Venture Capital Investor at Mundi Ventures

Industrial Engineer turned tech early stage investor and builder of a media company.

I’ve worked as a VC backing early and late stage startups, and now invest globally at pre-seed as a business angel, helping founders with distribution and go-to-market.

I also write and run two of the leading tech newsletters for founders:

▪ The VC Corner (100k+ on Substack, 130k+ on LinkedIn):  Actionable VC insights, fundraising strategies, and curated resources
→ Ranked #4 tech newsletter globally on Substack
→ Fastest-growing tech newsletter on Substack
→ Largest Substack in any category created by a Spaniard

▪ The Founders Corner (40k+ on Substack, co-written with Chris Tottman): Real-world tips and tactics from top founders

Rubén D.

BREAKING🎉

The EU just announced it's building a European company structure, EU–INC

Ursula von der Leyen stood up at Davos today and said the EU will create "a new truly European company structure. We call it EU Inc."

This is massive.

For years, European founders have been handicapped by fragmented regulations across 27 countries. Different tax rules, different labor laws, different compliance requirements.

It's why so many European startups incorporate in Delaware instead of Brussels.

EU Inc would change that. One framework, one set of rules, across the entire EU. You could start a company in Portugal and scale to Germany without navigating 27 different legal systems.

Europe desperately needs its founders more than founders need Europe right now. This could actually level the playing field against the US and China.

The legislative proposal is expected in March 2026, so this is still early. But the fact that it got announced at Davos means momentum is real.

If this actually happens, it could be the biggest structural change for European startups in decades.

Do you think a unified European company structure will actually make Europe more competitive for startups?

by the way, here are Startup Resources you'll love:

• 10k Investor List: https://lnkd.in/eQHXjjpP

• 20+ Financial Model Templates: https://lnkd.in/eniYg7JH

• Claude workflows, prompts and templates to make it your coworker: https://lnkd.in/ettUa_YU

• 45+ AI Decks (Eleven Labs, Artisan, etc.): https://lnkd.in/etqM3-ik

• OpenAI’s New Playbook for Product-Market Fit in AI Startups
https://lnkd.in/dy-HgVtX

• 2,500+ Angel Investors Backing AI Startups - https://lnkd.in/djjN-TD2

• 50 AI Agent Startup Ideas for 2025 - https://lnkd.in/dy9E-MCn

• Family Offices list: https://lnkd.in/e72hVhph

• How to use Lovable instead of PPT presentations - https://lnkd.in/eKfM7VRa

50 more here: https://lnkd.in/d_NvAM_9

Rubén Domínguez Ibar

Steve Jobs had a simple rule.

Only start a company if you feel pulled to do it.
The kind of pull that keeps coming back, even when it gets hard and inconvenient.

PS. this is OpenAI's early stage deck: https://lnkd.in/e5bVD5XT

A startup gives you no map and no guarantees.
You build something that does not exist, make decisions with partial information, and watch plans break in real time.

The upside is not money or fame.
The upside is putting something real into the world that would not exist without you.

If the urge is strong, you already know.
If it is not, there are better ways to spend your life.

Do you think obsession is required to build great companies, or can discipline replace it?

by the way, here are AI RESOURCES you'll love:

• Claude workflows, prompts and templates to make it your coworker: https://lnkd.in/ettUa_YU

• 45+ AI Decks (Eleven Labs, Artisan, etc.): https://lnkd.in/etqM3-ik

• OpenAI’s New Playbook for Product-Market Fit in AI Startups
https://lnkd.in/dy-HgVtX

• 2,500+ Angel Investors Backing AI Startups - https://lnkd.in/djjN-TD2

• 50 AI Agent Startup Ideas for 2025 - https://lnkd.in/dy9E-MCn

• AI Co-Pilots for Startups & VCs - https://lnkd.in/dSX3ss2q

• 118 AI Communication Agent Use Cases - https://lnkd.in/dr9cM5BT

The UK just had a BREAKOUT YEAR that deserves more attention 🇬🇧

15 new unicorns minted in 2025.
That’s more than 2023 and 2024 combined.

A few things stand out when you zoom out:

• $24B invested into UK tech in a single year, a sharp jump from 2024

• Unicorn creation is spreading beyond fintech into AI, energy, hardware, and deep tech

• Founders are building globally relevant companies from day one, not local winners hoping to expand later

Some of the new unicorns: Fuse Energy, Cleo, Nothing, MUBI, Nscale, PhysicsX, Tide

The timing matters too.

This was also the year Jensen Huang announced a £2B commitment to the UK AI ecosystem, with NVIDIA backing companies like Synthesia, Wayve, PolyAI, Oxa, and Revolut.

The old narrative was that Europe struggles to produce breakout scale.

The new reality looks more like this: when capital, talent, and ambition line up, the UK compounds fast

Join 100,000+ founders and startup operators who receive insights and resources: https://lnkd.in/dScY_5k3 💥

Credit to Seb Johnson 📊🇪🇺 for pulling the data together

I'm sharing 12 FINANCIAL MODELS most founders pay consultants to build

If your startup's numbers feel scattered, this pulls them together:

1️⃣ VC Valuation Framework https://lnkd.in/eg3rPUxY

2️⃣ Cash Runway Model https://lnkd.in/e3v39cWx

3️⃣ Financial Modeling Examples https://lnkd.in/ei9jWrdv

4️⃣ SaaS Cohort Analysis https://lnkd.in/eCtc_hvd

5️⃣ SAFE Note Dilution https://lnkd.in/envpm2Yf

6️⃣ SaaS Financial Model https://lnkd.in/eNAuw5Nm

7️⃣ Pricing Strategy https://lnkd.in/euq59E9B

8️⃣ Headcount Planning https://lnkd.in/ebAnZYVE

9️⃣ CLTV vs CAC https://lnkd.in/eguW_Jfz

🔟 DCF Valuation https://lnkd.in/eKjSAKzE

1️⃣1️⃣ Startup MIS https://lnkd.in/eWf63rXp

1️⃣2️⃣ Stock Options Calculator https://lnkd.in/enCAR3iy

more Resources (decks, investor lists) here: https://lnkd.in/dxWsxKZU

This is WILD

A single prompt went viral because it flips ChatGPT from “friendly assistant” to something much closer to how sharp operators, investors, and engineers actually think

The idea behind it is simple but powerful:
stop optimizing for vibes, start optimizing for thinking

Here’s the prompt people are copy-pasting 👇

---

System Instruction: Absolute Mode

• Remove emojis, filler, hype, and soft transitions
• Assume the user can handle blunt, high-signal responses
• Prioritize clarity and directive phrasing over tone
• Disable engagement and sentiment optimization
• Suppress emotional softening and continuation bias
• Speak only to the underlying cognitive layer
• No questions, no suggestions, no motivational framing
• End immediately after delivering the information
• Goal: restore independent, high-fidelity thinking

---

The moment you strip away the assistant voice, the output suddenly feels closer to how smart humans actually reason.

Try it once and you’ll see why it spread so fast 🫡

more AI Resources you might find helpful:

• OpenAI’s New Playbook for Product-Market Fit in AI Startups
https://lnkd.in/dy-HgVtX

• 2,500+ Angel Investors Backing AI Startups - https://lnkd.in/djjN-TD2

• 50 AI Agent Startup Ideas for 2025 - https://lnkd.in/dy9E-MCn

• AI Co-Pilots for Startups & VCs - https://lnkd.in/dSX3ss2q

• The Agentic Revolution - https://lnkd.in/dadFm25a

• 118 AI Communication Agent Use Cases - https://lnkd.in/dr9cM5BT

😳 BREAKING: McKinsey just redefined “headcount.”
40,000 humans. 25,000 AI agents.

