manager to healer—and the moment she had to break a lifetime pattern of pushing through to honor what her body needed.Episode is brought to you by: Marco Polo, the most magical way to stay close to your loved ones. There are no ads, no endless feeds, just authentic, face to face connection on your own time. The app is completely free. You can download it on App Store or Google Play or by going to www.marcopolo.meIn this episode, we explore:→ Why following your heart right now looks like softening instead of explosive action→ Breaking the norm of "pushing through" that led to a thyroid condition→ The fear of disappointing family—and choosing to skip Christmas while healing from surgery→ How catching flack from family members tested her commitment to herself→ The moment other women at a leadership retreat saw Jessica as a healer before she could claim it→ Why slowing down and operating under capacity is actually the goal (not a failure)→ The norm-breaking truth: you can't create justice in the world through unjust treatment of your own body→ Learning to trust the magic works—even when facing fear with celebrity clients who give zero feedback→ Having one person ask the right questions: "Has anything changed in that environment since you grew up?"→ The question underneath it all: can you honor what's true even when it breaks expectations?Jessica opens up about why breaking the norm of constant achievement required more courage than any big leap she'd ever taken. She shares how community reflection helps quiet the voices that say "you're not enough," and why she now practices what she preaches—even when it scares her.This conversation is for anyone who's spent their life meeting expectations, proving their worth, and pushing past limits—and is now learning that following your heart sometimes means breaking the very norms that kept you safe.About Jessica Lyda:Jessica Lyda is an energy healer and cacao ceremony facilitator based in San Diego. After years working as a social media manager while managing chronic illness, Jessica broke the norm of "acceptable career paths" to follow her heart into full-time healing work. She now holds space for individual sessions, cacao ceremonies, and works with both private clients and social justice organizations on embodied approaches to change.Jessica can be found:https://genuineconversationsmedia.com/aboutVlada can be found:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vlada/Substack: https://heartfulwonders.substack.com/Episode is produced by: Mun Yee Kelly: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mun-yee-kelly-769868/Resources mentioned:Energy healing and bodywork https://genuineconversationsmedia.com/oneononesessionsCacao ceremonies https://genuineconversationsmedia.com/cacao-ceremoniesWomen's leadership retreats https://genuineconversationsmedia.com/mini-retreats