Founders lose great people in the day-to-day moments where pressure overrides self-awareness, feedback gets ignored, and defensiveness replaces trust.

In this episode of Founder Talk, Alex Sheridan sits down with Farah Harris to unpack why emotional intelligence is one of the most underrated skills in business and why it matters more as teams grow.

Farah Harris is an emotional intelligence expert, licensed therapist, founder of WorkingWellDaily, and the bestselling author of The Color of Emotional Intelligence. Together, they break down what EQ actually means and explore a core founder challenge: how do you lead well under pressure when your reactions, habits, and blind spots are shaping the culture around you?

00:00:00 Introduction

00:01:24 What does emotional intelligence actually mean for founders?

Answer: EQ is not being calm all the time; it is understanding emotions in yourself and others and staying regulated under pressure.

00:02:45 How can founders become more self-aware?

Answer: Farah says self-awareness grows through repeated check-ins by noticing what you feel, where it shows up in your body, and what that data may be telling you.

00:07:13 Why do high-performing founders fall into numbing habits after work?

Answer: Habits like drinking, scrolling, or overworking can become avoidance patterns when leaders use them to escape emotions instead of processing them.

00:18:39 How can a founder know whether they are actually self-aware?

Answer: Farah argues that self-awareness without feedback is incomplete, so leaders need honest input from others to know how they are really landing.

00:20:17 How do you get honest feedback from a team when you are the boss?

Answer: It starts with psychological safety, consistent feedback culture, and a calm response when people say something uncomfortable.

00:28:39 What should founders do when they disagree with feedback?

Answer: Focus on impact over intent, add context where needed, and use better communication to close the gap between what was meant and what was felt.

00:46:00 Why do employees resist change, new systems, or AI tools at work?

Answer: Resistance is often a fear response, and leaders reduce it by explaining the why, lowering uncertainty, and helping people feel supported through change.

00:58:10 What is one practical way founders can improve EQ today?

Answer: Start by asking, “How am I feeling right now?” a few times each day and make feedback a normal part of team culture.

Watch the full episode for a no-fluff conversation on emotional intelligence, founder lessons, leadership blind spots, and building a healthier team culture.

🔗 CONNECT WITH Farah

Website: https://workingwelldaily.com/

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/farahharrislcpc

Check out The Color of Emotional Intelligence here: https://workingwelldaily.com/books/

If you are a B2B company that wants to build your own in-house content team instead of outsourcing your content to a marketing agency, we may be a fit for you! Everything you see in our podcast and content is a result of a scrappy, nimble, internal content team along with an AI-powered content systems and process. Check out pricing and services here: ⁠https://impaxs.com⁠

If you want to start a podcast that helps you win clients and become the go-to brand in your industry, Podcast Builders can help! https://podcastbuilders.com/

Podcast Builders is a podcast production and strategy company based in St. Charles, Illinois that helps founder-led B2B companies build revenue-generating podcasts. The company provides podcast strategy, studio production, editing, and distribution services for businesses across the western Chicago suburbs including St Charles, Geneva, Batavia, Naperville, Aurora, Wheaton, Glen Ellyn, Elgin, and more.

Head to our website to stream every episode on your favorite platform, join the Founder Talk community, and submit questions for future guests–all in one place: https://foundertalkpodcast.com/

Purpose is easy to talk about. Building a company around it is much harder.

In this episode of Founder Talk, Alex Sheridan sits down with Brian Floriani, founder of Bernie’s Book Bank and BUKU Branded, for a conversation about what happens when a founder stops chasing surface-level success and starts building from conviction.

For founders and operators, this is a practical conversation about purpose, sacrifice, money, and leadership. Alex and Brian unpack how service shapes decision-making, why mission matters when business gets hard, and what founders should ask themselves if they feel stuck on the hamster wheel of growth.

00:00:00 Introduction

Answer: Alex introduces Brian and sets up a conversation about relationships, community, technology, and what success should actually mean for founders.

00:08:00 How can a company give away 100% of net profits and still work as a real business?

Answer: Brian explains that the company pays salaries, taxes, and operating costs first, then gives the remaining profit to literacy as part of the model.

00:16:12 How did Brian Floriani find his purpose as a founder?

Answer: After personal loss and time working in an under-resourced school, he saw literacy inequity up close and built Bernie’s Book Bank in response.

00:19:00 What should founders do if they have not found their purpose yet?

Answer: Brian says they need to actively seek ways to serve others because purpose becomes clearer through action, perspective, and service.

00:24:20 What questions should burned-out founders ask themselves?

Answer: He says founders need to ask what they are building for, why they want it, and whether the collateral damage is worth it.

00:37:00 How should founders think about brand versus marketing?

