This week, we’re tackling the work before the work — how to start building your emotional toolkit for the founder journey ahead.
Thinking About Taking the Founder Leap? Here’s How to Prep for the Emotional Gauntlet
Psychologist Dr. Emily Anhalt was sitting in a coaching session with a founder who just finished a successful Series A raise. It was a major milestone — but instead of feeling triumphant and celebratory, the founder was more anxious than ever. “I thought that once we raised money, the stress would ease,” the founder said. “But now I’m terrified of letting down our investors, my team and our customers.”
In her 15 years of experience as a therapist and executive coach, Dr. Anhalt has sat across from countless founders echoing the same sentiment. They certainly expect that starting a company will bring its fair share of lows where they are forced to just grind it out, against all odds. But what is much less expected is the realization that achieving one goal becomes the starting line for ten new ones.
That’s why she’s adamant that founders who are early in their journey start taking this work seriously now, or even better, before they put “Something New” at the top of your LinkedIn profile.
“Think of it as creating shock absorbers for your emotional vehicle — they don't eliminate the bumps in the road, but they make them more manageable,” says Anhalt.
On the Review, she picks up the pen and sketches the four steps for getting started. Here’s a preview of what’s in store:
Step 1: Identify your fears so you can face them. “When you’re riddled with anxiety about taking the founder leap, start by pinpointing the fear and naming it. Is it financial instability? Judgment from others? Torpedoing a relationship with a friend-turned-co-founder? Not being able to raise funding? Getting specific makes it easier to take tactical steps to address that specific fear.”
Step 2: Figure out your “why to address uncertainty. “Ask yourself: In five years, will I regret not trying more than trying and it not working?”
Step 3: Create systems for longer-term resilience. “Don't wait until you're burning out to create boundaries or for time to open up to take care of yourself. Put structures in place before you need them. The most successful founders I work with aren't the ones who can push through anything — they're the ones who build sustainable practices.”
Step 4: Find circles of trust to manage founder loneliness. “There's a fundamental shift that happens — from fear about uncertainty (’Will this work?’) to pressure about sustainability (’How do I keep this going?’).”
You can also pick up her brand-new book, “Flex Your Feelings: Train Your Brain to Develop the 7 Traits of Emotional Fitness,” on virtual and physical bookshelves today.
Thanks, as always, for reading and sharing!
-The Review Editors
Recommended resources:
-This conversation between Stripe CEO Patrick Collison and Sir Jony Ive (former Chief Design Officer at Apple).
-Startups rarely die from bad code. They die from false confidence.