Podcast Summary

Podcast: Totally Booked with Zibby
Episode: Betsy Fore, BUILT ON PURPOSE: Discover Your Deep Inner Why and Manifest the Business of Your Dreams
Host: Zibby Owens
Guest: Betsy Fore
Air Date: January 8, 2026

Overview

In this inspiring episode, Zibby Owens sits down with Betsy Fore, author of Built on Purpose. Together, they delve into Betsy's extraordinary entrepreneurial journey, her near-death experience, and her mission to help readers discover their deeper purpose and manifest their dreams into reality. The discussion weaves together themes of resilience, the power of values-driven living, accessible manifestation, and the practical realities of launching businesses (and books!). Betsy offers actionable advice, revealing stories from her life, and the science behind manifestation—making this essential listening for founders, creators, and purpose-driven individuals.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The 4,000 Weeks Philosophy & Life Perspective

• Zibby opens by referencing Betsy’s memorable framework: the concept that, if we’re lucky, we get about 4,000 weeks in a lifetime to make it count.
  • “In our life we get about 4,000 weeks to make it count… That just reframes how little time we have and how we have to live with purpose." (06:08)
• Betsy expands, connecting this with her values-driven approach to living, and how a near-death car accident at 15 shaped her:
  • "My life was thrown into perspective at a very young age...I'm the answer to my ancestors prayers...everything I did, I wanted it to create a ripple in this life." (06:44)

2. Betsy's Near-Death Experience & Its Impact

• Betsy shares the moving story of her high school car accident, recovery, and the lasting impact on her mindset:
  • "The doctor said if I survived, I'd never walk properly again...I had over 35 internal pelvic injuries...Everything is a gift at this point." (08:50)
  • "I just remember the hardest part for me was seeing my parents' devastated faces...But after that point, it was just a pivotal moment in my journey… I think about how it made me who I am." (08:50-12:38)
  • Memorable moment: Running a marathon with her mom, a decade post-accident.
• Betsy credits this experience for imbuing her with a deep appreciation for life’s fragility and possibility.

3. Demystifying Manifestation: From Woo-Woo to Science

• Both Zibby and Betsy resonate with manifestation, but Betsy emphasizes the science behind it:
  • "I want(ed) to do for manifestation what Calm did for meditation: bring it to the masses and make it accessible.” (06:44)
  • “If you don’t have what I call the affirming actions…that’s actually what founders have in spades…you can visualize it, but you need actions to back it up.” (13:42)
  • Zibby’s personal experience: She visualized her own name as a published author before actual publication, which later came true (12:38).

4. Practical Tools: Living Your Values through Anchoring

• Betsy discusses her signature process—identifying and embodying your top values:
  • "The idea is not to just say them or have them on a wall, but actually embody them because they're feelings…You have to feel it to reveal it.” (17:40)
  • Anchoring Exercise: Recall a memory when you embodied a value like bravery; relive sensory details, then use a physical gesture (thumb and forefinger together) to “anchor” this feeling for later use.
  • “That’s actually the energy that manifests. That’s what attracts everything back towards you.” (19:39)

5. Manifestation in Action: Betsy’s Business Successes

• Natives Rising:
  • Started to support Native founders. Unexpectedly, healing retreats and value-centered community building became their most profound source of impact (13:42-19:39).
• Tiny Organics:
  • Betsy describes manifesting partnerships (Michelle Obama’s “Veggies Early & Often” campaign—nearly came true pre-pandemic):
    • “I had envisioned who would be my absolute dream partner…and then here it is, you know, came to be.” (13:42)
  • Demonstrates the importance of forming clear intentions and pairing them with consistent, value-aligned action.

6. The Power of Doing Things That Don’t Scale

• Betsy emphasizes the importance of personal, high-touch efforts, especially at the start:
  • “Every founder should start with something that doesn’t scale.” (22:34)
  • Stories:
    • Hand-delivering initial product to customers (Fitbit for Dogs, Tiny Organics).
    • Talking directly to bookshop owners about her book.
    • "It's all the small things that make a life…find your 101st believers." (22:47-26:36)

7. Entrepreneurial Persistence and Bravery

• Zibby highlights Betsy’s story of dogged persistence:
  • “You just sat there, you went five times. You just sat in the waiting room…I'm not gonna give up…I’m gonna get 15 minutes of this guy's time.” (26:36)

8. Bringing an Entrepreneurial Spirit to Book Launches

• Betsy treats her book release as another opportunity to build community and offer value:
  • “What if there was a way I could bundle that up…as a blueprint for founders?” (27:21)
  • Driven by her desire to give tools, not just stories, to the next generation of creators.

9. What’s Next: Impact Investing for Future Generations

• Betsy's venture fund, Velveteen Ventures, invests in solutions for children and the planet, targeting healthcare (especially pediatrics), mental health, and climate resilience:
  • “I named this after the plush rabbit my grandmother gave me…If I loved him enough, he'd be real. That's what founders wake up and do every day.” (29:22)
  • Working with Indigenous business leaders to drive climate and community-focused investment.
  • “We hope this is the legacy work that we get to continue to do. And it outlives us.” (29:22-30:46)

Notable Quotes

• On life’s fragility and purpose:
  • "I realized that everything I did, I wanted it to create a ripple in this life." (06:44) – Betsy
• On the science of manifesting:
  • "Where your attention goes, energy flows." (13:42) – Betsy
• On founder grit:
  • "Every founder should start with something that doesn't scale." (22:34) – Betsy
• On values-driven success:
  • "It's about discovering your deep inner why...you have to feel it to reveal it." (17:40) – Betsy
• On persistence:
  • “I’m not gonna give up, I’m gonna get 15 minutes of this guy’s time.” (26:36) – Zibby (about Betsy)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 06:08 – 4,000 weeks concept & reframing time
• 08:50 – Betsy’s car accident and impact on life outlook
• 12:38 – Manifestation: accessible examples and skepticism
• 13:42 – Science of manifestation, role of NLP, practical exercises
• 17:40 – Anchoring and values embodiment explained
• 22:34 – The importance of doing things that don’t scale
• 26:36 – Persistence in business beginnings
• 27:21 – Applying entrepreneurial skills to book launches
• 29:22 – Velveteen Ventures and legacy-building
• 30:46 – Closing remarks and gratitude

Tone & Atmosphere

The conversation is warm, genuinely admiring, and rich in actionable advice. Both Zibby and Betsy connect over their belief in purposeful living, practical manifestation, and the need for resilience as a founder or creator. Betsy authentically shares her setbacks and breakthroughs, blending motivation, practical wisdom, and deep empathy for listeners charting their own path.