20 Best Resources for Founder Mental Health
Takeaway: Startup life doesn’t come with built-in support, but your mental health and work life balance are just as mission-critical as your next funding round. These founder-focused resources are here to help you lead with clarity, resilience, and a little more peace of mind.
You wouldn’t believe how many startup founders we’ve worked with who came to us after pushing through months (or even years) of stress, insomnia, and emotional exhaustion—assuming it was “just part of the job.” One founder told us they hadn’t had a single full day off in over 14 months. Another shared that they’d started waking up with chest pain but didn’t want to “worry the team.” It’s become clear: founder mental health isn’t a luxury or a side quest. It’s foundational to sustainable leadership.
At Strengths Squared, we specialize in supporting startup founders, CEOs, and small teams through coaching, therapy, and executive function skill-building. Our team blends clinical expertise, organizational strategy, and real-world founder experience to help leaders stay grounded—without sacrificing growth. We have carefully curated list of resources to help you manage stress, reduce burnout, take back your personal time, and protect your well-being while scaling your business.
We’ll cover support for founder anxiety, founder depression, founder burnout, and imposter syndrome, along with general mental health tools we recommend for nearly every startup founder we coach. Let’s help you take care of your mind, body, and mission.
Our Highly Recommended Founder Mental Health Resources
Every startup founder faces unique pressures—but you’re not alone. We’ve gathered practical, vetted resources to help you navigate common mental health challenges: from founder anxiety and depression to founder burnout and imposter syndrome.
Whether you’re in the early days, leading a growing team, bootstrapping a new product, or trying to recover after the past year, these tools are designed to meet you where you are—and help you move forward with more clarity and support.
Resources for Founder Anxiety
Anxiety is one of the most common issues we see among startup founders. Whether it shows up as racing thoughts at night, dread before investor meetings, or a general sense that something’s about to go wrong—founder anxiety is real, and it can interfere with decision-making, relationships, and long-term health. Even in the thick of anxiety, hope isn’t just wishful thinking—it’s the belief that things can change, and that you don’t have to feel this way forever. These resources are designed to help you interrupt anxious spirals, recalibrate your nervous system, and access real support.
1. Mindfulness for Founders – Waking Up App
What it is: A meditation app created by neuroscientist and philosopher Sam Harris, offering practical tools for training attention, reducing rumination, and deepening focus.
Why it’s helpful for founders: The app’s secular, neuroscience-informed approach makes it a good fit for analytically minded startup founders who want to feel calmer without “woo.”
Best for: Founders dealing with overthinking, high stress, or trouble staying present during meetings and decisions.
Pro tip: Start with the 28-day introductory course. Just 10 minutes a day can shift your stress response and support nervous system regulation over time.
2. How Founders Can Skillfully Navigate Startup Stress – Strengths Squared Blog
https://www.strengthssquared.com/blog/stress-management-for-founders
What it is: A research-informed blog post offering practical strategies for managing stress and anxiety as a startup founder—through a DBT-informed lens.
Why it’s helpful for founders: It explains the emotional and cognitive mechanics behind startup anxiety, and offers actionable tools to manage spirals, regulate the nervous system, and make clearer decisions.
Best for: Founders who know they’re anxious but don’t know how to move from “awareness” to action.
Pro tip: Use the “Check the Facts” and “Opposite Action” DBT skills described in the post the next time your anxiety spikes before a big pitch or investor update—they're founder-tested and field-ready.
3. Breathwrk App
What it is: A guided breathing app with short sessions designed to reduce anxiety, improve energy, and increase mental clarity.
Why it’s helpful for founders: Fast, effective, and physiology-based—perfect for high-stress days when you don’t have time for therapy but need to reset your nervous system fast.
Best for: Founders who are physically drained or feeling on edge, especially during fundraising, launches, or decision fatigue.
Pro tip: Use “Anxiety Killer” or “Focus Boost” breath sets before high-stakes calls or after long hours of screen time.
4. The Anxious Achiever Podcast
https://hbr.org/2019/10/podcast-the-anxious-achiever
What it is: A Harvard Business Review podcast hosted by Morra Aarons-Mele exploring anxiety in leadership.
Why it’s helpful for founders: Features honest, high-level conversations with leaders who live with anxiety—including startup founders and CEOs.
Best for: Founders who want to normalize their experience, gain new language for their emotions, and feel less alone.
Pro tip: Listen while walking or commuting—movement and insight go hand-in-hand for reducing anxiety.
