By Cocoon Program
The podcast currently has 30 episodes available.
In this episode, I sit down with Madis, a former scaleup CEO who made the tough decision to step away from his company and take a sabbatical. We discussed what pushed him to leave a growing business with 400 paying customers and how he dealt with the following identity crisis.
Madis opens up about the challenges of managing expectations—his own and those of others—and how he's finding new meaning in work and life.
If you're a founder considering a significant change, this one's for you.
Welcome to the Inner Power Particles podcast.
We talk with entrepreneurs and leaders about their challenges and lessons learned to grow their inner power. We do this to share their journey and knowledge with you so that you can grow as a leader and a person.
Resources:
Inner growth and business growth guidance for founders and leaders:
❇️ https://www.cocoonprogram.com/resources
Follow Madis Lehtmets, Designer & Entrepreneur
Follow Farhad Niyoz, authentic growth guide and CEO of Cocoon Program
❇️ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/farhadniyoz/
❇️ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/farhadniyoz/
Discover how Nauris Skride transitioned from a software engineer to the CEO of Adaptive Media. What challenges did he face? How did he manage team dynamics and set realistic goals?
Hear about his approach to decision-making and long-term planning. There are insights on leadership and growth in a startup environment that are not to be missed. Tune in to uncover valuable lessons and inspiring stories from his journey.
Welcome to the Inner Power Particles podcast.
We talk with entrepreneurs and leaders about their challenges and lessons learned to grow their inner power. We do this to share their journey and knowledge with you so that you can grow as a leader and a person.
Resources:
Inner growth and business growth guidance for founders and leaders:
❇️ https://www.cocoonprogram.com/resources
Follow Farhad Niyoz, authentic growth guide and CEO of Cocoon Program
❇️ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/farhadniyoz/
❇️ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/farhadniyoz/
In this episode, Indrek and Farhad explore balancing hands-on management with effective delegation while avoiding micromanagement.
Indrek talks about his transition to empowering his team and the strategic decision to bring on a COO. Indrek opens up about dealing with betrayals, navigating team dynamics, and keeping work-life balance in check.
Learn about his real-world insights on tackling CEO challenges and building a collaborative company culture.
Welcome to the Inner Power Particles podcast.
We talk with entrepreneurs and leaders about their challenges and lessons learned to grow their inner power. We do this to share their journey and knowledge with you so that you can grow as a leader and a person.
Resources:
Inner growth and business growth guidance for founders and leaders:
❇️ https://www.cocoonprogram.com/resources
Follow Indrek Jaal, Founder&CEO at GlobalReader
❇️ Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/indrek-jaal-48107178
Follow Farhad Niyoz, authentic growth guide and CEO of Cocoon Program
❇️ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/farhadniyoz/
❇️ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/farhadniyoz/
In this episode, we explore the art and best practices of running effective meetings tailored for C-level management and founders. Martins Bicevskis, a seasoned professional with extensive experience in both governmental and private sectors, and Farhad Niyoz, an experienced entrepreneur and business mentor, share their expertise on optimizing meetings to extract maximum potential.
Learn the critical steps for preparing, conducting, and concluding meetings, understand the importance of clear responsibilities, and discover strategies for leading productive discussions. Whether you want to improve decision-making, have a better team alignment, or improve the overall value of your meetings, this episode offers valuable insights and practical advice.
Welcome to the Inner Power Particles podcast.
We talk with entrepreneurs and leaders about their challenges and lessons learned to grow their inner power. We do this to share their journey and knowledge with you so that you can grow as a leader and a person.
Resources:
Inner growth and business growth guidance for founders and leaders:
❇️ https://www.cocoonprogram.com/resources
Follow Mārtiņš Bičevskis, Non-Executive Director
❇️ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martinsbicevskis/
Follow Farhad Niyoz, authentic growth guide and CEO of Cocoon Program
❇️ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/farhadniyoz/
❇️ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/farhadniyoz/
In this episode,
we discuss how Anna switched from running startups to founding two purposeful NGOs - Riga Tech Girls and StartSchool. We explored what each organisation does for its members and the broader society.
But then we went deeper into personal topics and looked at what motivated Anna to venture into this path and how she approached the downturn that followed a fast growth period.
We looked into the organisational topics - what decisions were made and how they were made to ensure the organisation survives the downturn and thrives. And also at the personal topics - how Anna experienced that period and how her insights can support other founders navigating downturns.
Welcome to the Inner Power Particles podcast.
We talk with entrepreneurs and leaders about their challenges and lessons learned to grow their inner power. We do this to share their journey and knowledge with you so that you can grow as a leader and a person.
