Episode #136
Escaping the Rat Race and Living a Full Life Beyond Identity Crisis (Watch Before Your Next Big Move) with Bea Arthur
Bea Arthur built two startups, landed on Shark Tank, and became the first Black female founder accepted into Y Combinator. Then she hit a wall and decided to finally choose herself. So she traded the hustle for a slower life in Mexico City, where she's writing her forthcoming book, “The White Man Within” that reframes every setback along the way as data, not damage. Bea Arthur, LMHC is a Columbia University-trained psychotherapist, award-winning entrepreneur, TEDx speaker, and true pioneer in the field of mental health. Bea has been named an Entrepreneur to Bet On by Newsweek Magazine and one of the 100 Most Inspirational New Yorkers by Bumble. Bea shared her career as a social worker, where she served addicts in recovery, survivors of domestic violence, and students in the New York City public school system. She’s always been passionate about lifting people up and decided to scale this gift in the tech world. In 2011, her career took off at the intersection of psychology and technology, when her first startup Pretty Padded Room competed on ABC’s Shark Tank, which put “online therapy” on the map! In 2014, she became the first African-American female founder accepted by Y Combinator accelerator program. 8 years ago, she launched her second startup called The Difference, which was the very first Alexa Skill for easy access therapy. Now, she’s a first-time author. Her book “The White Man Within”, where she tells her story, how she created her own path to success, and how you can too! Bea, welcome to the show. Connect with Bea Arthur LinkedIn → http://www.beaarthurtherapy.com Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/bbarthur/ Book Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/thewhitemanwithin/ Book Website → https://www.thewhitemanwithin.com/ Connect with Naomi Haile: Website → https://www.naomihaile.com/ Newsletter → https://powerofwhy.kit.com/57ca5180df Purchase the Purpose Canvas to bring alive your dreams tomorrow: https://naomiahaile.gumroad.com/l/purposecanvas LOOKING FOR A SPECIFIC GEM? 00:00 Welcome and introduction to Bea Arthur 06:52 Origin story: Ghanaian immigrant family raised in Houston 07:19 Kicked out of school for "talking back" 09:15 How Bea went from real estate to becoming a therapist 14:48 What made her write the book “The White Man Within” now 14:56 Conforming inside the tech world's unequal rules 18:30 Founder vs. CEO? 21:10 Analyze vs. act 23:18 Bea investing online therapy with Pretty Padded Room 33:09 "Strong Seed, Wrong Soil" and the cost of the wrong environment 35:30 Her actual morning practice 37:36 Why Mexico City lowered her stress and sped up the her book writing process 42:33 "Data, not damage" and her father's story about racism in 1980s Texas 44:39 "This is a station, not the destination" 47:09 Performing less and allowing the messy middle 51:17 Reframing "everything happens for a reason" 53:53 The matriarchy reframe (love instead of suffering) 55:59 Doing more of what makes you happy 55:38 Where to find Bea and her book online