What changed fast:

▫️ 18 months ago: a few thousand agents
▫️ Today: 25,000 agents running autonomously
▫️ Next: one agent per consultant, minimum

~40% of McKinsey’s work now flows through its AI division.
▫️ They want people who can switch between consultant and engineer
▫️ Strategy and building collapse into one role
▫️ Leverage comes from orchestration, not headcount

And the business model moved with it:

Hourly fees → OUTCOME guarantees

If BCG has consultants coding on-site,
and McKinsey has 25,000 agents in the field,

The consulting wars just entered a different phase.

AI Resources you might find helpful:

• OpenAI’s New Playbook for Product-Market Fit in AI Startups
https://lnkd.in/dy-HgVtX

• 2,500+ Angel Investors Backing AI Startups - https://lnkd.in/djjN-TD2

• 50 AI Agent Startup Ideas for 2025 - https://lnkd.in/dy9E-MCn

• AI Co-Pilots for Startups & VCs - https://lnkd.in/dSX3ss2q

• The Agentic Revolution - https://lnkd.in/dadFm25a

• 118 AI Communication Agent Use Cases - https://lnkd.in/dr9cM5BT

Top European universities ranked for entrepreneurs 🥇

the startup talent map is getting clearer:

The founders building the most venture-backed companies in Europe are still coming from a small set of universities, and the concentration is stronger than most people expect.

At the top of the 2025 ranking:

1️⃣ University of Cambridge leads by founder count and total companies built

2️⃣ University of Oxford follows closely with even more capital raised

3️⃣ INSEAD ranks third, despite a much smaller alumni base


What’s more interesting is the movement underneath:

Imperial College London, HEC Paris, and London Business School keep climbing

Technical universities like Technical University of Munich and Delft University of Technology are accelerating fast

Several traditional names are quietly slipping down the list

👉 schools that combine strong networks, operator culture, and proximity to capital keep producing founders at scale.

Talent is everywhere.
Founder density is not.

by the way, here are Startup Resources you'll love:

• 10k Investor List: https://lnkd.in/eQHXjjpP

• 20+ Financial Model Templates: https://lnkd.in/eniYg7JH

• Claude workflows, prompts and templates to make it your coworker: https://lnkd.in/ettUa_YU

• 45+ AI Decks (Eleven Labs, Artisan, etc.): https://lnkd.in/etqM3-ik

• OpenAI’s New Playbook for Product-Market Fit in AI Startups
https://lnkd.in/dy-HgVtX

• 2,500+ Angel Investors Backing AI Startups - https://lnkd.in/djjN-TD2

• 50 AI Agent Startup Ideas for 2025 - https://lnkd.in/dy9E-MCn

• Family Offices list: https://lnkd.in/e72hVhph

• How to use Lovable instead of PPT presentations - https://lnkd.in/eKfM7VRa

50 more here: https://lnkd.in/d_NvAM_9

Everyone is calling everything an AI agent.

That’s the problem

Most “agents” today are just: 
▫️ chatbots that answer
▫️ scripts that automate
▫️ RAG systems that fetch and reply

Useful tools.
Different things.

A real agentic system does something else entirely: it plans, decides, uses tools, updates its state, and owns an outcome.

That distinction explains why so many AI projects look impressive in demos
and quietly fail to create ROI in production.

Automation executes.
Agency decides.

Until we stop mixing those two, expectations will stay broken.

Diagram credit to Luís Rodrigues   👇

by the way, here are AI RESOURCES you'll love:

• AI Humaniser Prompt : https://lnkd.in/edrfFWGC

• how to use Lovable for Ppts: https://lnkd.in/eKfM7VRa

• Claude workflows, prompts and templates to make it your coworker: https://lnkd.in/ettUa_YU

• 45+ AI Decks (Eleven Labs, Artisan, etc.): https://lnkd.in/etqM3-ik

• OpenAI’s New Playbook for Product-Market Fit in AI Startups
https://lnkd.in/dy-HgVtX

• 2,500+ Angel Investors Backing AI Startups - https://lnkd.in/djjN-TD2

• 50 AI Agent Startup Ideas for 2025 - https://lnkd.in/dy9E-MCn

• AI Co-Pilots for Startups & VCs - https://lnkd.in/dSX3ss2q

• 118 AI Communication Agent Use Cases - https://lnkd.in/dr9cM5BT

Most people miss how the energy system actually works

The U.S. produces massive amounts of oil, yet still imports millions of barrels every day. 

That looks strange until you understand one detail: most refineries were built decades ago for a different kind of crude than the one being produced today.

Changing that setup isn’t a switch you flip. It’s years of engineering, billions in capex, and real operational risk.

So the system keeps moving the way it always has, even when the numbers seem contradictory.

Once you see how much of the world runs on legacy infrastructure, a lot of “illogical” decisions start to make sense.

Thoughts?

JUST IN: Europe produced 25 NEW UNICORNS in 2025 🦄

(PS. I just shared Revolut's ($75Bn) 1st EVER Pitch Deck: https://lnkd.in/euKuZYPz)

▫️ MUBI – global film streaming and curation
▫️ Nothing – consumer electronics with a design-first edge
▫️ Nscale – AI infrastructure for deploying and scaling models
▫️ Tide – digital banking for SMBs
▫️ PhysicsX – AI simulation for engineering and design
▫️ Aaru – enterprise AI agents
▫️ Verdiva Bio – biotech, oral GLP-1s
▫️ Isomorphic Labs – AI for drug discovery
▫️ Quantum Systems – AI-powered defense drones
▫️ Parloa – AI voice automation for enterprises
▫️ n8n – workflow automation across apps, data, and AI
▫️ Black Forest Labs – generative AI for image and video
▫️ Neko Health – preventative health
▫️ Lovable – no-code platform for AI software
▫️ Sana – enterprise knowledge and agentic copilots
▫️ Framer – AI-powered website builder
▫️ Destinus – hypersonic aircraft
▫️ poolside – AI coding assistants
▫️ TEKEVER – UAVs and defense tech
▫️ Namirial – digital trust and e-signatures
▫️ I-care Group – predictive maintenance
▫️ Diagnostyka – medical diagnostics
▫️ IQM Quantum Computers – quantum hardware
▫️ Fintech-IT Group (monobank) – digital banking

What really jumps out:

▫️ Strong infra layer
▫️ Serious deeptech density
▫️ New hubs beyond the usual capitals

Huge thanks to Luis Druschke for the data and Jeroen Westerbeek 🪐 for the map

Let's go Europe!

BREAKING: Prompting has officially leveled up

MIT just introduced a technique that turns one AI answer into a panel of experts

It’s called Recursive Meta-Cognition: 
https://lnkd.in/eWAsAARz

Instead of a single confident response, the model now:

▫️ Breaks the problem into parts
▫️ Checks answers from multiple perspectives
▫️ Scores confidence on every claim
▫️ Flags weak reasoning
▫️ Commits only when confidence is high

The result: ~110% better performance vs standard prompts.

Why this matters:

Most people get one answer and move on.
This setup forces verification, uncertainty labeling, and reflection before output.

