In this episode of The Wisdom Of… Show, host Simon Bowen speaks with Shawn Nelson, founder and CEO of Lovesac, who has revolutionized the furniture industry through modular design and a "Designed for Life" philosophy. From starting in his mother's basement at age 20 to building a billion-dollar public company, Shawn shares profound insights on purposeful innovation, the responsibility of leadership, and creating products that evolve with human needs rather than forcing replacement cycles.

Ready to transform your innovation approach? Join Simon's exclusive masterclass on The Models Method. Learn how to articulate your unique value and create scalable impact: https://thesimonbowen.com/masterclass

00:00 Introduction and Shawn's journey from basement startup to billion-dollar company

05:18 The "Designed for Life" philosophy and questioning industry assumptions

12:36 Modular thinking: How reconfigurable products reflect business strategy

18:52 Winning Richard Branson's "The Rebel Billionaire" and lessons in authentic leadership

25:44 Sustainability as business principle, not marketing initiative

33:29 The responsibility of innovation and serving deeper human needs

38:22 Building products that solve problems customers didn't know they had

45:36 Scaling purpose-driven companies without compromising core values

52:12 The future of ownership and consumer relationships

58:43 Creating lasting impact through evolutionary design thinking

Shawn Nelson is the founder and CEO of Lovesac, a direct-to-consumer specialty furniture brand that has fundamentally reimagined how furniture serves human lives. Founded in 1998 from his mother's basement, Lovesac has grown into one of the fastest-growing furniture companies in the United States, known for its patented Sactionals modular seating system.

Beyond business success, Shawn is recognized for his commitment to sustainability and the "Buy It For Life" movement. In 2005, he won Richard Branson's "The Rebel Billionaire" on Fox, demonstrating the entrepreneurial spirit that continues to drive his leadership approach.

With a Master's Degree in Strategic Design and Management, Shawn serves as a graduate-level instructor at Parsons, The New School for Design in New York City. His "Designed for Life" philosophy emphasizes sustainable products built to last a lifetime and designed to evolve with customer needs, providing long-term utility while reducing furniture waste.

Website: https://shawndnelson.com/

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

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ShawnOfLovesac/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shawnoflovesac/?hl=en

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/shawnydlovesac

Simon has spent over two decades working with influential leaders across complex industries. His focus is on elevating thinking in organizations,...

In this episode of The Wisdom Of... Show, host Simon Bowen speaks with Oliver Garside, Co-Founder and Director of Rounded App, a beautifully simple accounting and invoicing application built specifically for freelancers and sole traders. Oliver shares the profound insights gained from nearly a decade of serving an underserved market, achieving an extraordinary 99% customer satisfaction rating, and discovering the infinite creativity of the Australian freelance economy. Learn about first principles thinking, customer-centric design philosophy, and the wisdom of building for humans rather than systems.

Ready to elevate your leadership approach? Join Simon's exclusive masterclass on The Models Method. Learn how to articulate your unique value and create scalable impact: https://thesimonbowen.com/masterclass

00:00 Introduction and Oliver's journey from corporate redundancy to co-founding Rounded

05:30 The origin story: Meeting technical founders who built beautiful software but needed market strategy

12:45 First principles thinking: Building for end users, not their accountants

18:20 The philosophy behind "beautifully simple accounting" and challenging industry conventions

25:40 Market diversity: From sheep ultrasound specialists to yacht sail makers

32:15 Achieving 99% customer satisfaction through customer-centric design

38:50 Co-founder dynamics and navigating business tensions with ego aside

44:20 The freelance economy wisdom: Diversity of capability and confidence gaps

51:10 Mission beyond product: Stewardship of the freelancer community

57:30 Scaling challenges: Maintaining core genius while growing the business

Oliver Garside is the Co-Founder and Director of Rounded, a beautifully simple accounting and invoicing app built specifically for freelancers and sole traders. With a passion for empowering self-employed professionals, Oliver has played a pivotal role in creating a platform that takes the stress out of managing finances, making it easier for creatives, consultants, and contractors to focus on doing what they love.

With a background in marketing, customer experience, and startup growth, Oliver brings a user-first approach to everything he does. Under his leadership, Rounded has become one of Australia's most loved tools for solo business owners, achieving an exceptional 99% customer satisfaction rating through its commitment to simplicity, efficiency, and human-centric design.

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

Website: https://rounded.io

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

Simon has spent over two decades working with influential leaders across complex industries. His focus is on elevating thinking in organizations, recognizing that success is directly proportional to the quality of thinking and ideas within a business. Simon leads the renaissance of thinking through his work with global leaders and organizations.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simonbowen-mm/

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

Website:

In this episode of The Wisdom Of ... Show, host Simon Bowen speaks with Dr. Catriona Wallace, a world-renowned AI pioneer, founder of the Responsible Metaverse Alliance, and one of the most influential voices in ethical technology development. With over two decades in AI, long before most people knew it existed, Catriona brings a unique perspective that bridges cutting-edge technology with ancient indigenous wisdom.

As Chair of Boab AI, co-author of Checkmate Humanity, and a former Shark on Shark Tank Australia, Catriona has consistently been at the forefront of responsible technology development. But what makes this conversation extraordinary is her integration of plant medicine practices, indigenous community wisdom, and the "Seven Generations Principle" into the most advanced AI discussions of our time.

Ready to transform your leadership approach? Join Simon's exclusive masterclass on The Models Method. Learn how to articulate your unique value and create scalable impact: https://thesimonbowen.com/masterclass

00:00 Introduction and Catriona's journey from wanting to be a farmer to becoming an AI pioneer

05:45 Why Australia risks becoming an "AI backwater" and the urgent need for responsible AI adoption

12:30 The difference between AI ethics and responsible AI and why most leaders get this wrong

18:15 The "evolutionary tipping point" toward transhumanism and what it means for business

25:20 Plant medicine journeys and their impact on tech leaders' understanding of regenerative economics

32:45 The Seven Generations Principle: How indigenous wisdom guides AI decision-making

38:30 From extraction to regeneration: Why business models must fundamentally transform

44:15 The eight principles of responsible AI and how to implement them in organizations

50:30 "Rapid Transformation" and the five-step process for evolving leadership consciousness

56:45 The intersection of technology love and nature love in shaping the future of humanity

Dr. Catriona Wallace has been recognized as a Top Global Power Woman by the Centre of Economic & Leadership Development and as the Most Influential Woman in Business & Entrepreneurship by the Australian Financial Review. In 2023, she was a Shark on the hit TV series Shark Tank Australia.

Catriona is the founder of the Responsible Metaverse Alliance and Chair of Boab AI, Artesian Capital's AI Accelerator and VC fund. She was also the founder of Ethical AI Advisory (now part of the Gradient Institute) and co-author of Checkmate Humanity: The How and Why of Responsible AI.

As founder of AI company Flamingo AI (which exited in 2020), Catriona led only the second woman-led business ever to list on the Australian Stock Exchange. She's an international keynote speaker, one of the world's most cited experts on AI and the Metaverse, and has been recognized by Onalytica as one of the world's top AI speakers.

With a PhD in Organizational Behaviour: Technology Substituting for Human Leaders and an Honorary Doctorate in Business, Dr. Wallace was inducted into the Royal Institution of Australia as one of Australia's most pre-eminent scientists. She is also a human rights activist, mother of five, trained Plant Medicine Guide, and strong advocate of the Psychedelic Renaissance.

LinkedIn: Dr. Catriona Wallace

Website: Responsible Metaverse Alliance

Personal Website: