EP 120: 2026 Business Planning for Entrepreneurs: Future Self Identity, Limiting Beliefs, and the “How Can We” Framework with Debbie King

Most business plans fail before the first meeting because they use last year’s results to decide what is possible next.   Sarah sits down with Debbie King, business strategist, executive coach, and author of Loving Your Business, about future self business planning as a more effective approach to strategic planning for entrepreneurs who want to learn how to stop letting past results limit your future business growth. Debbie questions the habit of treating prior performance as a ceiling and invites a different starting point for planning that begins with identity, belief, and vision. If your current results reflect who you have been, what changes when you plan from who you are becoming?   The discussion turns to the quiet beliefs leaders carry about themselves, their teams, their market, and their offer, and how those beliefs shape decisions long before strategy enters the room. Which assumptions feel true simply because they are familiar? What might open up if you challenged them before pulling your team into the process? Debbie introduces the “How can we?” framework as a way to create forward motion without waiting for certainty, and the episode offers a grounded reset for entrepreneurs who want their 2026 planning to feel clear, focused, and genuinely expansive.   Episode Breakdown: 00:00 Future Self Business Planning for 2026 03:02 Why Past Results Limit Future Business Growth 09:01 How Beliefs Shape Business Results 17:57 Strategic Planning Begins With Inner Work 26:58 The “How Can We” Framework for Expansion 44:09 Decide, Act, Evaluate, Iterate Connect with Debbie King: Visit the Loving Your Business website Connect with Debbie on LinkedIn   Connect with Sarah Lockwood: Visit HiveCast Connect with Sarah on LinkedIn   Connect with The Conscious Entrepreneur: Visit The Conscious Entrepreneur website  Follow The Conscious Entrepreneur on LinkedIn Follow The Conscious Entrepreneur on Instagram  Subscribe to The Conscious Entrepreneur on YouTube   HiveCast.fm is a proud sponsor of The Conscious Entrepreneur Podcast. Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Jason Janz challenges the entire playbook of nonprofit work by showing how long haul commitment and leader backed philanthropy can actually move families out of poverty. His approach sits at the intersection of entrepreneurship, business, and wellbeing and offers a real-time look at how a for-purpose business model can fuel meaningful social impact through strong organizational culture and long-term vision.   Jason explains why CrossPurpose prioritizes deep relational work over broad but shallow programming and how that choice shapes everything from team dynamics to fundraising strategy to the overall health of the communities they serve. He reflects on the influence of his own upbringing, the mentors who shifted his understanding of leadership, and the decision to grow a mission-driven organization that thinks like a high-performance company without losing sight of human dignity. The conversation raises essential questions for any founder: What happens when you commit to one person’s success with the same rigor you bring to your own enterprise? How do you build trust when donors want evidence and families want genuine care? What does wellbeing look like inside a team tasked with solving hard human problems?   Jason also offers a candid perspective on fundraising through shared vision rather than transactions and explains why transformational partnerships outperform traditional tactics. He invites entrepreneurs to consider the power of leader backed philanthropy and the role they can play in shaping generational change. The episode becomes a thoughtful reflection on leadership, purpose, and the kind of steady commitment that strengthens families, organizations, and entire communities.   Episode Breakdown: 00:00 Introduction to Conscious Entrepreneurship 03:14 The Mission and Model Behind CrossPurpose 06:00 Jason’s Personal Story and Leadership Philosophy 08:58 Deep vs Wide: A Different Approach to Social Impact 17:59 Transformational Fundraising and Donor Partnership 25:51 Advice for Future Nonprofit Founders Connect with Jason Janz:  Visit CrossPurpose   Connect with Sarah Lockwood: Visit HiveCast Connect with Sarah on LinkedIn   Connect with The Conscious Entrepreneur: Visit The Conscious Entrepreneur website  Follow The Conscious Entrepreneur on LinkedIn Follow The Conscious Entrepreneur on Instagram  Subscribe to The Conscious Entrepreneur on YouTube   HiveCast.fm is a proud sponsor of The Conscious Entrepreneur Podcast.   Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Few moments expose a leader’s true confidence faster than the stare of a camera lens.   Karin Reed, founder of Speaker Dynamics, brings forward a clear view of why virtual communication rattles even seasoned leaders and what presence actually requires when the usual cues disappear. She points to a familiar pattern: people become smaller, flatter, or overly polished once the lens becomes the audience, and those shifts quietly shape how trustworthy or grounded they appear. The conversation asks an important question for anyone leading through a screen: what builds credibility when connection feels harder to access?   Karin’s insight centers on the qualities that make leaders feel real on camera. Authentic expression carries farther than perfect delivery. Natural movement brings energy back into the voice. Audio quality influences how intelligent and credible someone seems. Early interaction sets the tone for participation. These elements are less about technique and more about the leader’s willingness to show up with a steady, human presence that invites others in.   The conversation ultimately challenges leaders to rethink executive presence for a virtual world. Confidence becomes easier to project when leaders stop performing and start communicating with the same clarity and ease they rely on in person. The screen changes the environment, but it doesn’t change what people want from a leader: someone they can hear, follow, and trust.   Episode Breakdown: 00:00 Leadership Communication in a Virtual World 01:55 Karin Reed’s Path to On-Camera Expertise 09:59 Eye Contact and Connection in Virtual Meetings 15:35 Body Language That Builds Executive Presence 24:10 The MVP Framework for Strong Virtual Communication 29:46 Why Production Quality Shapes Credibility 35:20 Authenticity and Executive Presence Connect with Karin Reed: Visit Speaker Dynamics  Connect with Karin on LinkedIn   Connect with Sarah Lockwood: Visit HiveCast Connect with Sarah on LinkedIn   Connect with The Conscious Entrepreneur: Visit The Conscious Entrepreneur website  Follow The Conscious Entrepreneur on LinkedIn Follow The Conscious Entrepreneur on Instagram  Subscribe to The Conscious Entrepreneur on YouTube   HiveCast.fm is a proud sponsor of The Conscious Entrepreneur Podcast. Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

If you are wondering if you should work with your husband or wife, or for tips and tricks to stay married when you work together, you are in the right place today!  When married partners work together, the business is never “just business.”  Working in a #familybusiness is a dynamic that impacts the partners at home and at work, and it impacts everyone in the company, too. Kaley Warner Klemp, co-author of The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership and The 80/80 Marriage, discusses actionable tips to help partnerships thrive.  She shares suggestions for aiming for generosity rather than fairness, why clear roles protect both the relationship and the business, and how spouses can repair after conflict when you are doing it in front of the whole company.  They discuss the quieter questions leaders rarely ask out loud. How do power dynamics shift when work and home blend so closely? What do employees notice before the couple does? What helps a team feel steady when conflict between partners surfaces in real time? Kaley offers tools for conversations, visible repair, and the kind of leadership that supports long-term wellbeing for the couple and the company. It’s a grounded look at working with your partner in a way that strengthens both the business and the relationship behind it.   Episode Breakdown: 00:00 Marriage and Business Dynamics 03:00 Conscious Leadership in Action 06:12 The 80/80 Marriage Framework 12:10 How Couples Affect Team Culture 17:59 Power Dynamics at Work and at Home 29:52 Repairing Conflict in Front of Your Team   Connect with Kaley Warner Klemp: Visit Kaley’s Website Connect with Sarah Lockwood: Visit HiveCast Connect with Sarah on LinkedIn Connect with The Conscious Entrepreneur: Visit The Conscious Entrepreneur website  Follow The Conscious Entrepreneur on LinkedIn Follow The Conscious Entrepreneur on Instagram  Subscribe to The Conscious Entrepreneur on YouTube   HiveCast.fm is a proud sponsor of The Conscious Entrepreneur Podcast Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Work–Life Integration, Conscious Leadership, and Values-Aligned Staffing are at the heart of this conversation with entrepreneur, Scott Britton. Scott shares how he went from Princeton, Forbes 30 Under 30, and a startup sold to Salesforce to realizing that no amount of achievement could fix the feeling of being reactive, stressed, and out of sync inside his own life. He talks about the moment he began treating his reactions as data instead of flaws, and how that simple shift helped him see the patterns driving his stress and decision-making. Scott walks through his “freedom log” practice that any conscious leader can start using immediately, the difference between emotions and long-running patterns, and how everyday triggers at work can become practical entry points for awareness instead of something to hide or power through. Work stops being separate from inner growth and starts to become one of the most honest places to see what is actually going on inside you. Scott also shares how this path led to his book Conscious Accomplishment and to Conscious Talent, a staffing company that connects talent with companies committed to both professional excellence and inner work. For founders and leaders who feel like they have “outgrown” the company they built, his story offers a grounded look at what it means to bring more of your inner life into how you hire, lead, and shape culture. In this conversation, you’ll hear about: The point where external success stopped working for Scott and what he noticed next How he uses the “freedom log” to track triggers and unpack the stories underneath them Why work can be one of the most powerful places for real inner growth Practical ways to bring more authenticity into leadership without blowing up your culture overnight How Conscious Talent supports values-aligned staffing for leaders who care about both results and inner development   Episode Breakdown: 00:00 Introduction 05:09 Scott Britton’s Turning Point and Inner Shift 07:55 How Business Becomes a Spiritual Dojo 17:51 Emotional Awareness Tools for Leaders 18:45 Why Scott Created Conscious Talent 31:30 Values-Aligned Hiring and Modern Leadership   Links Connect with Scott Britton: Scott’s book: Conscious Accomplishment Learn more about Scott's Projects: ConsciousTalent.com  https://linktr.ee/scottbritton    Connect with Sarah Lockwood: Visit HiveCast Connect with Sarah on LinkedIn   Connect with The Conscious Entrepreneur: Visit The Conscious Entrepreneur website  Follow The Conscious Entrepreneur on LinkedIn Follow The Conscious Entrepreneur on Instagram  Subscribe to The Conscious Entrepreneur on YouTube HiveCast.fm is a proud sponsor of The Conscious Entrepreneur Podcast. Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm.  

Appreciation can lift a team or quietly erode it, and Sarah Lockwood breaks down why the difference often comes down to whether people feel genuinely seen.   In this solo episode, she explains why the usual holiday scramble for company gifts rarely creates the connection leaders intend and why Thanksgiving offers a clearer moment for gratitude that feels personal instead of performative. Sarah shares how a simple note or a small, thoughtful gesture can shift how someone experiences their work, and she challenges leaders to consider what their gifts say about their culture. A day of rest signals care, a learning budget signals curiosity, and a mismatched gift signals a gap between stated values and lived values. She also covers the practical side of appreciation with tools like Goody that let teams choose their own gift while still giving leaders room to add a personal message.   Sarah closes by reminding listeners that recognition works best as a steady habit. Even one specific thank you can strengthen trust, and she encourages leaders to pause, notice one meaningful contribution, and send a message that proves someone’s effort didn’t go unseen.   Episode Breakdown: 00:00 The Art of Meaningful Employee Appreciation 01:25 Why Thanksgiving Is the Perfect Moment for Team Appreciation 04:05 The Power of Specific and Authentic Gratitude 06:10 Choose Gifts That Reflect Your Company Values 07:02 A Practical Tool for Personalized Corporate Gifting (Goody) 08:09 Make Recognition a Habit, Not a Holiday Task   Links: Goody   Connect with Sarah Lockwood: Visit HiveCast Connect with Sarah on LinkedIn   Connect with The Conscious Entrepreneur: The Conscious Entrepreneur  Follow The Conscious Entrepreneur on LinkedIn Follow The Conscious Entrepreneur on Instagram  Subscribe to The Conscious Entrepreneur on YouTube   HiveCast.fm is a proud sponsor of The Conscious Entrepreneur Podcast. Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