It scales from simple to complex automatically:
▫️ Small questions → fast answers
▫️ Big decisions → full reasoning architecture

I’ve tested this kind of prompting across strategy, research, and analysis.

The difference feels immediate.

Have you tried multi-perspective or confidence-scored prompting yet?
Where would this change your workflow most?

PS. You'll love the following resources
✅𝐒𝐚𝐚𝐒 Financial Model: https://lnkd.in/dUgPHBFv
✅ 10k 𝐈𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐋𝐢𝐬𝐭: https://lnkd.in/dtQnbv4q
✅2.5k 𝐀𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐥 𝐈𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬 Backing AI & SaaS: https://lnkd.in/djjN-TD2
✅ The 𝐕𝐂 𝐌𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐝 + Excel Template: https://lnkd.in/dKi2xfnV
✅RIP SEO: the 𝐆𝐄𝐎 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 for 2025: https://lnkd.in/dKe7UQqn
✅ 100+ 𝐏𝐢𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐤𝐬 That Raised Over $2B: https://lnkd.in/dR6wVrCn
✅144 𝐅𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐎𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬 That Cut Pre-Seed Checks: https://lnkd.in/dKCjpW78

MORE here: https://lnkd.in/dxWsxKZU

Europe just quietly had one of its best startup years ever 🦄

27 NEW UNICORNS created in Europe in 2025

What jumps out from the data:

• The UK leads with 9, still Europe’s strongest density hub

• Germany follows with 5, driven by deep tech and industrial AI

• Sweden keeps punching above its weight with 4

• France and Finland add depth, not just one-offs

Europe is building companies that scale globally from day one, often in harder categories like infra, AI, climate, and industrial tech, where execution matters more than distribution hacks

The Ultimate Investor List of Lists 💸
10,000+ investors. Curated. Filterable. Ready to fund.

If you’re raising—or thinking about it—this will save you dozens of hours.

I’ve compiled the most complete list out there:
✅ VCs
✅ Family Offices
✅ Angels
✅ CVCs
✅ Accelerators

All organized by stage, geography, and industry focus.

Here’s why founders are using it:
▪️ Precision – No more cold emailing random firms
▪️ Speed – Find the right backers, faster
▪️ Reach – More investor types = more optionality

👉  https://lnkd.in/dQWhxhu6

repost so more founders can benefit

Every founder eventually runs into what Ben Horowitz calls “The Struggle.”

Not the part that shows up in pitch decks, but the long stretch where the vision you started with collides with reality and nothing quite works the way you expected.

A few truths that tend to surface there:

▫️ “The gap between vision and outcome is where the real work lives.”
▫️ “Responsibility makes every mistake feel heavier than it should.”
▫️ “Isolation at the top creeps in quietly, even when you’re surrounded by people.”
▫️ “Exhaustion becomes emotional long before it shows up physically.”

What actually helps founders move through it:

▫️ “Silence creates panic.” Honest sharing creates options.
▫️ “There is always a move.” It’s just hard to see from inside the fog.
▫️ “Strength is learning how to function while the pain is still there.”

The Struggle isn’t a detour from the journey.
It’s the part that determines whether the journey leads anywhere meaningful.

So the real question is:

How long are you willing to stay in it to earn the outcome you’re chasing?

What's the difference between Venture Capital and Private Equity?

While both Venture Capital (VC) and Private Equity (PE) invest in private entities not listed on public exchanges, they differ in their investment stages in a company's life.

VCs generally invest earlier in a company's lifecycle than PE.

Interested in startups and venture capital? Then check my newsletter for more insights: https://lnkd.in/dnkEBhKE

Breaking it down by investment stages:

- Angel Investors: Early support for startups; $10K-$250K; 8-10 years; >75% IRR.

- Seed Stage: First major funding for development and growth; $250K-$2M; 6-8 years; >60% IRR.

- Growth Stage: Series A-C funding to scale business; $10M-$50M; 5-7 years; >40% IRR.

- Late Stage/Crossover: Preparing for IPO, sustainable growth; $50M-$150M; <5 years; 25-35% IRR.

- Buyout: Full acquisition, often with debt; variable investment; 3-5 years; >18% IRR.

Key takeaway: VC and PE both invest in non-public companies, but at different stages and with different strategies.

image and breakdown by CJ Gustafson

do you agree?

BREAKING: Balderton cashed out $2bn from Revolut 💸

25x return on Fund 5.

PS. I've shared Revolut's and 14 more unicorn Pitch Decks: https://lnkd.in/eY-s5c9d

First check: $1m at a $6.7m valuation
Total returned: $2bn
Fund size: $305m

Fund 5 also includes:
▪️ Depop → acquired for $1.6bn
▪️ GoCardless → acquired for $1bn
▪️ Aircall → $1bn+ valuation, $175m ARR
▪️ Contentful → $3bn valuation
▪️ Nutmeg → acquired for £700m

This might be the greatest European VC fund ever.

Balderton is strictly European.
No Silicon Valley hedge.
No US safety net.

And they're about to have one of the best funds of all time.

LPs and VCs can get astronomical returns backing Europe.

The data is in

BREAKING: Ursula von der Leyen just announced EU–INC at Davos 🎉

𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐥 𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐲 for all European founders. Online incorporation in 48 hours. No more bureaucratic mess across 27 countries.

This changes EVERYTHING

For years, European founders had to navigate different tax codes, labor laws, and compliance systems in every country. It's why so many incorporated in Delaware instead of Brussels.

EU-INC fixes that. One framework, one set of rules, across the entire EU.

You can start a company in Portugal and scale to Germany without rebuilding your legal structure every time you cross a border.

This is what Europe needed to compete with the US and China. A simple way for founders to grow massive companies without getting crushed by red tape.

The legislative proposal drops in March 2026. If this actually happens, it's the biggest structural change for European startups in decades.

This is what winning feels like. All of you made this happen. This is Europe.

Do you think EU-INC will actually make Europe competitive for startups or is it too late?

Jeff Bezos on Amazon’s seed round: 

“It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done.” 

In 1995, Bezos pitched Amazon to 60 investors, explaining what the Internet was and warning of a 70% chance of failure. 

40 said no. 

22 angels wrote $50K checks, raising $1M for 20% of Amazon at a $5M valuation. 

It was a grind, but those 22 yeses changed history. 

Would you have said yes?

I broke down 10 patterns Sequoia Capital built that most firms never had the patience to design

1️⃣ Conviction beats consensus
2️⃣ Freedom within frameworks
3️⃣ Curiosity over judgment
4️⃣ No middle-ground decisions
5️⃣ Clear bars, flexible styles
6️⃣ Long memory, short meetings
7️⃣ Partners own outcomes, not optics
8️⃣ Talent density over headcount
9️⃣ Distribution before storytelling
🔟 Culture enforced through behavior, not decks

If you invest, build, or lead teams, this is worth your time.

Which of these do you think is hardest to apply in the real world?

