Interview by Liisi Lillemäe

Daniel spoke candidly about losing his sense of self in the early years of business, believing professionalism meant suppressing his natural charisma. But once he embraced his true self—his humor, creativity, and passion for human connection—everything changed. T By Daniel wasn’t just a tea brand anymore. It became an experience, a movement.

He introduced the POP (Power of Personality) mindset and his STAR framework—Self-reflection, Talk to trusted friends, Adventure, and Recapture—to help others reconnect with who they are and bring that energy into everything they do. Because, as Daniel says, the key to building a memorable business isn’t just what you sell—it’s who you are.

After his talk, we sat down with Daniel to explore these ideas even further.

You often speak about people hiding their true personalities in business. Why do we do that?

I think it starts with how we’ve been taught to separate business from who we are. Business becomes a title, a system, a process. But who runs it? A human being. A person. And with that person comes a personality.

The problem is, we’re afraid to bring our whole selves into the business world because we think they don’t mix. But the businesses that truly impact us and stand out—those are the ones where people show up as themselves. The fear of judgment, of seeming unprofessional, keeps people from doing that.

So, how do we overcome that fear and reconnect with our true selves?

It takes work. A lot of self-talk and self-awareness. Ask yourself: “Who am I when I’m not working? What excites me? What’s my purpose?” These questions help you see the bigger picture. For me, yes, I love tea—but I love impacting people more. I love connecting.

I created a framework called STAR to help with this. It stands for:

• Self-reflection: Look in the mirror and ask who you really are.
• Talk to trusted friends: Ask them when they saw your eyes light up.
• Adventure: Step outside of business—go play, explore.
• Recapture: Find something you used to love and bring it back into your life.

This isn’t just about business. It’s about finding your pop—your unique essence.

You’ve said before that the product isn’t the vision—it’s the tool. Can you explain that?

Absolutely. Business is just a tool. It’s not who I am. If the tool breaks or fails, I’m still here. I can fix it, change it, or pick up a new one. That shift in mindset is powerful. Because when you stop identifying with the tool, you stop letting failure define you.

You also spoke about collaboration, helping us bring our personalities out. How does that work?

Just like in family—my kids bring out different sides of me than my wife or my brother does. People pull different traits out of us. In business, when we engage in meaningful conversations, when we network with intention, we draw each other out. It’s like dating—but instead of building romance, we’re building each other.
That intentional collaboration helps us evolve. We think together, grow together, reflect together. It’s beautiful.

What about fake personalities? Can people get away with that in the long run?

They can’t—not forever. In today’s world, we leave trails. People can check if you’re consistent. Are your stories lining up? What do your reviews say? What were you doing ten years ago? You can’t fake it for long. People have a real eye for authenticity.

Let’s talk about the digital world. What role does AI play in discovering or expressing our personalities?

I love AI. I use it every day. But the human being has to remain in control. I’ve taught AI certain things about me, so it tailors itself to my style. It’s a friend—but it’s still a tool.

Can it help us bring out our personalities? I think so. It can spot trends, reflect things back to us, remind us of who we are. But it can only learn what we give it. So we need to constantly feed it with our evolving selves.

To end on a high note—what’s your biggest message for entrepreneurs?

Catch. Every. Opportunity. That’s the real job of a CEO. Don’t just hide behind the title—figure out what action it demands. And never forget: the secret to succeeding in business is in the first two letters—be you.

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