Melissa Bernstein was born with what she calls "dark existential angst" and spent years channeling that darkness into more darkness. Then she discovered something that changed everything: she could choose to channel that same energy into light. As co-founder of Melissa & Doug, she built a billion-dollar toy empire not by overcoming her struggles, but by transforming them into purpose.

In this raw conversation, Melissa reveals how entrepreneurship didn't cost her anything—it gave her everything. From finding meaning in the doing rather than the achieving, to why the day of their billion-dollar exit was one of the saddest of her life, she shares the paradoxes of building something meaningful in a world obsessed with achievement over fulfillment.

Key Timestamps:

[00:00:00] Introduction

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