Our monthly Founders’ Therapy sessions are part of our initiative to help founders boost their mental health and morale.

Founders’ Therapy engages founders in a small group forum where they can vent amongst themselves about problems only they can understand.

“We know it’s lonely at the top, so we host this event to show founders that they’re not alone.“

~ Joey Womack, Founder and CEO of Goodie Nation

We were grateful to have had 12 founders express their thoughts and feelings in our October 2021 Founders’ Therapy session. Because it’s a private forum, we’ll keep the identities of the attendees private.

A lot was discussed in this session, but much of the conversation revolved around the themes of loss, support, and rest.

Loss

Founders are people too, and like most people, they experience loss – the loss of loved ones, good health, prosperity, possessions, and more.

Given the pandemic and the natural arc of life, many founders shared that they had recently lost someone close to them.

With kind words and empathy, grieving founders were met with comforting warmth and positivity from the other attendees.

As founders showed their emotions and shared their thoughts, a silver lining appeared amidst all the talk of loss – a strong sense of support.

Support

In the startup ecosystem, support in the form of funding can be a lifeline for the business but not for the entrepreneur.

What saves a founder is the personal support received from peers, colleagues, and family.

This support appears in many forms and can aid founders in countless ways as they endure the challenges of entrepreneurship and life.

As founders discussed their losses during the Founders’ Therapy session, they almost always mentioned those who supported them.

Founders shared amazing stories of how spouses, siblings, friends, and even Goodie Nation community members stepped up to assist them with tasks, to solve problems, and to offer advice.

The advice founders received and passed onto others during the session was to practice self care and to rest.

Rest

As much as we encourage “the grind,” we also encourage rest and self care because the business relies on the founder, and if the founder is in poor health, the business cannot survive.

It’s a delicate balance that we’ve seen founders struggle to achieve while asking questions like, “How much work is too much? How much sleep should I really be getting? Should I feel guilty for taking time off?”

It was refreshing to see founders during the session encourage one another to slow down, get sleep, and take time to care for themselves.

Those who had been running on all cylinders welcomed the advice from those who had benefited personally and professionally from resting.

The therapy session came to a close in full circle with founders convincing others to focus on their personal health so they won’t become a loss for the family, friends, and startups they support.

Here’s what some founders have said about Founders’ Therapy:

“I’m supposed to be in a meeting, but I saw this therapy session. I knew I needed to be here on Zoom, sharing how I feel.”

~ Anonymous Founder

“Spaces like this are necessary for founders — especially diverse founders. We deal with A LOT.”

~ Anonymous Founder

“It’s been a very difficult year for me personally, so this has been extremely helpful.”

~ Anonymous Founder

“I’m so glad Goodie Nation has started this.”

~ Anonymous Founder

LOOKOUT FOR OUR NEXT RECAP!

Be on the lookout for a recap from that session! If you missed our last Founders’ Therapy recap, click here to check it out!