Jerry Colonna: Regain Control & Make Better Decisions Under Pressure

As a founder, you must view stress as the price of success.

You should “Hustle harder” and “push through.

You should keep personal struggles separate from business.

You should measure well-being primarily through business outcomes.

These are some conventional advice that founders get daily.

But it does more harm than good.

The widespread belief that entrepreneurs must sacrifice their mental health at the altar of success is not just wrong.

“It’s dangerous”

 If you want to:

“Lead from a place of groundedness rather than depletion”

“Have clearer thinking unburdened by reactive patterns or emotional triggers”

“Make more meaningful relationships with co-founders, team members, and loved ones”

You must learn to manage your mental health effectively.

Jerry emphasizes that good mental health allows founders to experience what he calls “fierce compassion“.

The ability to make difficult decisions while holding genuine care for everyone involved. This skill becomes particularly crucial during high-pressure situations like pivots, layoffs, or challenging feedback conversations.

When you do this work, you’re not just becoming a better CEO, you’re becoming a better human.

And better humans build better businesses.

There are many founders who embody the ‘hero-martyr complex.’ They pride themselves on sleeping four hours a night, being available 24/7, and solving every problem personally.

This gets them success. The company grows. But they get exhausted, isolated, and lose touch with why they started the company in the first place.

The transformation happens when you start prioritizing your mental health.

“The first change can simply be awareness”

 You can start by recognizing when you are operating from fear rather than clarity.

Step 1: Create Space for Awareness

“You can’t change what you can’t see,” Jerry often tells founders.

The first step is creating an intentional space to notice patterns:

• Daily reflection: Spend 10-15 minutes each day in silence, simply noticing thoughts and emotions without judgment
• Mindful transitions: Build small pauses between activities rather than rushing from one thing to the next
• Regular nature time: Use time outdoors to reset the nervous system and gain perspective
• Digital boundaries: Create tech-free zones in both time (e.g., first hour of the day) and space (e.g., bedroom)

The goal here isn’t mystical enlightenment, it’s simply interrupting the autopilot that keeps us stuck in old patterns.

Step 2: Build Your Support System

Jerry emphasizes that no founder can do this work alone. He recommends creating a multi-layered support system:

• Professional support: Work with a coach, therapist, or both to provide structure and accountability
• Peer community: Join or create a group of fellow founders committed to honest conversation
• Internal allies: Identify team members who can provide honest feedback about your leadership
• Non-work relationships: Nurture connections with people who know and value you beyond your founder identity

Your support system serves two crucial functions,

They help you see your blind spots, and they remind you that you’re not alone in your struggles.

Step 3: Develop Embodied Practices

Jerry emphasizes that mental health isn’t just mental — it’s physical.

“The body keeps the score,” he often quotes. His recommended practices include:

• Movement: Find physical activities that serve as a counterbalance to founder stress
• Sleep hygiene: Treat sleep as a non-negotiable foundation rather than a luxury
• Breathwork: Learn simple breathing techniques to regulate the nervous system
• Sensory awareness: Regularly check in with the five senses to ground yourself in the present

These embodied practices aren’t separate from leadership, they are leadership practices because they build your capacity to stay present under pressure.

Step 4: Rewrite Your Narratives

Jerry focuses extensively on helping founders identify and transform limiting stories:

• Identify core beliefs: Uncover the fundamental assumptions driving your behavior
• Examine origins: Trace where these beliefs originated and whether they still serve you
• Challenge dichotomies: Question either/or thinking that creates false choices
• Create new stories: Consciously develop narratives that align with your values

The stories we tell ourselves shape our reality.

“By becoming the author of your stories rather than their victim, you reclaim your agency.”

Step 5: Practice Integrated Leadership

The final step brings it all together in what Jerry calls “integrated leadership”:

• Align actions with values: Regularly audit whether your calendar reflects your stated priorities
• Practice fierce compassion: Hold high standards while maintaining deep care for yourself and others
• Embrace both/and thinking: Develop comfort with paradox and complexity
• Cultivate beginner’s mind: Approach challenges with curiosity rather than certainty
• Celebrate progress: Acknowledge growth rather than fixating only on gaps

Integrated leadership means bringing your full humanity to your role as a founder.

It’s not about achieving perfection, it’s about showing up with authenticity and continuing to grow.

This framework isn’t linear but cyclical.

The true competitive advantage isn’t working more hours than everyone else. It’s making decisions with both fierce resolve and deep compassion—for yourself, your team, and your mission.