The Inner Entrepreneur

Bitesize - The Peak Performance Mindset with Enda McNulty #197

Links to full episode:
https://youtu.be/udfpiEYCrvo?si=2aLRuBFJaeWnIzaQ
https://open.spotify.com/episode/1kfIxLGvCY8rLoFuYUag5e?si=cjExvHxKSiKQ96S_4JyiEw
 
In this bitesize episode, Paul sits down with high-performance coach Enda McNulty to explore what it really means to perform under pressure – not just on the pitch in front of 80,000 people, but in the boardroom, in a hospital corridor, or at your kitchen table having a hard conversation with someone you love.
 
About Enda McNulty: Enda McNulty has over 35 years of experience coaching elite performance in sports, business and more, he’s the CEO of McNulty , a thriving training organisation https://mcnultyperformance.com/
 
Work With Paul:   www.pauljryan.net
 
 
 

Inner Mentor (11): The Real Reason You Feel Stuck (It’s Not Strategy) #196

In this Inner Mentor episode, Paul explores a simple but uncomfortable truth: most of what we want in life sits on the other side of something we’re avoiding. Not because we lack opportunity, but because we lack the courage to face what feels difficult—whether that’s a conversation, a decision, or even an honest admission to ourselves.
Drawing on personal experience, Paul reflects on the moments that shaped his life—from a health scare at 40 to a powerful shift in perspective after stepping through fear—and how those turning points weren’t driven by strategy, but by courage. He also shares a recurring pattern he sees in high-performing entrepreneurs: outward success paired with inner misalignment, where people feel stuck in lives they’ve outgrown but don’t yet have the courage to change.
About the HostPaul Ryan is a CEO, 8-figure business owner, mentor, and host of The Inner Entrepreneur Podcast.👉 https://pauljryan.net/
 
Work With PaulYou can book a discovery call with Paul here: https://www.pauljryan.net/

The Real Cost of Coming Out at 52 - Anne Marie Zanzal #195

In this episode, Paul sits down with Anne-Marie Zanzal for a deeply human conversation about what it really costs to tell the truth—especially when that truth arrives “later in life.” Anne-Marie shares her story of coming out at 52 after a 27-year marriage to a man, raising four children, and living what looked (from the outside) like the complete picture of success. What unfolds isn’t just a sexuality story—it’s a story of identity, conditioning, fear, and the moment a life stops fitting. From Catholic upbringing and internalized shame, to divinity school, hospice work, and the piercing question that finally cracked the door open—“What have you been waiting for your whole life?”—Anne-Marie brings listeners right into the emotional reality of change.
About the Guest
Anne-Marie Zanzal is a minister, coach, and the founder of Anne-Marie Zanzal Coaching, where she supports people—especially those coming out later in life—through the identity, fear, and transition work required to live fully and truthfully. Her work explores the psychological and cultural forces that keep people stuck, and gives clients a clear path through fear, learning, and growth.
https://annemariezanzal.com/
About the Host
Paul Ryan is an eight-figure CEO and the host of The Inner Entrepreneur Podcast,
https://pauljryan.net/
Work with Paul: Paul works with seasoned entrepreneurs to clarify what’s next and align their life and business around what matters most.
https://calendly.com/inner-entrepreneur-podcast/discovery-call-with-paul-ryan

