Every founder hits limits.
 The question is which ones.

Business mechanics carry you into 7 figures.
 But past $5M, human mechanics become the choke point.

That’s when the cost explodes.
 You could be leaking millions a year without even seeing it.

This episode shows you how to tell if it’s time for a business coach…
 or a performance coach.

About the Podcast
Built for high-performers who don’t need help. 
 Just leverage.
 This is the show that breaks what quietly kills performance at scale. 
 Especially the mental patterns slowing down even the smartest founders.
 If you never want to get dragged down by pressure, burnout, or hesitation… welcome home.
 Hosted by doctor of psychology and executive coach Dr. Yishai Barkhordari. 

Inside the episode:

·       Why business mechanics stop working after $5M ARR

·       The math of wasted hours: how $3.1M leaks out every year

·       Uber’s Kalanick vs. Microsoft’s Nadella: failure vs. success in human mechanics

·       The Mechanics Check: how to diagnose if you need a business coach or a performance coach

This episode is for Founders/Execs who: 

·       Know the next move but keep hesitating

·       Waste hours cleaning up team drama

·       Feel like they’re stalling even with the right strategy

·       Want to figure out their next leverage point (and how to pick the right coach to move faster) 

What to do next: 
→ Send this EP to the founder/exec who’s too sharp to stall this long.
→ Follow Dr. Yishai on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dryishai/
→ Book a Pattern-Break Session (link on LinkedIn page) to experience it firsthand (limited spots)

Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only. It is not therapy, clinical advice, or coaching guidance.

All examples and stories are illustrative. Results are not guaranteed and will vary based on personal effort, context, and market conditions.

Always consult qualified professionals before making decisions that impact your business, health, or well-being.

© 2025 Yishai Barkhordari, Psychologist, PLLC. All rights reserved.

Your numbers look good.
Your team looks busy.
You think you’re winning.
But every week of drift is burning dollars and growth you can never get back.

That’s how $10M+ companies die in slow motion.
Not from the market.
Not from their people.
But from three sins that kill momentum while everyone’s still clapping.

It’s what gutted WeWork. InVision. Theranos.
And it’s what will gut you — unless you see it first.

Elite operators catch it early.
Coasters float blind until the crash.

Which one are you right now?

About the Podcast

Built for high-performers who don’t need help. Just leverage.
This is the show that breaks what quietly kills performance at scale.
Especially the mental patterns slowing down even the smartest founders.
If you never want to get dragged down by pressure, burnout, or hesitation… welcome home.
Hosted by doctor of psychology and executive coach Dr. Yishai Barkhordari.

Inside the Episode

• Why hitting your numbers can still mean $600K a year set on fire
• The Ferrari rule elite operators live by — and coasters ignore until they stall
• How the wrong win can set you back $4M in 12 months you’ll never recover
• The blind bet that drains top talent and speeds up your loss

This episode is for… 

• Founders who look like winners on paper but feel the inside is sliding
• Execs burning millions on drift while competitors speed ahead
• Leaders doubling their job instead of their company’s edge
• The rare few who want to be elite operators, not coasters

What to do next

→ Send this EP to the founder/exec who’s too sharp to stall.
→ Follow Dr. Yishai on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dryishai
→ Book a Mirror Session (link on LinkedIn page) to experience it firsthand (limited spots).

Disclaimer

This content is for informational purposes only. It is not therapy, clinical advice, or coaching guidance. All examples and stories are illustrative. Results are not guaranteed and will vary based on personal effort, context, and market conditions. Always consult qualified professionals before making decisions that impact your business, health, or well-being.

© 2025 Yishai Barkhordari, Psychologist, PLLC. All rights reserved.

(originally published Sept 6, 2024)

You thought smart decisions came from logic and discipline.
But the smartest leaders? They reframe decisions before they make them.

Most leaders waste time treating every choice the same.
They miss the hidden cost of decision drag.

This episode flips the whole game.

You’ll see why elite leaders don’t just decide faster.
They decide cleaner.

Once you get this shift, you stop second-guessing. You stop dragging. You move with precision.

It’s like replacing your operating system with one built for speed. Without burning you out.

About the Podcast

Built for high-performers who don’t need help. Just leverage.
This is the show that breaks what quietly kills performance at scale. Especially the mental patterns slowing down even the smartest founders.
If you never want to get dragged down by pressure, burnout, or hesitation… welcome home.
Hosted by doctor of psychology and executive coach Dr. Yishai Barkhordari. 

