Why Every Entrepreneur Should Be In Therapy with Brad Johnson

Today I’m sharing something that I’ve never talked about publicly: my personal journey with therapy and how it helped to save my marriage.

The truth is, in the early days of Triad, when I was busy putting my blood, sweat and tears into helping our team get the company off the ground...I was leaving a void at home and not showing up as the husband and father I needed to be.

I often felt like there just wasn't enough of me to go around.

Therapy is what helped me get things back on track – including being a better entrepreneur, father and husband. Essentially practicing what we preach when it comes to Doing Business and Doing Life.

That’s why I’m going deep today and sharing some intimate details and key lessons from my own therapy journey. My hope is that it will help you spot opportunities where you can also level up and start doing business and life even better.

My Key Takeaways:

One of the greatest gifts I've ever received

• So, here’s the deal. Michael Hyatt , my mentor and a well-known blogger, got me to invest in myself big time. Thanks to his wisdom and guidance, I kicked off my first mastermind group and launched my podcast. But, most importantly, I learned to be vulnerable and invest in myself. This has improved my personal and professional life more than anything else. Period.
• At first, I was pretty skeptical about therapy. But after Michael opened up about his own life-changing experience, I gave it a shot. And let me tell you, it was a total perspective shift. Therapy and learning to be vulnerable aren't signs of weakness—it's the healthy people that dive deeper into their own thinking and blind spots.
• My journey with therapy started after a serious sit-down with my wife in Napa, CA of all places. Over 3 years into this journey, I'm not sure why we didn't start this weekly ritual in year 1 of marriage versus year 16. I share many of the lessons learned that have helped me level up in both business and life.

"I found that when you invest in yourself, you take things a lot more seriously. It’s an investment. Now, you’ve got skin in the game."?- Brad Johnson

Leaders are calm and confident

• Let’s be real—no one wants to follow a leader who’s all over the place. If you can’t keep your emotions in check, it’s game over for effective leadership and successful team empowerment. Recognize your stress triggers and have systems in place to stay grounded.
• Therapy isn't a sign of weakness; it's the key to unlocking massive self-improvement and learning to keep a cool head in stressful situations—both at work and in life. Plus, it helps to address underlying issues before they turn into unhealthy habits.
• The best leaders are the calmest in the room, even when chaos hits. As??Michael Hyatt’s once shared with me—Leaders are calm and confident. This approach builds trust and allows for open dialogue, both in business and at home.

"The quickest way to break trust is to be a volatile, emotional leader. One of the best ways to earn trust as a leader, as Michael has coached me, is to be calm and confident."??- Brad Johnson

Therapy needs a rebrand

• Let’s flip the script—therapy is just another form of coaching. You have a business coach or a golf coach, right? Well, a therapist is like a coach for your mind. It’s not for “broken” people; it’s for anyone looking to up their mental game.
• To be an awesome leader, you’ve got to manage your mindset. Therapy helps you break down personal barriers, letting you show up as the best version of yourself for your family, team and clients.
• Just like coaching hones your skills, therapy can supercharge your relationships. It gives you the tools to handle conflicts and communicate better, making you a better spouse, parent and leader. Embrace therapy and it’s likely you’ll watch your personal and professional life soar. It's time to break that stigma.

"Therapy isn’t for ‘broken’ people; it’s for anyone wanting to improve their mental game."??- Brad Johnson

More on Doing Business and Doing Life

Whether it’s doing business or doing life, I've learned (sometimes the hard way) that no one wants to follow an emotionally volatile leader. I've messed this up plenty of times, but with age comes wisdom, right? In this week’s episode, I shared a lot about my personal journey to level up. As Dan Sullivan says, it’s all about “thinking about your thinking.”

When it comes to blind spots as a leader, one of the most valuable things I’ve found is surrounding myself with great coaches and mentors. Today, I want to share a powerful clip from “We Were Soldiers,” a movie starring Mel Gibson that dives into the Vietnam War and the horrors the soldiers faced. This was shared with me by a business coach as an example of what it meant to be "calm and confident" under pressure and is based on a real-life battle from Vietnam.

This scene is a great reminder of how important it is to stay calm, no matter what challenges you face as a leader. Staying calm helps you make sound decisions and inspires confidence in your team. Remember, whatever plays out in your next boardroom meeting—it could always be worse, and staying calm is your superpower.