Bitesize: The World Is a Mess — Here’s How to Live Anyway #194

Links to full episode:https://youtu.be/5n1ANvmTYPI?si=8qyMi-rQXqfeaLUBhttps://open.spotify.com/episode/5Yb2It1HrEjYfpwBFcCHx1?si=xmQlJpdwRRCrxvoFTagkLw In this bite size episode Paul chats with Jerry Colonna, who explores what it really means to live with uncertainty, emotion, and impermanence in a world that often feels chaotic. Rather than trying to eliminate discomfort or “fix” turbulence, Jerry invites us to see life as both beautiful and difficult at the same time — like waves and ocean, inseparable. The conversation moves into a deeply human space: learning to stay present with fear, sadness, and uncertainty, not by avoiding them, but by allowing them fully. In doing so, we don’t become overwhelmed — we become more connected, more grounded, and more alive. About the GuestJerry Colonna is a renowned executive coach, former venture capitalist, and the founder of Reboot.io. He is widely known for his work with CEOs, founders, and leaders, helping them navigate the intersection of leadership, identity, and emotional well-being. Jerry is the author of Reboot and Reunion, where he explores radical self-inquiry, compassion, and the inner work required to lead and live with authenticity. About the HostPaul Ryan is a CEO, 8-figure business owner, mentor, and host of The Inner Entrepreneur Podcast.👉 https://pauljryan.net/Work With PaulYou can book a discovery call with Paul here:👉 https://calendly.com/inner-entrepreneur-podcast/discovery-call-with-paul-ryan

Inner Mentor (10): How I Escaped a Business That Was Killing Me #193

In this episode of the Inner Mentor Series, Paul chats about a moment that changed everything—a cold January morning when he believed he was having a heart attack. Sitting at his desk, overwhelmed, exhausted, and on the edge, he was forced to confront a hard truth: the business he had worked so hard to build was now running him. What started as ambition and success had quietly turned into pressure, stress, and a life completely out of alignment.
From that wake-up call came a shift—not just in how Paul ran his business, but in how he approached his life. In this episode, he shares the deeper lesson behind the experience and the seven steps that ultimately gave him his time, freedom, and clarity back. This is not about systems or quick fixes, but about taking ownership, building the right team, and designing a business—and a life—that actually works for you.
 
About the HostPaul Ryan is a CEO, 8-figure business owner, mentor, and host of The Inner Entrepreneur Podcast.👉 https://pauljryan.net/
Work With PaulYou can book a discovery call with Paul here: https://www.pauljryan.net/

Why Most High Achievers Still Feel Like Frauds - Jonathan Cave #192

In this episode, Paul sits down with Jonathan Cave, who, by 40, had reached the “holy grail” of big-law success: a partner track that was about to culminate in senior partnership. From the outside it looked like the dream—money, status, the house in the suburbs of Geneva, a young family. But inside, Jonathan was falling apart: chronic stress, recurring back pain, anxiety in the simplest moments, and a life that felt more like performance than presence. When the offer came, it forced two questions he couldn’t unhear: Do I want it?… and Would I actually be happy and fulfilled if I take it? Nine months later, the answer was clear—so he walked away from the firm and from the legal world entirely.
About the Guest
Jonathan Cave is the founder of My Philosophy, where he works with high achievers around the world to help them align their inner world with their outer life. He is also the author of The Tree and the Mountain: Dare to Become.   Website: jonathancave.com
About the HostPaul Ryan is a CEO, 8-figure business owner, mentor, and host of The Inner Entrepreneur Podcast.👉 https://pauljryan.net/
Work With PaulYou can book a discovery call with Paul here: https://www.pauljryan.net/

Bitesize: The Lie We Tell Ourselves About Drinking #191

Full episode: https://youtu.be/8CTNmzVX1FA?si=W-S4er06qq4JOweq
https://open.spotify.com/episode/7iTrVixuErDHxP5Io0UF5E?si=zgcdk0hpS0yDVnQSq-UaeA
 
In this bite size episode Paul chats with Karolina Rzadkowlska, alcohol-free coach and author.
Karolina challenges one of the most normalised habits in modern life — social drinking — by exposing the quiet tension many people feel but rarely question. She shares her own journey from a “healthy during the week, undo it at the weekend” lifestyle to discovering that alcohol wasn’t enhancing her life, but masking a deeper lack of fulfilment. What looked like balance was actually a cycle of progress and setback, and once she stepped away, she began to see alcohol not as a reward, but as a distraction from a life that wasn’t fully aligned.
The conversation goes deeper than just giving up alcohol. Karolina breaks down the beliefs many people hold — that alcohol relaxes you, boosts confidence, or makes socialising easier — and shows how these are often illusions rooted in biology and conditioning. For entrepreneurs especially, she reframes the question: not “Do I have a problem?” but “Is this still serving the person I’m becoming?” The real shift isn’t about restriction — it’s about awareness, identity, and building a life where you no longer need the escape.

