72% of Founders Experience Burnout: 5 Mental Health Tools a Stan CEO Used Over 10 Years

One-Line Summary

87% of entrepreneurs experience at least one of anxiety, depression, or burnout. A startup CEO who went from Goldman Sachs to building a 30M USD ARR platform shares the mental health framework he developed through a decade of depression and burnout.

Key Numbers & Data

Background: Why This Matters

Entrepreneurship is inherently an activity that puts extreme strain on mental health. Working 50-60+ hours per week, worrying about whether you can make payroll, and surviving constant rejection -- that is the startup reality. According to UC San Francisco research, founders are 50% more likely to experience mental health issues than the general population, and 72-88% of founders report at least one of anxiety, depression, or burnout.

The problem is that most mental health advice stops at generic prescriptions like "meditate," "exercise," and "sleep well." In reality, many people are already doing all of these things and still falling apart. The key is understanding root causes rather than symptoms, and matching the right tool to the right problem.

John Hu went from Goldman Sachs investment banking analyst to Norwest Venture Partners senior associate, graduated from Stanford MBA, and then founded Stan, a creator e-commerce platform. He reached 30M USD ARR in 4 years, and in 2025 brought in Steven Bartlett, host of the world's largest business podcast "Diary of a CEO," as an investor and co-owner.

Related market data:

• 72-88% of founders experience anxiety, depression, or burnout (Source: Founder Reports / EO Network)
• Founders are 50% more likely to report mental health issues than the general population (Source: UC San Francisco)
• 30% of founders experience depression vs 7% of general population (Source: Founder Reports)
• 50.2% of founders experience anxiety symptoms -- the number one mental health issue (Source: LifeHack Method)
• 45% of founders who set work-life boundaries report low burnout, vs 6% who do not (Source: ZipDo)

Key Insights

1. Diagnose the Root Cause, Not Just Treat the Symptoms

Mental health content is everywhere. Journal. Meditate. Sleep well. Exercise. But honestly, have you ever heard this advice and thought "so what"? In reality, most people who are doing all of these things still feel depressed and anxious.

The core problem is this: most mental health guides focus only on symptom relief without addressing why we are anxious and depressed in the first place. It is like taking painkillers for a headache without figuring out what is causing the headache.

So the approach needs to be completely flipped. First, precisely diagnose the specific fears and stressors you face as a founder. Then match the right tool to each problem. If this order is reversed, even the best tools will not work.

"I am really tired of all the videos that just tell you to journal and meditate and go to therapy... because at the end of the day, I'm doing all of those things but yet I still feel depressed."

How to apply: Write down 3 specific causes of your anxiety or depression. Start from the causes, not the symptoms.

2. The Liberation of Realizing Nobody Is Thinking About You

The first wall you hit when starting a business is not a technical problem. It is the fear of "what will people think?" This fear hits hardest when you try to post on social media, promote your business, or put yourself out there as a creator.

The funny thing is, it is not just close friends and family. You worry about acquaintances from school whom you met once or twice and will never see again. Logically it makes no sense, but emotionally it is a powerful prison.

But when you look this fear straight in the face, a truly liberating realization arrives. Nobody is actually thinking about you that much. And if someone really is, their opinion has zero impact on your life. The moment you accept this, you become free to act.

"No one is actually thinking of you. And when you sit in that realization, it's actually kind of freeing."

How to apply: This week, publicly post about your project or idea on social media. Focus on the action itself, not the reactions.

3. Rejection Is Part of the Path, Not an Obstacle

Once you overcome the first fear and start taking action, the second fear is waiting. Rejection. Entrepreneurship is similar to an artist's journey. Putting something you created out into the world and exposing yourself to evaluation is an extremely vulnerable act.

To acquire Stan's first customers, he sent hundreds of cold DMs and emails. It was terrifying, and he constantly wanted to procrastinate. He got rejected massively and ignored massively. But here is where an important reframing is needed.

View rejection not as an obstacle to success but as part of the path to success. Every time he was rejected, he asked "How can I make my product better?" and used that feedback to improve. Rejection was an essential step to reaching the final product. We too often see failure as a blocker to success, when in reality it is part of the success path.

"I think too often we see failure as an obstacle or a blocker to our success, as opposed to part of the path to success."

