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Forward Obsessed

Forward Obsessed

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 Get into the minds of breakthrough business leaders and entrepreneurs to explore their unique stories and ideas for the future. From devastating pitfalls to life-changing aha moments, hosts and serial entrepreneurs themselves Pete Sena and David Salinas push interviews past the surface for an in-depth, insightful glimpse at the future of business and brands. Take your seat at the table to hear guests recount their failures, re-live their midnight planning sessions, share their hopes & passions, and explain what’s next for their business, industry, and the world. Subscribe now!Forward Obsessed Ökonomie
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  • Melissa Cash: Designing Pok Pok & the Digital Playroom Revolution // Forward Obsessed // 65

    Melissa Cash: Designing Pok Pok & the Digital Playroom Revolution // Forward Obsessed // 65
    Jan 29 2026

    Melissa Cash isn’t just reshaping children’s screen time—she’s redefining the future of learning and creativity. In this deeply insightful episode, Melissa, the co-founder and CEO of Pok Pok, shares how her own childhood learning struggles inspired a lifelong pursuit to create playful, purposeful, and non-addictive digital experiences for kids. From her early days at Disney designing for one of the world’s most beloved brands to raising a $3 million seed round while nine months pregnant, Melissa's story is one of vision, grit, and mission-driven leadership.


    Pete and Melissa dive deep into topics like the psychology of screen time, the balance between play and learning, and how thoughtful design can nurture a child’s imagination instead of draining it. You’ll also hear how Pok Pok is turning heads in tech by intentionally avoiding addictive features, and why the company is betting on creativity over clicks. This conversation is a must-listen for entrepreneurs, parents, and anyone curious about building a business that puts human development at the center.


    🔎 Find Out More About Melissa Cash

    https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissa-cash/

    https://www.playpokpok.com

    https://www.instagram.com/playpokpok/


    📚 Chapters

    00:00 - Introduction to Melissa Cash

    01:28 - The Childhood Moment That Shaped Her Learning Philosophy

    06:26 - From Arts High School to Designing Baby Products at Disney

    09:05 - What Disney Taught Her About Brand, Play, and Creativity

    14:00 - Why Pok Pok Rejects Addictive Design for Kids

    21:46 - The Unlikely Origin Story of Pok Pok

    25:58 - Defining the Digital Playroom

    36:03 - Fundraising While Nine Months Pregnant

    44:16 - Getting Women on the Cap Table: The Hard Road

    46:18 - Reinventing Company Culture with Black Box Day

    57:00 - The 10-Year Vision for Pok Pok


    🔗 Other Links & Resources:


    The Power of Play by David Elkind - https://a.co/d/hwrjIhh

    The Courage to Be Disliked - https://www.amazon.com/dp/1501197274

    Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas - https://www.amazon.com/dp/1619630346


    🔴 Support & Connect


    Forward Obsessed Website: www.forwardobsessed.com

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/forwardobsessed/

    TikTok: https://www.instagram.com/forwardobsessed/

    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/forward-obsessed/


    #founderstory #femaleentrepreneur #pokpok
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    1 Std. und 3 Min.
  • Katelyn Bourgoin: Why Buyer Psychology Is the Real Growth Hack // 64

