Iris Shoor interviews Gali Bloch Liran on her entrepreneurial journey and the story behind The Human Founder

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Episode #100 | Iris Shoor interviews Gali Bloch Liran on her entrepreneurial journey and the story behind The Human Founder

When the podcast became a personal reflection

I saved Episode 100 for the moment I’d feel ready - truly ready - to sit in the seat usually reserved for the founders and investors I interview. The side that tells the story, not just asks about it. I knew this moment would come only once the book was published. And I waited patiently, with the humbleness and deep responsibility this journey deserves. 

So after over 160 episodes and hundreds of conversations with founders, investors, and leaders - my turn arrived. And when it did, I chose Iris Shoor to be the one sitting across from me - an inspiring entrepreneur, colleague, and dear friend. A brilliant woman who understands people just as deeply as she understands business and entrepreneurship.

From a dancer in Zichron to a woman creating a different kind of movement

‍Iris and I spoke about my childhood in the Giva’at Eden neighborhood at Zichron Ya’akov, and my dream of becoming a Broadway dancer. As a girl, I danced every style, choreographed shows, created and taught. Today, when I speak about the entrepreneurial mindset - I know it was always there, I just didn’t know what to call it. But alongside the dreams, I always had a strong sense of practicality. Even then, I understood the trade-offs and limitations - and chose not to pursue a career as a dancer.  Still, movement never left my life - it simply changed form. Today I can see how that same little girl who danced endlessly still creates movement: in ideas, in awareness, and in the leadership of people. Just like in dance - everything we create starts from our core muscles, which in business are like the core values that guide us through life.

Endless doing - and what finally made me pause

‍I shared with Iris how I’ve always operated from a deep, unstoppable internal drive. I was entrepreneurial from a very young age - selling figs from the garden at 5, tutoring private lessons, building roles from scratch in the army, in my multifaceted career, and later as an independent professional. I was always moving forward - without stopping to look back. But in my 30s, something began to shift. My body and mind started asking for a different rhythm, and I began learning how to listen.

I spoke candidly about the deep inner tear I experienced with the sudden loss of my father. He was a major anchor for me, and his death shook my world and gave life a whole new meaning. Only later did I learn of the term “brush with death”- that confrontation with mortality that shakes you up and forces you to reevaluate what truly matters.

Motherhood and success - not either/or, but both/and‍

I also shared my very conscious choice to be a present, hands-on mother, while growing my career. I don’t believe we have to choose one over the other - on the contrary. Motherhood made me a better leader, a more precise coach, and a fuller human being. Like every parent, I’ve had challenging times, but I’ve always tried to set boundaries, listen to my children’s needs - and to my own - and hold that tension with pride. I embrace the trade-offs, because each time I made an intentional conscious choice about how to balance it all.

Turning my own questions into space for others‍

My pain - and the journey it sparked - eventually became the essence of The Human Founder.
To move beyond the surface talk of goals, fundraising, and performance - and place the people, the emotion, the in-between - at the center.  Because I couldn’t save my father - but I can try to save the founders I support.  That’s how my methodology was born, followed by the podcast and the book. Each one offers a different lens on the same truth: You can’t build anything if the founder behind it is falling apart. And you can’t grow - without building resilience from within.

A milestone of recognition & gratitude - not a final chapter‍

Episode 100 is a meaningful milestone for me - a reminder of why I do what I do, where it came from, and where I want to take it next. A reminder that it’s okay to pause, and even more - it's okay to be in awe. I invite you to listen to this episode, and get to know me and The Human Founder from a different, more personal perspective.

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