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Founder mental health & burnout
Founder life
Should I get a therapist or coach as a founder, and does it actually help?
The short answer
Yes, and the best founders treat it as a performance tool, not a last resort. A therapist or founder coach gives you a confidential place to process the stuff you can't dump on your team, co-founder, or investors. Jerry Colonna built a whole practice on this: your unexamined patterns will run your company if you don't examine them.
Go deeper, your way
2 hand-picked resources. Pick how you want to dig in.
Why we picked it
From the startup world's most in-demand executive coach, this book makes the case that radical self-inquiry, examining the patterns that drove your success but now hurt you, is essential to leading well without breaking.
From
HarperBusiness
by Jerry Colonna
long
The psychological habits that made you successful can quietly sabotage your well-being and relationships
Radical self-inquiry is a leadership skill, not therapy indulgence
Coaching gives founders a confidential space to process what they can't share with team or investors
Work does not have to destroy us, but only if we examine ourselves honestly
Open
rebootbyjerry.com →
Why we picked it
Written by a clinical psychologist married to a serial entrepreneur, it pairs real psychological expertise with lived founder experience, the most practical, non-preachy guide to founder mental health.
From
sherrywalling.com
by Dr. Sherry Walling & Rob Walling
long
Concrete strategies for the freedom, responsibility, and existential fear of entrepreneurship
How to identify and deal with depression, anxiety, burnout, and ADHD as a founder
Protecting your relationships from the stress of building
Mental health practices tailored to founders, not generic wellness advice
Open
sherrywalling.com →
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Also in How Founders Use AI
How founders actually use AI for this, over in Productivity .
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How do founders get to inbox-zero with AI email tools (Superhuman AI, Gemini, Shortwave)?
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