10 systems nobody else had the patience to build Most venture advice sounds the same… • Back great founders • Find big markets • Trust your gut When S

Open article: Sequoia Playbook by Rubén Domínguez Ibar • 6 min read

Sam Altman isn’t just building OpenAI ❗️

He’s one of the most active investors in Silicon Valley. Here are his latest 13 startup investments 👇

Below: company name, what they do, funding raised, and latest round — powered by Harmonic

▫️ Exowatt – Modular solar energy for data centers • $90M (Series A)

▫️ APEX – Security platform for generative AI usage • $7M (M&A)

▫️ Beacon AI – AI copilot for commercial aviation • $24.6M (Series A)

▫️ Campus – Accredited online degrees with top professors • $98M (Series B)

▫️ Context – NFT discovery and minting made simple • $19.5M (Out of Business)

▫️ TeachMe To – Personalized beginner sports lessons • $9.5M (Seed)

▫️ Tiptop – Trade-in platform for electronics with instant offers • $23M (Series A)

▫️ Magrathea – Clean magnesium production from seawater • $12M (Seed)

▫️ Valuebase – Real estate valuation powered by ML • $9.3M (Seed)

▫️ Induced – Browser automation agents for workflows • $8.3M (Corporate Round)

▫️ Meanwhile – Bitcoin-denominated life insurance • $64M (Series A)

▫️ Software Inc. – Personalized computing with LLMs • $6.5M (Seed)

Which one surprised you the most?

Where he should invest next? 🤔

40+ Linkedin Money-Making-Influence Resources I Toxic Boss Immunity I Frequency of INFLUENCE: ETHICAL PERSUASION I $20k Brain-Based Sales System | HarvardX Neuroscience Research I Keynote 🎤 I X-Microsoft I Captain ⛵

$20k Monthly Brain Based Sales System Without Chasing the "Yes"

You know the feeling:
😳 Your brain lights up with “What if they think I’m pushy?” the second you open a DM.
😬 You’d rather post and pray the right people find you than risk being ghosted.
😅 You tell yourself that if you were really good, clients would just show up.

You don’t want to fake connection just to pitch.
You want sales that feels human. Real conversations, not pressure tactics.

You’re not bad at sales.
Your brain is just protecting you.

The amygdala flags rejection as danger.
Your prefrontal cortex freezes.
And boom hesitation, overthinking, silence.

That’s where my work comes in.
I teach the Neuroscience of No-Pressure Sales so you can sell with calm confidence instead of fear.

No scripts. No manipulation.
Just science, psychology, and simple tools to retrain your nervous system so selling feels natural again.

When your brain is relaxed, your authenticity returns.
You stop pitching and start connecting.
Outreach stops feeling like an intrusion and starts feeling like service.

This is sales made easy for coaches who hate selling.

✨ Ways to get started with me:

✅ If you're a coach DM me "Butter"
✅ If you're a business owner DM me "Butter"
✅ If you're a sales leader DM me "Butter"
✅ Attend my next workshop for FREE BRAIN BASED SALES SECRETS. https://forms.gle/HvTRDEZEuu7bgQEF8
✅ Subscribe to the Be Like Butter Bugle: Weekly brain hacks for resilience and influence. https://synaptic-solutions.kit.com/newsletter

Personal interests: 
- Captain ⛵️ 
- Recovering Sugar Addict 🍭 
- Trash TV consumer 🗑️

Sales Coach | Toxic Boss Coach | Neuroscience Coach | Executive Coach | Master Behavioral Strategist | Speaker | Advisor | Expert | 7 figures | Virtual Speaking | Sales Performance Brain Hacker | Mindset Coach I Corporate Trainer I Influence I Key Note Speaker

🧠 Shannon Smith, J.D., M.S. 🚀

Stop chasing success alone.

Every innovator who built something great had 1 thing in common

Connection
It’s not that creativity happens alone…
It’s that the brain creates better in connection.

The brain evolved to think with other brains.
When connection is present, threat detection quiets.

The amygdala relaxes.
The prefrontal cortex stays online.
That’s where creativity lives.

Connection increases neural synchrony.
Brains begin to align.
Ideas move faster.
Patterns emerge you can’t see solo.

Isolation does the opposite.
Thinking loops.
Risk tolerance drops.
Novelty dries up.

Creativity isn’t just about safety.
It’s about belonging.
Here’s how :

1️⃣ Think out loud with others
 Speaking activates more neural networks than silent thought.
 Shared dialogue creates neural synchrony,
 helping the brain integrate patterns it can’t access alone.
 Half-formed ideas are fuel, not flaws.

2️⃣ Build before you judge
 Evaluation triggers the amygdala.
 Threat shuts down the prefrontal cortex.
 Sequence matters: expand first, critique later.
 Flow requires a brain that isn’t defending itself.

3️⃣ Create spaces to explore, not perform
 Performance activates social threat circuitry.
 Play lowers cortisol and increases cognitive flexibility.
 A relaxed nervous system makes wider, more novel connections.

Innovation doesn’t come from brilliance.
It comes from brains that feel safe thinking together.

PS: Who do you think best with?

Want to get an article published in a big time magazine?
I'll give you the contact info for 150+ reporters for major publications +
A Custom Message so you can break the ice & establish a relationship. 
How to get it? Join --> https://lnkd.in/gbfNasyU

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

👉 Follow 🧠 Shannon for neuroscience-backed insights
♻️ Share this if you want to help others grow

This feels illegal.

I built a mobile app while sailing.

Out there, things get quiet.
No notifications fighting for attention.
No noise telling you who to be.

Just wind, water, and time to notice what’s inside.

That’s where the idea came from.

Not everyone can disappear onto a boat.
But everyone needs a way to reconnect with themselves
In a loud world that never shuts up.

So I opened Replit
and described an app idea I’d already been researching. 

How to connect with yourself in a tech heavy world using…
Guess what…yes, neuroscience. 
You guessed it. 

Replit turned that idea into a real mobile app.

A live phone preview appeared.
I played with it and iterated between tacks. 
A few messages later, the app matched the intention.

Calm.
Minimal.
Human.

No mobile frameworks.
No complicated setup.
No build headaches.

Replit handled the mobile stack…
the preview
and the path to publishing.

I focused on the part that mattered:
creating space for real connection.

That’s the point.

You don’t need to escape your life to feel grounded.
You can build tools that bring you back to yourself.
Right where you are.
Even in a noisy world.

If you’ve ever wanted to create an app without needing a team
(or a computer) 
NOW you can. 

Get the Replit app and build from anywhere.
YOUR $10 REPLIT CREDIT
https://lnkd.in/gSCu_9Tj

P.S. If I vanish for a few hours I’m probably publishing a new app between tacks. 

-------------------------------------------------------------

➕ Follow 🧠 Shannon for brain based peace and app building
♻️ Share to inspire someone who needs dev help without headache

It's not that you aren't creative...

It's that your brain doesn't get enough breathing room

When outcomes matter too much,
the nervous system shifts into protection.

Certainty over curiosity.
Efficiency over exploration.

The amygdala scans for mistakes.
The prefrontal cortex goes quiet.
Thinking narrows to what’s already proven.

That feels like a creativity problem.
It’s actually a safety problem.

Innovation doesn’t come from pushing harder.
It comes from widening the mental field.

Creative insight requires a brain
that isn’t bracing for consequences.

One that feels free to test, miss, and iterate
without immediate judgment.

That’s why pressure-heavy environments
produce more output…
and fewer breakthroughs.

Creativity is a state, not a talent.
Change the state and ideas follow.

Here’s how to heighten creativity on demand:

1/ Slow the body before you think
Creativity follows regulation.
Lengthen your exhale for 60 seconds before ideating.
A calmer nervous system reopens cognitive range.

2/ Create “low-stakes” thinking space
Tell your brain nothing here has to be right.
Set a 10-minute window for bad ideas only.
Permission removes the fear that blocks novelty.

