WEBVTT
1
00:00:00.160 --> 00:00:05.599
Support for the following podcast is provided
by the user experience specialists at Johns and
2
00:00:05.639 --> 00:00:13.439
Taylor. More information follows this episode
what if the only way to talk yourself
3
00:00:13.560 --> 00:00:18.719
through a big problem involves not talking
about it. I'm Joe Taylor Junior.
4
00:00:19.039 --> 00:00:26.399
This is Search and Replace. Peter
Sorgenfry will tell you that if he knows
5
00:00:26.440 --> 00:00:30.239
how to do one thing really well, it's how to build a company.
6
00:00:30.399 --> 00:00:35.159
Over the last twenty years, I've
built six companies on three different continents as
7
00:00:35.200 --> 00:00:40.359
a startup founder and CEO. I
kind of stumbled into that because I took
8
00:00:40.359 --> 00:00:43.600
a master's degree in economics, and
when you do that in Denmark, where
9
00:00:43.600 --> 00:00:47.960
I'm from, you go into government
or maybe. But I moved to the
10
00:00:48.079 --> 00:00:52.399
United States on an internship and ended
up founding a bunch of companies and some
11
00:00:52.439 --> 00:00:56.560
of them did really well, thankfully, and some of them tanked, and
12
00:00:56.759 --> 00:01:00.479
two of them still exist today by
startup standards, that's a great track record.
13
00:01:02.000 --> 00:01:04.920
Just like a baseball pitcher striving for
a Hall of Fame er, Peter
14
00:01:06.120 --> 00:01:11.120
wanted to extend that streak. His
body had different plans. You get caught
15
00:01:11.200 --> 00:01:15.640
up in the moment of building companies
and growing and answering to a bunch of
16
00:01:15.719 --> 00:01:19.879
people, whether it's investors or those
who think you will not succeed, and
17
00:01:19.879 --> 00:01:25.560
you can prove them wrong. In
twenty nineteens and now almost four years ago,
18
00:01:25.680 --> 00:01:29.799
I essentially got sick from all this
work. Right, the hustle cut
19
00:01:29.879 --> 00:01:34.760
up with me and ended up being
sidelined for more than two and a half
20
00:01:34.799 --> 00:01:40.680
months, where I was uncapable or
incapable to work. My body physically reacted.
21
00:01:40.719 --> 00:01:44.920
I essentially thought I had a brain
tumor, but thankfully he was just
22
00:01:45.159 --> 00:01:49.200
stress reduced in capacity. And so
that's where I found myself lying there,
23
00:01:49.400 --> 00:01:56.519
not being able to function cognitively and
not being able to function physically because of
24
00:01:56.560 --> 00:02:00.799
the pressure I'd put my body through
building all these companies all these years.
25
00:02:00.079 --> 00:02:05.920
Fortunately Peter didn't have to look very
far to get an expert diagnosis. I
26
00:02:05.959 --> 00:02:08.560
have an older sister, two years
older than I, and she happens to
27
00:02:08.639 --> 00:02:16.080
be a psychologist and an expert in
mindfulness based stress reduction. So she talked
28
00:02:16.120 --> 00:02:19.840
to me and she was like,
buddy, you're stressed out of your mind.
29
00:02:19.840 --> 00:02:23.280
You need to change your life.
And finally I listened to her right
30
00:02:23.319 --> 00:02:28.680
because for years she had said slow
down, start meditating, do some yoga,
31
00:02:28.759 --> 00:02:31.680
you know, do other things that
work. And so how I got
32
00:02:31.719 --> 00:02:38.199
through it was working with another psychologist
who essentially gave me very simple rules to
33
00:02:38.240 --> 00:02:44.840
live by. He said, you
need to sleep well a lot, you
34
00:02:44.960 --> 00:02:49.759
need to get exercise every single day, you need to eat good foods for
35
00:02:49.840 --> 00:02:53.319
you. And then you need to
and this was a surprising one, not
36
00:02:53.520 --> 00:02:57.879
really talk to anybody about this.
You need to kind of spend time with
37
00:02:58.000 --> 00:03:00.960
yourself, whether that be a nature
sure or meditating, are other things.
38
00:03:01.199 --> 00:03:07.560
So I spent almost six months actually
not doing anything but those four things.