Answer: Brian defines brand as the feeling people get from a company and says strong brands match that feeling with consistent actions.

00:44:10 What actually builds strong client relationships in a B2B business?

Answer: Trust is built through authenticity, vulnerability, humility, and genuine curiosity without an agenda.

00:47:20 Why should some founders stop trying to be the CEO?

Answer: Brian explains that real scale comes from knowing where you create the most value and letting stronger operators lead where needed.

Watch the full episode for an authentic founder interview on purpose-driven leadership, startup growth, B2B branding, and building a business that means something. Subscribe to Founder Talk by Alex Sheridan for more founder conversations grounded in real decisions, not recycled advice.

🔗 CONNECT WITH Brian

Websites: https://www.berniesbookbank.org/

https://bukubranded.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianfloriani/

If you are a B2B company that wants to build your own in-house content team instead of outsourcing your content to a marketing agency, we may be a fit for you! Everything you see in our podcast and content is a result of a scrappy, nimble, internal content team along with an AI-powered content systems and process. Check out pricing and services here: ⁠https://impaxs.com⁠

If you want to start a podcast that helps you win clients and become the go-to brand in your industry, Podcast Builders can help! https://podcastbuilders.com/

Podcast Builders is a podcast production and strategy company based in St. Charles, Illinois that helps founder-led B2B companies build revenue-generating podcasts. The company provides podcast strategy, studio production, editing, and distribution services for businesses across the western Chicago suburbs including St Charles, Geneva, Batavia, Naperville, Aurora, Wheaton, Glen Ellyn, Elgin, and more.

Head to our website to stream every episode on your favorite platform, join the Founder Talk community, and submit questions for future guests–all in one place: https://foundertalkpodcast.com/

Scaling usually does not break because of the strategy first. It breaks because the people side of the business cannot support the next stage of growth.

In this episode of Founder Talk, Alex Sheridan sits down with Lindsay Dagiantis, founder of blueprintHR, to unpack what founders miss when they wait too long to build real people systems.

Lindsay is a Chicago-based fractional HR leader who helps growing companies build the structure, clarity, and senior-level perspective needed to scale, and this is a practical conversation for founders and operators trying to grow without creating chaos.

Alex and Lindsay get into the work behind scaling a business: leading with more honesty, building trust, auditing meetings, knowing when HR becomes a real business need, and handling performance issues before they become expensive problems.

Key Takeaways:

00:00:00 Introduction

00:01:10 Why should founders stop using autopilot greetings with the team?Answer: Lindsay explains that leaders build trust when they acknowledge reality instead of pretending everything is normal.

00:09:29 How can founders get better at small talk that actually builds relationships?Answer: Better conversations start with curiosity, context, and listening, not scripted check-ins.

00:15:00 Should founders rethink early Monday morning meetings?Answer: Yes; leaders should question recurring meetings, audit calendars, and stop creating stress for the sake of routine.

00:23:00 What should HR actually do in a growing company?Answer: HR should connect people, operations, compliance, and business goals across the full employee journey.

00:27:39 When does a 15 to 25-person company need real HR systems?Answer: Usually before the founder thinks it does, especially once hiring, promotions, and compliance start creating friction.

00:37:33 How should founders handle an underperforming employee before jumping to a PIP?Answer: Start with a direct human conversation, ask what is going on, and look for the real issue first.

00:53:35 What is one of the highest-ROI things a leader can do for retention and performance?Answer: Give specific recognition early and often, because thoughtful feedback from leadership carries real weight.

Watch the full episode for a grounded conversation on scaling a business, people systems, and the management decisions that shape culture long before they show up on a dashboard. Subscribe for more authentic founder interviews and no-fluff startup podcast conversations.

🔗 CONNECT WITH Lindsay

Website: https://www.blueprinthr.co/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindsayharrisondagiantis/

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

If you are a B2B company that wants to build your own in-house content team instead of outsourcing your content to a marketing agency, we may be a fit for you! Everything you see in our podcast and content is a result of a scrappy, nimble, internal content team along with an AI-powered content systems and process. Check out pricing and services here: ⁠https://impaxs.com⁠

If you want to start a podcast that helps you win clients and become the go-to brand in your industry, Podcast Builders can help! https://podcastbuilders.com/

Podcast Builders is a podcast production and strategy company based in St. Charles, Illinois that helps founder-led B2B companies build revenue-generating podcasts. The company provides podcast strategy, studio production, editing, and distribution services for businesses across the western Chicago suburbs including St Charles, Geneva, Batavia, Naperville, Aurora, Wheaton, Glen Ellyn, Elgin, and more.

Head to our website to stream every episode on your favorite platform, join the Founder Talk community, and submit questions for future guests–all in one place: https://foundertalkpodcast.com/