Reddit Co-Founder Alexis Ohanian's Top Self-Care Strategies for Entrepreneurs The entrepreneur and investor shares how leaders can thrive both mentally and physically.
By Nina Zipkin
So often, whether you realize it or not, so much of an entrepreneur's self-worth can be bound up in whether their company succeeds or fails. Amid the daily pressures of keeping things moving in the right direction, what can get lost is whether you are actually taking care of yourself, not just physically, but psychologically.
The first step is talking about it, which Reddit and Initialized Capital co-founder Alexis Ohanian has been gratified to see many founders doing lately, he tells Entrepreneur. Recently, Ohanian shared his journey with depression on the 10-year anniversary of his mother's death.
Ohanian noted that having the right people around you, in both your professional and personal life, is a key to that mental health maintenance. He is also a big proponent of executive coaching and sees it becoming more of a norm going forward.
Related: How Reddit's Alexis Ohanian Balances Work and Family
"Entrepreneurs have to have enough ego to think that our crazy idea, our vision for the future is going to work, before anyone else does. But [it's important to] balance that with enough humility to know that you aren't going to have all the answers," Ohanian says. "You are going to need to rely on different points of view. Get the benefit of someone who is detached enough to give you honest feedback, but attached enough to know all the players and background information."
Ohanian's feeling is, if you wouldn't expect a talented athlete or sports team to play without their coach, why shouldn't it be the same for a great entrepreneur? The other aspect of taking care of yourself, no matter what industry you're in or the size of your business, is taking the time to acknowledge those victories when they do come.
"One of the things founders and CEOs in particular should always be doing and keeping top of mind is celebrating those wins for their business," Ohanian says. "It will never feel like a 100 percent win for the CEO or founder, because you're always thinking about the 100 other things that need to get improved or fixed. But for all the people on your team, it is really vital to celebrate them and that success. Not in a way that gets people complacent, but rejuvenated and re-excited about the mission and vision."