39
00:03:07.840 --> 00:03:12.039
I walked fifteen to twenty kilometers every
day, and I just took care of
40
00:03:12.039 --> 00:03:16.560
myself. As a self described serial
entrepreneur, Peter had a predictable plan for
41
00:03:16.639 --> 00:03:21.400
what he wanted to do next.
I'm going to start another company because that's
42
00:03:21.479 --> 00:03:23.560
kind of the only thing I know
how to do. But then I realized
43
00:03:23.599 --> 00:03:30.319
that I actually could have a bigger
impact if I could help people that were
44
00:03:30.439 --> 00:03:34.919
like me. Right, so men
and women who are founding companies all over
45
00:03:34.960 --> 00:03:40.000
the world and finding themselves being stressed
and under pressure and almost breaking or even
46
00:03:40.039 --> 00:03:46.159
breaking. So I thought, why
don't I do that? I wrote forty
47
00:03:46.360 --> 00:03:50.680
or so entrepreneurs around the world who
did not know me. I described this
48
00:03:50.840 --> 00:03:55.439
idea of a very personal, intimate
advisor who was there with you all along
49
00:03:55.439 --> 00:03:59.319
the way, more than a coach, more than a mentor, but really
50
00:03:59.319 --> 00:04:01.719
somebody was there for you, and
lo and behold, a bunch of them
51
00:04:01.800 --> 00:04:04.960
said, this sounds amazing. How
much is it and when can we get
52
00:04:05.039 --> 00:04:10.240
started. I hadn't seen myself as
a coach. I hadn't seen myself as
53
00:04:10.319 --> 00:04:12.680
this role. But it was kind
of like the world telling me this is
54
00:04:12.680 --> 00:04:15.720
what you need to do. And
so fast forward to today. I have
55
00:04:15.920 --> 00:04:23.959
customers in seven different countries, and
I sometimes pinch myself right because I speak
56
00:04:23.959 --> 00:04:28.800
a lot to people about figuring out
what your purpose is and I found line.
57
00:04:29.160 --> 00:04:31.680
I mean, the darnest thing is
I had to be almost fifty before
58
00:04:31.720 --> 00:04:36.040
it happened. But the fact that
I can have an impact on other people's
59
00:04:36.079 --> 00:04:39.720
life, that I can have my
own work life, which is I'm sitting
60
00:04:39.800 --> 00:04:43.160
in my home in Copenhagen. Now
you know, I go to the ocean
61
00:04:43.199 --> 00:04:46.000
every day, I go for warworks. I mean, I have the perfect
62
00:04:46.000 --> 00:04:48.600
life and I can help a bunch
of people along the way. I can't
63
00:04:48.600 --> 00:04:54.040
believe it. I'm really pleased with
how things have turned out. Peter shares
64
00:04:54.079 --> 00:04:59.000
some of the guidance he's giving entrepreneurs
to avoid the same predicament he found himself
65
00:04:59.000 --> 00:05:02.879
in space. To be with yourself
is the first step. And the funny
66
00:05:02.879 --> 00:05:06.639
thing with that is most people think
they can, but in reality is they
67
00:05:06.720 --> 00:05:10.879
do it all the time anyway.
They just need to be aware of it.
