Finding Genius Podcast

In today's episode, we sit down with Shawn D. Nelson, inventor, entrepreneur, and Founder & CEO of Lovesac. He joins us to share his journey and the hard-earned insights behind his best-selling book, Let Me Save You 25 Years: Mistakes, Miracles, and Lessons from the Lovesac Story. 
Shawn is the visionary behind Lovesac, a NASDAQ-traded furniture company known for its modular "Sactionals" and iconic sac beanbags — a brand that reimagined how people think about furniture, longevity, and design…
Part memoir and part business playbook, Let Me Save You 25 Years is an unfiltered account of a 25-year entrepreneurial rollercoaster. With unapologetic honesty, Shawn shares the wins, the failures, the near-collapses, and the unlikely breakthroughs that shaped Lovesac's evolution. Told through 25 fast-moving micro-chapters, each paired with a sharp, hard-won lesson, the book captures what building a lasting company really looks like behind the scenes.
Jump in to discover:
The origins of Lovesac.

How to approach and survive long-term entrepreneurship. 

What it actually takes to turn a bold idea into a durable brand

Invaluable lessons from Shawn's fascinating journey. 

Want to learn more about Shawn and his impactful wisdom? Listen to his Let Me Save You 25 Years podcast now!
🎧 Listen now on Apple Podcasts: http://apple.co/30PvU9C 
Keep up with Shawn D. Nelson socials here:
X: https://x.com/ShawnOfLovesac 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ShawnOfLovesac/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shawnoflovesac/ 
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@shawnydlovesac 
Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@shawnoflovesac 
🛍️ Recommended Books from this Episode
📖 Let Me Save You 25 Years: Mistakes, Miracles, and Lessons from the Lovesac Story – A candid entrepreneurial journey filled with hard-earned lessons, failures, breakthroughs, and real-world business insight. 👉 Get it here
📘 Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike – Phil Knight's gripping story of building Nike from the ground up, packed with risk, resilience, and bold decision-making. 👉 Check it out
📙 The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers – A brutally honest guide to leadership and entrepreneurship when things get messy, uncertain, and tough. 👉 Explore it here
📕 Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future – A thought-provoking look at innovation and how to create businesses that go from nothing to something truly groundbreaking. 👉 Discover it here
Note: These are affiliate links. If you make a purchase through them, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. It helps support the podcast. Thank you!

Can proper compliance really add millions to your business valuation? In today's episode, we connect with Reuben Mattinson, Founder and CEO of RJM Tax Exemption, to explore what it means to build truly exit-ready operations in the world of ecommerce…
Founded in 2019, RJM was born out of firsthand frustration. When Reuben and his team launched their own ecommerce business in the U.S., they quickly found themselves overwhelmed by IRS rules, registrations, state sales tax collection, and conflicting guidance from lawyers, accountants, banks, and revenue departments. 
After investing significant time untangling the complexity, they realized other sellers were facing the same challenges — and RJM began. What started with just 10 clients has since grown into a global consultancy serving over 5,000 businesses worldwide, helping ecommerce brands stay compliant, scalable, and acquisition-ready.
Hit play to find out:
How Reuben's unique background fuels RJM's mission.

Examples of exit strategies done right and horribly wrong.

How tax readiness impacts valuation and exits.

