What would your business look like if you optimized it for energy—not ego?

In this episode, I share a deeply personal shift I made after running my business for over a decade.

From four-day workweeks to a focused two-day rhythm, I reflect on how becoming a dad, supporting aging parents, and listening to my own body helped me redefine what “success” really means.

You’ll hear:

* Why I reduced my workdays (and what happened next)

* The surprising role that golf is playing in my next chapter

* How to recognize when your current rhythm is draining you

* A better way to ask: “What’s enough?”

If you’ve ever felt the tug toward a slower, more intentional way of working and living—this video is for you.

--

Resources:

Join Quiet Builder: A premium letter for thoughtful founders, leaders, and therapists growing with soul, not speed.

https://www.sellingthecouch.com/quietbuilder

Or follow us on YouTube for weekly video episodes:

https://www.youtube.com/@QuietBuilders

We’re taught that success is about more:

More money.

More visibility.

More productivity.

But what if enough is the new success?

In this Quiet Builder reflection, Melvin Varghese, PhD shares how his definition of success has shifted over time—from status and income to simplicity, sustainability, and inner peace.

As a first-generation immigrant, psychologist, founder, and father, Mel opens up about the quiet tradeoffs behind his life today—why he turned down visibility opportunities, what his daily rhythm looks like now, and how redefining “enough” helped him avoid burnout and build a business that actually fits the life he wants to live.

If you’ve ever wondered what enough looks like for you (not for the world), this episode is for you.

--

Resources:

Join Quiet Builder: A premium letter for thoughtful founders, leaders, and therapists growing with soul, not speed.

https://www.sellingthecouch.com/quietbuilder

Or follow us on YouTube for weekly video episodes:

https://www.youtube.com/@QuietBuilders

As founders, therapists, and creatives, we’re constantly giving—to clients, to content, to growing our vision. But what happens when that rhythm turns into overdrive?

In this solo episode, Mel shares the sacred ritual that’s been quietly sustaining his life and business for years: a daily forest hike. Not to boost productivity. But to remember who he is.

You’ll learn:

🌲 Why stillness is a form of strategy

🌲 How nature restores what work drains

🌲 How rhythm becomes a refuge during uncertainty

🌲 A reframe for high-achievers who struggle to rest

🌲 Gentle ways to protect your energy as a leader

Whether you’re navigating a leadership transition, building something new, or simply trying to hold it all together, this episode offers a much-needed breath.

--

Resources:

Join Quiet Builder: A premium letter for thoughtful founders, leaders, and therapists growing with soul, not speed.

https://www.sellingthecouch.com/quietbuilder

Or follow us on YouTube for weekly video episodes:

https://www.youtube.com/@QuietBuilders

In a world that equates worth with performance, how do we raise kids (and lead lives) that prioritize resilience, rest, and identity beyond results?

Whether you’re a parent, therapist, or leader, this episode will help you reframe achievement in a healthier, more sustainable way — for your kids and for yourself.

What You’ll Learn:

– Praising effort over outcomes

– Protecting unstructured time

– Modeling healthy ambition as parents

– Redefining what real success looks like

– Why this matters for the next generation of builders

--

Resources:

Join Quiet Builder: A premium letter for thoughtful founders, leaders, and therapists growing with soul, not speed.

https://www.sellingthecouch.com/quietbuilder

Or follow us on YouTube for weekly video episodes:

https://www.youtube.com/@QuietBuilders

Some days, running a business feels like more tabs, more tasks, more noise.

But what if we flipped the script?

In this episode, I share a personal moment—a quiet Saturday outside Whole Foods with a $2 pastry and a $1 coffee—that changed the way I think about success.

Because for many of us building from soul, not just scale…

Success doesn’t look like hustle.

It looks like margin.

It sounds like quiet.

In this reflection, I share:

• How I’ve redefined “productive” as an introverted founder
• Why protecting your energy isn’t selfish—it’s strategy
• 3 practical ways to build a business that breathes (and still grows)

If you’ve been craving a slower, more intentional pace in your work and life, this one’s for you.

--

Resources:

Join Quiet Builder: A premium letter for thoughtful founders, leaders, and therapists growing with soul, not speed.

https://www.sellingthecouch.com/quietbuilder

Or follow us on YouTube for weekly video episodes:

https://www.youtube.com/@QuietBuilders

There’s a kind of leadership that doesn’t shout.

It doesn’t try to dominate the room.

It doesn’t need a fancy title, a viral moment, or a personal brand built on hustle.

It leads with calm.

With clarity.

With quiet strength.

In this episode, I’m reflecting on something I’ve been learning (and unlearning) about leadership—especially as a more introverted founder. We’ve been told that leadership has to be loud. That you have to perform. Be always-on. Bring the energy.