68
00:05:11.120 --> 00:05:15.439
So essentially we start with some mindfulness
and once we get there, then
69
00:05:15.480 --> 00:05:17.800
we can start looking at Okay,
I have now a clearer picture of what's
70
00:05:17.839 --> 00:05:21.720
going on around me and outside of
me. A thing that I haven't figured
71
00:05:21.720 --> 00:05:28.279
out quite yet is how do we
in a society where we're very much focused
72
00:05:28.279 --> 00:05:31.079
on a hustle culture. In the
startup world or in the corporate world,
73
00:05:31.839 --> 00:05:36.839
it's about career advancement, more salary
bonuses, all these other things. How
74
00:05:36.839 --> 00:05:43.800
do we teach people that when you're
forty, fifty, sixty seventies, all
75
00:05:43.839 --> 00:05:46.399
of that stuff is not going to
matter. So what if people really want
76
00:05:46.600 --> 00:05:49.360
Everybody wants to be loved and be
happy, and be fat and all these
77
00:05:49.360 --> 00:05:53.560
other things. At the end of
the day, they want to be sort
78
00:05:53.560 --> 00:05:58.600
of happy and calm, right,
and you get that in my case by
79
00:05:58.680 --> 00:06:04.480
meditating and having routines that are about
me and my needs first, and then
80
00:06:04.560 --> 00:06:10.040
my son second, and my family
third, and my business fourth. That's
81
00:06:10.160 --> 00:06:14.399
entrepreneur and advisor Peter Sorganfry. We've
got links to his work in our show
82
00:06:14.439 --> 00:06:18.000
notes and on our website at Search
and Replace dot Show. Also in our
83
00:06:18.040 --> 00:06:24.519
show notes, human resources expert Cindy
Trevella notes that Peter's advice applies to all
84
00:06:24.600 --> 00:06:29.000
kinds of people, not just entrepreneurs. She's got notes for managers and company
85
00:06:29.000 --> 00:06:33.360
owners about how to improve team performance
by investing in employees physical, financial,
86
00:06:33.480 --> 00:06:39.879
and mental health. Plus, the
Harvard Business Review compiled research that shows your
87
00:06:39.959 --> 00:06:46.160
physical activity today contributes to your productivity
at work tomorrow. We'll get even better
88
00:06:46.199 --> 00:06:48.920
results if you're motivated to go work
out, and maybe the thought of what
89
00:06:48.959 --> 00:06:54.040
you need to get done is enough
to inspire a trip to the gym.
90
00:06:54.079 --> 00:06:57.680
All that and more in our show
notes and on our website at Search and
91
00:06:57.720 --> 00:07:01.079
Replace dot Show. Today's episode was
produced by Nicole Hubbard with help from the
92
00:07:01.199 --> 00:07:05.720
entire podcast Taxi team. I'm Joe
Taylor Jr. This has been a podcast
93
00:07:05.800 --> 00:07:13.839
Taxi radio production support for search and
replace is provided by Johnson Taylor User experience
94
00:07:13.879 --> 00:07:19.000
specialists serving media and technology companies that
want their websites to work. Learn more
95
00:07:19.040 --> 00:07:27.040
about how top performing businesses eliminate barriers
between customers and their goals at www.
96
00:07:27.399 --> 00:07:30.800
Dot Make the website work for me
dot com
1
00:00:00.160 --> 00:00:05.599
Support for the following podcast is provided
by the user experience specialists at Johns and
2
00:00:05.639 --> 00:00:13.439
Taylor. More information follows this episode
what if the only way to talk yourself
3
00:00:13.560 --> 00:00:18.719
through a big problem involves not talking
about it. I'm Joe Taylor Junior.
4
00:00:19.039 --> 00:00:26.399
This is Search and Replace. Peter
Sorgenfry will tell you that if he knows
5
00:00:26.440 --> 00:00:30.239
how to do one thing really well, it's how to build a company.
6
00:00:30.399 --> 00:00:35.159
Over the last twenty years, I've
built six companies on three different continents as
7
00:00:35.200 --> 00:00:40.359
a startup founder and CEO. I
kind of stumbled into that because I took
8
00:00:40.359 --> 00:00:43.600
a master's degree in economics, and
when you do that in Denmark, where
9
00:00:43.600 --> 00:00:47.960
I'm from, you go into government
or maybe. But I moved to the
10
00:00:48.079 --> 00:00:52.399
United States on an internship and ended
up founding a bunch of companies and some
11
00:00:52.439 --> 00:00:56.560
of them did really well, thankfully, and some of them tanked, and
12
00:00:56.759 --> 00:01:00.479
two of them still exist today by
startup standards, that's a great track record.
13
00:01:02.000 --> 00:01:04.920
Just like a baseball pitcher striving for
a Hall of Fame er, Peter
14
00:01:06.120 --> 00:01:11.120
wanted to extend that streak. His
body had different plans. You get caught
15
00:01:11.200 --> 00:01:15.640
up in the moment of building companies
and growing and answering to a bunch of
16
00:01:15.719 --> 00:01:19.879
people, whether it's investors or those
who think you will not succeed, and
17
00:01:19.879 --> 00:01:25.560
you can prove them wrong. In
twenty nineteens and now almost four years ago,
18
00:01:25.680 --> 00:01:29.799
I essentially got sick from all this
work. Right, the hustle cut
19
00:01:29.879 --> 00:01:34.760
up with me and ended up being
sidelined for more than two and a half
20
00:01:34.799 --> 00:01:40.680
months, where I was uncapable or
incapable to work. My body physically reacted.