Reuben's path to entrepreneurship is anything but conventional. After earning degrees in physiotherapy in 2012 and in science teaching in 2013, he began building RJM alongside his studies. In under three years, he scaled the company from infancy into a multi-million-dollar global ecommerce consultancy, achieving #1 Trustpilot ratings in the U.S. by age 30.
Want to learn more about RJM's work? Visit their website now!
🎧 Listen now on Apple Podcasts: http://apple.co/30PvU9C
🛍️ Recommended Books from this Episode
📖 Built To Sell: Creating A Business That Can Thrive Without You – A practical guide for entrepreneurs who want to build a company that runs smoothly without their constant involvement — and is attractive to buyers. 👉 Get it here
📘 Tax-Free Wealth: How to Build Massive Wealth by Permanently Lowering Your Taxes – A strategic breakdown of legal tax-saving principles that help business owners and investors grow and preserve wealth. 👉 Check it out
📙 Simple Numbers, Straight Talk, Big Profits!: 4 Keys to Unlock Your Business Potential – A clear and direct guide to understanding the core financial drivers that increase profitability and business performance. 👉 Explore it here
📕 Exit Rich: The 6 P Method to Sell Your Business for Huge Profit – A step-by-step roadmap to increasing business value and preparing for a highly profitable exit. 👉 Discover it here
📗 Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs: What You Really Need to Know About the Numbers – An essential resource for understanding financial statements, cash flow, and the metrics that truly matter in business. 👉 See it here
Note: These are affiliate links. If you make a purchase through them, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. It helps support the podcast. Thank you!

In this discussion, we dive into the history of hermetic philosophy and other related topics with Prof. Dr. Wouter J. Hanegraaff. As a renowned scholar and Professor of History of Hermetic Philosophy and Related Currents at the University of Amsterdam, Dr. Hanegraaff is a leading expert in Western esotericism – focusing on topics such as the New Age movement, Hermeticism, Renaissance Platonism, and the history of rejected knowledge…
This episode covers:
How Western culture interprets esotericism.

Why studying God is so difficult to do in the realm of academia. 

What hermetic literature is, and what they say about the true nature of reality. 

Dr. Wouter J. Hanegraaff was trained in cultural history and religious studies at the University of Utrecht, where he earned his Ph.D. cum laude in 1995 in New Age Religion and Western Culture. A former president of both the Dutch Society for the Study of Religion and the European Society for the Study of Western Esotericism, he has been a member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences since 2006.
To learn more about Dr. Hanegraaff and his writings, you can visit his website.
🎧 Listen now on Apple Podcasts: http://apple.co/30PvU9C 
Keep up with Dr. Wouter Hanegraaff socials here:
X: https://x.com/WJHanegraaff 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wjhanegraaff/ 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wouterhanegraaff/?hl=en 
*]:pointer-events-auto [content-visibility:auto] supports-[content-visibility:auto]:[contain-intrinsic-size:auto_100lvh] scroll-mt-[calc(var(--header-height)+min(200px,max(70px,20svh)))]" dir="auto" tabindex="-1" data-turn-id= "167d2205-2744-4e93-a054-622014efc44b" data-testid= "conversation-turn-156" data-scroll-anchor="true" data-turn= "assistant"> 🛍️ Recommended Books from this Episode
📖 Esotericism in Western Culture: Counter-Normativity and Rejected Knowledge – An insightful exploration of how esoteric traditions developed in Western culture and why certain forms of knowledge were marginalized or rejected. 👉 Get it here
📘 Western Esotericism: A Guide for the Perplexed (Guides for the Perplexed Book 380) – A clear and structured introduction to the ideas, traditions, and thinkers that shaped Western esoteric philosophy. 👉 Check it out
📙 The Hermetica: The Lost Wisdom of the Pharaohs – A fascinating look into ancient Hermetic texts, revealing timeless spiritual and philosophical teachings rooted in Egyptian tradition. 👉 Explore it here
📕 Hermeticism and the Renaissance: Intellectual History and the Occult in Early Modern Europe – A deep historical study of how Hermetic thought influenced Renaissance philosophy, science, and culture. 👉 Discover it here







Note: These are affiliate links. If you make a purchase through them, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. It helps support the podcast. Thank you!

What if concrete could store energy that turned buildings, roads, and infrastructure into massive power banks? In this episode, we're joined by Damian Stefaniuk, Research Scientist at MIT's Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, the Concrete Sustainability Hub (CSHub), and the Electron-Conductive Cement-based Materials Hub (EC³ Hub). Damian's research explores how concrete can be engineered to conduct electricity and store energy at up to 10x the capacity of traditional materials — while simultaneously reducing the carbon footprint of cement production…
Damian is a structural and materials engineering scientist who specializes in the development of sustainable construction materials and structures. His research focuses on science-enabled engineering of cement-based materials, with applications ranging from corrosion-resistant prestressed bridges and carbon-storing pre-cure carbonation to electron-conductive carbon concrete for renewable energy storage.  
Dive in now to discover:
How concrete can be made into a conductive material.

