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Episode: I met a billionaire (and almost killed him)

Host: Jenna Harding
Date: December 29, 2025
Length: ~20 minutes

Episode Overview

In this spirited episode, host Jenna Harding shares a hilarious and insightful story about a chance encounter with a billionaire, using it to illustrate a key lesson for business owners: don’t put people on a pedestal. The episode explores mindset shifts for entrepreneurs, the importance of seeing everyone as human—regardless of status—and how authenticity and fun can help you stand out in any room.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Breaking Down the Myth of "Special People"

• Jenna opens by challenging the idea that anyone is inherently better than anyone else, regardless of status or accomplishments.
• Main message: "People are just people. Absolutely admire people. There's lots of people I admire. But I am done with you thinking that anybody is better than you, quite frankly." (01:13)

2. The Billionaire Story: Humor, Humanity, and A Lesson Learned

a) The Scene Setting

• Jenna describes her husband's sterile, high-powered office environment, emphasizing how out-of-place she felt.
• Jenna’s husband, an accountant, is working long hours during year-end in a massive, empty boardroom (all in sweatpants, weekend vibes).

b) The Prank Gone Wrong

• After her husband startles her in the kitchen, Jenna decides to get revenge.
• She waits in the dark for "her husband," ready to jump out.
• Surprise twist: she accidentally jumps out at the founder of the company—a very elderly billionaire!

"I jumped out and yelled, boo. And standing in front of me is the founder of this company, an old man worth billions who comes in on the weekends 'cause it's peaceful and quiet, and everybody leaves him alone." (04:29)

c) Immediate Aftermath & Connection

• Jenna panics, worried she’s almost caused him a heart attack, proceeds to apologize profusely while grabbing him (inappropriate in a corporate context).
• The billionaire laughs it off, sharing he's been startled by factory workers for years, so he’s quite used to it.

"He grabs me back and just starts laughing. And now we're coming down the hallway... we're just, like, howling." (06:15)

d) The Takeaway

• The billionaire finds the exchange refreshing, not being treated as a “big deal.”

"I think that was actually really refreshing for him because... people don't treat him like a normal person." (08:22)

3. Relating the Lesson To Business & Mindset

• Jenna connects the story back to entrepreneurship: Treat people like people, not as titles, clients, or authority figures.
• She gives a parallel: Her approach of authenticity also won over her husband’s grandmother, just by being real and not walking on eggshells due to her age.

"People treat her like she's old, and I treat her like she's a friend, and I'll just, like, swear and tell stories and speak quickly... She just loves it." (09:13)

• Key mindset advice:
  • Don’t shrink yourself; you belong in any room you enter.
  • You bring value by virtue of showing up and being yourself.
  • Don’t compare your beginning to others’ established successes.

"By virtue of being in that room, you are on the same playing field as these people you admire. You bring so much to the table." (10:10)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On being intimidated:

  "If you walk into a room and you feel like everyone around you is, like, better than you... it's not true." (01:00)

• On fortune and friendship:

  "He told me... throughout his career... people would try and scare him because it was like, almost like a 'you're white collar, you don't belong here' thing." (07:00)

• On humility and self-worth:

  "You can be modest. That's allowed. You can be humble. That's allowed. But by virtue of being in that room, you are on the same playing field..." (10:05)

• Entrepreneur inspiration:

  "Don't compare your day one to someone else's day 10, your day 10 to someone else's 10 years." (10:33)

Important Timestamps

• 01:00 — Challenging the notion of "better than"
• 04:29 — Jenna accidentally startles the billionaire
• 06:15 — Founder laughs, forming a surprising connection
• 08:22 — Discussion: How being real made her memorable to both the billionaire and her husband's grandmother
• 10:05 — Final thoughts on self-worth and the entrepreneurial mindset

Closing Remarks

Jenna wraps up with a motivational wish for her listeners to own their place in every room and to enter 2026 with confidence in their business goals. She invites engagement, asking for business resolutions in episode comments.

Final message:
“Happy New Year. Please let me know in the comments if you feel so inspired. Let me know your business goals or your business New Year's resolutions in the comments on this episode… Happy New Year. I'll see you in 2026."
(10:50)