3/ Shift environments, not effort
New inputs disrupt rigid patterns.
Walk. Change rooms. Look farther into the distance.
Movement and visual expansion spark new connections.

When the brain feels safe enough to explore,
it starts to play.
And play is where innovation lives.

PS: Which of these would change how you think the fastest?

Introducing Butterhood Connect:
Find your people - other entrepreneurs like yourself. 
PLUS...FREE content on:
- Craft content that converts
- Understand your ICP deeply
- Increase your cognitive flexibility
- DM to get in front of your prospect
 You don't have to do this alone. Join us FREE
https://lnkd.in/gqMj4Vfz

Video Credit: Unknown
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Clarity doesn’t come from thinking harder

It comes from feeling safer.

When the brain senses pressure, it prepares to defend.
 
Attention narrows.
Options collapse.
The mind looks for certainty.

That state is efficient.
It’s not creative.

Innovation requires uncertainty tolerance.
That tolerance lives in the nervous system,
not the intellect.

When the parasympathetic nervous system activates,

✅ The body slows.
✅ The threat response stands down.
✅ The brain regains flexibility.

This is when perception widens.
Old assumptions loosen.

Problems reorganize themselves.
New pathways become visible.
Psychological safety is what allows this shift.

It tells the brain nothing bad will happen
if you explore a different angle.

Without safety, the brain repeats.
With safety, the brain imagines.

No regulation, no reframing.
No reframing, no innovation.

Here’s how to design for it:
1️⃣ Regulate before you reason
 Slowing the breath reduces neural noise.
 Clear thinking follows bodily calm.

2️⃣ Delay decisions during ideation
 Premature judgment triggers threat circuits.
 Time preserves creative flexibility.

3️⃣ Create private space to think freely
 Privacy lowers social evaluation.
 Safety expands possibility.

Breakthroughs come from a nervous system 
that feels safe enough
to see the problem differently.

PS: What helps your body settle fastest?

Join us for innovation --> https://lnkd.in/gbfNasyU

Video Credit: Unknown

-------------------------------------------------------
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You’re not broken.

You're just not connected...

...in a way no one taught you to recognize.

We have more connection technology than ever.
Group chats. Slack threads. Social feeds.
Standing meetings. Faces everywhere.

You can be busy, productive, and surrounded by people
And still feel unseen, unfelt, and unsupported.

Modern life keeps the nervous system overstimulated.
Your brain is flooded with input, decisions,
and performance cues.

When that happens, the social brain goes offline.
You don’t lose the desire for connection.
You lose access to it.

So you adapt.

You stay functional instead of present.
You keep conversations light instead of real.
You handle things alone because it feels safer.
You tell yourself you’re “fine”
while feeling disconnected from yourself.

Over time, that state becomes your baseline.
And the most painful part?

You start to believe this is just how life is.
It’s not.

Disconnection isn’t a personality trait.
It’s a nervous system state.
And nervous system states can change.

Here’s what neuroscience shows actually helps.

1/ regulation comes before connection.
 When your system is overloaded,
 bonding chemistry can’t do its job.
 You don’t need better words.
 You need your body to feel safe enough
 to be real.

2/ small moments matter more
 than deep conversations.
 Eye contact that lasts a beat longer.
 A pause instead of rushing away.
 Naming what you notice
 instead of what sounds impressive.

3/ connection accelerates in the right environment.
Trying to heal disconnection alone
 keeps the brain in protection mode.
 Being around others doing hard inner work
 creates co-regulation.

Your nervous system learns:
“I don’t have to carry this by myself.”
That’s why community matters.

Not noisy.
Not performative.
Not networking.

But a grounded space of people 
reconnecting with themselves
and with others.

This is what I’m building.
A community for capable, thoughtful people
doing hard things
who don’t want to do them alone.

A place to regulate, reflect, and be real
without fixing yourself
or pretending you’re fine.

If you’ve felt alone in a world full of people,
it’s not because something is wrong with you.
It’s because your nervous system
hasn’t had the right conditions yet.

And you don’t have to create those alone.
If this resonated, the community is open
for people ready to reconnect with themselves and with others.

P.S. Where do you feel most disconnected right now?

Introducing Butterhood Connect:
Find your people - other entrepreneurs like yourself. 
PLUS...FREE content on:
- Craft content that converts
- Understand your ICP deeply
- Increase your cognitive flexibility
- DM to get in front of your prospect
 You don't have to do this alone. Join us FREE
https://lnkd.in/gqMj4Vfz

------------------------------------------------------------
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♻️ Share this with someone who might feel alone but never say it

It’s not that your team doesn't have new ideas…

It’s that they don’t feel safe enough to share them with you.

When people sense evaluation,
their nervous systems switch to self-protection.

😶‍🌫️ They edit.
😶‍🌫️ They hedge.
😶‍🌫️ They stick to what’s already approved.

That looks like alignment.
It’s actually inhibition.

Innovation requires exposure.
New ideas are, by definition, unproven.
And the brain treats being wrong like a social threat.

So the amygdala gets loud.
Risk tolerance drops.
Thinking narrows to what won’t get you in trouble.

That’s why teams with “high standards”
but low psychological safety
produce execution…
not breakthroughs.

Psychological safety isn’t about being nice.
It’s about creating conditions
where the prefrontal cortex stays online.

When people believe they won’t be punished
for experimenting,
their brains stay open.

They challenge assumptions.
They connect unlikely dots.
They surface problems early.

No safety, no innovation.
No innovation, no future edge.

If you want better ideas, don’t ask for more creativity.
Design environments where
people don’t have to protect themselves first.

PS: Where do you notice people holding back on your team?

Join the Butterhood Connect
- Get free resources and training on DMs
- Figure out your sales style
- Jumpstart your sales!
Build relationships with other entrepreneurs
You don't have to do this ALONE
https://lnkd.in/gbpNMdU6

Video Credit: Unknown

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Your CRM shows ACTIVITY.

It doesn't show REALITY.

Most managers think they understand their pipeline.
But they’re only seeing the version their reps feel comfortable sharing.

The CRM shows progress.
The reps show confidence.
The pipeline shows movement.

But underneath all of that
there’s hesitation, uncertainty, and doubt
that never makes it into the forecast.

And that’s the part that costs you.

Reps aren’t trying to mislead you.
They’re trying to look competent.
So they hold back the early warning signs.
They soften how shaky a deal feels.
They overstate buyer momentum.

They wait until a problem becomes undeniable
and by then
your quarter is already in danger.

That’s why so many leaders get blindsided.
Not because the deals are bad
but because the real signals were never visible.

A CRM tracks activity.
It doesn’t track conviction.
It doesn’t track buyer emotions.
It doesn’t track rep confidence.
It doesn’t track the energy of the deal
which is the part that collapses first.

SalesSage exposes that hidden layer.
It reveals where reps feel unsure.
It highlights deals that look fine on paper
but feel unstable underneath.
It identifies slipping belief before it becomes slipping revenue.
It gives you truth early
so you can fix the problem while there’s still time.

Leaders don’t need more data.
They need the truth behind the data.
That’s the gap SalesSage closes.

If you want to see what’s really happening
beneath the surface of your pipeline sign up
14 day free trial
https://salessage.co/

P.S. How was your Q4?

-----------------------------------------------------------------
➕ Follow 🧠 Shannon for brain based sales leadership
♻️ Share if you’ve ever been blindsided by a “healthy” deal that fell apart

You can’t fix a quarter your team’s afraid to talk about.