Resources for Founder Depression
Depression often hides in plain sight among startup founders. Maybe you’ve lost motivation, started isolating, or feel like you’re going through the motions without your usual passion. Depression in founders can look like burnout, decision fatigue, or even success. These tools are designed to help you reconnect with purpose, energy, and support.
5. Founders Therapy Collective
What it is: A therapist-led group program tailored specifically for startup founders navigating emotional challenges like depression, stress, and identity loss.
Why it’s helpful for founders: It creates a safe space for vulnerability among peers who truly get it—while also offering clinical grounding and accountability.
Best for: Founders who feel alone in their struggles or are experiencing a loss of direction.
Pro tip: Check if your accelerator or VC firm has a partnership with a therapy or coaching program like this—it may be covered or subsidized.
6. Wired to Connect – Podcast by Strengths Squared
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wired-to-connect/id1625988623?i=1000566360835
What it is: A mental health and startup culture podcast hosted by the founders of Strengths Squared—offering deep dives into leadership, burnout, team dynamics, and founder psychology.
Why it’s helpful for founders: Lisa and Marisa blend clinical insight with startup savvy, unpacking challenges like anxiety, imposter syndrome, and stress through pop culture and real-world founder stories.
Best for: Founders who want mental health support with personality, research, and realism—not just jargon or generic advice.
Pro tip: Kick things off with Season 1, Episode 1: “How to Use Your Biology, Your Psychology, & Your Sociology to Your Advantage, at Work.” It’s a strong foundational conversation that connects body, mind, and social context—perfect for recalibrating your startup leadership mindset.
7. Woebot Health
What it is: An AI-powered chatbot that uses cognitive behavioral tools to help users challenge negative thinking patterns and improve emotional resilience.
Why it’s helpful for founders: It offers immediate, private support for moments when reaching out feels too overwhelming. It’s surprisingly warm and research-backed.
Best for: Founders experiencing mild to moderate depression who want daily psychological support but aren’t ready for therapy.
Pro tip: Use it at the same time each day—routine is a powerful way to stabilize mood.
8. Moodnotes App
https://moodnotes.thriveport.com
What it is: A mobile journaling app based on cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), designed to help users track moods and shift unhelpful thinking.
Why it’s helpful for founders: Depression often distorts thought patterns. Moodnotes helps founders externalize, reframe, and shift perspective in a low-lift way.
Best for: Startup founders who want a non-clinical but effective way to reflect on their emotional patterns.
Pro tip: Pair it with a short morning or end-of-day check-in to build emotional awareness and support healthier thinking.
Resources for Startup Founder Burnout
Burnout is more than just exhaustion—it’s a full-body, full-brain breakdown of the systems that normally keep you going. Many founders don’t recognize the signs until they’ve been physically drained, emotionally numb, or unable to feel joy for months. If you’ve experienced burnout (or are trying to prevent founder burnout before it hits), these self care resources offer practical, founder-specific relief.
9. The Burnout Workbook by Amelia Nagoski and Emily Nagoski
What it is: A science-based, interactive workbook that helps readers understand and complete the stress cycle—essential for recovering from burnout.
Why it’s helpful for founders: It translates the physical symptoms of burnout into actionable strategies, including rest, social connection, and creativity.
Best for: Founders who are feeling detached, irritable, or stuck in “go-mode” even after reaching major milestones.
Pro tip: Don’t rush it. Use one chapter per week and actually do the exercises—especially the ones that help regulate your nervous system.
10. Founder Mental Health Pledge (by Graham Weaver and Alpine Investors)
https://foundermentalhealth.com
What it is: A movement urging startup founders to prioritize mental well-being as seriously as company metrics—supported by a growing list of VC firms and CEOs.
Why it’s helpful for founders: It normalizes care, signals leadership maturity, and provides a framework to model psychological support in startup culture.
Best for: Startup founders who lead small teams and want to set a people-first tone from the top down.
Pro tip: Sign the pledge, share it with your co founder or investors, and use it as a conversation starter for building a healthier workplace.
11. Root-to-Routine Intensive by Strengths Squared
https://www.strengthssquared.com/executive-function-coaching-founders
What it is: A 12-week coaching program for founders experiencing burnout, task paralysis, and overwhelm—designed to rebuild systems, structure, and energy from the ground up.
Why it’s helpful for founders: It blends DBT-informed tools, executive function coaching, and weekly structure to help founders reduce chronic stress and regain clarity.
