Learning from Burnout: Why Mental Health Matters for Founders
1 in 5 adults in America experience mental illness. But when we zoom in on founders, the data reveals something even more striking. Founders are significantly more likely to experience anxiety, burnout, depression, and chronic stress — in fact, according to a recent survey by the University of California, 72% of founders claim to experience these things (as compared to 32% of the general population).
Some more startling startup stats:
70% of founders admit feeling lonely during their startup journey (Global Entrepreneurship Organization Endeavor), and 77% of startup founders avoid seeking professional help due to the stigma around mental health (linkedin report 2025).
These challenges aren’t always talked about—especially in rooms where leadership is expected to “have it all together.” But the reality is that anxiety, burnout, and high stress often overlap, bleed into each other, and compound silently until something breaks. One founder in our recent discussion session put it clearly: "If you're not learning how to manage sustained stress, you’ll crash. As a founder, you’re in it for the long haul."
Learning From Burnout: A Founder’s Story
When Reuben was in his twenties, amidst launching his first company and experiencing rapid growth, he worked relentlessly—80 hour weeks, constant pressure, little time with family. All the traditional signs of “success” were there, but it was far from sustainable.
There were no wellness check-ins back then. No “founder mental health” conversations. Just hustle.
Eventually, the burnout hit—hard. “I pulled over on the side of the highway and just broke down,” he shared. “I didn’t even know where I was.” The impact was not only personal, but relational—team members, his marriage, and his overall clarity all suffered.
He describes the experience not as a cautionary tale, but as a call to do it differently now.
How Can Investors Support Founder Wellness?
Years later, as a VC and serial entrepreneur himself, Reuben’s mission is to help founders find sustainable success without ever reaching burnout. He knows from experience the injury it inflicts. More importantly, he believes burnout is entirely avoidable.
58% of founders report feeling unsupported by their investors when it comes to mental health (Sifted, Financial Times 2025). Even worse, many say that their investors add to their stress and anxiety. This disconnect is one reason we’re committed to not just building better businesses, but building a more human startup culture—one that includes mental wellness as a foundational pillar. Redefining founder and investor relationships by promoting mental health and holistic founder wellness is a cornerstone of Flying with Founders’ mission.
You can have the best product-market fit, the most scalable tech, the strongest KPIs—but if the founder isn’t healthy, the company won’t get there. So why don’t more investors recognize this? What if mental health checkpoints were part of the due diligence process? How can we shift the narrative and encourage more investors to invest with not just funding, but with a relationship that prioritizes human wellbeing? The payoff there would be just as mutually beneficial as a 10x exit.
Tools for Checking In: PIREPS and the Power of Pause
One of the tools we use during our retreats and events is a simple acronym: PIREPS—a way to quickly assess how you’re doing in six core areas of life:
Physical
Intellectual
Relational
Emotional
Professional
Spiritual
It’s not a magic fix, but it’s a starting point. A compass. A reminder to check in with yourself as a whole human being—not just a founder or leader.
We also posed a few key reflection questions to our community:
How do you differentiate between healthy stress and harmful burnout?
What red flags do you notice when you're nearing overload?
How do you anchor your day—and protect your peace?
The conversation that followed was thoughtful, honest, and deeply resonant.
This Work Is Long-Term—So Your Wellness Strategy Should Be Too
Startups don’t grow overnight. Neither do the people who lead them. That’s why we believe mental health and personal wellness is a leadership strategy. It’s not just about preventing burnout—it’s about creating sustainability, clarity, and strength for the long haul.
We're grateful to every founder, investor, and friend who showed up for this conversation. If you're reading this and wondering whether you're “doing enough” for your mental health—consider this your invitation to take one small step. Breathe. Move your body. Reach out to someone. Anchor your day.
And if you're ready to go deeper, our monthly Elevate: Founder Wellness sessions are a space to do just that.
Get in touch today: flyingwithfounders@gmail.com
Find our content on your favorite social media platform: @Flyingwithfounders