Your biggest revenue leak isn’t pipeline. It’s silence.

The worst part of running a sales team
is thinking you’re safe right before the quarter blows up.

Your CRM says you’re good.
Your reps say deals are “strong”.
Forecast looks clean.
You breathe for two seconds.

Then the quarter flips
and you’re standing there like
what the hell just happened?

Here’s the truth nobody wants to say:
Reps aren’t lying.
Their brains are.

People say things are fine when they’re overwhelmed.
They overestimate deals when they’re stressed.
They downplay risk when they don’t want to look behind.

So you get the truth only after it hits your number.
Sales Sage catches it earlier.

It spots confidence dips.
Avoidance patterns.
Dead deals dressed up as healthy ones.
Execution cracks that never show in a CRM.

Stuff reps don’t say out loud but absolutely tank a quarter.
If you’re tired of getting blindsided
by “everything looks good” data

P.S. What's your best closing line?

See the truth your reps won’t say out loud 
(before it blows up your number)
Taking 100 beta testers - 14 day free trial
https://salessage.co/

---------------------------------------------------------------

♻️ Share if you’ve lived a surprise miss
➕ Follow 🧠 Shannon for brain based sales insights

Stop telling yourself that you're too busy to DM.

Stop telling yourself DMs are too pushy. 

DMs close sales. Period. 

Most people think outreach stalls
because they don’t know what to say.
That’s rarely true.

What’s actually happening is identity protection.
Your brain isn’t avoiding DMs to save time.
It’s protecting how you see yourself.

So you stay visible.
You post.
You wait.

And the conversations that move revenue never start.

When the nervous system flags selling as risk,
avoidance looks like strategy.

Weeks pass.
Opportunities decay.
Revenue becomes unpredictable.
That delay has a real cost.

Avoiding just 3–5 high-value messages a week
can quietly leave $15K–$100K per quarter on the table.

Not because you lack ability.
Because “selling” feels unsafe.

This is why scripts don’t stick.
Knowledge ≠ movement.

Insight shows up first.
Behavior only follows when the underlying pattern shifts.

That’s what Butterhood is for.
Not more information.
Not performance.
Not pressure.

It’s a place to notice friction in real time
and make small, deliberate moves
that change momentum.

Inside, we work on:
Why certain conversations stall even when you say the right thing
What makes outreach feel heavy and how to remove that friction
How to move conversations forward without forcing or performing
Installing a sales rhythm that feels stable instead of stressful

They’re ordered intentionally.
Each layer stabilizes the nervous system for the next.

If you’ve ever thought, “This makes sense…
so why am I not doing it yet?”

That’s the signal.
GET IN THE DMS.
Still resisting?
GET INTO THE BUTTERHOOD.

If you want influence that moves like butter 🧈
Join Butterhood → https://lnkd.in/gbfNasyU

BONUS: Want to get an article published in a big time magazine?
I'll give you the contact info for 150+ reporters for major publications +
A Custom Message so you can break the ice & establish a relationship. 
How to get it? Join --> https://lnkd.in/gbfNasyU

PS: Where do your conversations stall right now?

---------------------------------------------------------------------

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♻️ Share this if you want to help someone move again

Why do you have that stupid look on your face?

A C-level executive asked me on my first day

I was sitting across his desk of my first big girl job
(Talk about an executive onboarding)
I was just 20 years old.

I remember freezing.
Not answering.
Just blinking.

I laughed it off and swallowed my pride. 

Meeting over.
But my body stayed locked.

Jaw tight.
Chest and body buzzing.
Mind replaying every word.

Later that day a coworker asked if I was okay.

I said yes.
I wasn’t lying on purpose.
I just didn’t know what “okay” even meant anymore.

That’s the problem with stress.
It normalizes.
Your nervous system adapts.
Your baseline quietly shifts.

You think its no big deal. 
I’m fine. 

Your body knows that you’re not.
For years, I relied on vibes.
Am I handling it or barely holding it together?

No data.
No baseline.
Just guessing.

That’s why I built a these resources
✅ An entire toxic boss armor system
✅ 25-question nervous system audit
✅ An app that helps you each step of the way

Not a personality quiz.
Not mindset fluff.

Actual signals of load, recovery,
and how close you are to the edge.

The site and app give you a real baseline.
Clear data.
Practical next steps.

You don’t need thicker skin.
You need awareness and a hand up. 

PS What's your worst toxic boss story?

https://lnkd.in/guRmdNEu

--------------------------------------------------------

➕ Follow Shannon for brain-based tools 
♻️ Repost if someone you know is guessing too.

Why do you have that stupid look on your face

Everyone wants AI magic.

Few want to invest in the foundation.

People light up when they talk about AI lead gen.

AI outreach.
AI follow up.
AI prospecting.
The promise of more output with less effort...
It's intoxicating.

But effectiveness still comes from the human brain.
The seller’s state.
The buyer’s state.
The interaction between the two.

If your nervous system is overloaded, 
your messages won’t land.

If your prospect’s nervous system is tense,
your tools won’t move them.

If your clarity wobbles,
your AI will wobble with it.

Tools can accelerate your behavior.
They can’t upgrade your regulation.
They can’t deepen your presence.
They can’t create safety for a buyer who isn’t sure yet.

So you can very quickly send a bad message to 
a lot of people (and I see this a lot).
Super efficient. 
Effective?
Not so much. 

You would have been better off 
not to send anything at all. 

You create
👀 noise.
👀 hesitation.
👀 stall points.

Before you automate anything,
your nervous system has to support the interaction.
Your messaging has to speak to the real pressure points.
Your awareness has to read what the buyer is actually signaling.

Here are the pieces that shift everything:
1️⃣ A regulated internal state
A steady system writes messages people lean into.

2️⃣ Understanding buyer pressure
Not their demographics.
Their actual cognitive load.

3️⃣ Signal-based communication
Warmth, recency, micro-openings, lowered stakes.

Without this foundation in place, AI becomes clutter.
😶‍🌫️ Damages your brand.
😶‍🌫️ Irritates your people. 
😶‍🌫️ Loses your clients.

Inside Butterhood, this is the core work.
The human layer that makes every tool
more powerful, more accurate, and more profitable.
EFFECTIVE.

Join us → https://lnkd.in/gbfNasyU

PS: What AI promise are people chasing the hardest right now?

---------------------------------------------------------------
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7 signs you're tough enough for your toxic boss...

without quitting your job.

Your nervous system has a baseline.
That baseline shapes how pressure lands.

Here are 7 signs you're tough enough:

1/ Your baseline state
 A system that rarely rests stays closer to threat.
 From that state, stress hits faster and harder.
 Do this: notice how you feel when you first wake up.
 Do this: schedule one daily pause with no objective.

2/ Continuous motion
 Moving task to task keeps activation high.
 The body never completes a stress cycle.
 Do this: insert a 2-minute pause between blocks.
 Do this: stand still and breathe before switching tasks.

3/ Mental load during “rest”
 A busy mind keeps the system activated.
 Physical stillness alone doesn’t equal recovery.
 Do this: notice if your mind stays busy at rest.
 Do this: gently bring attention to body sensations.

4/ Guilt around slowing down
 Guilt keeps the nervous system alert.
 Safety requires permission to stop.
 Do this: notice the urge to justify rest.
 Do this: remind yourself recovery supports performance.

5/ Morning and evening carryover
 Tension on waking signals unresolved load.
 Evening stress blocks downshifting.
 Do this: check your body before checking your phone.
 Do this: create a short shutdown ritual at night.

