Naked at the Top

What to tell yourself at night when the self-doubt won't shut up

β€’ Season 1 β€’ Episode 21

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0:00 | 49:25

Have you ever had a season where everything in your life fell apart at once and you couldn't catch your breath?

Then this episode is for you. Today I'm sitting down with Nicholas Howe. He's the founder of Howe United Games and Software, a single dad to a nine-year-old, and the creator of a free app called Cups and Spoons that helps couples build healthier relationships.

Before we recorded, I spoke to his friend Cheri about him. What she said is sweet and a little savage, and you can hear him squirm hearing it back live.

Nick opens up about the four months in 2024 when everything came apart at once. The move-out notice from his parents. The friends he turned to whose place he had to leave in under a month. The relationship that ended. He shares the sacrifices he's making to keep his company alive that he hasn't told his own family. And he tells me about the night he asked the universe for a sign and what showed up the next morning.

In Between the Lines, I gave it everything I had. Five questions, five chances to get him to lose a layer. Find out if I managed it.


Thanks to YourHR for sponsoring this episode. YourHR works with 100s of businesses to cut the jargon, simplify the systems, and build workplaces where people genuinely want to be.  Find out where your business stands with their free HR Health Check in minutes:
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Thanks to AIXFamily for sponsoring this episode. AIXFamily is the parental control platform built by a dad of three after a decade in network security couldn't turn up a tool that met his own family's needs. It runs at the network level, so deleting the app or switching on a VPN gets your kids nowhere, and every block comes with an explanation for them.
Join the waitlist for founding-member access before it launches:
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β€”

Don't forget to like πŸ‘, comment πŸ’¬, and subscribe (it's completely free!) πŸ”” for more honest leadership stories. Click the bell to stay updated on new episodes.


(00:41) Welcome and introduction

(00:59) New Clothes: the night everything fell apart

(09:05) Building Cups and Spoons and Howe United Games and Software

(15:29) Mirror Mirror: hearing how Cheri sees him

(18:17) The sacrifices behind the build

(23:15) Between the Lines begins

(24:28) Q1: what therapists get wrong about couples

(27:06) Q2: the gap between perception and reality

(31:19) Q3: the sacrifice no one knows about

(37:43) Q4: the worst leadership he's ever experienced

(42:59) Q5: the thought that plays on repeat

(44:46) The bullfrog sign

(47:48) Where to find Nicholas and sign-off

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Howe United Games & Software:

https://howe-united.com/

https://www.instagram.com/HOWEUNITEDGAMES/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicholas-howe-%F0%9F%A5%A8-87261114/



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