#29 Dopamine sources

Hey there,

A few weeks ago, Nick left a comment on LinkedIn that said, “You can tell a lot about a person based on where they get their dopamine from.” It got way more traction than expected, which told us this was worth exploring deeper.

Because the longer we do this work, the more we realize your business isn’t a separate entity from you. It’s an extension of you. And if you’re getting dopamine from limiting, extractive sources (social validation, achievement checklists, novelty chasing, doom scrolling), you’re probably building a business that depletes you.

But if you’re sourcing it from expansive, regenerative places (creation, deep connection, learning, contribution), your business compounds and actually gives you energy back.

In the episode, we walk through the full spectrum of dopamine sources and the traps each one creates.

Like how achievement-based dopamine means the goalposts always move.

Or how social validation makes you performative instead of just being yourself.

Or how contribution-based dopamine can slide into self-sacrifice if you’re not careful.

This isn’t about judging yourself for scrolling or checking likes. We’ve all been there. It’s about recognizing that your dopamine habits are quietly programming how you build your business, shaping whether it eventually becomes a prison or a source of deep fulfillment.

Most solopreneurs never sit down and ask themselves what kind of business they actually want to build. They just start building and figure it out as they go. And years later, they look up exhausted, wondering how they got here.

This episode is a foundation for thinking differently about that.

Cheers,
Nick and Erica

(00:00) Intro
(01:18) The dopamine discussion begins
(03:34) Synthetic vs. natural dopamine sources
(08:59) Achievement-based dopamine
(11:44) Novelty-based dopamine
(14:33) Social validation-based dopamine
(16:54) Consumption-based dopamine
(18:54) Control-based dopamine
(20:30) Overcoming over-engineering
(21:06) Extractive dopamine sources: competition
(23:08) Expansive dopamine sources: creation
(26:23) Expansive dopamine sources: connection
(29:59) Expansive dopamine sources: learning
(35:32) Building a regenerative business

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