ZenFounder

By: Sherry Walling
  • Summary

  • The ZenFounder podcast is a combination of interviews with successful entrepreneurs, conversations with experts, and honest reflections on entrepreneur life, focused on helping entrepreneurs practice better mental health. Forbes called it one of the 12 best podcasts for entrepreneurs. Host, Dr. Sherry Walling, is a clinical psychologist, coach for entrepreneurs and startups, and best-selling author. She is an expert in trauma, stress and burnout, and her research has been published in academic journals such as the Journal of Traumatic Stress. She has also endured being married to a serial entrepreneur for 23 years.
    © 2021 ZenFounder
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Episodes
  • Episode 404: How Founders Can Make Better Decisions: The Framework You Haven’t Tried
    Apr 25 2025

    Do you ever feel like you’re at war with yourself?

    One part of you wants to hustle, scale, dominate the market.
    Another part wants to sell the business, move to the woods, and sleep 10 hours a night.
    And then there’s the voice panicking about churn, cash flow, and that very unhappy customer email you can’t stop thinking about.

    You're not broken. You're not alone. You're just... human.

    In this episode, clinical psychologist Dr. Sherry Walling introduces a powerful framework you probably haven’t tried: Internal Family Systems (IFS).

    This psychological model helps founders better understand their competing inner voices—and make smarter, more aligned decisions.

    Inside this episode: – Why some parts of you want to grow your business—and others want to burn it all down
    – The real reason ignoring your “inner child” can lead to burnout
    – How to recognize fear-based decision-making before it wrecks your strategy
    – A practical exercise to map your Internal Founder System

    #FounderLife #...

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    16 mins
  • Episode 403: Feeling Alone in Business? How to Find Your People
    Mar 28 2025

    Entrepreneurship is lonely—but it doesn’t have to be.

    In this video, Dr. Sherry Walling dives into one of the most overlooked challenges in the entrepreneurial journey: finding your people.

    Starting, growing, and even exiting a business can be incredibly isolating. That loneliness can quietly erode both your mental health and your ability to lead. In this episode, you'll learn:

    • The difference between networking and true friendship
    • Why proximity, attention, and shared play are essential to adult friendships
    • How relationships are foundational to both mental health and business success

    Whether you’re craving deeper connections, wondering why your friendships feel thin, or simply looking to feel less alone in your work—this one’s for you.

    Learn more about Sherry’s upcoming Touching Two Worlds: Familia circus show—an original performance about the power of relationships: www.touchingtwoworlds.com/upcoming-shows

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    14 mins
  • Episode 402: 5 Criticisms of Traditional Therapy
    Mar 21 2025

    Is Traditional Therapy Failing Entrepreneurs?

    Therapy is an invaluable tool—but is it always the best fit for high performers, founders, and creatives? In this episode, Dr. Sherry Walling shares her honest critique of traditional psychotherapy, highlighting five key concerns:

    The Pathology Trap – Why therapy often focuses on diagnosing problems instead of amplifying strengths.
    It Takes Too Long – Why conventional therapy can be slow-moving and how alternative approaches, like psychedelics, may be more effective for rapid breakthroughs.
    Hyper-Focus on Hurt – How therapy can make people more sensitive to pain without equipping them to move forward.
    The Risk of Self-Absorption – When therapy over-validates personal experiences without placing them in a larger context of relationships and responsibilities.

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    19 mins

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