# Founder Story: Think Clearly, Live More Deliberately & Create Without Chasing Applause with Jon Kaye, Author of ‘Unmastered’ & DO Radio Presenter. How years of Chasing Money and a 'Burn Out Reset' led to a more Creative & Fulfilling Life

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/brushwood-media-network-6565517/founder-story-think-clearly-live-more-deliberately-create-without-chasing-applause-with-jon-kaye-author-of-unmastered-do-radio-presenter-how-years-of-chasing-money-and-a-burn-out-reset-led-to-a-more-creative-fulfilling-l
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/brushwood-media-network-6565517/founder-story-think-clearly-live-more-deliberately-create-without-chasing-applause-with-jon-kaye-author-of-unmastered-do-radio-presenter-how-years-of-chasing-money-and-a-burn-out-reset-led-to-a-more-creative-fulfilling-l.md
Podcast: [Brushwood Media Network](https://stenobird.com/podcast/brushwood-media-network-6565517)
Published: 2026-05-20T02:02:34+00:00
Episode link: https://www.brushwoodmedianetwork.com
Audio file: https://downloads.pod.co/3187de09-6b5e-4bb8-85ec-54db8b778666/40ac6316-14f8-4d4b-980f-fda859a4e1c6.mp3
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Duration seconds: 3626

## Resource

He helped raise £225 million, worked punishing weeks, and then walked away from it all. Jon Kaye joins me in The Clearing to unpack the moment he stopped chasing the obvious definition of success and started rebuilding a life around creativity, community, and better questions. We talk through Jon’s founder story in private equity: the risk of resigning with a pregnant wife, a new house, and no salary, and the life-changing power of one credible person saying “yes”. From there, the conversation turns to burnout, the decision not to launch “fund two”, and the radical reset of taking three young children out of school to travel the world for a year. If you’re thinking about career change, work life balance, or designing a second act, John’s honesty lands hard. From his basement music studio packed with modular synthesizers and miles of cables, Jon explains why friction matters and why making things harder can lead to more original work, especially in a world flooded with AI content. We dig into his Unmastered newsletter ethos of thinking clearly, living deliberately, and creating without chasing, plus the community-first mission behind DO Radio, a live station you can’t pause or download by design. If this conversation sparks something in you, subscribe, share it with a friend who needs a reset, and leave a review. What would you stop chasing first if you could redesign your life this week? CONTACT JON KAYE: NEWSLETTER WEBSITE: https://unmastered.life LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kayejonathan/ Tune in next week for more stories of 'Distinction & Genius' from The Good Listening To Show 'Clearing'. If you would like to be my Guest too then you can find out HOW via the different 'series strands' at 'The Good Listening To Show' website. Show Website: https://www.…

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