Self-Made: Refinery 29 Co-Founder Piera Gelardi on Building Bootstrapped Startup Wild Things World (Part 1)

What It Covers

Refinery29 cofounder Piera Gelardi shares lessons from fifteen years building a media company and launching her bootstrapped startup Wild Things World, which brings play-based experiences to adults for mental health and creativity.

Key Questions Answered

• •Creative brainstorming framework: Warm up teams before ideation with games or movement rather than immediately asking for ideas. Leaders should share imperfect ideas first to create psychological safety where bad ideas become stepping stones to breakthrough moments.
• •Self-compassion practice for founders: Write morning notes to yourself using a childhood nickname, acknowledge current feelings without judgment, then offer advice as a loving friend would. This builds more resilience and confidence than self-criticism, contrary to common belief.
• •Launch strategy for creative businesses: Release your product before perfection when building a brand about vulnerability and play. Piera launched Wild Things World with just a mission statement, no business plan, to authentically embody the messy creative process she teaches.
• •Creativity conditions setup: Identify when your best ideas occur (shower, 3:30am, walking) then deliberately recreate those conditions. Use voice transcription apps during walks, set two-minute timed challenges, or establish rituals that consistently trigger your creative state.