6/ Recovery timing
 Waiting for exhaustion delays regulation.
 Late recovery takes longer to work.
 Do this: rest before you feel depleted.
 Do this: add small resets throughout the day.

7/ Social threat sensitivity
 Overloaded systems struggle with power dynamics.
 Emotional range narrows under pressure.
 Do this: regulate before interactions, not after.
 Do this: widen awareness when tension rises.

This comes before any boss strategy.
Awareness of starting state is the first layer of immunity.

PS Which point showed you something you hadn’t noticed before?

Toxic Boss Immunity - 
Building a self-serve platform
To create a path to freedom where you call the shots, you're unshakable, you're influential, and free from anyone else’s control.
Get on the waitlist for FREE
https://lnkd.in/gGJYwXPa
OR
DM Me "Toxic Audit" for your own quick check

----------------------------------------------------------------

➕ Follow Shannon for brain-based tools to stay regulated in toxic places
♻️ Repost if someone you know is always “on.”

 7 signs you're tough enough for a toxic boss

Don't just pray for a job.

Pray for a leader, not a toxic boss. 

They say you leave your manager, not your job.
So. True. 

Culture lives in nervous systems.
Leaders set the baseline every day.
Teams regulate around that signal automatically.

Here are 5 signs of a great leader:

1/ Self-regulation
 A great leader notices their own stress.
 They slow down before they speak.
 The room settles when they enter.

A toxic leader brings unprocessed stress.
The room tightens immediately.

2/ Clarity under pressure
 A great leader keeps priorities stable.
 Expectations stay clear during chaos.
 Brains relax when rules do not shift.

A toxic leader changes direction emotionally.
The team scans moods instead of work.

3/ Pressure flows upward
 A great leader absorbs pressure from above.
 They filter noise before it hits the team.
 Focus stays intact.

A toxic leader pushes pressure downward.
Urgency spreads through the group.

4/ Recovery is allowed
 A great leader respects human limits.
 Pauses are normal and safe.
 Energy and thinking stay strong.

A toxic leader rewards constant output.
Rest feels risky or earned.

5/ Response over reaction
 A great leader pauses in conflict.
 Their nervous system stays online.
 Hard talks feel contained.

A toxic leader reacts emotionally.
Others mirror the instability.
Trust erodes quietly.

Leadership is not control.
It is regulation.

PS Which one of these have you felt?

Toxic Boss Immunity 
Building a self-serve platform
To create a path to freedom where you call the shots, you're unshakable, you're influential, and free from anyone else’s control.
Get on the waitlist for FREE
https://lnkd.in/gGJYwXPa

-----------------------------------------------------------

➕ Follow Shannon for brain-based leadership tools.
♻️ Repost if a leader you know needs this lens.

Behind every “I’m not qualified”

Is a future you haven’t met yet. 

I’m not technical.
I’ve never wanted to be “the code person.”
And honestly, that used to stop me.

Because most AI coding hype assumes
you already know what you’re doing.
Repos.
Installs.
Setup before you even start.

That’s where Replit felt different.
I stayed in the browser.
I described what I wanted in plain words.
And I watched a real app come to life.
Live.

I wasn’t struggling to learn syntax.
I was refining an idea using my own language. 

You grow by doing things you aren’t qualified to do yet.
Most people don’t fail because they can’t.

They stop because they tell themselves
“I’m not technical enough.”

I didn’t suddenly become technical.
The barrier just disappeared.

Replit handled the setup, hosting, and deployment.
I focused on what the app should feel like.
That’s the unlock.

If you already code,
pairing Replit with Claude Code accelerates shipping.
If you don’t,
Replit still lets you build something real.

No identity change required.

You don’t need permission.
You don’t need a team.
You don’t need to be “qualified” yet.
You just need to start.

P.S. What have you been waiting to build?

💡 $10 credit for Replit Core users —>
https://lnkd.in/gSCu_9Tj

P.P.S. If you’ve been telling yourself “I’m not ready for that yet,”
THIS IS YOUR SIGN

------------------------------------------------------------------

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The way to get clients on Linkedin is this...

Understand the inner thoughts of your ICP

Most people study their ICP on the surface.
Top sellers study how their ICP thinks.

If you want to sell on LinkedIn,
you have to know what your ICP is actually worried about,
not what they pretend to care about.

Here are 8 steps to uncover the real subtext 
of your ICP on LinkedIn:

1. Audit Their LinkedIn Profiles
Look at what they emphasize.
Tension shows up in their headcount, KPIs, and team priorities.
Their top headaches are usually hiding in plain sight.

2. Study Their Event Activity
Search for events they attend.
Then check the attendee list.
The themes they show up for
tell you what’s keeping them up at night.

3. Watch Them in Comment Sections
Look at your ICP commenting on competitors’ posts.
Their questions reveal fears.
Their reactions reveal pressure points.

4. Analyze Comments Under Hand-Raising Posts
Creators often say “comment for more info.”
Those comments are gold.
They show exactly what your ICP thinks they need
and what they wish someone would help them solve.

5. Read Your Own Comments Differently
Your commenters are micro-versions of your ICP.
Study their language, frustrations, and patterns.
Your future offer refinement is already hiding there.

6. Track What They Subscribe To
Newsletters, creators, and series they follow
tell you what they’re actively trying to improve.
Subscription signals = priority signals.

7. Act Like Your ICP For a Day
Ask yourself:
If I were them, what problems would I think about at 10 a.m.?
Budget. Productivity. Risk. Politics. Efficiency.
Not “culture” or “soft skills.”
Speak to the internal pressure they feel,
not the topic you want to teach.

8. Go One Layer Deeper Than Logic
Once you find the logical problem,
double punch it.
What’s the emotional layer?
Fear of missing targets?
Fear of looking incompetent?
Fear of wasting budget?
Fear of taking a risk and being wrong?
This is the real subtext.

If you understand your ICP’s subtext,
you won’t sound like their 10th vendor.
You’ll sound like the only person
who actually gets how they think.

BIG NEWS! SALES SAGE IS LIVE!
See the truth your reps won’t say out loud 
(before it blows up your number)
Taking 100 beta testers - 14 day free trial
https://salessage.co/

P.S. What is the number 1 problem your ICP cares about?

----------------------------------------------------------

➕ Follow Shannon for brain based sales and insight
♻️ Share to help someone see what their buyers really mean

If you can’t regulate...

You can’t close.

Sales exposes you.
You meet yourself in every conversation.

Your patterns.
Your pressure points.
Your nervous system.
And there are truths you can’t bypass.

You can only face them and train your brain to handle them.
Here are the fifteen brutal truths that shape every 
👀 coach
👀 solopreneur
👀 salesperson

Skinny to long.
Short to heavy.

Exactly how they hit in real life.

1. Pain shows.
2. Hope lies.
3. Buyers drift.
4. Silence grows teeth.
5. Confidence is unstable.
6. Urgency fades overnight.
7. Your tone leaks your pressure.
8. Your pipeline mirrors your mind.
9. Hard calls get pushed tomorrow.
10. Deals die from emotional overload.
11. You cling to maybes to avoid rejection.
12. You chase when your nervous system spikes.
13. You fill your calendar instead of your forecast.
14. You talk more when your brain feels threatened.
15. You lose more deals from dysregulation than bad skills.

The people who win aren’t the hardest closers.
They’re the ones who can think when the noise hits.

