Why the smart founders make stupid mistakes

Time and again, I watch founders and successful CEO’s fall into the same trap. When they’re running out of money, facing marriage problems, or dealing with chaos in the boardroom, their instinct is always the same: “I just need to buckle down, figure this out, and push through.”

Even worse, they often tell me they can’t afford to invest in coaching and “…simply don’t have time for this.”

Think about how absurd that sounds… to a coach… who does this for a living and sees this shit every day.

“I don’t have time to ask for help to calm down, see possibilities I don’t yet see, and solve my problems more efficiently and quickly.”

It’s like someone drowning in the middle of the ocean saying, “I don’t have time to swim over to the lifebuoy you just threw me.”

I get it because I’ve been there.

In 2017, I was fired as chief marketing officer at a unicorn startup, my marriage collapsed, and I spiraled into isolation — all because I was too damn proud to reach out. I told myself, like many “smart” people, I just needed time to figure it out on my own.

I was dead wrong. And it cost me everything. My marriage, my family, my money and my reputation.