Cut The Tie Podcast

Episode 273

What happens after you’ve won the game—money, exits, prestige—and still feel like something’s missing? In this episode of Cut The Tie, Thomas Helfrich sits down with Gregory Shepard, a 12-time founder and serial entrepreneur, to talk about redefining success, embracing neurodiversity, and cutting ties with the systems that keep us playing small.

Gregory shares how growing up neurodivergent, surviving trauma, and building multiple businesses led him to question the traditional narrative of success. This conversation dives deep into the power of acceptance, the myth of the lone genius, and the frameworks Gregory uses to help founders thrive—with both business outcomes and personal peace.

About Gregory Shepard

Gregory is a 12-time startup founder, angel investor, and creator of Startup Science—a platform that helps early-stage companies avoid the common pitfalls that lead to failure. Diagnosed with autism and dyslexia, Gregory has turned his neurodivergence into a superpower, using structured thinking and systems design to help entrepreneurs achieve more with less chaos. His mission: to make entrepreneurship more accessible, inclusive, and effective.

In this episode, Thomas and Gregory Discuss:

• Redefining success beyond money and exits
  Gregory opens up about how achieving traditional startup success left him feeling empty—and how he's learned to define winning on his own terms.
• Living with neurodivergence as a strength
  With autism and dyslexia, Gregory explains how structure, frameworks, and clarity became his tools for managing complexity and thriving in chaos.
• The impact of childhood trauma on entrepreneurship
  He discusses how unresolved trauma shaped his early drive and why healing that trauma helped him become a better founder and person.
• Why most startups fail—and how to prevent it
  Gregory breaks down his 4-stage model from Startup Science to help founders build smarter, validate ideas faster, and avoid avoidable failure.

Key Takeaways:

• Achievement doesn’t equal fulfillment
  Success on paper means nothing if you're still fighting inner battles. True peace starts with knowing yourself.
• Structure sets you free
  For neurodiverse thinkers, systems and frameworks aren’t limiting—they’re the keys to creativity and control.
• Your past isn’t your prison
  Trauma may shape your story, but healing lets you rewrite it. Growth comes from facing, not ignoring, the hard stuff.
• Startup failure is preventable
  Most early-stage companies fail for avoidable reasons. With the right model, you can outlearn, outlast, and outbuild the odds.
• Burnout is not a badge of honor
  Rest, reflection, and alignment aren’t luxuries—they’re requirements for building something that truly matters.

Connect with Gregory Shepard:

🌐 Website: gregoryshepard.com
🌐 Startup Science: startupscience.io
💼 LinkedIn: Gregory Shepard

Connect with Thomas Helfrich:

🐦 Twitter: @thelfrich
📘 Facebook Group: Cut the Tie
💼 LinkedIn: Thomas Helfrich
🌐 Website: cutthetie.com
📧 Email: [email protected]
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