Inner Mentor (9): How I Built a Business That Doesn’t Need Me #190

In this episode of the Inner Mentor series, Paul challenges one of the most seductive ideas in entrepreneurship — the belief that you can build a business that runs itself. It’s the dream sold everywhere: step back, remove yourself from the day-to-day, and let systems do the work. But in reality, this belief leads more entrepreneurs into frustration, failure, and eventually being pulled back into the business they tried to escape.
Paul shares the truth from decades of experience: businesses don’t run themselves — people run them. Real freedom doesn’t come from systems, it comes from building the right team, setting the right standards, and leading with clarity. This episode breaks down the critical difference between delegation and abdication, and why the entrepreneurs who get this right don’t disappear from their business — they evolve their role within it.
About the HostPaul Ryan is a CEO, 8-figure business owner, mentor, and host of The Inner Entrepreneur Podcast.👉 https://pauljryan.net/
Work With PaulYou can book a discovery call with Paul here: https://www.pauljryan.net/
 
 

The Culture Catalyst: Scaling Impact Through Conscious Leadership - Jaclyn Orent #189

In this episode, Paul sits down with Jaclyn Orent— a “Cultural Catalyst”—to explore a radically different way of thinking about culture change. Instead of starting with “fix the organisation,” Jaclyn argues the real leverage point is the individual: the leader’s identity, consciousness, and inner state become the source code that ripples outward into teams, companies, and communities. Together they unpack what a Cultural Catalyst actually is, why identity-driven change creates “pull” instead of grind, and how culture transformation becomes possible when people move from fear/force into power/love—and stay willing long enough for new patterns to take root.
 
About the Guest: Jaclyn’s weekly Cultural Catalyst mastermind (and network info): culturalcontribution.com
 
About the HostPaul Ryan is a CEO, 8-figure business owner, mentor, and host of The Inner Entrepreneur Podcast.👉 https://pauljryan.net/
Work With PaulYou can book a discovery call with Paul here:👉 https://calendly.com/inner-entrepreneur-podcast/discovery-call-with-paul-ryan

Bitesize: EQ - The #1 Skill for leaders #188

Links to full episode:
https://youtu.be/mlsMwS3tfVY?si=CBWw4FiLQyveaNbo
https://open.spotify.com/episode/30QqrmpkWiXnyclOEroqC8?si=Gp3Qe0CvTdCkYHxm21Mi9Q
In this bitesize episode, Paul chats with Dr. Diana Dimitrova to explore why high performers often suppress intuition, how emotional disconnection shows up in leadership, and the real cost of building companies while losing connection to our inner compass.
We discuss why intuition is not “soft” or irrational, but a form of intelligence we all have—and how it becomes even more valuable as AI accelerates. We talk about the emotional masks leaders wear, why vulnerability enhances credibility, and how to design cultures where people feel safe to speak up, learn, and grow.
About the GuestJerry Colonna is a renowned executive coach, former venture capitalist, and the founder of Reboot.io. He is widely known for his work with CEOs, founders, and leaders, helping them navigate the intersection of leadership, identity, and emotional well-being. Jerry is the author of Reboot and Reunion, where he explores radical self-inquiry, compassion, and the inner work required to lead and live with authenticity.
About the HostPaul Ryan is a CEO, 8-figure business owner, mentor, and host of The Inner Entrepreneur Podcast.👉 https://pauljryan.net/
Work With PaulYou can book a discovery call with Paul here:👉 https://calendly.com/inner-entrepreneur-podcast/discovery-call-with-paul-ryan