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My guest\\xa0today\\xa0is\\xa0Steve Schlafman, a venture capitalist, leadership coach and partner at Primary VC. This episode is a wide-ranging,\\xa0emotional journey through the nooks and crannies of investing, introspection, and sobriety.

Steve is a man of many passions. In the business world, he\\u2019s\\xa0invested in breakthrough companies like Zipline, Brightwheel, Bark & Co., Managed by Q, Bowery Farming, Citizen, Care/Of, Boom Aerospace, TheSkimm and View The Space. Our exploration of investing was driven by five themes: leadership, market demand, customer focus, emotion, and human impact.

Outside of\\xa0the office, Steve lives a sober life free of alcohol and other substances. He\\u2019s a passionate cyclist and rides more than 2,500 miles every year. This episode is particularly\\xa0profound. Steve and I down down, deep into the depths of human emotion\\xa0\\u2014 from struggle, to pain, to addiction, to wonder and joy. I hope you enjoy this episode.

3:30 \\u2013 Steve explains his role and his program learning what\\u2019s called \\u201ctransformational coaching\\u201d and how he became attracted to the idea of coaching.

6:30 \\u2013 The value of coaching and common misconceptions of how a coaching can push and direct people. As Steve puts it, as a coach, \\u201cyou shouldn\\u2019t be trying to fix, but instead, [trying] to understand. You\\u2019re not coaching the issue, you\\u2019re coaching the client.\\u201d

9:50 \\u2013 The mindset of a good coach.

10:30 \\u2013 David raises the questions of what makes a good coach versus a great coach.

11:04 \\u201cSelf management\\u201d as a coaching mechanism.

13:45 \\u2013 Steve reflects on coach Belichick and what he admires about him as a coach.

15:45 \\u2013 Steve continues to dive into some of the abilities beyond coaching that Belichick exemplifies, namely the ability to asses and project players potential before even becoming their coach as well as his ruthlessness and situational awareness.

19:25 \\u2013 The \\u201chuman centric investment philosophy\\u201d Steve pursues.\\xa0

22:48 \\u2013 Steve dissects genuine leadership and how it\\u2019s relevant to success as a coach and individual. \\xa0

26:45 \\u2013 Where does that \\u201cdrive\\u201d that successful people share in common come from?\\xa0

29:20 \\u2013 Steve explains \\u201cMarket Demand\\u201d via a story about opiate addiction and recovery.\\xa0

30:10 \\u2013 David and Steve dig a deeper into the opioid crisis and how they have seen it affect those around them\\xa0

35:15 \\u2013 Digital desensitization; how our modern relationships to tech and social media have been affecting our empathy and view of what\\u2019s going on in the world around us.

38:14 \\u2013 What makes a brand a brand and the following and loyalty that having a good brand generates.

42:00\\xa0 -Steve gives some examples of how great things happen organically, and not always when planned.\\xa0

47:50 \\u2013 David reflects on the form of expression and communication GIFs introduced when communicating digitally.

52:40- Having children is on a downward trend. David and Steve discuss some of the factors surround this new trend.\\xa0

55:45 \\u2013 Steve shares some of his observations from his recent trip to Sweden and the perceived quality of life by its residents.

01:02 \\u2013 Steve shares some of the reasons he fell in love with cycling and what makes the sport so unique and non mundane to him.\\xa0

01:08- Steve talks sobriety and what it means to him.\\xa0 He details the positive and transformative effects it has had on his life. \\xa0