Sanity Notes #040: You Are Not the Fire
A reflection on founder identity, burnout, and learning to tend a business without becoming it
Sanity Notes #039: How and Why to Give Your Team Clear Accountabilities
Think making it clear what each person’s job is will reduce excitement? Think again.
Sanity Notes #038: The Freedom That Comes When You Stop Trying to Get It Right
A small moment with my daughter that I wish I could have given my younger founder self
The Founder’s Guide to QSBS: Understanding the 2025 Updates and Avoiding Costly Mistakes
A short review of one of the most misunderstood parts of startup compensation: qualified small-business stock.
Sanity Notes #037: On becoming the predator
I grew up wired for self-protection. Many founders did. Here’s how we can learn to shift from prey energy to a grounded, steady predator stance when it matters most.
My journey through founder burnout.
I realized in October of 2016 that I was burned out and wanted a path out of the CEO role. Here’s my own story and the secret internal dialogue I’m hearing as a coach to other founders.
How to navigate painful conclusions with your most trusted partners
There are few things more difficult in partnerships of any kind than sharing a truth you know will break your partner’s heart.
We do not have time for spaceships
In my early days as CEO, I obsessed over hours at desks and almost missed the things that actually build great companies. A story about trust, culture and the simple moments leaders can’t afford to overlook.
On Higher Powers and Letting Go of Control
As leaders, we carry the weight of the world. What shifts if we surrender control to a higher power — something bigger than ourselves?
Why is it so hard to fill my own cup first?
As leaders, we are told that we must care for ourselves before we can support others; why is this so challenging?