21
00:01:40.719 --> 00:01:44.920
I essentially thought I had a brain
tumor, but thankfully he was just
22
00:01:45.159 --> 00:01:49.200
stress reduced in capacity. And so
that's where I found myself lying there,
23
00:01:49.400 --> 00:01:56.519
not being able to function cognitively and
not being able to function physically because of
24
00:01:56.560 --> 00:02:00.799
the pressure I'd put my body through
building all these companies all these years.
25
00:02:00.079 --> 00:02:05.920
Fortunately Peter didn't have to look very
far to get an expert diagnosis. I
26
00:02:05.959 --> 00:02:08.560
have an older sister, two years
older than I, and she happens to
27
00:02:08.639 --> 00:02:16.080
be a psychologist and an expert in
mindfulness based stress reduction. So she talked
28
00:02:16.120 --> 00:02:19.840
to me and she was like,
buddy, you're stressed out of your mind.
29
00:02:19.840 --> 00:02:23.280
You need to change your life.
And finally I listened to her right
30
00:02:23.319 --> 00:02:28.680
because for years she had said slow
down, start meditating, do some yoga,
31
00:02:28.759 --> 00:02:31.680
you know, do other things that
work. And so how I got
32
00:02:31.719 --> 00:02:38.199
through it was working with another psychologist
who essentially gave me very simple rules to
33
00:02:38.240 --> 00:02:44.840
live by. He said, you
need to sleep well a lot, you
34
00:02:44.960 --> 00:02:49.759
need to get exercise every single day, you need to eat good foods for
35
00:02:49.840 --> 00:02:53.319
you. And then you need to
and this was a surprising one, not
36
00:02:53.520 --> 00:02:57.879
really talk to anybody about this.
You need to kind of spend time with
37
00:02:58.000 --> 00:03:00.960
yourself, whether that be a nature
sure or meditating, are other things.
38
00:03:01.199 --> 00:03:07.560
So I spent almost six months actually
not doing anything but those four things.
39
00:03:07.840 --> 00:03:12.039
I walked fifteen to twenty kilometers every
day, and I just took care of
40
00:03:12.039 --> 00:03:16.560
myself. As a self described serial
entrepreneur, Peter had a predictable plan for
41
00:03:16.639 --> 00:03:21.400
what he wanted to do next.
I'm going to start another company because that's
42
00:03:21.479 --> 00:03:23.560
kind of the only thing I know
how to do. But then I realized
43
00:03:23.599 --> 00:03:30.319
that I actually could have a bigger
impact if I could help people that were
44
00:03:30.439 --> 00:03:34.919
like me. Right, so men
and women who are founding companies all over
45
00:03:34.960 --> 00:03:40.000
the world and finding themselves being stressed
and under pressure and almost breaking or even
46
00:03:40.039 --> 00:03:46.159
breaking. So I thought, why
don't I do that? I wrote forty
47
00:03:46.360 --> 00:03:50.680
or so entrepreneurs around the world who
did not know me. I described this
48
00:03:50.840 --> 00:03:55.439
idea of a very personal, intimate
advisor who was there with you all along
49
00:03:55.439 --> 00:03:59.319
the way, more than a coach, more than a mentor, but really
50
00:03:59.319 --> 00:04:01.719
somebody was there for you, and
lo and behold, a bunch of them
51
00:04:01.800 --> 00:04:04.960
said, this sounds amazing. How
much is it and when can we get
52
00:04:05.039 --> 00:04:10.240
started. I hadn't seen myself as
a coach. I hadn't seen myself as
53
00:04:10.319 --> 00:04:12.680
this role. But it was kind
of like the world telling me this is
54
00:04:12.680 --> 00:04:15.720
what you need to do. And
so fast forward to today. I have
55
00:04:15.920 --> 00:04:23.959
customers in seven different countries, and
I sometimes pinch myself right because I speak
56
00:04:23.959 --> 00:04:28.800
a lot to people about figuring out
what your purpose is and I found line.
