Ep 5: Investing in Human Consciousness
Sutian Dong is a partner at Multitudes VC and Co-Founder of Global Women in VC
In this Substack (a 5 minute read):
An introduction to this 30 minute podcast
My deeper analysis as a coach on why Sutian is so aligned and thriving
Sutian’s New York City recommendations
Meet Sutian Dong
What happens when you build something you thought would work and then it doesn’t? And there’s no Plan B… Sutian is a partner at Multitudes, a VC that invests and incubates ideas that explore the edge of human consciousness.
After years of lucky breaks and things always just working out, Sutian found herself in uncharted territory when her original concept for Multitudes failed and she had no idea what came next. That moment of disorientation became the catalyst for profound self-inquiry that ultimately sparked the insights that created her new venture, Multitudes. Sutian is now inspired to create products, technologies, platforms, services, and communities that move humanity in a positive direction by not changing how we do things, but changing the way that we think and feel.
In this episode we discuss:
Running a business as one of the rawest forms of living
The modalities Sutian used to process failure and figure out what came next
Navigating discomfort to support your growth
The relevance of spirituality in the modern world
Using tools like astrology, tarot, and aura photography to access self-connection and build community
Sutian’s take on the second-order effects of AI
Multitudes’ approach to investing in initiatives at the edge of human consciousness
We recorded this episode at Love Letter. Sutian’s aura photography project located on the Lower East Side.
3 Coaching Lessons From My Conversation with Sutian
TLDR: The concept for Multitudes came out of Sutain giving herself permission to rest, embracing alternative modalities to support her creative ideation, and learning how to be with discomfort.
Lesson 1: Sutian allowed herself to rest
“It was really the first time that I had experienced putting something out there that didn’t really work and sort of not having like a plan B right to bounce back from. So I just sort of like stopped. And that was new, right? To be like, where do I go from here? And it was definitely very hard in the moment, but a blessing in disguise because it was almost like a period of forced introspection or rest. There’s something to be said about momentum and keeping the ball rolling. But I think on the inverse, there’s also a ton of value in asking yourself the questions that you didn’t necessarily have the space to ask before, which is like...Am I pursuing the things that are right for me?”
When you’re used to action this can feel like the safe approach. But actually our intuition is subtle and soft. The more I’ve created space in my life to slow down, the better connection I’ve created with my internal compass. And this is exactly what Sutian did. By giving herself permission to rest and look inwards she was able to hear what was actually important to her, and she was able to launch a completely new kind of VC, one that invests in ideas at the edge of human consciousness.
Lesson 2: Sutian embraced alternative modalities to process her pain
“What has been really helpful for me were some of the like more alternative practices that I engaged with like psychedelic assisted therapy … those things I had heard about and known about but not really experienced for myself until push came to shove and I was like, okay, am I willing to do a lot? To figure this out and to not escape from the pain, but to have clarity on like, what is happening and where am I going?”
When Multitudes 1.0 failed and there was no Plan B Sutian took the time to reset and she really went in and confronted her discomfort. She invested in introspection and personal development and took the leap to do deeper work including using psychedelics. While psychedelics aren’t for everyone and are of course not technically legal, I have seen time and time again in my own life and the lives of my clients and friends the profound effects they can have on helping you to reset by releasing blocks and ushering in clarity and perspective not easily attainable in more conscious states. It’s essential, if you are considering them, to work with a trusted practitioner. Feel free to message me directly if you ever need recommendations.
Lesson 3: Sutian practices sitting on the edge of her growth
“Most humans want certainty, right? And so to be comfortable with uncertainty or I’ll even go broader, to be comfortable with things that the majority of people are uncomfortable with is a skill that anyone can learn. I’m oftentimes uncomfortable, I’m oftentimes in a place of like, what’s happening? And I think I’ve just learned to reframe that and remind myself that like, that it’s a privilege to be there and have those sort of edges of growth where I think interesting things can come out of if you can, just get through that piece.”
What I’ve found in my own personal work is the more I’ve released contraction from my nervous system, the most capacity I’ve had to hold discomfort. This work I’ve been doing over the past year to reimagine my business and launch Character and related projects has been the most uncomfortable thing I’ve ever done. Every morning I’m releasing anxiety and facing the fear that lurks beneath it. It’s a practice that has allowed me to sit in ambiguity long enough for this new work to emerge. And I can’t wait to share more with you on what’s in the pipeline. This is something Sutian does too. She practices sitting in discomfort, on the edge of her growth, so interesting things can emerge.
Sutian’s New York
EAT: Cervo’s, Ha’s Snack Bar, Mam, Claud
DRINK: In the morning literally ANY coffee is fine with me. Cart is just as good as Third Wave. I also love a wine bar with fun food: Parcelle, Lei, Bar Jamon…
RESET: Anything from biking along the High Line, sitting in any park, taking the ferry and sitting on the deck, gong baths, breath work
SHOP: Museum memberships!!! Galleries and museums are the best places to shop. A feast for the eyes.
FUN: I love dancing but it’s hard to stay up late now! So every once in a blue moon a fun/sweaty/body moving time on the dance floor
Want to build a life with Character?
I help people create energizing careers they love.
I do this by helping them connect to themselves, trust themselves, and build a network around them to guide them and open doors.
Check out my old podcast, The Career Studio to learn more.
lf you’re interested in exploring working together you can email anne@careerstudio.co to schedule a consultation.