Keep Going

In this episode of Keep Going, John Biggs interviews Shauntel Ludwig, CEO of Synergy Innovation, about her journey in the cannabis industry, the challenges of brand management, and the innovations in vaporizer technology.

We discuss the ups and downs of the cannabis market, the importance of differentiation, and the lessons learned from acquisitions. Shauntel shares valuable advice for those looking to enter the cannabis accessory space and highlights the significance of maintaining brand integrity and innovation.

Shauntel tells the story of how she and her team founded one of the biggest vaporizer brands in the world, sold it to a competitor, and then fought to buy it back and rebuild the brand. It’s a fascinating tale of resilience and growth.

In this episode of The Startup Show, I interview Ben Costantini from Sesamers, discussing the startup ecosystem in Europe. We explore the importance of events in discovering new startups, the challenges faced by founders in tier 2 cities, and the strategies for maximizing opportunities at major events. Ben shares insights on ecosystem management, innovation, and success stories from startups that have effectively utilized events for growth.

In this episode, I interview Joshua Doležal, a writer and coach, about his work and the importance of writing personal stories.

Joshua Doležal is the author of a Substack newsletter, The Recovering Academic, and a memoir, Down from the Mountaintop. Learn more about his coaching services at www.joshuadolezal.com. 

Doležal discusses his diverse background and the challenges of finding focus in his writing. He emphasizes the need for memoirists to serve a larger conversation and provide value to readers. He also shares tools for writing memoir, including creating an authority list and a timeline. This interview highlights the importance of storytelling and the power of personal stories to connect and inspire others.

In the interview he mentions this post for folks who are working on building a memoir or book. Take a look!

Craig Greiwe, Chief Growth Officer for Go Digital Media Group, shares his inspiring journey from poverty to success and the lessons he learned along the way. He discusses the importance of evaluating every decision and looking at everything holistically. He emphasizes the power of taking small steps every day to move forward and the value of asking for help. Craig also talks about the challenges he faced while representing Kobe Bryant and the importance of resilience and focusing on the next positive step. He encourages finding moments of joy and being honest with oneself. Craig shares his current work with the Point Foundation and highlights the need for addressing the crises of loneliness and affordability.

In this episode of the Startup Show, we interview Sylvia Kang, CEO of Mira, a company focused on hormone testing for women's health. They discuss the innovative home testing device developed by Mira, which allows women to monitor their hormonal health through urine samples. Sylvia shares insights from the extensive data collected, highlighting the variability in hormonal cycles and the impact of lifestyle factors. The conversation also covers the challenges of building a startup in the health tech space and the importance of consumer education in understanding hormonal health.

Zach Supalla, founder and CEO of Particle, discusses the journey of building a hardware platform for IoT products. He shares how Particle started with development kits for prototyping and eventually transitioned to selling their platform to companies launching IoT products at scale.

Zach highlights the challenges of the consumer IoT market and the shift towards industrial applications. He emphasizes the importance of listening to customers and adapting the business based on their needs. Zach also discusses the mindset of a founder and the balance between optimism and rational pessimism.

Smartphones hold vast amounts of personal and financial data, so the threat of theft can have devastating consequences. James O’Sullivan, founder and CEO of Nuke from Orbit, experienced this firsthand and turned his misfortune into an innovative solution aimed at protecting users from the fallout of stolen devices.

On this episode of Grit Daily’s Startup Show, host John Biggs sat down with O’Sullivan and discussed the night his phone was stolen in Dublin, which sparked the idea for his startup. The theft quickly escalated from an inconvenience to a costly affair as thieves used his Apple Pay wallet to drain tens of thousands of pounds.

In this episode Dr. Neal Baer, a Denver-born physician and writer, shares his journey from being a teacher to becoming a successful show runner for shows like ER and SVU. He emphasizes the role of luck in his career and the importance of taking advantage of unexpected opportunities.

The whole interview truly made me smile. Dr. Baer has had a wild career and he attributes his drive to living with the internal struggles he faced as a gay man in a world that wasn’t accepting. Over time, he channeled his frustrations into his work. He offers advice for young professionals, including the importance of a liberal arts education and the value of reading and being open to new ideas.

His favorite TV show right now? Lupin, because Baer is living in Paris and loves to become immersed in the culture and language.

In this episode of Grit Daily’s Startup Show, host John Biggs interviewed Scott Hickle, the founder of Throne, a health-tech startup aiming to revolutionize gut health and hydration monitoring. Throne uses a camera that clips onto the side of a toilet to provide real-time health insights. According to Hickle, Throne is designed to address a gap in the market, offering a solution for continuous monitoring of gut health, something that devices like the Apple Watch and Garmin have done for cardiovascular health.

What can you to when your brain is taking you for a bumpy ride? Dr. Marcel Green, a board-certified psychiatrist, discusses his work in interventional mental health and the use of psychedelics in therapy and how creative people can break the bonds that are holding them to destructive thoughts.

My favorite part of our chat? Dr. Green also talks about the potential of psychedelics, like ketamine, in treating mental health conditions and promoting personal growth. He emphasizes the importance of reaching out for help during times of crisis and the need for a holistic approach to mental health care.

Finally, we discuss stress relief techniques and highlights the shift towards a focus on thriving in mental health care. It’s an amazing conversation with an amazing thinker and I know you’ll enjoy it.