Ashley Werhun - ballet career ends, startup begins
Ashley Warhun, was at the height of her professional ballet career, when it suddenly stopped. things looked bleak. a ballet legend, mentioned in textbooks, came to her aid, and got into action. in this episode, she discusses her early fascination with the business side of ballet, the pivotal moments that led her to start Mentorly, and the role of mentorship in navigating career transitions. Ashley also reflects on the key support she received during challenging times and provides insights into balancing professional and personal growth.
this is Ashley Werhun, and her tale of human helpfulness.
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TIMESTAMPS:
02:29 Ballet career comes to halt 05:05 Overcoming Setbacks 08:47 A legends come to help 11:01 Finding New Opportunities 17:57 Settling in Montreal 19:32 Transitioning to tech 20:19 The Permissionless Nature of Entrepreneurship 21:09 Supportive Tech Culture vs. Cutthroat Ballet 21:42 The Openness of Startup Communities 23:51 Mentorship and the Startup Journey 24:12 The Peaks and Valleys of Startup Life 25:16 The Importance of Mentorship and Support 27:23 Dealing with Founder Loneliness 31:13 Balancing Work and Personal Life 38:53 The Value of Giving Back 41:12 Conclusion and Gratitude
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ABOUT THE HOST:
i’m Vahid Jozi. i’m in love with unearthing heartwarming stories of vulnerability and helpfulness. my goal is to encourage this net positive behaviour.
i help companies with product strategy and leadership at FractionalCPO.com
Healey Cypher - turning failure into fortune
before his many exits and becoming the COO and GP at Atomic.vc, Healey was close to losing everything. cash zero date was in sight. he was hurting.
help showed up unexpectedly, for free. in one day, he closed a $1M deal, and sold the company shortly after. those givers were at the top of the pyramid.
he shares his journey from Nebraska to Saudi Arabia, to founder and investor roles in startups. Healey believes in the importance of in-person connections in a virtual world. he also emphasizes the value of spiritual undercurrents in personal and professional growth.
This is Healey Cypher and his tale of human helpfulness.
(00:36) Healey's Background and Career Journey (02:51) Philosophy on Life and Ambition (05:32) Balancing Work and Family (07:48) Facing Tough Decisions (12:41) The Valley of Death: A Startup's Struggle (21:57) The Three Types of Workers: Givers, Matchers, and Takers (22:24) The Success Pyramid: Givers at the Top (24:14) The Ultimate Productivity Model for CEOs (28:27) The Importance of Human Connection in Remote Work (30:47) Balancing Remote Work and In-Person Meetings (33:52) The Future of Work: Remote and In-Person Hybrid (38:54) Final Thoughts and Advice for Founders
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Companies: Atomic.vc, Boompop.com
MENTIONS:
- Brian Chesky at Airbnb
- Kurzgesagt: The Last Human – A Glimpse Into The Far Future
- Oak Labs, Acquired by Zivelo
- Give and take book by Adam Grant
- Matt Mochary, his book The Great CEO Within
- Hope is not a strategy, article by Healey
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ABOUT THE HOST:
i’m Vahid Jozi. i’m in love with unearthing heartwarming stories of vulnerability and helpfulness. my goal is to encourage this net positive behaviour.
i help companies with product strategy and leadership at FractionalCPO.com
Isaac Souweine - won by doubling down on failure
Isaac Souweine is a product manager tuned VC. his departure form his last product role wasn’t great. his move to investment was unplanned, and a result of a person believing in him. he’s loving his new path and been on it for the past decade.
Isaac is a dear friend, and this is his tale of human helpfulness.
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MENTIONS:
John Stokes, partner at Real Ventures
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ABOUT THE HOST:
i’m Vahid Jozi. i’m in love with unearthing heartwarming stories of vulnerability and helpfulness. my goal is to encourage this net positive behaviour.
i help companies with product strategy and leadership at FractionalCPO.com
Brice Scheschuk - not coachable, to +billion exit
Brice Scheschuk sold a telecom company for over a billion. he didn’t have any mentors, wasn’t even coachable. he was lucky though to find the right comrades. they went all in, fought and won. you’ll hear the details. he doesn’t hold back. later, he did a 180 and started an organization to elevate the art of mentorship.
Brice is a role model to many, and this is his tale of human helpfulness.
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Companies
MENTIONS:
Wind Mobile co-founders, Anthony Lacavera and Simon Lockie
Naguib Sawiris, Egyptian billionaire
Founder city project by Ben Baldwin
PODCAST LINKS:
ABOUT THE HOST:
I am the host, Vahid Jozi. I’m in love with unearthing heartwarming stories of vulnerability and helpfulness. My goal is to encourage this net positive behaviour.
