EP 301 Finding Purpose Beyond Transactions: Mark Steiner on Entrepreneurship, Adoption, and Emotional Intelligence

In this deeply engaging episode of the Stuck In My Mind Podcast, host W I Z E sits down with Mark Steiner—entrepreneur, storyteller, creative leader, and co-founder/CEO of GigSalad—for a raw and heartfelt conversation that transcends the boundaries of typical business podcasts. This episode explores the invisible but powerful threads that connect personal history, emotional resilience, and entrepreneurial vision, offering listeners a rare blend of practical insight and emotional inspiration.

From the outset, Mark Steiner shares the formative experiences that shaped his worldview, beginning with his adoption at birth and the dual birthday/gotcha celebrations that became a cherished family tradition. Mark opens up about the psychological nuances of being adopted—the feelings of abandonment, the storytelling the mind does in the absence of facts, and the journey toward self-acceptance and healing. In a particularly moving segment, both Mark and the host reflect on their own experiences of parental separation and reconciliation, highlighting universal themes of loss, personal narrative, and the search for closure in adulthood 02:05.

Mark traces his path through the entertainment industry, revealing how his early passion for acting and music was, in part, motivated by a desire to prove his worth—by striving for popularity or recognition as a surrogate for self-love. He candidly discusses his inclination toward masking and role-shifting throughout life, later realizing these were responses to both his adoption and, as discovered much later, undiagnosed ADHD 10:19.

A pivotal point in the episode is Mark’s late diagnosis of ADHD, prompted by his daughter’s own journey. Mark describes the immense relief and self-forgiveness that came with the diagnosis, but also a sense of mourning for the years spent struggling without understanding the true nature of his challenges 25:10. He reflects on the impact ADHD had on his drive, his struggles with focus, and how it unwittingly steered him toward entrepreneurship, a path filled with creativity, flexibility, and opportunities to design systems that work for neurodivergent minds.

Listeners are granted a behind-the-scenes look at the birth of GigSalad, Mark’s game-changing company that connects event planners with performers, speakers, and service providers. Mark recounts the original problem that inspired its creation: local entertainers and event planners kept reaching out to him for help, despite it not being his business