57
00:04:29.160 --> 00:04:31.680
I mean, the darnest thing is
I had to be almost fifty before
58
00:04:31.720 --> 00:04:36.040
it happened. But the fact that
I can have an impact on other people's
59
00:04:36.079 --> 00:04:39.720
life, that I can have my
own work life, which is I'm sitting
60
00:04:39.800 --> 00:04:43.160
in my home in Copenhagen. Now
you know, I go to the ocean
61
00:04:43.199 --> 00:04:46.000
every day, I go for warworks. I mean, I have the perfect
62
00:04:46.000 --> 00:04:48.600
life and I can help a bunch
of people along the way. I can't
63
00:04:48.600 --> 00:04:54.040
believe it. I'm really pleased with
how things have turned out. Peter shares
64
00:04:54.079 --> 00:04:59.000
some of the guidance he's giving entrepreneurs
to avoid the same predicament he found himself
65
00:04:59.000 --> 00:05:02.879
in space. To be with yourself
is the first step. And the funny
66
00:05:02.879 --> 00:05:06.639
thing with that is most people think
they can, but in reality is they
67
00:05:06.720 --> 00:05:10.879
do it all the time anyway.
They just need to be aware of it.
68
00:05:11.120 --> 00:05:15.439
So essentially we start with some mindfulness
and once we get there, then
69
00:05:15.480 --> 00:05:17.800
we can start looking at Okay,
I have now a clearer picture of what's
70
00:05:17.839 --> 00:05:21.720
going on around me and outside of
me. A thing that I haven't figured
71
00:05:21.720 --> 00:05:28.279
out quite yet is how do we
in a society where we're very much focused
72
00:05:28.279 --> 00:05:31.079
on a hustle culture. In the
startup world or in the corporate world,
73
00:05:31.839 --> 00:05:36.839
it's about career advancement, more salary
bonuses, all these other things. How
74
00:05:36.839 --> 00:05:43.800
do we teach people that when you're
forty, fifty, sixty seventies, all
75
00:05:43.839 --> 00:05:46.399
of that stuff is not going to
matter. So what if people really want
76
00:05:46.600 --> 00:05:49.360
Everybody wants to be loved and be
happy, and be fat and all these
77
00:05:49.360 --> 00:05:53.560
other things. At the end of
the day, they want to be sort
78
00:05:53.560 --> 00:05:58.600
of happy and calm, right,
and you get that in my case by
79
00:05:58.680 --> 00:06:04.480
meditating and having routines that are about
me and my needs first, and then
80
00:06:04.560 --> 00:06:10.040
my son second, and my family
third, and my business fourth. That's
81
00:06:10.160 --> 00:06:14.399
entrepreneur and advisor Peter Sorganfry. We've
got links to his work in our show
82
00:06:14.439 --> 00:06:18.000
notes and on our website at Search
and Replace dot Show. Also in our
83
00:06:18.040 --> 00:06:24.519
show notes, human resources expert Cindy
Trevella notes that Peter's advice applies to all
84
00:06:24.600 --> 00:06:29.000
kinds of people, not just entrepreneurs. She's got notes for managers and company
85
00:06:29.000 --> 00:06:33.360
owners about how to improve team performance
by investing in employees physical, financial,
86
00:06:33.480 --> 00:06:39.879
and mental health. Plus, the
Harvard Business Review compiled research that shows your
87
00:06:39.959 --> 00:06:46.160
physical activity today contributes to your productivity
at work tomorrow. We'll get even better
88
00:06:46.199 --> 00:06:48.920
results if you're motivated to go work
out, and maybe the thought of what
89
00:06:48.959 --> 00:06:54.040
you need to get done is enough
to inspire a trip to the gym.
90
00:06:54.079 --> 00:06:57.680
All that and more in our show
notes and on our website at Search and
91
00:06:57.720 --> 00:07:01.079
Replace dot Show. Today's episode was
produced by Nicole Hubbard with help from the
92
00:07:01.199 --> 00:07:05.720
entire podcast Taxi team. I'm Joe
Taylor Jr. This has been a podcast
93
00:07:05.800 --> 00:07:13.839
Taxi radio production support for search and
replace is provided by Johnson Taylor User experience
94
00:07:13.879 --> 00:07:19.000
specialists serving media and technology companies that
want their websites to work. Learn more
95
00:07:19.040 --> 00:07:27.040
about how top performing businesses eliminate barriers
between customers and their goals at www.
96
00:07:27.399 --> 00:07:30.800
Dot Make the website work for me
dot com
