Getting Unstuck: Regain zest and results through Heart path at work
Feeling stuck at work does not always look the same. For some founders, it shows up as stalled results. For others, the results are there, but the sense of fulfilment is gone. And sometimes, both are missing at once. At sTARTUp Day, the session Getting Unstuck: Regain Fulfilment by Uncovering Your Heart Path at Work explored why this experience is so common — and why solving it requires a different kind of attention.
The session was led by Farhad Niyoz, founder of the Cocoon Program. From the start, participants were invited to step outside familiar rational frameworks. Farhad set a clear expectation: when stuckness persists, thinking harder rarely helps. In many cases, the very attempt to force progress deepens the block.
Getting unstuck rarely happens by thinking harder.
When the problem is created in the mind, solving it at the same level often reinforces the block.
Farhad described two parallel journeys that often run out of sync. One is the visible path of goals, outcomes, and achievements — the path most founders consciously follow. The other is an internal journey shaped by meaning, growth, and contribution. When these paths diverge, resistance appears. Founders may push through obstacles, achieve milestones, and still feel dissatisfied or disconnected.
In this view, stuckness is not accidental. It emerges when action is misaligned with what a person is meant to experience, develop, or express at a deeper level. Instead of asking How do I push through this?, the more useful question becomes What is this resistance asking me to understand or change?
The workshop combined reflection with practice, moving through:
Rather than offering advice or solutions, the practices relied on feedback from the body and from others. Participants were asked to notice where energy increased, where it dropped, and what felt authentic rather than expected.
Through paired exercises, participants received reflections not on what made sense, but on what felt alive. These mirrors frequently revealed overlooked interests, suppressed directions, or unexpected satisfaction with current work. For some, the realisation was not that they needed a radical change — but that a shift in perspective or expression was enough.
Key ideas explored in the session included:
Farhad emphasised that there are no instant breakthroughs. Stuckness that develops over months or years requires patience and continued reflection. The goal is not to eliminate resistance, but to listen to it more honestly.
In a startup culture driven by speed and optimisation, Getting Unstuck offered a pause — and a reminder that sustainable fulfilment is rarely found by pushing harder, but by realigning work with the heart path beneath it.
Getting unstuck rarely happens by thinking harder.
When the problem is created in the mind, solving it at the same level often reinforces the block.
Why stuckness happens
Rather than framing stuckness as a personal failure or lack of discipline, the session presented it as a signal. When effort increases but movement does not follow, something deeper may be asking for attention.Farhad described two parallel journeys that often run out of sync. One is the visible path of goals, outcomes, and achievements — the path most founders consciously follow. The other is an internal journey shaped by meaning, growth, and contribution. When these paths diverge, resistance appears. Founders may push through obstacles, achieve milestones, and still feel dissatisfied or disconnected.
In this view, stuckness is not accidental. It emerges when action is misaligned with what a person is meant to experience, develop, or express at a deeper level. Instead of asking How do I push through this?, the more useful question becomes What is this resistance asking me to understand or change?
Moving beyond rational problem-solving
True to its intention, the session was not built around theory alone. Participants were guided through a series of embodied and relational practices designed to bypass habitual thinking patterns.The workshop combined reflection with practice, moving through:
- a guided breathing exercise to shift perception and awareness
- non-verbal mirroring in pairs, focused on sensing untapped potential
- structured peer reflection, highlighting where energy felt alive or diminished
- a simple visual exercise mapping current reality and desired direction
Rather than offering advice or solutions, the practices relied on feedback from the body and from others. Participants were asked to notice where energy increased, where it dropped, and what felt authentic rather than expected.
The role of peer reflection
One of the central insights of the session was the value of being mirrored by others. When founders describe their work and aspirations, they often emphasise what seems logical or socially validated. External listeners, however, can sense shifts in energy that the speaker may overlook.Through paired exercises, participants received reflections not on what made sense, but on what felt alive. These mirrors frequently revealed overlooked interests, suppressed directions, or unexpected satisfaction with current work. For some, the realisation was not that they needed a radical change — but that a shift in perspective or expression was enough.
Where solutions begin to emerge
The session concluded with a symbolic exercise mapping two overlapping realities: where a person is now, and where they feel drawn to be. The space in between was framed not as a problem to solve immediately, but as the field where insight gradually forms.Key ideas explored in the session included:
- stuckness can exist with or without external success
- force and discipline often mask deeper misalignment
- energy is a more reliable signal than logic alone
- clarity emerges through attention, not acceleration
Farhad emphasised that there are no instant breakthroughs. Stuckness that develops over months or years requires patience and continued reflection. The goal is not to eliminate resistance, but to listen to it more honestly.
In a startup culture driven by speed and optimisation, Getting Unstuck offered a pause — and a reminder that sustainable fulfilment is rarely found by pushing harder, but by realigning work with the heart path beneath it.
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