How to apply: Send 3 proposals this week that might get rejected. When rejected, always ask "How can I improve?"

4. Therapy Is a Brain Massage, Journaling Is a Brain Whiteboard

The two most effective tools for dealing with those two fears (others' judgment and rejection) are therapy and journaling. But understanding why to do them and how they work mechanistically is crucial.

Think of therapy like massage therapy. An athlete who sprints every day obviously needs physical therapy. Founders are the same. Massive mental and emotional waste accumulates every week, and if you do not regularly clear it out, you eventually collapse. Weekly therapy sessions process accumulated emotional residue with a professional and build awareness of your fears, so you can break through even stronger next time.

Journaling is self-therapy. Like a physicist working through complex equations on a whiteboard, you physically write down the anxieties and thoughts swirling in your head. This act separates you from the mental noise and lets you view your problems from a third-person perspective. Neuroimaging research shows that expressive writing activates the prefrontal cortex while reducing amygdala activity, decreasing anxiety. Consistent practice can lower cortisol levels by up to 23%.

"I see my weekly therapy session as a way to get rid of the accumulation of all the mental and emotional junk that comes onto us every single week."

How to apply: Start 5-minute journaling today: write "The thing I am most anxious about is ___ and the cause is ___" every day.

5. Meditation Is Not an Instant Sedative but Long-Term Resilience Training

One of the most effective tools for survival pressure and burnout is meditation. But an important perspective shift is needed here. Most people think of meditation only as "a tool to calm down when anxious." While it does serve that function, its real value lies in building long-term resilience.

Think of meditation as push-ups for your brain. One session will not build muscle, but consistent practice gradually enables you to handle heavier loads. Meditation works the same way. Repeated breath-focused training increases self-awareness of your emotions, building capacity to handle increasingly difficult situations over time. APA (American Psychological Association) research confirms that mindfulness meditation increases subjective well-being, decreases psychological symptoms, reduces emotional reactivity, and improves behavioral regulation.

But here is an honest confession. He exercised, ate healthy, went to therapy, meditated, journaled -- checked every box -- and still completely collapsed. In year one of his startup, he was doing everything right but burnout and depression hit anyway. What ultimately saved him was community. Close friends and his co-founder did not try to fix him or give advice. They were simply there. Having someone you can call when things are hard -- that was the biggest force that pulled him out of depression.

"I kind of see meditation like doing a push-up for your brain, where yes in a moment it makes you feel better, but over time it builds this awareness and capacity to deal with harder and harder things."

How to apply: This month, join one founder or professional community, and make 2 people you can share similar struggles with.

Action Checklist

Today:

• Write down the 3 root causes of your current anxiety or stress (causes, not symptoms)
• Start 5-minute journaling: "Most anxious about + its cause" daily
• Begin each day with 1-minute breathing meditation (apps: Headspace, Calm, etc.)

This week:

• Publicly post about your project or idea on social media (overcome fear of judgment)
• Send 3 proposals that might get rejected (ask for improvement feedback when rejected)
• Set up an exercise routine: 30-minute morning workout (does not need to be perfect, 3x/week is fine)

Long-term:

• Find a therapist and start weekly sessions (online therapy works too)
• Join a founder or professional community and find 2-3 peers who share similar challenges
• Build your own mental health routine: healthy body (sleep + exercise + diet) + healthy mind (therapy + journaling + meditation) + community

Reference Links

Source Material

• How I Actually Take Care of My Mental Health as an Entrepreneur - jayhoovy (13:13)

Related Tools

Related Resources

• How John Hu Scaled Stan to 30M USD in ARR (article) - Stan's growth story and John Hu's building-in-public strategy
• 17 Mental Health Statistics for Entrepreneurs (article) - Key mental health statistics for founders
• 88% of Entrepreneurs Struggle with Mental Health (article) - EO Network's founder mental health coping guide
• Science-Backed Benefits of Journaling for Mental Health (article) - 16 research-backed benefits of journaling

Questions to Consider

Is the biggest fear holding you back from starting a business (or new challenge) fear of judgment, rejection, or survival pressure?

If you have ever collapsed despite maintaining all your routines, what helped you most at that time?

How many people can you call right now when things are tough? What can you do to increase that number?