Hi there, Lisa here. Before we start the show, I have a few disclaimers that I would like for you to keep in mind, as you listen to each Episode. First, this show will cover a variety of topics related to connection, mental health, work, & life; & some of these topics may be sensitive for you or someone you know. I want to offer you permission to choose courage over comfort when it comes to consuming sensitive content; & also, permission to respect your own limits when it comes to consuming this content which may be sensitive for you. I also need to indicate that while I am a licensed therapist, I am not your therapist. This show is not intended to be direct professional advice & you should not use this as a substitute for individualized, professional help. Lastly, while I can assure you that any of the coachable or teachable content I share will have demonstrated effectiveness – & are practices I use myself – I can also assure you that I am imperfect & there are times when I do not act as skillfully, as I would have liked. My goal is to act skillfully, most of the time; & I very much want that for you, too! Now, with that said, let’s start the show.  

Hello & welcome to Wired to Connect, the startup mental health podcast that keeps you going every week, with our easily digestible lessons, skills, & stories, that you can put into practice immediately. I’m your host, your coach, your teacher, Lisa Birnbaum; I’m also a social worker, a therapist, & the Co-Founder of Strengths Squared: a therapy, coaching, & consulting practice, for startup founders & their teams, that I started with my wife & Co-Founder in 2021. The learnings we are sharing here, come from a combination of the lived experiences of the startup founders & startup team members we’ve worked with over the years, from our own lived experiences, & from research-backed strategies, too. And we are so excited to be able to share these insights here, with all of you now. In today’s episode, we’ll be discussing  

The ‘why’ behind our mini episodes, plus our startup giveaway! 

This is going to be a relatively short & brief mini episode of Wired to Connect. I am popping into your feed today just to let you all know that I am not yet finished putting together my thoughts on the topic of Belonging, as it relates to startup DEIB practices & otherwise. As I mentioned in our last episode, rather than not publishing an episode today at all – leaving you wondering – I am committed to checking in & to holding myself accountable to all of you. I know that this topic of Belonging is important to so many of us & to the best of my ability, I want to do justice to the topic – & to do right by all of you – by not glossing over it & by delivering it in a nuanced way. We are also going to pull the very first winner at random – for our free startup coaching session giveaway – during today’s mini episode, so stay tuned to hear who won!    

So much of this is interconnected. I’m going to break all of this down for you in today’s episode. So, let’s get into it; let’s make some meaningful connections! 

Support for today’s show comes from our very own, Strengths Squared. What if you really knew the type of startup founder you are, or the type of future-startup founder you are likely to become? Would it change your trajectory? Would you do anything differently? Well now you can better answer these questions for yourself, by taking the quiz we created, specifically for startup founders and future-startup founders. In 10, pinpoint questions, you’ll identify your leadership strengths, as well as your opportunities for growth. At the end, you’ll see which type of startup founder you are – or which type of future-startup founder you are likely to become – so that you can move forward with the clarity, courage, and confidence to ensure that your type is working for you, rather than against you. Just head to: strengthssquared.com/quiz to take the first step toward being the best startup founder you can be. That’s s-t-r-e-n-g-t-h-s-s-q-u-a-r-e-d-dot-com-forward-slash-quiz, and we can’t wait to hear which type of startup founder you are!  

Okay, here we go. We are about to pull the very first winner at random, for our free startup coaching session giveaway.  . . . And, the winner is . . .ncl230, that’s the handle on Apple Podcasts: “Excellent motivation for startups, 5 stars, “Lisa & Marisa have launched an excellent podcast with well researched, concise, & useful recommendations for living & working smarter & more efficiently. Episodes are easy to digest & include so much helpful info!” Thank you so much for that amazing review ncl230! Your next step is to email me over at: lisa@strengthssquared.com so I can get you all set up with your free, startup coaching session!  

Support for today’s show comes from our very own Strengths Squared, a therapy, coaching, and consulting practice, partnering with startup founders & startup teams. At Strengths Squared, our goal is not to have to treat burnout after the fact; and instead, to prevent burnout from happening in the first place. We do this by equipping startup founders and their teams with the necessary skills to build sustainable, mentally healthy work cultures of collective care, collective accountability, & intentional work-life integration. If you are a startup founder, a startup team member, or are someone who might be a future-startup founder, and are navigating a challenging topic that you would like addressed on our show, or you have a question you would like answered on our show, please send an email to: podcast@strengthssquared.com for a chance to have your topic addressed or to have your question answered, on a future episode. Again, that’s p-o-d-c-a-s-t-@-s-t-r-e-n-g-t-h-s-s-q-u-a-r-e-d-dot-com, and we’ll keep our eyes out for your topics & your questions.   

So, there you have it. Our very first mini episode & our very first startup giveaway! 

Thank you so much for listening to Wired to Connect & I hope today’s mini episode was helpful. If you would like a chance to win a Free Startup Coaching Session, which retails for $500 – just like ncl230 did – keep your ears out in the very next section for-the-instructions. 

That wraps up today’s episode. I hope you loved it! Don’t forget to hit “Subscribe” or “Follow” on your favorite podcast app, so you don’t miss an episode. And, we are currently giving away our Free Startup Coaching Session! If you want to win a free coaching session, just leave us a rating & write a review on Apple Podcasts or the podcast app of your choice; and you’ll be entered in our weekly, random, draw. This type of startup coaching session retails for $500, & can be yours for free; by rating and writing a review of our podcast. Then, listen in next week to see if you won. It’s that simple! Thanks so much in advance, for supporting us on Apple Podcasts or on the podcast app of your choice! 

Before I go, I want to leave you with this: While I absolutely believe that perfectionism is harmful in a number of ways & I absolutely do not want it to get in the way of progress – for myself, or for any of you – in the digital age & content overload world in which we are living, it can be so tempting to just put something – anything – out there for people to consume. As I’m sure many of you have noticed though, this just adds to all of the noise that already exists. I assure you I will not contribute to that. And I want to encourage all of you to really think twice about doing so, as well. If you’re choosing to put something out there – either for your startup or otherwise – ask yourself first, is what I am saying adding value to what’s already been said. If the answer is no, maybe spend a little more time with it, rather than sacrificing quality for speed.    

Thank you to my incredibly talented cousin, Andrew Fisher, for writing & playing the original music for this show. And, from the bottom of my heart, thank you to my amazing wife, partner, & Co-Founder, Marisa, for your belief in me, & in this show; for everything you do for our family & for Strengths Squared, for everything you are doing behind the scenes for Wired to Connect, & without whom, none of this would be possible! Lastly, & perhaps most importantly, thank you so much, to all of you who are listening, for supporting us by choosing to spend your time with us, for connecting with us, & for keeping an open mind & an open heart. I’ll look forward to connecting with you in next week’s episode. And until then, take good care, & remember, we are all Wired to Connect!