Carbon-based conductive cement and nanomaterials.

Infrastructure's role in clean energy and emissions reduction.

You can follow along with Damian and his work here!
🎧 Listen now on Apple Podcasts: http://apple.co/30PvU9C 
*]:pointer-events-auto [content-visibility:auto] supports-[content-visibility:auto]:[contain-intrinsic-size:auto_100lvh] scroll-mt-[calc(var(--header-height)+min(200px,max(70px,20svh)))]" dir="auto" tabindex="-1" data-turn-id= "97da9042-1fb2-4063-b349-7345c1a3cb34" data-testid= "conversation-turn-152" data-scroll-anchor="true" data-turn= "assistant"> 🛍️ Recommended Books from this Episode
📖 Energy Storage: Fundamentals, Materials and Applications (2nd Edition) – A comprehensive guide to the science, materials, and technologies behind modern energy storage systems. 👉 Get it here
📘 Supercapacitors: Materials, Systems, and Applications (Materials for Sustainable Energy and Development) – An in-depth look at supercapacitor technology, covering materials, design, and real-world energy applications. 👉 Check it out
📙 Linden's Handbook of Batteries (Fifth Edition) – A definitive reference on battery technology, design, performance, and emerging advancements in energy storage. 👉 Explore it here
📕 Electrochemical Supercapacitors: Scientific Fundamentals and Technological Applications – A detailed resource explaining the core science and practical applications of electrochemical supercapacitors. 👉 Discover it here
Note: These are affiliate links. If you make a purchase through them, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. It helps support the podcast. Thank you!

In this engaging conversation with Dr. Steven Engler, we explore esoteric traditions, mystical experiences, and how spiritual meaning shows up across cultures and belief systems. Dr. Engler is a Professor of Religious Studies in the Department of Humanities at Mount Royal University, whose work bridges scholarship, lived experience, and cross-cultural inquiry.
His research spans fieldwork with Afro-Brazilian and esoteric spirit-incorporation traditions in Brazil, as well as methodological and theoretical approaches to understanding religion, spirituality, and meaning-making. Dr. Engler's work also examines how concepts like tradition, lived religion, and esotericism shape both personal experience and broader cultural narratives.
Beyond his research and teaching, Dr. Engler is a co-editor of leading journals and book series in religious studies and has closely analyzed the academic landscape of religion and spirituality in Latin America.
Click play to uncover:
How people's stories reflect the beliefs of their respective traditions. 

The ways that belief makes a difference in experience. 

Experiences that have impacted Dr. Engler's perspective.

You can find more about Dr. Engler here!
🎧 Listen now on Apple Podcasts: http://apple.co/30PvU9C 
🛍️ Recommended Books from this Episode
📖 The Book of Magic: From Antiquity to the Enlightenment – A fascinating exploration of the history, traditions, and cultural influence of magic from ancient civilizations through the Enlightenment era. 👉 Get it here
📘 Montesquieu: The Spirit of the Laws (Cambridge Texts in the History of Political Thought) – A foundational political philosophy text examining law, governance, and the principles that shaped modern democratic systems. 👉 Check it out
📕 When God Talks Back: Understanding the American Evangelical Relationship with God (Vintage) – An insightful look into modern faith practices and how believers experience and interpret spiritual communication. 👉 Discover it here
📗 The Varieties of Religious Experience (with Biographical Introduction) – A classic examination of spiritual experiences, belief systems, and the psychology of religion across cultures. 👉 See it here
Note: These are affiliate links. If you make a purchase through them, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. It helps support the podcast. Thank you!