    Katelyn Bourgoin: Why Buyer Psychology Is the Real Growth Hack // 64
    Sep 25 2025
    What happens when your dream startup fails, you lose everything—including other people’s money—and you still choose to build again?In this episode of Forward Obsessed, host Pete Sena sits down with Katelyn Bourgoin, the founder of Why We Buy and Unignorable, to talk about her incredible journey—from PR school to startup bankruptcy to becoming one of the internet’s most trusted voices on buyer psychology. This is an unfiltered conversation about the emotional toll of failure, the power of transparency, and how Katelyn rebuilt her business and personal brand into a seven-figure media company—one smart insight at a time.You’ll learn why most startups get customer research wrong, how to write messaging that actually converts, and why AI is both a gift and a threat to creatives. Plus, Katelyn shares how she turned her pain into purpose and found her niche by helping others sell with empathy and science.If you’re a founder, creator, marketer—or just someone trying to figure out what’s next—this episode will give you the clarity, courage, and tools to move forward.🔎 Find Out More About Katelyn BourgoinLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kbourgoinTwitter/X: https://twitter.com/KateBourWhy We Buy: https://www.learnwhywebuy.comUnignorable: https://www.beunignorable.comNudge Podcast (hosted by collaborator Phil Agnew): https://www.nudgepodcast.com📕 Chapters00:00 – Welcome to Forward Obsessed with Katelyn Bourgoin03:05 – The English major who found her way to marketing06:42 – How startup failure led to radical transparency11:18 – Going viral by owning her story15:10 – Building “Why We Buy” and discovering buyer psychology18:47 – Lessons from working with early-stage startups23:20 – Why founders often don’t understand their customers27:14 – Wallet Opening Words and the psychology of conversion32:02 – The myth of “don’t sell time for dollars”36:40 – Being a solo founder: freedom vs. pressure40:22 – AI, creativity, and the 80/20 rule44:33 – What makes messaging unignorable49:12 – Scaling Unignorable: helping founders amplify bold ideas52:17 – Final advice for creators and founders🔗 Other Links & Resources:Alchemy by Rory Sutherland https://www.amazon.com/dp/0062388412Pre-Suasion by Robert Cialdini https://www.amazon.com/dp/1501109804Contagious: Why Things Catch On by Jonah Berger https://www.amazon.com/dp/1451686587Influence by Robert Cialdini https://www.amazon.com/dp/006124189XNudge by Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein https://www.amazon.com/dp/014311526X🔴 Support & ConnectForward Obsessed Website: www.forwardobsessed.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/forwardobsessed/TikTok: https://www.instagram.com/forwardobsessed/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/forward-obsessed/#ai #buyerpsychology #founderstory
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    52 Min.
  • Tanay Kothari: Building the Next Generation of Personal AI // #63

    Tanay Kothari: Building the Next Generation of Personal AI // #63
    Apr 3 2025

    What if your voice could replace your keyboard—and be smarter than Siri ever dreamed of? Meet Tanay Kothari, the CEO and co-founder of Wispr Flow, a voice-first AI company redefining how we interact with technology. From teaching himself to code at age nine to building and selling a company fresh out of Stanford, Tanay’s journey is a masterclass in entrepreneurial obsession, resilience, and product-driven thinking.


    In this episode, Tanay shares how his childhood dream of building Jarvis (yes, Iron Man’s assistant) led him to develop one of the most exciting voice AI tools today. We dive into the difference between good engineering and great design, why most voice assistants fail, and what it really takes to lead teams and raise capital in Silicon Valley. If you're into startups, AI, or just love hearing from product-obsessed founders, this one's a must-listen.


    ✨ Listeners of Forward Obsessed can sign up for 1 FREE month of Flow:

    https://ref.flowvoice.ai/pete


    🔎 Find Out More About Tanay Kothari and Wispr Flow:


    https://x.com/tankots

    https://www.linkedin.com/in/tankots/

    https://ref.wisprflow.ai/fopod

    https://www.linkedin.com/company/wisprflow

    https://x.com/WisprFlow


    Chapters:


    00:00 – Introduction to Tanay Kothari

    04:17 - Entrepreneurial Roots: Tanay’s Parents and Early Hustles

    08:00 - Simples Inc: A 12-Year-Old Builds His First Company

    10:10 - Going Viral with Convert.cc and Google’s Cease & Desist

    18:39 - Journey to Stanford and Embracing Silicon Valley

    25:06 - Learning to Lead: From Engineer to Team Manager

    33:22 - The Hardest Part of Scaling: Managing People

    38:12 - Deep Values Alignment: Early Co-Founder Conversations

    45:36 - What Makes Wispr Flow Different from Every Other Voice Tool

    50:45 - How Wispr Flow Fixes Transcription Accuracy

    54:57 - Product Hunt Success: Tips for a Top Launch

    59:47 - The Future of Voice Interfaces and Contextual AI


    🔗 Other Links & Resources:


    The One Minute Manager by Ken Blanchard: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0062367544

    The Design of Everyday Things by Don Norman: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0465050654

    Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0553208845

    DISC Leadership Framework: https://www.discprofile.com/what-is-disc


    🔴 Support & Connect


    Forward Obsessed Website: www.forwardobsessed.com

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/forwardobsessed/

    TikTok: https://www.instagram.com/forwardobsessed/

    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/forward-obsessed/


    #ai #entrepreneurship #founderstory
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    1 Std. und 8 Min.
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