Best for: Founders who have hit a wall with traditional productivity advice and want sustainable, customized strategies.
Pro tip: The program includes built-in recovery time. Take it seriously—founder burnout recovery often requires rest before reinvention.
12. Get Enough Sleep by Justin Kan
https://justinkan.substack.com
What it is: A no-nonsense Substack and community from the Twitch co-founder on sleep, energy, and well-being in startup life.
Why it’s helpful for founders: It de-glamorizes long hours and positions rest as a strategic advantage. A must-read for founders trying to “do it all.”
Best for: Startup founders who need to hear (from another founder) that sleep deprivation is not a badge of honor.
Pro tip: Subscribe to the newsletter and block 7+ hours of sleep like you would a board meeting—it matters that much.
Resources for Founder Imposter Syndrome
Even the most accomplished founders experience imposter syndrome—that persistent feeling that you’re faking it, that your success is undeserved, or that at any moment someone will “find you out.” It often flares during fundraising, public speaking, or major product milestones, making it a silent killer . These resources are designed to help startup founders quiet self-doubt and reconnect with their strengths.
13. The Imposter Cure by Dr. Jessamy Hibberd
https://www.jessamyhibberd.com/the-imposter-cure
What it is: A practical book that explains the psychology of imposter syndrome and how to shift your mindset using cognitive behavioral tools.
Why it’s helpful for founders: It offers both insight and action steps—especially useful for startup founders who intellectually understand their accomplishments but still feel “not enough.”
Best for: Founders who constantly compare themselves to others or minimize their own success.
Pro tip: Highlight the exercises that resonate and revisit them quarterly—imposter thoughts often resurface at each new stage of growth.
14. Founder Journal by Chris Sparks
https://www.founderjournal.com
What it is: A structured reflection tool designed for startup founders to clarify their priorities, build self-awareness, and combat imposter syndrome through evidence-based journaling.
Why it’s helpful for founders: It externalizes your wins, tracks progress, and reframes failure as learning. Ideal for combatting the “I’m not doing enough” narrative.
Best for: Founders who struggle to celebrate their accomplishments or feel stuck in comparison cycles.
Pro tip: Pair it with a short weekly “CEO hour” to review what’s working. This habit supports long-term focus and well being.
15. Working with Imposter Syndrome – Tara Mohr’s Playing Big Course
https://www.taramohr.com/playingbig
What it is: An online course that helps high-achieving women and non-binary professionals recognize and shift imposter thoughts.
Why it’s helpful for founders: While not founder-specific, it’s incredibly helpful for startup leaders navigating visibility, leadership growth, and fear of being “not ready.”
Best for: Founders (especially those from underrepresented groups) dealing with perfectionism, fear of failure, or self-silencing in high-stakes environments.
Pro tip: Use the “inner critic” visualization exercises during stressful moments—they’re grounding, fast, and effective.
16. StrengthsFinder (CliftonStrengths) Assessment
https://www.gallup.com/cliftonstrengths
What it is: A well-known assessment that identifies your top strengths across 34 domains of talent.
Why it’s helpful for founders: Imposter syndrome often makes founders fixate on gaps. This tool redirects attention to what’s working—your natural talents and leadership traits.
Best for: Startup founders who need language for their strengths and want to lead from a more grounded, confident place.
Pro tip: Consider doing this with your coach or leadership team to build a shared strengths-based culture.
General Resources for Founder Mental Health
Not every challenge fits neatly into a category. Sometimes it’s just the accumulation of too many tasks, too much problem solving, not enough rest, and the overwhelming pressure to lead well, scale fast, and stay sane—all at the same time. These general resources support the whole founder: mind, body, and business.
17. Mental Health at Work from Mind UK
https://www.mind.org.uk/workplace/mental-health-at-work
What it is: A hub of tools, templates, and support resources for leaders creating healthier work cultures.
Why it’s helpful for founders: It provides practical ways to reduce stress, normalize psychological support conversations, and implement structural change—especially useful for startup leaders.
Best for: Founders who want to support their own mental wellbeing while also protecting their team’s.
Pro tip: Download the “Wellbeing Action Plan” template and adapt it for your leadership team—it’s simple but powerful.
18. The Founder’s Field Guide to Navigating Mental Health (by First Round Capital)
https://firstround.com/review/the-founders-field-guide-to-navigating-mental-health
What it is: A comprehensive article featuring dozens of startup founders sharing mental health tools, therapy insights, and personal reflections.