The story you tell yourself as a leader becomes the culture your team lives in, and Nataly Kogan shows how to rewrite that story with agency, awareness, and action.   Sarah sits down with Nataly Kogan for a grounded conversation about entrepreneurship, business, and wellbeing—how the way we think shapes the way we lead. Nataly shares how to “talk back to your brain,” a practice that helps quiet fear, interrupt unhelpful patterns, and create space for better choices. They discuss how mindset ripples through an organization, shaping how teams respond to uncertainty and whether they lean toward anxiety or possibility.   Nataly offers simple tools to help leaders edit their thoughts and reframe challenges as creative prompts. What story are you telling your team right now—and is it one that invites courage, clarity, and connection? This episode is a reminder that leadership starts in the mind, but it comes to life through the stories we choose to share.   Episode Breakdown: 00:00 Nataly Kogan on Entrepreneurship and Wellbeing 04:15 Why Confidence Follows Action 07:06 The Power of Agency in Times of Change 09:07 How to Talk Back to Your Brain 14:24 Reframing Negativity and Building Constructive Beliefs 18:04 From Obstacles to Possibilities 26:01 The Edit Your Thoughts Practice 34:01 Creating a Culture of Possibility in Business 42:56 Leading with Clarity, Courage, and Humanity Connect with Nataly Kogan: Visit Nataly Kogan’s Website Connect with Nataly on LinkedIn   Connect with Sarah Lockwood: Visit HiveCast Connect with Sarah on LinkedIn   Connect with The Conscious Entrepreneur: Visit The Conscious Entrepreneur website  Follow The Conscious Entrepreneur on LinkedIn Follow The Conscious Entrepreneur on Instagram  Subscribe to The Conscious Entrepreneur on YouTube HiveCast.fm is a proud sponsor of The Conscious Entrepreneur Podcast. Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

When your business becomes your identity, resentment follows. Entrepreneur and author Debbie King shares how she rebuilt her company, and herself, by separating self-worth from success metrics. Her framework, “the model,” links circumstance, thought, feeling, action, and result, revealing how the stories we tell ourselves drive outcomes. Facts are neutral; meaning is optional. Which thoughts support the kind of results and wellbeing you actually want in your business?   She explains how founders can interrupt unhelpful thinking through quick “thought downloads,” turning frustration into clarity instead of self-criticism. When results are viewed as data, not verdicts, entrepreneurship becomes a practice of learning and refinement.   Debbie also connects mindset to enterprise value. Every recurring pain point signals a risk: “no time” often means founder dependence; “too many mistakes” signals missing systems; low pricing power points to weak differentiation. Simplifying offers and building repeatable structures creates freedom, for both the owner and the company.   Her “future self” exercise ties mindset to strategy: put your goal in the result line, then ask what your future self believes and does to make it happen. Growth follows identity. When wellbeing and business align, entrepreneurship becomes sustainable, and success starts to feel like something worth keeping.   Episode Breakdown: 00:00 Identity Trap: When Business Becomes You 03:35 Rebuilding an Unsellable Business 05:38 The Model: Thoughts Create Results 17:46 Founder Mindset Shifts 25:27 Future Self Framework 32:06 Hidden Risks in Your Business 34:51 Systems That Scale 39:44 Data Over Drama Connect with Debbie King: Visit the Loving Your Business website Connect with Debbie on LinkedIn   Connect with Sarah Lockwood: Visit HiveCast Connect with Sarah on LinkedIn   Connect with The Conscious Entrepreneur: Visit The Conscious Entrepreneur website  Follow The Conscious Entrepreneur on LinkedIn Follow The Conscious Entrepreneur on Instagram  Subscribe to The Conscious Entrepreneur on YouTube HiveCast.fm is a proud sponsor of The Conscious Entrepreneur Podcast. Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

“It can be difficult for people to know who they can speak to about it,” says Amy Lewin, of entrepreneurs who are unhappy in their own companies.  Amy is the Editor at Sifted, a media platform focused on Europe’s startup ecosystem and she joins The Conscious Entrepreneur podcast to discuss a survey Sifted recently posed to a number of entrepreneurs, the vast majority of whom reported experiencing poor mental health, high stress and even a strong desire to leave their businesses within the coming year. Though these figures may seem alarming, they merely shed light on common struggles and pressures felt by entrepreneurs which are so often swept under the rug for fear of looking weak or needing to maintain an ultra positive mindset in order to see their businesses succeed. On today’s episode Amy will reveal more of the survey’s findings as well as what venture capitalists (VCs) can do to support entrepreneurs, in whom they, after all, have a vested interest.    