Inside the episode:

• The real reason smart leaders still make slow, costly decisions
• The 4 hidden phases of clean, high-leverage decision-making
• Why emotions are actually data — and how to read them right
• The identity shift that helps you frame and solve the real problem

This episode is for Founders/Execs who: 

• Make big calls but question themselves mid-move
• Feel like they’re dragging, even when things look fine
• Lead high-stakes teams but second-guess silently
• Want to feel decisive again — without faking it

What to do next: 
→ Send this EP to the founder/exec who’s too sharp to stall.
→ Follow Dr. Yishai on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dryishai/
→ Book a Pattern-Break Session (link on LinkedIn page) to experience it firsthand (limited spots)

Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only. It is not therapy, clinical advice, or coaching guidance. All examples and stories are illustrative. Results are not guaranteed and will vary based on personal effort, context, and market conditions. Always consult qualified professionals before making decisions that impact your business, health, or well-being.

© 2025 Yishai Barkhordari, Psychologist, PLLC. All rights reserved.

Episode Summary:
You’re not the CEO. You’re still the star player.

That move is quietly costing you millions in lost valuation, team velocity, and time.

In this episode, Dr. Yishai breaks the myth that hustle scales. It doesn’t. It stalls you. 

You’ll see how staying in the game silently caps your revenue, valuation, and optionality. 

He breaks down the math behind the ceiling you built yourself. And shows how Bezos scaled by stepping back — while Oprah lost $100M by staying too close. 

You’ll walk away with 3 fast, founder-ready moves to break free and step into the real seat of power: ownership.

About the Podcast
Built for high-performers who don’t need help. 
 Just leverage.
 This is the show that breaks what quietly kills performance at scale. 
 Especially the mental patterns slowing down even the smartest founders.
 If you never want to get dragged down by pressure, burnout, or hesitation… welcome home.
 Hosted by doctor of psychology and executive coach Dr. Yishai Barkhordari. 

Inside the Episode:

• The math behind how founders lock themselves at $1-5M/year
• One critical mistake that kills compounding revenue and valuation
• The $100M difference between Oprah’s burnout and Bezos’ exit
• 3 moves to free you from the founder trap without burning down what you’ve built.

This episode is for Founders/Execs who...

• Are still the decision bottleneck, even with a solid team
• Can’t find time for the moonshot that could change everything
• Know they’re playing smaller than their skills, but don’t know how to unleash their genius
• Feel chained to the business they built but unconsciously reinforce it with their own effort 

What to do next:
→ Send this to the founder who’s too sharp to stall this long.

→ Follow Dr. Yishai for more decision-grade clarity: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dryishai/

→ Book a free Pattern-Break Session: quick, no pitch, just surgical-precision insight

Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only. It is not therapy, clinical advice, or coaching guidance. All examples and stories are illustrative. Results are not guaranteed and will vary based on personal effort, context, and market conditions. Always consult qualified professionals before making decisions that impact your business, health, or well-being.

© 2025 Yishai Barkhordari, Psychologist, PLLC. All rights reserved.

You thought success would kill your doubt. It didn’t. It scaled it.

Every hour you hesitate costs thousands — sometimes millions — in burned payroll, lost deals, and silent trust leaks.

If you’ve ever stared at a big decision and felt frozen, this episode is for you. I’ve been there. My clients have been there.

In it, you’ll hear why doubt doesn’t disappear when you “make it”… and how to stop it from bleeding your business dry.

There are only two kinds of founders:

• Pretenders — wait for certainty, lose speed, and watch opportunities pass.
• Weaponizers — use doubt as a signal to act fast, learn faster, and win while others stall.

This episode shows you how to join the second group — making fast, high-quality calls without burning time, money, or momentum.

About the Podcast
Built for high-performers who don’t need help. 
Just leverage.
This is the show that breaks what quietly kills performance at scale. 
Especially the mental patterns slowing down even the smartest founders.
If you never want to get dragged down by pressure, burnout, or hesitation… welcome home.
Hosted by doctor of psychology and executive coach Dr. Yishai Barkhordari. 

Inside the Episode

• Why insecurity and doubt don’t go away
• The hidden “hesitation tax” draining $60K+ while you wait to decide
• How elite operators flip doubt into a competitive edge
• The simple loop that makes hard calls obvious in minutes, not months
• The binary choice that separates fast-lane founders from stalled pretenders

This episode is for Founders and Execs who…

• Have wins, but still feel doubt or insecurity
• Make big moves but second-guess while doing it
• Feel hesitation creeping in before high-stakes decisions
• Want their edge back so competitors stop stealing the win

What to do next:  
→ Know a founder or exec who needs this? Share the episode
→ Follow Dr. Yishai on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dryishai/
→ Book a Mirror Session (link on LinkedIn page) to experience it firsthand (limited spots)

Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only. It is not therapy, clinical advice, or coaching guidance.

All examples and stories are illustrative. Results are not guaranteed and will vary based on personal effort, context, and market conditions.

