Forward Obsessed

Hosted by Pete Sena and David Salinas

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Jan 2026

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About the show

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 and join us in becoming Forward Obsessed, and be sure to watch all the full video episodes on Youtube.

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5 recent

January 29, 2026Episode 651 hr 2 min

Melissa Cash: Designing Pok Pok & the Digital Playroom Revolution // 65

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/melissacash/ 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

September 25, 2025Episode 6451 min

Katelyn Bourgoin: Why Buyer Psychology Is the Real Growth Hack // 64

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 Bourgoin LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kbourgoin Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/KateBour Why We Buy: https://www.learnwhywebuy.com Unignorable: https://www.beunignorable.com Nudge Podcast (hosted by collaborator Phil Agnew): https://www.nudgepodcast.com 📕 Chapters 00:00 – Welcome to Forward Obsessed with Katelyn Bourgoin 03:05 – The English major who found her way to marketing 06:42 – How startup failure led to radical transparency 11:18 – Going viral by owning her story 15:10 – Building “Why We Buy” and discovering buyer psychology 18:47 – Lessons from working with early-stage startups 23:20 – Why founders often don’t understand their customers 27:14 – Wallet Opening Words and the psychology of conversion 32:02 – The myth of “don’t sell time for dollars” 36:40 – Being a solo founder: freedom vs. pressure 40:22 – AI, creativity, and the 80/20 rule 44:33 – What makes messaging unignorable 49:12 – Scaling Unignorable: helping founders amplify bold ideas 52:17 – Final advice for creators and founders 🔗 Other Links & Resources: Alchemy by Rory Sutherland https://www.amazon.com/dp/0062388412 Pre-Suasion by Robert Cialdini https://www.amazon.com/dp/1501109804 Contagious: Why Things Catch On by Jonah Berger https://www.amazon.com/dp/1451686587 Influence by Robert Cialdini https://www.amazon.com/dp/006124189X Nudge by Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein https://www.amazon.com/dp/014311526X 🔴 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 #buyerpsychology #founderstory

April 3, 2025Episode 631 hr 7 min

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

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

March 7, 2025Episode 621 hr 25 min

Sean Busch: Lessons from Bootstrapping to Big-Box Retail // #62

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/seantbusch Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stb416/ Dad Mode: https://godadmode.com/ Puracy: https://puracy.com/ Chapters 00:00 - A First for Forward Obsessed 03:15 - Sean’s Early Hustles & Entrepreneurial Roots 10:45 - From Car Detailing to Medical Sales 18:30 - The Leap Into E-Commerce & Building Puracy 25:50 - Cracking the Amazon Playbook 32:15 - Scaling to Retail: The Target & Walmart Challenge 40:05 - Surviving Cash Flow Nightmares 48:20 - The Emotional Toll of Entrepreneurship 55:10 - The Exit: Selling Puracy 1:02:30 - Lessons Learned & Advice for Founders 1:10:00 - Sean’s Next Venture: Dad Mode 🔗 Other Links & Resources The Honest Company by Jessica Alba (Book): https://www.amazon.com/dp/1609619110 The Lean Startup by Eric Ries (Book): https://www.amazon.com/dp/0307887898 Amazon FBA: https://sell.amazon.com/fulfillment-by-amazon Singer Automotive: https://singervehicledesign.com/ Seven Generation (CPG): https://www.seventhgeneration.com/ 🔴 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/ #entrepreneurship #startups #businessgrowth

February 4, 2025Episode 611 hr 43 min

Mike Lloyd: Building Resilience, Distribution, and Cyber Insurance Innovation // #61

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 Lloyd LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikelloyd Twitter: https://twitter.com/MikeLloyd Corvus Insurance: https://www.corvusinsurance.com Chapters: 00:00 - Introduction to Mike Lloyd 04:10 - Small-Town Beginnings: Burned CDs & the Hacker Spirit 08:45 - Learning Early Business Lessons 13:00 - From Soccer Dreams to VMI and MIT 19:30 - Why Engineering Shapes Problem-Solvers 24:15 - The Shift from Academia to Startups 29:00 - First-Time Founder Failures and Hard Lessons 35:20 - Obsessing Over Distribution: A Game-Changer 39:40 - Building Corvus Insurance with Phil Edmondson 44:15 - The Role of Brokers in Insurance Distribution 50:00 - Finding Product-Market Fit in Cyber Insurance 55:30 - COVID as a Catalyst for Cyber Insurance Growth 01:03:15 - Bitcoin’s Role in Cybersecurity’s Evolution 01:08:20 - Fundraising Tips for Entrepreneurs 01:14:45 - Partnering with Travelers: A Behind-the-Scenes Look 01:22:30 - Lessons in Failure, Resilience, and Letting Go 01:30:00 - Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs and Parents 🔗 Other Links & Resources: Crossing the Chasm by Geoffrey A. Moore: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0062292986 The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0062273205 Measure What Matters by John Doerr: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0525536221 🔴 Support & Connect Forward Obsessed Website: www.forwardobsessed.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/forwardobsessed/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@forwardobsessed LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/forward-obsessed/ #entrepreneurship #startups #forwardobsessed