I’ve recently noticed a pattern among my clients who are entrepreneurs and founders. Their businesses consume their whole lives. They carry the weight of responsibility for not only their livelihoods, but those of their employees, too. They feel like the responsibility of upholding the company’s vision, strategy, and survival rests on their shoulders, and they carry this all alone.
While they maintain a confident and steady exterior, inside they feel isolated. They feel they can’t be vulnerable and share with their team, board, investors, or families. So, they share with no one.
These feelings of loneliness and isolation uniquely affect the mental health of founders and entrepreneurs. One in three startup CEOs say they have no one to talk to about the toughest parts of their jobs. Another survey among founders worldwide found that more than 50% report struggling with anxiety.
While mental health may not be first on a founder’s daily to-do list, ignoring it can lead to poor performance and burnout. While schedules are tight, there are ways to easily integrate support into your routine. Here are four strategies I share with my clients.
1. Find your “peer cohort.”
Many of my clients say “no one understands what I’m going through,” but other founders and entrepreneurs absolutely do. A peer group like Entrepreneurs’ Organization, Women Presidents’ Organization, or a smaller curated mastermind gives you something rare — a room full of people living the same experience.
These peers can offer honest feedback, hard-won wisdom, emotional validation, and accountability — whether virtually or in person. Beyond the practical value, there’s something powerful about being around people who just get it without explanation. That sense of being understood, effortlessly, is one of the most effective antidotes to founder isolation.
2. Work with a therapist, a coach, or both.
As an executive coach, my role differs from that of a therapist. However, both are invaluable for people in high-stress, high-stakes positions. A therapist helps you process emotions and develop tools to work through them. A coach helps you think more clearly and lead more effectively. Different problems, different support, and often, both are needed at once.
