#WorldMentalHealthDay2024: thinking about workplace mental health <> founder depression

It's World Mental Health Day and this year’s focus is on workplace mental health - so what does taking care of your mental health really mean for entrepreneurs??

I really struggle with this question. I’ve had depression and anxiety for 22 years (making my diagnosis, I often joke, a fully-fledged working professional by now.)

When I was running my startup, I admittedly set the difficulty level on extreme. We sold (and still sell) AI-powered learning and training over text message for hard-to-reach communities in East Africa. This, on the surface, is not the most obvious “venture backable” proposition, but one that I fundamentally believe(d) in.?

So I made up for the lack of funding and resources with sweat and hustle. I basically didn’t sleep or eat regularly for 5 years. My family was several expensive flights away so I never saw them. I never made plans with friends more than a week in advance, in case the business needed me. I felt horrible all the time. I had anxiety attacks. My community was worried about me and tried to get me to slow down - but of course I couldn’t, because the company would be at risk. And publicly sharing how vulnerable I felt meant (I thought) that we would lose clients, funding, and team members.

All of the standard guidance never really seems to work for founders. Take a break - with what time? Redistribute your work - to what team? Get some more resources - with what funding? Talk to a therapist - I appreciate all my past therapists, and I also found it hard to find one that understood why I was running my life like this (luckily I eventually did). Taking care of myself felt at odds with the reality of shortening runway and scrambling to generate revenue.

But the sacrifice really was working for a while - we made it through tough times like the sad death of a team member, crushing regulation change, COVID19, and general startup ups and downs - until it didn’t, for me, anymore.

Fortunately, it was at a point when the company and team were doing well enough that they could take on operations and thrive without me. But, three years after I stepped away from full-time operations, I’m still dealing with the impact of the burn out and chronic anxiety.?

Now, as an investor, I wonder what is the best, most realistic way to help founders manage their mental health - when, at the early stages, the metrics to hit and funding expectations require a single-minded obsession and focus. What does mental health really look like when the work, by its nature, removes all balance??

I don't have any good answers for this. I first talked about this publicly 4 years ago (blog here ) and I've had a few more tips since then:?

• A startup takes on the personality of its founders. Think about what you want your startup’s work culture to look like for your 100th hire, and give at least some of it to yourself, now. Include your envisioned work environment in your conversations with investors and funders and get them to buy into how you want to build your team alongside your business.?
• Unlock a bit more time with the productivity tools available - I know, there are a million now. Take a week, try out all the notetaking/calendar organizing/email assistant/automations available, pick your favorites, and implement them. Even turning on GMail advanced keyboard shortcuts has saved me a ton of time that I can now use on other things (like resting). It’s worth the license.?
• Block off time for founder peer group. Cultivate a little entrepreneurial crew that you trust, and commit to a monthly breakfast or exercise activity or debrief to keep each other going.

If I were to do it all again, my mantra would be: one of the greatest resources at my company is me. How can I keep investing in me?

And that's a great question for entrepreneurs to ask your investors. How will we help you keep investing in you?