But what if the most powerful leadership is actually the quietest one in the room?

What if your value isn’t measured by visibility—but by your steadiness?

We’ll explore:

• Why quiet leadership is a superpower (especially right now)
• How to lead teams, clients, and communities without burning out
• The systems and rituals that let you lead with presence instead of performance
• How to protect your “energy budget” as a leader
• The unexpected strength of calm in a noisy world

--

Resources:

Join Quiet Builder: A premium letter for thoughtful founders, leaders, and therapists growing with soul, not speed.

https://www.sellingthecouch.com/quietbuilder

Or follow us on YouTube for weekly video episodes:

https://www.youtube.com/@QuietBuilders

A few Saturdays ago, I found myself sitting outside Whole Foods—just me, a $2 pastry, a $1 coffee, and no agenda.

And for the first time in a long time… I felt rich.

Not rich in revenue.

Not rich in followers.

But rich in time.

In stillness.

In the kind of wealth that can’t be tracked in spreadsheets.

In this episode, I’m reflecting on what happens after we cross our financial milestones. When we’re no longer chasing safety or trying to prove something… but we’re still trying to figure out what comes next.

Whether you’re a therapist, a founder, or a quiet builder who's hit your goals and now find yourself untethered—this episode is for you.

We’ll explore:

✨ What redefining wealth actually looks like

✨ The surprising emotional shift after hitting "the number"

✨ Letting go of ego-driven building

✨ How to anchor into stillness, purpose, and presence

Resources:

Join Quiet Builder: A premium letter for thoughtful founders, leaders, and therapists growing with soul, not speed.

https://www.sellingthecouch.com/quietbuilder

Or follow us on YouTube for weekly video episodes:

https://www.youtube.com/@QuietBuilders

What if your business could grow stronger — not in spite of stress, but because of it?

We don’t talk about this enough…

Some of the most successful founders I know are also quietly navigating caregiving, parenting, grief, or burnout.

They’re not posting about it.

They’re not scaling through it.

They’re simply trying to hold things together.

In this epsiode, I share how I’ve been reshaping Selling The Couch to become what author Nassim Taleb calls an “anti-fragile” business — one that gets stronger through uncertainty.

You’ll learn:

• What I’ve quietly walked through while running STC
• 3 principles of building a business that holds you (not just earns for you)
• Why most “growth advice” isn’t made for hard seasons
• And how we can honor both our ambition and our humanity

This one is for the quiet builders — the ones doing deep, meaningful work while holding even deeper responsibilities.

Resources:

Join Quiet Builder: A premium letter for thoughtful founders, leaders, and therapists growing with soul, not speed.

https://www.sellingthecouch.com/quietbuilder

Or follow us on YouTube for weekly video episodes:

https://www.youtube.com/@QuietBuilders

What happens to your business when life asks you to disappear?

Not for a sabbatical.

Not for a vacation.

But because something breaks... inside or outside of you.

In this vulnerable solo episode, I’m sharing what I’ve never heard in a business book:

Freedom isn’t just about passive income.

It’s about being able to walk away — and still sleep at night.

Whether you’re navigating caregiving, grief, illness, or burnout, this episode is about how we build something that holds us when we can’t hold everything.

You’ll hear:

• A personal story from a season of crisis
• The 3 mindset shifts I’m learning as a Quiet Builder
• How to build systems and offerings that give you space when you need it most
• And the quiet, honest truth about what it really feels like to step away

Resources:

Join Quiet Builder: A premium letter for thoughtful founders, leaders, and therapists growing with soul, not speed.

https://www.sellingthecouch.com/quietbuilder

Or follow us on YouTube for weekly video episodes:

https://www.youtube.com/@QuietBuilders

A few years ago, I dreamed of the day I’d earn $180,000 a year through Selling the Couch.

That number felt like the finish line — the place where life would feel lighter, calmer, more free.

And now that I’ve reached it… something surprising has happened.

The urgency that pushed me here? It’s gone.

And without it, I’ve been wondering:

Can I still grow if I’m no longer hustling?

In this video, I share what I’ve been learning about post-goal life, how pressure used to fuel my business, and how I’m slowly learning to trade that urgency for something quieter and more aligned.

If you’ve ever hit a milestone and thought, “Now what?” — this is for you.

We’re talking:

• What happens when you’re no longer building from lack
• How to embrace slower seasons without guilt
• The surprising ways growth shows up when you stop chasing

Resources:

Join Quiet Builder: A premium letter for thoughtful founders, leaders, and therapists growing with soul, not speed.

https://www.sellingthecouch.com/quietbuilder