The CEO Who Learned to “Fix Her Code” — And Rewired Her Entire Life
Anna Gudmundson, CEO of Sensate, explores the intersection of technology, nervous system regulation, and human potential.
From growing up in Northern Sweden with a deep curiosity for systems, to building a career in early-stage tech, Anna shares how she began to see her own behaviors as patterns—“bugs in her code”—that could be understood and improved.
But everything changed when years of stress led to a complete breakdown in her health. What followed was a deep journey into functional medicine, meditation, breathwork, and nervous system awareness—ultimately reshaping how she lives, works, and leads.
This conversation explores how to regulate your internal state in a chaotic world, why most people are operating far below their potential, and how combining ancient practices with modern technology may be the key to a more resilient future.
Show Partners:
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- A special thanks to our mental fitness + sweat partner Sip Saunas
- Personal Socrates: Better Question, Better Life
Connect with Marc: https://konect.to/marcchampagne
Timestamps:
01:00 — Growing up in Northern Sweden: math, music, and systems thinking
02:30 — “I saw bugs in my code” — the mindset that changed everything
04:00 — Early influences and discovering personal growth
05:00 — Finding Qigong and learning to balance internal energy
07:00 — Why “woo-woo” practices are becoming a competitive advantage
09:30 — When the nervous system became impossible to ignore
11:00 — The 10-day silent meditation that rewired everything
12:30 — The health breakdown: stress, gut issues, and missed diagnoses
14:00 — Functional medicine and rebuilding from the inside out
16:30 — The hardest part: accepting a new way of living
17:30 — Running a startup while protecting your nervous system
18:00 — Reframing challenges: growth vs punishment
19:30 — The non-negotiables: sleep, recovery, and self-awareness
21:00 — How to actually “check in” with yourself
22:00 — Meditation practices for different mental states
24:00 — Automatic journaling and accessing the subconscious
26:00 — Breathwork as a reset for mental overwhelm
28:00 — Inside alchemy breathwork and altered states
32:00 — Integrating logic, spirituality, and identity
34:00 — What Sensate is and how it works
36:00 — Why nervous system regulation matters more than ever
38:00 — The global stress crisis and what it’s costing us
40:00 — Meditation vs tools: what works when your mind is overloaded
42:00 — Building a “mental fitness system” for your life
44:00 — Bringing these practices into company culture
46:00 — Why startups aren’t for everyone (and that’s okay)
48:00 — Leadership, stress resilience, and the future of work
50:00 — The future of health: sound, frequency, and personalization
52:00 — Final reflections: embracing complexity and being “just weird enough”
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Special props 👇
Music: Clouds - Joakim Karud
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