They regulate faster.
They recover quicker.
They protect their cognitive bandwidth.

If you want a system that reduces noise, 
increases yeses..
and keeps you out of chasing mode
Let's Talk here --> https://lnkd.in/gbfNasyU

PS. Which truth hit the hardest today?

---------------------------------------------------------------

♻️ Share if you’ve lived a brutal truth
➕ Follow Shannon for brain based sales insights

Don’t be afraid to start all over again.

You might like your new story better.

Most people don’t stay with toxic bosses
because they love the job.

They stay because starting over feels risky.

You already invested time.
You already proved yourself.
You already survived this much.

So you tell yourself to push through.
But toxic environments don’t just drain energy.
They slowly rewrite who you think you are.

Confidence narrows.
Vision shrinks.
Your nervous system learns to expect threat.

Starting over isn’t failure.
It’s interruption.
And sometimes, leaving isn’t possible yet.
That’s where people get stuck.

Here’s how to regain agency
even if you can’t leave right now.

Three pillars.
Practical. Grounded. Usable.

1/ Establish your baseline
You need to know your starting state.
Stress feels normal when it’s chronic.
Without data, you guess how you’re doing.
Do this: assess how activated you feel most days.
Do this: track sleep, tension, and recovery honestly.
Baseline awareness tells you whether you’re already 
overloaded before the boss even enters the picture.

2/ Predict instead of brace
Toxic bosses are patterned.
The same situations trigger the same behavior.
Surprise is what spikes threat.
Do this: list the moments they escalate.
Do this: plan your response before it happens.
Prediction gives your nervous system what it desperately wants.
Certainty.

3/Plan recovery like it’s required
Stress doesn’t end when the meeting ends.
Unreleased activation carries forward.
That’s how burnout accumulates.
Do this: schedule recovery after interactions.
Do this: close the stress cycle deliberately.
Recovery restores clarity, confidence, and choice.

This is how you protect yourself
while you decide what comes next.

And if there truly is no exit right now,
you still don’t have to white-knuckle it.

That’s why I built
Toxic Boss Armor.

It gives you a baseline.
Helps you predict patterns.
Builds plans that keep your nervous system intact.

Starting over doesn’t always mean leaving tomorrow.
Sometimes it means reclaiming yourself first.

PS If you could rewrite your work story, 
what would you want to feel differently?

Free resources
https://lnkd.in/guRmdNEu

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➕ Follow 🧠 Shannon for brain-based tools to stay clear at work.
♻️ Repost if someone you know is afraid to start again.

Micromanagement breeds compliance.

Not commitment.

When every move is monitored,
every decision is corrected,
and every mistake is highlighted,
the brain stops optimizing for growth.

It starts optimizing for safety.
Micromanagement increases uncertainty.
Uncertainty activates the amygdala.
Threat signaling rises.
The prefrontal cortex goes partially offline.

That’s the biology of it.
The prefrontal cortex is where initiative lives,
creativity lives, and ownership lives.

When threat is present, those functions are deprioritized.
So the nervous system adapts.
People do what’s asked.

They stop offering ideas.
They wait for instructions.
They avoid visibility.

From the outside, it looks like control is working.
From the inside, commitment is already gone.

Chronic micromanagement also keeps the stress axis activated.
Cortisol stays elevated.
Recovery shortens.
Motivation drops.
Burnout becomes inevitable.

This is nervous system load.
Leaders often assume disengagement = people don’t care.

More often, it means their nervous system 
doesn’t feel safe enough to invest.

And if you’re on the receiving end of this,
you don’t need thicker skin.

You need regulation, data, and strategy.

That’s why I built
Toxic Boss Armor.

It helps you understand your nervous system baseline,
predict toxic patterns,
and protect your clarity and confidence
even when leadership doesn’t change.

Compliance is a warning sign.
Commitment only emerges when the brain feels safe.

PS Are you barely hanging on by a thread? 
Get some relief --> https://lnkd.in/guRmdNEu

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♻️ Repost if someone you know is stuck under a micromanager.

The answer doesn’t show up when you chase it

It shows up when you stop gripping.

Most people try to solve problems by applying more force.

❌ More analysis.
❌ More urgency.
❌ More mental effort.

The brain hears that as threat.
So it tightens.

When pressure rises,
the nervous system shifts into control mode.

Attention narrows.
Thinking becomes repetitive.

The brain looks for the least risky answer,
not the most interesting one.

That’s why clarity feels elusive when you need it most.
Insight lives in a quieter state.

When the parasympathetic nervous system activates,
the body settles.

Heart rate slows.
Breath deepens.
Internal noise drops.

In that state, the brain starts integrating 
instead of defending.

Patterns rearrange.
Meaning surfaces.
You don’t force the answer.
You notice it.

Psychological safety is what gives the nervous system
permission to loosen its grip.

It tells the brain:
🧠 You’re allowed to pause.
🧠 You’re allowed to wonder.
🧠 You’re allowed to see this differently.

Without safety, the brain loops.
With safety, the brain listens.

No calm, no coherence.
No coherence, no insight.

Here’s how to invite clarity back in:
1️⃣ Soften the body first
Longer exhales reduce neural noise.
The mind follows the body into calm.

2️⃣ Remove time pressure from thinking
Urgency activates threat circuits.
Space restores perspective.

3️⃣ Be alone long enough to hear yourself
Solitude lowers social evaluation.
The quiet reveals what you already know.

The answer isn’t missing.
It’s waiting for peace to rise high enough
for you to hear it.

PS: Where do your clearest insights tend to appear?

Join us for psych safety --> https://lnkd.in/gbfNasyU

Video Credit: Unknown

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New ideas don’t land when the mind is closed

They land when the brain feels receptive.

Most people try to improve thinking
by defending what they already know.

❌ Proving they’re right.
❌ Protecting past decisions.
❌ Filtering out disconfirming information.

The brain reads that as threat.
So it resists.
When certainty feels required,
the nervous system shifts into protection mode.

Attention filters aggressively.
Contradictory data gets rejected.
Novel information never makes it in.

The brain prioritizes consistency, not accuracy.
That’s why growth stalls
when identity gets attached to being right.

Receptivity requires a different state.
When the parasympathetic nervous system activates,
the body settles.
Heart rate slows.
Breath deepens.
Defensiveness drops.

In that state, the brain becomes plastic again
instead of rigid.

Prediction errors are tolerated.
New inputs are explored.
Old models get updated.

You don’t fight new information.
You metabolize it.
Psychological safety is what allows this shift.

It tells the brain:
🧠 You won’t lose status for reconsidering.
🧠 You’re allowed to change your mind.
🧠 You can hold uncertainty without danger.

Without safety, the brain defends.
With safety, the brain learns.
No openness, no updating.
No updating, no evolution.

Here’s how to become more receptive:
1️⃣ Regulate before you evaluate
A calm nervous system tolerates contradiction.
Learning follows regulation.

2️⃣ Separate identity from ideas
Threat drops when beliefs aren’t tied to self-worth.
Flexibility increases.

3️⃣ Slow down first reactions
Pausing interrupts reflexive rejection.
Curiosity has time to emerge.

The next level isn’t hidden.
It’s already available once the brain feels safe enough.

PS: What kind of info do you resist first?

Join us for psych safety --> https://lnkd.in/gbfNasyU

Video Credit: Unknown

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🧠 Shannon Smith, J.D., M.S. 🚀

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