Why it’s helpful for founders: Honest, founder-to-founder advice that destigmatizes asking for help. Covers burnout, anxiety, chronic stress, and more.
Best for: Founders looking for peer insight and tangible ideas that have worked for others.
Pro tip: Bookmark this guide. Refer back during hard seasons—it’s designed to be revisited.
19. The Rise of the Burnout Coach – Blog by Strengths Squared
https://www.strengthssquared.com/blog/burnout-coach
What it is: A founder-focused article on the rise of burnout coaching, with practical insights and guidance on how to find real relief in a high-stress world.
Why it’s helpful for founders: It explores the emotional, cognitive, and physical dimensions of burnout with actionable advice and clear signals to watch for.
Best for: Startup founders or business owners curious about burnout recovery and coaching—especially those who’ve experienced burnout in the past year.
Pro tip: Use this blog as a self-assessment. If multiple signs resonate, it’s time to talk to a coach.
20. Daily Movement & Energy Tracking – Rise App or Oura Ring
What it is: Tools to track sleep, circadian rhythms, and energy levels—often overlooked in founder well being.
Why it’s helpful for founders: Burnout affects both mental and physical health. These tools help founders make smarter decisions around energy management and recovery.
Best for: Founders who push through fatigue without realizing how much it impacts decision-making, mood, and focus.
Pro tip: Start tracking during high-stress periods like product launches or fundraising to identify patterns in your energy, sleep, and stress levels.
How to Choose the Right Resources for You
Not every resource will be the right fit at the same time. The right psychological support depends on where you are in your founder journey, what symptoms you're noticing, and how much time or energy you can realistically invest right now.
Here are a few ways to narrow your focus:
Start with your most persistent pain point. Anxiety? Exhaustion? Feeling like a fraud? Begin with the section that hits closest to home.
Consider your energy, not just your time. If you’re physically drained, high-effort solutions might not be the right place to start. Look for small, low-lift tools that tackle healthy habits like breathing apps or journaling prompts.
Notice your patterns. Have you experienced burnout in the past year? Are your stress levels tied to specific business stages (like launches or fundraising)? Matching resources to your triggers increases impact.
Choose one new resource to try. Founders often feel pressure to optimize everything at once. One new tool—used consistently—can make a bigger difference than 10 scattered ones.
Don’t go it alone. Whether it's a coach, therapist, or co founder, sharing your goals for mental well being increases your odds of follow-through and accountability.
Taking care of your mental health doesn’t mean stepping back from your company. It means stepping into your life and role with more clarity, focus, and sustainability.
Final Thoughts
Startup life demands a lot—from your brain, your body, and your business. This guide offered 20 carefully selected resources to help you navigate founder anxiety, depression, burnout, imposter syndrome, and general mental health maintenance.
Because here’s the thing: mental health isn’t just a personal matter. It doesn't just happen, it’s a business decision. When startup founders are burnt out, overwhelmed, or disconnected, it impacts everything including your personal life—from hiring to fundraising to long-term success, including their relationships with friends.
Spending time to find your guiding light will make a difference in every aspect of your life. When founders get clear on what truly matters—beyond the pitch deck or product roadmap—it becomes easier to weather the ups and downs of building a company. Startups fail for all kinds of reasons, but losing touch with your purpose shouldn’t be one of them. Whether your idea is just gaining traction or you're already leading a growing team, reconnecting with your core values helps you make decisions that align with the life you’re actually trying to build. We’ve seen it happen again and again: founders who started spending just a little time each week reflecting on their why, their goals, and their needs—lead with more clarity, recover faster from setbacks, and build companies that last.
Most founders don’t realize how quickly that inner compass gets buried under investor pressure, back-to-back meetings, or the fear of letting people down. But tuning back into your guiding light isn’t a luxury—it’s a strategy. It anchors you in uncertainty, shapes your leadership voice, and ensures you don’t lose yourself while building something bigger than yourself.
At Strengths Squared, we partner with startup founders, CEOs, and small teams to create sustainable systems that support mental and physical health. Whether you need structured coaching, burnout recovery support, or executive function tools that actually stick—we’re here to help.
If you're ready to stop surviving and start leading with more focus, energy, and personal freedom—let’s talk. Founder mental health isn’t optional. It’s a competitive advantage, especially when you effectively spend your time on personal health .