How would your life change if every setback wasn't blocking your path—but redirecting it?
A devastating warehouse fire. Years of uncertainty. A company that nearly didn't survive.
For Barrett Ersek, CEO & Founder of Holganix those moments became the foundation for a mission that's now transforming agriculture, helping farmers regenerate soil, improve profitability, and remove carbon from the atmosphere.
But this conversation goes far beyond business.
Barrett shares the deeply personal experiences that reshaped how he leads—from a life-changing lesson on gratitude to an extraordinary psychedelic journey where he believes his late mother revealed a completely different way to build companies, lead people, and live.
Together, Marc and Barrett explore entrepreneurship, purpose, family, resilience, regenerative agriculture, leadership, intuition, and what it truly means to live in "flow."
Whether you're building a company, raising a family, or simply navigating uncertainty, this episode offers a refreshing reminder that your greatest obstacles may be preparing you for your greatest contribution.
Show Partners:
Connect with Marc: https://konect.to/marcchampagne
Timestamps:
00:00 — "Who are you?" beyond the title
02:15 — Building culture instead of hierarchy
06:10 — The 80th wedding anniversary vision
07:00 — Annual entrepreneurial family retreats
08:45 — Family board meetings and raising entrepreneurial kids
11:30 — Why Barrett believes entrepreneurs can change the world
13:00 — Healthy soil creates healthy people
15:45 — The warehouse fire that changed everything
20:00 — Choosing gratitude in the middle of disaster
23:30 — How losing everything accelerated innovation
27:00 — Betting everything on a new idea
30:00 — Why overnight success actually took 17 years
32:30 — Staying mentally strong through years of uncertainty
34:30 — The psychedelic journey that changed his life
37:30 — Meeting his late mother
38:15 — The lesson of "Flow"
40:15 — Why leaders must focus on what they're FOR
42:00 — Becoming the dolphin
44:30 — Richard Branson unexpectedly enters the story
49:00 — The unforgettable Necker Island moment
51:30 — From pushing rocks uphill to effortless growth
54:00 — The dolphin appears at his son's wedding
56:00 — Gratitude, pilgrimage, and living in flow
59:00 — Why entrepreneurship is one of the world's noblest professions
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Special props 👇
Music: Clouds - Joakim Karud
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