Always consult qualified professionals before making decisions that impact your business, health, or well-being.

© 2025 Yishai Barkhordari, Psychologist, PLLC. All rights reserved.

Still feel effort?
You’re dragging 100lbs uphill while top founders sprint past you barefoot and smiling.
Effort feels real. But it’s a trap that can cost you $432K+ a year. And your edge.
This episode hands you the cheat code top founders use to make hard feel light.

About the Podcast
Built for high-performers who don’t need help. 
Just leverage.
This is the show that breaks what quietly kills performance at scale. 
Especially the mental patterns slowing down even the smartest founders.
If you never want to get dragged down by pressure, burnout, or hesitation… welcome home.
Hosted by doctor of psychology and executive coach Dr. Yishai Barkhordari. 

Inside the Episode

• The cost of a “5-minute delay” — in hours, dollars, and momentum
• The real reason some tasks feel heavy (and how to make them feel light)
• How I flip effort and pain into power and joy
• The line that top performers live by to make work effortless

This episode is for founders and execs who...

• Put things off and feel guilty later
• Push hard but feel drained at the end of the day
• Think they need more discipline — but still don’t follow through
• Are tired of “white-knuckling” their way to results

What to do next:

→ Know a founder or exec who needs this? Share the episode
 → Follow Dr. Yishai on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dryishai/
→ Book a Mirror Session (link on LinkedIn) to experience it firsthand (limited spots)

Disclaimer

Disclaimer: The information contained in this publication is for general informational purposes only and shall not be relied on or construed as coaching advice or therapy.
 All examples, stories, and scenarios are illustrative only. They are not guarantees of results or indicative of past or future outcomes. Results vary based on individual effort, personal factors, and external circumstances. No guarantees of success, performance, or outcomes are made.
 Always consult with qualified professionals before making decisions that affect your life, business, or mental health.

 © 2025 Yishai Barkhordari, Psychologist, PLLC. All rights reserved.

Episode Summary:
Most high performers treat doubt like a red flag.
They either believe it and stall… or fight it and bleed energy.

But the ones who scale?
They use doubt as leverage.

Inside, you'll learn how top founders and execs turn hesitation into decision speed. 

And why fighting your doubt may be the hidden cost draining your time, clarity, and growth.

This isn’t your typical mindset fluff.
 It’s how the best move faster without dragging dead weight.

About the Podcast:
Welcome to Think Mastery, where doctor of psychology and executive coach Dr. Yishai Barkhordari helps high-performing founders and leaders unlock what’s really slowing them down. 
Each episode reveals hidden patterns, powerful mindset shifts, and psychological leverage you need to make faster decisions, lead with clarity, and scale without burning out.

Inside the episode:
• Why most founders either believe doubt or fight it. And why both cost you.
• The 3 types of performers and one shift that separates the empire builders
• What Charlie Munger did with doubt that most people never even consider
• A new way to turn hesitation into smart, confident action. Without force. 

This episode is for Founders and Execs who…
• Make big moves but second-guess while doing it. Or after.
• Push through doubt. But pay for it in energy, clarity, or time.
• Feel hidden tension they can’t name but know is slowing them down
• Want to move with speed and certainty. Without the internal fight.

 What to do next:  
→ Know a founder or exec who needs this? Share the episode
→ Follow Dr. Yishai on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dryishai/
→ Book a Mirror Session (link on LinkedIn page) to experience it firsthand (limited spots) 

Disclaimer: 
This content is for informational purposes only. It is not therapy, clinical advice, or coaching guidance.
All examples and stories are illustrative. Results are not guaranteed and will vary based on personal effort, context, and market conditions.
Always consult qualified professionals before making decisions that impact your business, health, or well-being.
 
© 2025 Yishai Barkhordari, Psychologist, PLLC. All rights reserved.

Most founders think stress is a problem to solve. 

They try to suppress it, manage it, or push through it. But actually, stress isn’t the threat. It’s a signal. A diagnostic. 

And when you treat it like something to get rid of, you miss the important message it’s trying to send. 

The result? Slower decisions, tension with your team, and momentum leaks you can’t afford. 

But if you know how to carry it — stress becomes your engine, not your enemy.

Today, you'll learn how to do just that. 

About the Podcast:
Welcome to Think Mastery, where doctor of psychology and executive coach Dr. Yishai Barkhordari helps high-performing founders and leaders unlock what’s really slowing them down. 

Each episode reveals hidden patterns, powerful mindset shifts, and psychological leverage you need to make faster decisions, lead with clarity, and scale without burning out.