I help companies with product strategy and leadership at FractionalCPO.com
Kat Khosrowyar - Women, Soccer, the Taliban
Kat Khosrowyar is the soccer player who beat the Taliban. she’s a founder, but of Iran’s U-19 national women’s soccer team. She had no shortage of tough times.
she moved from Texas to Iran as a teenager, a place not known for empowering women. she barely knowing the language. she joined the national women’s team, later coached it. She also helped a the Afghan national women soccer team flee the Taliban insurgency. And, none of that is her day job.
In addition to working in the petrochemical industry now, Kat remains deeply involved in football, continuing to uplift women through her foundation.
SPEAKER LINKS:
Women's Equality and Soccer Foundation
MENTIONS:
- Julia Robert plays her on “Charlie Wilson’s War”
Farkhunda Muhtaj - Captain of the Afghan National Women’s Football Team
ABOUT THE HOST:
I'm Vahid Jozi, a founder, product manager, and podcaster. I believe great things happen by randomness, serendipity and helpfulness. Those are net positive values, conjured by giving. I also help companies with product strategy and leadership at FractionalCPO.com
Daniel Dubois - Harlem Globetrotter coach, to multiple exists
How does a grade-8 boy obsessed with basketball become a successful founder with multiple exits and an active angel investor?
Daniel will tell you. He is an accomplished founder with multiple exits, co founder of Key and an active angel investor.
His story is fascinating. He takes us through being coached by a Harlem Globetrotter, a traumatic motorcycle accident, and the support he received throughout his startup career. Through many challenges and his determination, he had multiple exists, is now a co-founder Key, and became a benefactor to entrepreneurship. Daniel's insightful experience of cultivating community groups and gaining strength from adversity brings a fascinating perspective to entrepreneurship and human resilience.
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MENTIONS:
- Mel Davis former Harlem Globetrotter
- League of Innovators
- Tara from SmartSweets
- Entrepreneurs' Organization (EO)
- YPO
- Global Student Entrepreneurship Awards (GSEA)
- Peter Thomas entrepreneur, philanthropist, chairman of EO
- The Knowledge Society (TKS) & the co-founder Nadeem
- Junior Achievement
- Pando Pooling
- Front Row Ventures
ABOUT THE HOST:
I'm Vahid Jozi, a founder, product manager, and podcaster. I believe most great things happen by randomness, serendipity and helpfulness. Those are net positive values, conjured by giving. I also help companies with product strategy and execution at FractionalCPO.com
Aydin Mirzaee - from McDonalds night shift, to a major acquisition
Aydin Mirzaee, an exited founder and co-founder/CEO of Fellow.app, shares how he faced several existential threats. Coincidently helping hands showed up, and got him out of it.
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ABOUT THE HOST:
I'm Vahid Jozi, a founder, product manager, and podcaster. I believe most great things happen by randomness, serendipity and helpfulness. Those are net positive values, conjured by giving. I also help companies with product strategy and execution at FractionalCPO
Fred Bastien - from struggle, to the DARK SIDE
Fred Bastien, an exited-founder turned investor, shares how was contemplating closing down his company, if it weren't for the help on someone with nothing to gain.
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ABOUT THE HOST:
I'm Vahid Jozi, a founder, product manager, and podcaster. I believe most great things happen by randomness, serendipity and helpfulness. Those are net positive values, conjured by giving. I also help companies with product strategy and execution at FractionalCPO.com
Rob Kenedi - Don't Help Like Mobsters
Rob Kenedi understands the power of being genuinely helpful. He knows when you go out of your way to assist others, it comes back to you in unexpected ways. He was responsible for setting up Canada's 911 infrastructure. He didn't leave their implementation partner to fend for themselves. He took it upon himself to assist, working late, often into the morning. He didn't know this act of kindness would build a lasting connection, and significant revenue 15yrs later. He also shares energy management by finding a balance between others' needs and your own, and making decisions based on intuition. The lesson: genuine acts of helpfulness fosters long-term connections. They open doors to opportunities, even if the impact may not be immediate or apparent. SPEAKER LINKS: Website
Podcast ABOUT THE HOST: I'm Vahid Jozi, a founder, product manager, and podcaster. I believe most great things happen by randomness, serendipity and helpfulness. Those are net positive values, conjured by giving. I also help companies with product strategy and execution at FractionalCPO.com