Burnout is common among entrepreneurs, and in one survey most business owners said they had dealt with it or were dealing with it. Executive coach and therapist Kari Sulenes explains why startups can address it by normalizing conversations about mental health.
To learn how to overcome startup founder burnout, click here to watch Kari Sulenes’ webinar.
Burnout is common among entrepreneurs.
In one survey, most business owners reported that they had dealt with or were dealing with burnout. The survey showed that a variety of emotional factors negatively impact entrepreneurs and accelerate burnout, including financial concerns, work-life balance, and day-to-day stress.
As an executive coach, therapist, who has worked with AlphaBridge Ventures, Kari Sulenes knows this problem well. She’s dedicated her career to addressing startup founder burnout and the stigma some feel around mental health in the workplace.
“People know what burnout is. You can Google it,” Kari says. “But addressing it is harder. Burnout gets sustained through shame and not sharing the challenges you’re facing.”
In a webinar for Founders Network, Kari shared strategies for overcoming startup founder burnout. In the interactive session, attendees were able to:
- Learn why managing your psychology is crucial as a founder and leader
- Build resilience-bolstering rapport with your peers
- Learn the signs of burnout and how to mitigate them
- Explore commitments you might make to prevent burnout in yourself and your teams
- Gain access to resources to support your burnout-proofing journey
Academic Interest
Kari is a trained therapist whose doctorate is in clinical psychology and organizational behavior. Her research focused on the ways in which organizations can become places of healing rather than hurt.
“I’ve always been looking at the way that health and well-being expresses itself in organizations and the ways in which systems actually often don’t support people in their health and well-being,” Kari says. “Often work is a source of stress.”
Startup Founder Burnout
Based on her interest, Kari led a qualitative research study to uncover the needs and desires of founders as part of a VC-sponsored founder development program at AlphaBridge Ventures.
“I started working with organizations on creating systems of healing rather than systems of hurt. And about six years ago, I was introduced to a venture capital firm, AlphaBridge Ventures, that started investing directly in the well-being of their founders. They said, ‘we’re going to invest in our founders and bet on the companies rather than the other way around.’ And as I interviewed founders, I thought that I was going to hear, ‘I need help with fundraising. But every person I interviewed had a burnout story. And ultimately, what led to the failure of companies was burnout.”
Kari’s work with founders led her to develop Pilea, a three-pronged development program focusing on early and mid-stage founders to increase their effectiveness as leaders through physical wellness, emotional intelligence, and leadership and business excellence.
Strategies for Success
Due to their size and nature, Kari says startups offer a unique and ideal environment for addressing burnout effectively. In order to do so, she says startups must normalize conversations about mental health within the company culture. She emphasizes the importance of openly sharing personal experiences with mental health, using person-centered language to create a safe space for others to share their struggles, and making it a regular and accepted topic in team meetings and casual interactions.
“Working with a startup is like working with a jet ski versus a cruise liner,” Kari says. “ We can start to address this in a big corporation, but turning that boat around is really hard. In a startup, creating a system of healing is actually quite easy.”
To learn how to overcome startup founder burnout, click here to watch Kari Sulenes’ webinar.
Founders Network is a peer mentorship community for tech startup founders. If that fits where you are, request an invitation.
Frequently asked questions
What causes founder burnout?
The survey in the post lists financial concerns, work-life balance and day-to-day stress among the emotional factors that accelerate burnout.
How can startups prevent burnout?
Normalize conversations about mental health in company culture. Share personal experiences openly, use person-centered language, and make it a regular topic in team meetings and casual interactions.
Why does burnout persist?
Kari Sulenes says it is sustained through shame and not sharing the challenges you're facing.
Who is Kari Sulenes?
An executive coach and therapist who has worked with AlphaBridge Ventures, with a doctorate in clinical psychology and organizational behavior. She developed Pilea, a development program for early and mid-stage founders.
