Forward Obsessed

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 Cashhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/melissacash/https://www.playpokpok.comhttps://www.instagram.com/playpokpok/📚 Chapters00:00 - Introduction to Melissa Cash01:28 - The Childhood Moment That Shaped Her Learning Philosophy06:26 - From Arts High School to Designing Baby Products at Disney09:05 - What Disney Taught Her About Brand, Play, and Creativity14:00 - Why Pok Pok Rejects Addictive Design for Kids21:46 - The Unlikely Origin Story of Pok Pok25:58 - Defining the Digital Playroom36:03 - Fundraising While Nine Months Pregnant44:16 - Getting Women on the Cap Table: The Hard Road46:18 - Reinventing Company Culture with Black Box Day57:00 - The 10-Year Vision for Pok Pok🔗 Other Links & Resources:The Power of Play by David Elkind - https://a.co/d/hwrjIhhThe Courage to Be Disliked - https://www.amazon.com/dp/1501197274Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas - https://www.amazon.com/dp/1619630346🔴 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/#founderstory #femaleentrepreneur #pokpok

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 📕 Chapters 00:00 – 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

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/tankotshttps://www.linkedin.com/in/tankots/https://ref.wisprflow.ai/fopod https://www.linkedin.com/company/wisprflowhttps://x.com/WisprFlow   Chapters: 00:00 – Introduction to Tanay Kothari04:17 - Entrepreneurial Roots: Tanay’s Parents and Early Hustles08:00 - Simples Inc: A 12-Year-Old Builds His First Company10:10 - Going Viral with Convert.cc and Google’s Cease & Desist18:39 - Journey to Stanford and Embracing Silicon Valley25:06 - Learning to Lead: From Engineer to Team Manager33:22 - The Hardest Part of Scaling: Managing People38:12 - Deep Values Alignment: Early Co-Founder Conversations45:36 - What Makes Wispr Flow Different from Every Other Voice Tool50:45 - How Wispr Flow Fixes Transcription Accuracy54:57 - Product Hunt Success: Tips for a Top Launch59:47 - The Future of Voice Interfaces and Contextual AI    🔗 Other Links & Resources: The One Minute Manager by Ken Blanchard: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0062367544The Design of Everyday Things by Don Norman: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0465050654Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0553208845DISC Leadership Framework: https://www.discprofile.com/what-is-disc   🔴 Support & Connect   Forward 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 #entrepreneurship #founderstory

What does it take to scale a business from a $20,000 launch to over $100 million in revenue? In this episode of Forward Obsessed, entrepreneur Sean Busch takes us through his incredible journey—from a small-town kid flipping car parts in high school to founding and selling the household cleaning brand Puracy. Along the way, Sean shares how he leveraged Amazon’s early days, built a direct-to-consumer powerhouse, and navigated the challenges of big-box retail.   Sean opens up about the highs and lows of entrepreneurship, including the moment he was fired just before Christmas, the brutal cash-flow struggles of expanding into Target and Walmart, and the pivotal decision to exit his company. He also shares key lessons on craftsmanship vs. commerce, the importance of customer obsession, and why having the right CFO can make or break your business. Now, with his newest venture, Dad Mode, Sean is applying everything he learned to build another game-changing brand. Whether you're a founder, a business leader, or just someone fascinated by the journey of building something from the ground up, this conversation is packed with invaluable insights.   🔎 Find Out More About Sean Busch LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/seantbuschInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/stb416/Dad Mode: https://godadmode.com/Puracy: https://puracy.com/   Chapters 00:00 - A First for Forward Obsessed03:15 - Sean’s Early Hustles & Entrepreneurial Roots10:45 - From Car Detailing to Medical Sales18:30 - The Leap Into E-Commerce & Building Puracy25:50 - Cracking the Amazon Playbook32:15 - Scaling to Retail: The Target & Walmart Challenge40:05 - Surviving Cash Flow Nightmares48:20 - The Emotional Toll of Entrepreneurship55:10 - The Exit: Selling Puracy1:02:30 - Lessons Learned & Advice for Founders1:10:00 - Sean’s Next Venture: Dad Mode   🔗 Other Links & Resources The Honest Company by Jessica Alba (Book): https://www.amazon.com/dp/1609619110The Lean Startup by Eric Ries (Book): https://www.amazon.com/dp/0307887898Amazon FBA: https://sell.amazon.com/fulfillment-by-amazonSinger Automotive: https://singervehicledesign.com/Seven Generation (CPG): https://www.seventhgeneration.com/   🔴 Support & Connect Forward Obsessed Website: www.forwardobsessed.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/forwardobsessed/TikTok: https://www.instagram.com/forwardobsessed/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/forward-obsessed/   #entrepreneurship #startups #businessgrowth

Mike Lloyd’s entrepreneurial story began with a simple childhood side hustle—burning CDs for friends in his small Michigan hometown. That spark of ingenuity set him on a journey from studying at MIT and Harvard to launching and scaling companies that reshaped industries. In this episode of Forward Obsessed, Mike delves into the pivotal moments that defined his path, sharing the highs and lows of his journey. He opens up about the painful lessons learned from his first failed startup and how he transformed those experiences into a winning formula for success. Mike reveals the critical importance of mastering distribution, his obsession with solving meaningful problems, and how COVID and Bitcoin propelled his cyber insurance company to the forefront of the industry. Whether you’re an aspiring entrepreneur or simply love a compelling story of resilience and growth, this conversation is full of inspiration and actionable wisdom. 🔎 Find Out More About Mike LloydLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikelloydTwitter: https://twitter.com/MikeLloydCorvus Insurance: https://www.corvusinsurance.com Chapters:00:00 - Introduction to Mike Lloyd04:10 - Small-Town Beginnings: Burned CDs & the Hacker Spirit08:45 - Learning Early Business Lessons13:00 - From Soccer Dreams to VMI and MIT19:30 - Why Engineering Shapes Problem-Solvers24:15 - The Shift from Academia to Startups29:00 - First-Time Founder Failures and Hard Lessons35:20 - Obsessing Over Distribution: A Game-Changer39:40 - Building Corvus Insurance with Phil Edmondson44:15 - The Role of Brokers in Insurance Distribution50:00 - Finding Product-Market Fit in Cyber Insurance55:30 - COVID as a Catalyst for Cyber Insurance Growth01:03:15 - Bitcoin’s Role in Cybersecurity’s Evolution01:08:20 - Fundraising Tips for Entrepreneurs01:14:45 - Partnering with Travelers: A Behind-the-Scenes Look01:22:30 - Lessons in Failure, Resilience, and Letting Go01:30:00 - Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs and Parents 🔗 Other Links & Resources: Crossing the Chasm by Geoffrey A. Moore: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0062292986The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0062273205Measure What Matters by John Doerr: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0525536221 🔴 Support & ConnectForward Obsessed Website: www.forwardobsessed.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/forwardobsessed/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@forwardobsessedLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/forward-obsessed/ #entrepreneurship #startups #forwardobsessed