From enemy to presence

Delivered May 9, 2025 @ 5:00pm ET

Weather in Bloomington, Indiana - Sunny, 19⁰ C / 67⁰ F

Table of Contents

• Doriot® product innovations

• From enemy to presence

My name is Gerry Hays, and for lack of a better description, I’m the custodian and convener of Doriot® (pronounced “Doe-ree-oh”), a movement to break open the gates of venture and expand innovation and wealth beyond an elite few.

Democratize Venture is my platform to explore the venture markets and share the insights, strategies, and frameworks I bring into the classroom. It’s where education meets execution—for anyone ready to play the startup game.

Doriot® product innovations

VentureStaking™ - a zero-to-one innovation in venture investing — designed to put the smallest investors on the same playing field as the largest. More people are VentureStaking™ every day!

FantasyStartup® - #1 global startup investing simulation with more than 14,000 downloads worldwide. Learn how the power law of venture works.

QAI - Qualified Accredited Investor™ - An exam and certification program for anyone serious about launching a venture-backed company or investing in high-growth startups. QAI teaches you what top VCs know about how the game is played — from term sheets to founder psychology. Since launching in 2023, more than 350 individuals have been certified worldwide.

From enemy to presence

For decades, I was my own worst enemy.
Literally.

Sure, I had people I viewed as competitors—or even enemies—but the truth is, most of the real battles were happening in my own head. As an entrepreneur, I’ve gone through some crazy experiences. But in hindsight, the vast majority of it wasn’t real in the physical sense. It was mental. Internal. Manufactured.

Let me explain.

There’s this voice in my head. Maybe you’ve got one too.
It’s the voice that runs commentary nonstop—about the news, politics, people, money, bills, sports, success, failure… everything. It doesn’t experience life so much as it interprets it. Constantly. And rarely in a constructive way.

About ten years ago, I was introduced to meditation at the Chopra Center. That was the moment I first truly noticed the voice—and began to understand the difference between my voice and my presence. From that point forward, I’ve been on a personal quest to reconnect with my presence… and gently detach from the voice.

But here’s the thing: the voice doesn’t go down without a fight.

The more I tried to silence it, the louder it got. It doubled down on fear. It spun stories that pulled me further away from my center—further, even, than when I began. I’ve since learned I’m not alone in this. Many others on this path have shared similar struggles.

That’s why, in last week’s message, I emphasized the importance of thanking your voice—your ego—and making peace with your deepest fears.

So why does this matter?
What’s the point of all this inner work?

Well, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi—Hungarian-American psychologist—wrote a book called Flow. In it, he describes the state of being when you’ve crossed over from watching and judging the world through your voice… to experiencing the world through your presence.

In this state, your mind no longer controls you. You control your mind.
You hear your voice, but it no longer has power over you.

The voice is rooted in the past and in fear about the future.
Presence lives in the now. It observes without judgment.

And when you start living from presence, something incredible happens:
You begin to trust that what you aspire to create is already organizing around you.
You stop forcing. You start flowing.

You feel like time slows down—and somehow, you have just enough of it to get everything important done. You feel more confident. More relaxed. You stop spinning your wheels. You move with purpose instead of panic.

And what’s happened with Doriot?

Well, since making this mental crossover, Doriot is growing—fast.
Honestly, it’s a little scary how fast. But I’m calm. I’ve been preparing Doriot for the next 100 years, and I believe the pieces are falling into place—not by accident, but by alignment.

When I’m working out, I’m present with my workout.
When I’m building, I’m building.
When I’m resting, I’m resting.

And through it all, the mission is accelerating.

This mindset shift is available to everyone. And it’s powerful.
Make peace with your voice. Step into your presence. Next week, I’ll provide a list tips and tools to help you make the crossover and why they work! But, for now, I’m off to Singapore for two weeks.

Wishing you a focused and fulfilling weekend,
– Gerry ([email protected])