Inside the episode:
• Why most high performers treat stress like a virus — and how it backfires
• A simple metaphor that will change how you think about your brain
• The real formula behind stress
• How to turn stress from a drag into a diagnostic tool

This episode is for Founders/Execs who...
• Feel like stress is starting to bleed into their decisions
• Push through pressure but keep slowing down
• Don’t know how to listen to stress without getting derailed

What to do next:
→ Book a Mirror Session to experience it firsthand (limited spots)
→ Know a founder or exec who needs this? Share the episode
→ Follow Dr. Yishai on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dryishai/

Disclaimer: The information contained in this publication is for general informational purposes only and shall not be relied on or construed as coaching advice or therapy. 
All examples, stories, and scenarios are illustrative only. They are not guarantees of results or indicative of past or future outcomes. Results vary based on individual effort, personal factors, and external circumstances. No guarantees of success, performance, or outcomes are made.
Always consult with qualified professionals before making decisions that affect your life, business, or mental health.

© 2025 Yishai Barkhordari, Psychologist, PLLC. All rights reserved.

Most founders push harder when pressure hits. But the real drag on performance isn’t strategy — it’s what you’re doing with your emotions. In this episode, Dr. Yishai breaks down the three hidden patterns that slow high-performers down, and shares what some top execs do differently to unlock speed, clarity, and execution — without burning out. 

Welcome to Think Mastery, where doctor of psychology and executive coach Dr. Yishai Barkhordari helps high-performing founders and leaders unlock what’s really slowing them down. Each episode reveals hidden patterns, powerful mindset shifts, and psychological leverage you need to make faster decisions, lead with clarity, and scale without burning out.

Inside the episode:
[✓] Three reasons high-performers lose momentum — even with the right plan 
[✓] Three performance modes that quietly slow you down 
[✓] Why “managing stress” isn’t enough — and what to do instead 
[✓] How to turn emotion into decision-making fuel (fast) 

 
This episode is for Founders/Execs who: 

• Feel like something is getting heavier — even when business is growing 
• Want to move faster, without burning out or overriding their gut 
• Are tired of mindset hacks and want leverage that actually works 

What to do next:  
→ Book a Mirror Session to experience it firsthand (limited spots)
→ Know a founder or exec who needs this? Share the episode
→ Follow Dr. Yishai on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dryishai/

Disclaimer: The information contained in this publication is for general informational purposes only and shall not be relied on or construed as coaching advice or therapy. Results may vary based on individual efforts and other factors. We make no promises or guarantees regarding your outcomes or success. We assume no responsibility for decisions or actions made based on the content in this podcast.

© 2025 Yishai Barkhordari, Psychologist, PLLC. All rights reserved.

Welcome to Think Mastery with Dr. Yishai. Hosted by Doctor of Psychology, entrepreneur, and executive coach Dr. Yishai Barkhordari. On this podcast, you'll hear real talk about life and business. Plus, how to use psychology to create more mastery and success in both.

In this episode, I sit down with Bill Blain, founder and principal of Windshift Capital, strategist at Shard Capital, and author of Blaine’s Morning Porridge, a sharp, witty market commentary read by over 10,000 bankers, investors, and politicians each morning. With nearly four decades of experience across finance, journalism, and economic education, Bill has a talent for making markets relatable—and isn’t afraid to say what others won’t.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

1. Why Being Wrong Can Be a Strategic Asset: Bill shares how one of his biggest market misreads became a catalyst for deeper insight—and how recognizing blind spots can create unexpected clarity and opportunity.
2. How to Sell Without Selling Out: Discover why Bill’s most valuable sales conversations begin with disagreement, and how challenging thinking is key to trust, influence, and results.
3. Markets, Mindsets, and Mantras: Learn how Bill’s unique blend of economics, psychology, and bold market mantras offer a fresh lens for navigating uncertainty and complexity.
4. Laziness, Guilt, and the Performance Myth: We unpack the internal tension between productivity and presence, and why some of the most successful people still feel “lazy.”
5. The Joy of Not Knowing: Explore the gift of curiosity and why trying to understand the world—rather than control it—can be a more powerful path to mastery and meaning.

Why This Episode is Worth Your Time:

If you’ve ever felt pressure to “have it all figured out,” this conversation is a breath of fresh air. Bill brings a rare blend of candor, curiosity, and strategy—and reminds us that being human, making mistakes, and staying open may just be the greatest edge we have. Whether you're in finance, leadership, or simply navigating life, this episode offers timeless insight and a good dose of humor along the way.

Learn More About Dr. Yishai:

If you're ready to level up your leadership, decision-making, and emotional intelligence, connect with Dr. Yishai for one-on-one coaching or explore more resources at https://www.dryishai.com/

Disclaimer: All content shared in this episode is for informational purposes only and should not be considered professional advice.