Resources:
Inner growth and business growth guidance for founders and leaders:
❇️ https://www.cocoonprogram.com/resources
Follow Anna Andersone, Co-founder & CEO, Chair of the Board at Riga TechGirls
❇️ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annalebedoka/
Follow Farhad Niyoz, authentic growth guide and CEO of Cocoon Program
❇️ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/farhadniyoz/
❇️ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/farhadniyoz/
Unresolved personal conflicts impact or even block our success and well-being, especially, with the closest ones. When we have inner tension with our father, it limits our ability to achieve our goals, to know who we are and what we genuinely desire.
In this episode, we explore reconciling with fathers:
1. when does it matter
2. what have been our journeys and takeaways
3. and how it has impacted our lives.
Welcome to the Inner Power Particles podcast.
We talk with entrepreneurs and leaders about their challenges and lessons learned to grow their inner power. We do this to share their journey and knowledge with you so that you can grow as a leader and a person.
Resources:
Inner growth and business growth guidance for founders and leaders:
❇️ https://www.cocoonprogram.com/resources
Follow Ingmar Elm, mentor and teambuilding event organiser
❇️ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ingmar-elm-4a62099/
Follow Farhad Niyoz, authentic growth guide and CEO of Cocoon Program
❇️ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/farhadniyoz/
❇️ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/farhadniyoz/
Behind every great leader and CEO stands a team. It is high high-performing, efficient, open-minded, and united team of professionals following a common mission and vision. It is a team with the highest-class company culture where everyone feels safe and can express themselves. Culture always comes first. Nothing is personal. There is a problem - there must be a solution.
Should I pivot or keep searching for the right business model? For many founders, this dilemma feels like the final decision to make. Do we keep going or is this the end of our journey?
Want to transform the way you approach and resolve conflicts in both personal and professional life? In this video, we present a collection of valuable insights and experiences shared by our special guest Hristo Neiland, a Conflict Resolution Mentor.
See more information on our platform:
Welcome to the Inner Power Particles podcast.
We talk with entrepreneurs and leaders about their challenges and lessons learned to grow their inner power. We do this to share their journey and knowledge with you so that you can grow as a leader and a person.
Resources:
Inner growth and business growth guidance for founders and leaders:
❇️ https://www.cocoonprogram.com/resources
Follow Hristo Neiland
❇️ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hristoneiland/
Follow Farhad Niyoz, authentic growth guide and CEO of Cocoon Program
❇️ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/farhadniyoz/
❇️ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/farhadniyoz/
Transitioning from a corporate job to a startup world comes with a price to pay and lessons to learn. This transition might be even more challenging for a female founder entering this world of entrepreneurship dominated by masculine energy and approaches to how things should be. Less emotions, more expectations, and more pressure on yourself as a leader paying your salary and being responsible for a team of people. But should it be that way? Is this approach working also towards inner balance and healthier work-life relationships?
In this episode, Cocoon Program CEO Farhad Niyoz talks with Kadi Saadlo, CEO & Co-Founder of HotelBuddy. Kadi tells her story of moving from Estonia to Latvia, quitting her corporate career to pursue an entrepreneurial path, and chasing smart money instead of every accessible investment. She shares her lessons learned from switching career paths and gives many valuable insights on how to take care of yourself as a founder while all the media is talking about is success stories and startup unicorns. They discuss the importance of realizing that you are not your business and where this misconception might lead entrepreneurs to health problems, relationship struggles, and negative self-talk.
Overview of the topic:
00:01 Moving to Riga for better relationships and change
2:41 Differences between two neighbors Latvians and Estonians
5:26 Kadi Saadlo, CEO & Co-Founder at HotelBuddy
11:46 Prioritising smart money: customers not investors
14:59 Balancing feminine self with masculine nature of leadership
19.35 Conquering the fear of stage and public speaking
27:51 Misleading culture of startup success stories
32:29 Switching financial mindset: From corporate employee to Co-Founder
39:01 The dark side of founders path and how to take care of yourself
43:30 How and Why to improve positive self-talk
47:29 Dealing with “founders sleep” and how to improve it
54:04 Kadi's key entrepreneurial lessons from the past 12 months
57:14 Describing the perfect investor for HotelBuddy
1:01:35 Advice for female founders
1:03:25 Importance of realising: You are not your company!
Welcome to Inner Power Particles.
We talk with entrepreneurs and leaders about their challenges and lessons learned to improve their inner strength. We do this to share their journey and knowledge with you so that you can improve as a leader and a person.
Resources:
To learn more useful tools for CEOs and C-level managers,
➡️ https://www.cocoonprogram.com/resources
Uncover how to scale your business fast with clarity,
➡️ https://www.cocoonprogram.com/scale
Follow Kadi Saadlo CEO & Co-Founder of HotelBuddy
➡️ https://www.linkedin.com/in/kadisaadlo/
Follow Farhad Niyoz CEO of Cocoon Program
➡️ https://www.cocoonprogram.com/Mentors/Farhad-Niyoz
The podcast currently has 30 episodes available.