Uploaded November 2021 | Updated September 2026, 1 hour ago
Welcome to The Quest Pod Season 1: Episode 18 with Mathilde Collin: the Parisian CEO talks about breaking the illusions of success, taking care of our minds and and being happy at work.
Wellbeing in the workplace starts with transparency, vulnerability, and empathy. Mathilde Collin is the co-founder and CEO of Front App, where her mission is to help people everywhere find meaning and happiness with their work.
I met Mathilde when she was going through Y Combinator back in 2014, and she has since raised over $138 million in venture capital funding. Mathilde took a leap of faith - she came all the way to San Francisco to pursue her start-up dream from France, despite never having travelled outside of Europe before her interview at YC.
Mathilde is one of the most aware founders I know of. We discuss the importance of viewing founders and CEOs as people, showing vulnerability as a leader. We also discuss accepting change within ourselves and in other people, and its importance in framing ideas of happiness. What I admire the most about Mathilde is how she has been able to challenge the workplace status quo with honesty, empathy and radical transparency.
*Due to tech issues, this episode has video glitches. We are working hard to improve it!
00:00 Intro
01:10 Flip the (cap) table
07:32 Dealing with cancer (co-founder)
13:06 Hypnosis, anxiety and pregnancy
20:42 Fixing our relationship with phones and technology
27:54 Meditation and realizing “being a CEO is just a job”
35:56 Well-being at work is more than yoga classes
41:58 Tips on empathy, career and loving your work
51:45 What’s the kindest thing anyone’s done for you?
56:21 Quest Fellow: Shannen
THE QUEST POD:
🎧 Join Twitch co-founder, Justin Kan (aka your favorite founder's favorite founder), on a quest to discover the human stories behind icons in tech, business, sports, music, and beyond. Let’s F**king Grow.
SUBSCRIBE TO THE QUEST MEDIA ► @FractalRadio
SUBSCRIBE TO MY ADVICE AND LIFE STORIES ► @JustinKanTV
LISTEN TO THE QUEST POD ON APPLE POD/SPOTIFY:
🔴 Apple: podcasts.apple.com/podcast/the-quest-with-justin-kan/id1533022759
🟢 Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/7zLH9PYMRqjkvfgjGa4iHo
FOLLOW ME ON:
🕊Twitter: twitter.com/justinkan
📂 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/justinkan
📸 Instagram: instagram.com/justinkan
🤳 TikTok: tiktok.com/@justinkan
FOLLOW THE QUEST MEDIA ON:
🕊Twitter: twitter.com/thequestmedia
📂 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/the-quest-media
#YCombinator #JustinKan #TheQuestPod
Welcome to The Quest Pod Season 1: Episode 18 with Mathilde Collin: the Parisian CEO talks about breaking the illusions of success, taking care of our minds and and being happy at work.
Wellbeing in the workplace starts with transparency, vulnerability, and empathy. Mathilde Collin is the co-founder and CEO of Front App, where her mission is to help people everywhere find meaning and happiness with their work.
I met Mathilde when she was going through Y Combinator back in 2014, and she has since raised over $138 million in venture capital funding. Mathilde took a leap of faith - she came all the way to San Francisco to pursue her start-up dream from France, despite never having travelled outside of Europe before her interview at YC.
Mathilde is one of the most aware founders I know of. We discuss the importance of viewing founders and CEOs as people, showing vulnerability as a leader. We also discuss accepting change within ourselves and in other people, and its importance in framing ideas of happiness. What I admire the most about Mathilde is how she has been able to challenge the workplace status quo with honesty, empathy and radical transparency.
*Due to tech issues, this episode has video glitches. We are working hard to improve it!
00:00 Intro
01:10 Flip the (cap) table
07:32 Dealing with cancer (co-founder)
13:06 Hypnosis, anxiety and pregnancy
20:42 Fixing our relationship with phones and technology
27:54 Meditation and realizing “being a CEO is just a job”
35:56 Well-being at work is more than yoga classes
41:58 Tips on empathy, career and loving your work
51:45 What’s the kindest thing anyone’s done for you?
56:21 Quest Fellow: Shannen
THE QUEST POD:
🎧 Join Twitch co-founder, Justin Kan (aka your favorite founder's favorite founder), on a quest to discover the human stories behind icons in tech, business, sports, music, and beyond. Let’s F**king Grow.
SUBSCRIBE TO THE QUEST MEDIA ► @FractalRadio
SUBSCRIBE TO MY ADVICE AND LIFE STORIES ► @JustinKanTV
LISTEN TO THE QUEST POD ON APPLE POD/SPOTIFY:
🔴 Apple: podcasts.apple.com/podcast/the-quest-with-justin-kan/id1533022759
🟢 Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/7zLH9PYMRqjkvfgjGa4iHo
FOLLOW ME ON:
🕊Twitter: twitter.com/justinkan
📂 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/justinkan
📸 Instagram: instagram.com/justinkan
🤳 TikTok: tiktok.com/@justinkan
FOLLOW THE QUEST MEDIA ON:
🕊Twitter: twitter.com/thequestmedia
📂 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/the-quest-media
#YCombinator #JustinKan #TheQuestPod
