No. 5: Exciting mental health initiatives in entrepreneurship right now
Three approaches to improving the individual well-being of entrepreneurs — all equally needed and important:
Awareness
Last week, Techstars published a four-part docuseries on entrepreneurship and mental health. Brad Feld, Matthew Helt, and Andrea Perdomo talk openly about the mental health challenges they experienced while building businesses. It is very moving, and I hope it makes founders feel less alone.
"Catalysts to jumpstart change"
In January, Freestyle Capital announced they would pay 100% of the cost of two programs for their founders: Meru Health – a three-month digital program for treating depression – and the Hoffman Institute – a one-week intensive program designed to break negative personal patterns.
Preventative Mental Wellness
The Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship is integrating my self-awareness program, Entrepreneurial Confidence and Communication, into their delta v accelerator again this summer.
The SoGal Foundation is about to run its second cohort of Build Without Burnout, a "free six-month cohort-based program dedicated to supporting founders through holistic health."
My team and I are accepting applications for Rational Confidence, a year-round community of funded and revenue-making founders participating in self-awareness training and peer discussion. The goal: improve founders' mental wellness and shift the startup ecosystem away from burnout toward healthier – and more successful – company cultures.
Pretty great, right? Depression, anxiety, and burnout do not have to be fixtures of entrepreneurship.
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