NAKED by The Future Farm

TRIGGER WARNING: Please be aware that this episode contains a detailed account of what Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) involves, which some listeners may find distressing. For more information on FGM, visit Dahlia Project.

“We were these broken people trying to change the system.” Dr Leyla Hussein OBE wears many hats. She is best known as an activist around female genital mutilation; she is also an entrepreneur, a psychotherapist, and to use her own words, a ‘changemaker’.

Leyla’s conversation with Vladi and Nektarios explores how she has dealt with her emotional and psychological wellbeing at different points in her life. Leyla is incredibly honest and raw when she talks about the trauma she went through as a child (not knowing that what she had experienced was a form of abuse, until she was an adult), the stress and anxiety she has experienced and a lack of emotional support. We discuss the similarities between being an activist and a business builder and so much more. Leyla vocalises the importance of pleasure as a support mechanism, and affectionately talks about her ‘Support Bra’ - the network of people she surrounds herself with, who will always speak the truth.

You can find out more about Leyla’s work by following her on Instagram @leylahusseinuk and @leylatherector, on Twitter @LeylaHussein @dahliaproject1 @SafeSpaces4BW @MagoolEndFGM or via her website.

Don’t forget to subscribe, follow, rate and review NAKED. To learn more about The Future Farm, follow us on social media or visit thefuturefarm.co

On this week’s ExtraNAKED episode, Vladi and Nektarios reflect on their conversation with VC and startup psychologist, Noa Matz. They discuss whether more psychologists are needed in the world of venture capital and how much support VCs provide to their entrepreneurs, specifically related to their mental health and emotional wellbeing. It’s such an important conversation and one of the driving forces and reasons why The Future Farm was established.

Share your questions and thoughts with us and we’ll include a selection in the next episode of ExtraNAKED.

“I can relate to our founders, I’ve been through this.” Noa Matz isn’t a business builder, but a VC and startup psychologist. Investors have a role to play in our ecosystem but have often struggled with the subject. Noa is an investor who has ‘seen the light’.

A VC startup psychologist and partner at F2 Venture Capital, one of Israel’s most important VC firms, Noa is dedicated to mentally supporting startup founders, understanding startup team dynamics, and coaching founders through changes for peak performance. She joins Vladi and Nektarios to talk about the playbook she has developed for VCs, and how it can be applied to working with founders who are struggling with their mental health and are reluctant to open up. We discuss the investor community but also shift our focus to founders and the importance of the relationship between investor and founder.

You can find out more about Noa’s work at F2 Venture Capital via the website or LinkedIn and connect with her on LinkedIn or Facebook.

Don’t forget to subscribe, follow, rate and review NAKED. To learn more about The Future Farm, follow us on social media or visit thefuturefarm.co

On this week’s episode of ExtraNAKED, Vladi and Nektarios reflect on their conversation with Driekie Van Wyk and dig into the tension between being an entrepreneur and an artist. Frequently, creatives are not seen as entrepreneurs but need to build up that capability and mindset in order to grow, and often survive. That rollercoaster of ups and downs is very similar to the ones experienced by entrepreneurs.

Share your questions and thoughts with us and we’ll include a selection in the next episode of ExtraNAKED.

“Many nights you go to bed questioning all of your being.” Driekie Van Wyk is not your typical entrepreneur. But what makes her different from a typical tech entrepreneur? She is an artist.

Driekie is a Cape Town based artist that specialises in modern contemporary paintings. She joins Vladi and Nektarios to talk about how she started to paint in response to a traumatic life event, and how she has wrestled with the emotions that led her to put her art and herself out into the world. Driekie admits that she is her own worst critic - her inner critic monster - and shares how she constantly copes with the feeling of not being good enough. But that gratitude, living in the moment and just “showing up” are the tools that helped her get to navigate the challenges she has faced.

You can find out more about Driekie’s work via her website or connect with her on Instagram or Facebook.

Don’t forget to subscribe, follow, rate and review NAKED. To learn more about The Future Farm, follow us on social media or visit thefuturefarm.co

On this week’s episode of ExtraNAKED, Vladi (currently in Pakistan) and Nektarios (in lockdown London) reconnect on the little things that have helped them through the challenges of the last week. They reflect on their conversation with Stefan Kollenberg, continuing to explore the relationship between addiction and entrepreneurship, and share why it was such an important episode for them on a personal level.

Share your questions and thoughts with us and we’ll include a selection in the next episode of ExtraNAKED.

* This episode discusses addiction. The views and content expressed in this episode are based on one person’s experience. If you need treatment or support for drug and alcohol addiction or misuse, please contact a support line: https://checkpointorg.com/global/

“I started using drugs because I didn’t feel like I belonged.” Stefan Kollenberg has come a long way since that day, but addiction has always been a part of his life. From his days as a sports obsessed teenager, to joining a startup where he worked so hard, he ultimately started showing the same addictive patterns.

Stefan is the co-founder of Crescendo, a diversity and inclusion platform. Coming off his mental health leave - something he has not shied away from sharing - he joins Vladi and Nektarios to talk about his experiences with addiction and the parallels with entrepreneurship. Stefan shares that it all stems from his need to belong, to be worth something. Until you can admit that there is a problem there, you can’t deal with it. Now focusing on finding joy in life, Stefan talks about the tools that have helped along the way, including the 12 step programme and therapy.

You can connect with Stefan on LinkedIn, Facebook or @stefankberg on Instagram and Twitter or his website to continue following his story.

Don’t forget to subscribe, follow, rate and review NAKED. To learn more about The Future Farm, follow us on social media or visit thefuturefarm.co

Welcome to the first episode of ExtraNAKED, where our hosts Vladi and Nektarios will be exploring some of the themes discussed in our previous episode in greater depth, adding their own experiences and reflections, and sharing practical tools that might be helpful.

This week we focus on transitions and mental health, picking up from our conversation with James Routledge on his stepping down as CEO.

Share your questions and thoughts with us and we’ll include a selection in the next episode of ExtraNAKED.

We begin Series 2 of NAKED by The Future Farm with a conversation that encompasses many of the themes that you’ve heard us discuss before: shame, self-worth, identity, guilt, loneliness and that feeling of being trapped.

James Routledge founded Sanctus, a mental health startup, after he struggled when his previous business failed. Vladi and Nektarios talk to James a short time after he announced, to everybody’s surprise, that he was stepping down as CEO of the company. He talks openly about his emotional and mental state leading up to the moment, as well as the tools that he uses, and the people he surrounds himself with, to help manage his health.

You can connect with James on LinkedIn to continue following his story and learn more about Sanctus.

Don’t forget to subscribe, follow, rate and review NAKED. To learn more about The Future Farm, follow us on social media or visit thefuturefarm.co

Welcome back to NAKED by The Future Farm. Before we dive into series two of the podcast, our hosts Vladi and Nektarios, share a quick insight into what you can expect from the coming series.

It is clear that we still need to talk, even more so. The emotional and mental wellbeing of entrepreneurs and those around us is essential. We’ll be getting deeper with our reflections, exploring more resources, talking to experts and discussing themes such as addiction, relationships and intrapreneurship, with our guests.

Stay tuned for the first episode coming soon. Make sure to follow us on social media @thefuturefarm and catch up on our reflections and stories at www.thefuturefarm.co