The survey highlights the importance of a community in an entrepreneur’s life. Family and friends share the entrepreneur’s burden, while simultaneously being unable to relate. Professional networks of like-minded contemporaries can go a long way toward making isolated individuals feel heard and connected, as well as ease the mental health stigma.    Today, Amy shares the common regret shared among most entrepreneurs and why quitting might be the best thing they could do for their careers.    Quotes “It was just a real sign of the personal toll—and not just even on the founders, but on their family, on their friends, on their colleagues—just another reminder that building startups is really tough.”  (4:48 | Amy Lewin)  “Whenever we publish stories about that personal side of company building at Sifted, we get the most amazing response. People love knowing that they’re not the only ones. And I think sometimes, startup culture is so much that you’ve got to be optimistic. You’ve got to believe that your company can be the one in 100 that’s going to really make it. You hear from so many people that your idea is never going to work and you have to believe in it yourself and I think when times are really hard it can be difficult for people to know who they can speak to about it.” (6:27 | Amy Lewin)  “That attitude that’s going to be out there from some corners that if you are struggling in any way then you are weak and that you’re not in it for the long term, which I obviously don’t believe, but is obviously what some people still think.”  (13:04 | Amy Lewin) “Encourage founders to go on holiday. Encourage them to have a personal life. These things are important. We all need to recharge our batteries and ‘visionaries do,’ too. There’s that famous saying that comes from the VC world: “I’ve never seen a company go bust because the founder took a week off, but I have seen plenty of companies go bust because the founder didn’t.’”  (18:26 | Amy Lewin and Alex Raymond)   Links Connect with Amy Lewin: https://sifted.eu/articles/founder-mental-health-2024   Connect with Alex Raymond: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/afraymond/ Website: https://consciousentrepreneur.us/ HiveCast.fm is a proud sponsor of The Conscious Entrepreneur Podcast. Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Traditional leadership models tend to choose between kindness and clarity. Zen teacher and executive coach Marc Lesser argues that’s a false dichotomy.   In this episode, Sarah sits down with Marc to unpack the concept of compassionate accountability — or in Marc’s preferred language, alignment with caring. It’s the core of modern Entrepreneurship and Business leadership: setting clear expectations while staying deeply connected to the humans you work with. Instead of defaulting to micromanagement or passivity, leaders can choose high standards and high trust at the same time, the key to building high performing teams without sacrificing wellbeing.   Marc shares why psychological safety isn’t just a cultural ideal, it’s a metric that correlates directly with business performance. Referencing Google’s Project Aristotle, he explains how teams perform better when leaders normalize mistakes, invite real feedback, and resist the urge to appear infallible. A strong team culture isn’t born from rigid systems or motivational slogans, it comes from leaders modeling vulnerability and follow-through. If you’ve ever wondered how to hold people accountable with compassion, this episode is your roadmap.   Episode Breakdown: 00:00 Marc Lesser & Compassionate Accountability 02:51 What Compassionate Accountability Looks Like in Leadership 07:19 Misconceptions About Accountability and Compassion 13:14 Vulnerability as a Leadership Strategy 15:02 Google’s Psychological Safety Study & Business Impact 20:01 Emotional Intelligence and Business Performance 24:51 Turning Breakdowns Into Breakthroughs 29:21 How to Hold People Accountable With Compassion 32:05 Leadership Lessons From the Zen Monastery Kitchen 34:06 Prioritizing Joy and Humanity in High-Performing Teams 36:21 Daily Habits to Build Clarity and Trust   Connect with Marc Lesser: Visit Marc’s website   Connect with Sarah Lockwood: Visit HiveCast Connect with Sarah on LinkedIn   Connect with The Conscious Entrepreneur: The Conscious Entrepreneur website  Follow The Conscious Entrepreneur on LinkedIn Follow The Conscious Entrepreneur on Instagram  Subscribe to The Conscious Entrepreneur on YouTube   HiveCast.fm is a proud sponsor of The Conscious Entrepreneur Podcast. Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm