Building a Company Is a Psychological Event
The startup journey is often described in strategic terms—product-market fit, runway, growth metrics. What's rarely discussed is the psychological experience: the identity fusion with your company's fate, the loneliness of decisions no one else can make, and the relationship strain that accumulates when two or more founders try to build something together under relentless pressure.
I work with founders who've realized that the next obstacle isn't a product problem or a hiring problem—it's a founder problem. The conflict you're avoiding with your co-founder. The anxiety that spikes before every board meeting. The creeping resentment in your marriage.
The quiet question of whether this is still what you want.This work requires someone who understands both the clinical and the contextual. I hold a doctorate in psychology from UC Berkeley and have spent fifteen years working with high-performers in Silicon Valley. I understand term sheets, liquidation preferences, and the unspoken dynamics of a partner meeting. And I understand attachment patterns, identity development, and how early experiences shape the way you lead under pressure.
Who I Work With
Pre-Seed and Seed-Stage Founders: You're building something from nothing. The co-founder relationship is the foundation—any cracks now will become structural failures later. This is where alignment conversations matter most.
Series A Through Growth-Stage Founders: You've proven the model. Now you're navigating board dynamics, leadership friction, and the shift from builder to CEO. The skills that got you here may not be the ones you need next.
Co-Founding Teams: The partnership is both the company's greatest asset and its greatest vulnerability. When vision diverges or resentment builds, the company suffers. I work with teams to surface the real conversation.
Solo Founders: Without a co-founder, everything lands on you. Isolation and decision fatigue are relentless. You need a space where you don't have to perform and can address the psychological weight of leading alone.
What Brings Founders Here
Co-Founder Conflict You're avoiding a conversation you both know needs to happen. Equity splits feel unequal. Decision-making has become a minefield. One of you is questioning commitment. The tension is leaking into every interaction—and the team can feel it.
Vision Misalignment You started with shared ambition, but somewhere along the way, your definitions of success diverged. One founder wants to sell; the other wants to scale. One prioritizes speed; the other prioritizes sustainability. Neither of you knows how to surface it.
Funding Pressure and Investor Dynamics The process of raising capital—or the aftermath of closing a round—creates psychological strain that rarely gets discussed. Managing up to a board, managing expectations, managing your own anxiety about what you've committed to deliver.
Identity and Role Confusion The company has outgrown the role you designed for yourself. You're supposed to be CEO, but you still want to write code. You hired people better than you at things you used to own. You're not sure who you are in this new version of the company.
Burnout and Relationship Strain Your marriage or partnership is suffering. You haven't taken a real vacation in years. You oscillate between numbing out and being unable to stop working. The startup has consumed your identity, and you're not sure what's left.
The Exit Question You're questioning whether you still want to be here. The original excitement is gone. You feel trapped by expectations—from investors, employees, or yourself. You need to figure out what you actually want, not what you're supposed to want.
My Approach
Psychological Depth, Not Surface-Level Coaching: I'm a licensed clinical psychologist, not a coach with a weekend certification. This means I can work with what's underneath—the attachment patterns that shape how you handle conflict, the early experiences that drive your perfectionism, the anxiety that masquerades as strategic caution. When the obstacle is psychological, you need someone trained to work at that level.
Contextual Fluency: I've worked with YC founders, a16z portfolio companies, and managing partners at Sand Hill Road firms. I understand cap tables, board composition, and the unspoken dynamics of partner meetings. You won't need to explain what a down round means or why your Series A lead's feedback keeps you up at night.
Confidentiality Without Exception: I work exclusively with private-pay clients. No insurance. No superbills. No documentation that could ever appear in a background check, investor due diligence, or professional licensing review. What we discuss stays between us.
Flexible Engagement Structure: Sessions are 50 to 90 minutes, depending on what's needed. Engagements typically span 3 to 12 months, with frequency adjusted to your stage and circumstances. I'm available for intensive work during critical periods—fundraising, partnership crises, or major transitions.
Co-Founder Work
When I work with co-founders together, the goal is not to mediate a business negotiation. It's to understand the relational dynamics that are driving the conflict—and to create conditions where real alignment becomes possible.
This work often involves:
• Surfacing the conversations you've been avoiding
• Understanding each founder's underlying needs and fears
• Examining how your different backgrounds and attachment styles shape your partnership
• Clarifying vision, values, and definitions of success
• Establishing communication practices that prevent future ruptures
• When necessary, supporting a thoughtful and respectful separation
Some co-founder relationships can be repaired and strengthened. Some need a structured, dignified conclusion. My role is to help you understand which you're facing and navigate it with clarity.
Individual Founder Work
Individual founder work is not about your company—it's about you. The version of yourself you bring to the company, to your co-founder, to your family.
This work often involves:
• Examining the psychological patterns that surface under startup pressure
• Understanding your relationship with control, failure, and uncertainty
• Developing leadership presence that doesn't require constant performance
• Processing the identity shifts that come with company growth
• Protecting your relationships outside of work
• Making clear decisions about your own future
The founders who do this work build companies that are less dependent on their dysfunction—and lives that can sustain long-term success.
What to Expect
Initial Consultation: We begin with a complimentary conversation—20 to 30 minutes—to discuss your situation, my approach, and whether we're the right fit. There's no pressure and no obligation.
Assessment and Alignment: In our first sessions, I'll work to understand your history, your current challenges, and what success would look like. For co-founder work, this includes individual conversations with each founder before we work together.
Ongoing Engagement: Sessions are held weekly or biweekly, in person at my Menlo Park office or via secure video. Most engagements span 3 to 12 months, though some clients continue longer. I'm also available for intensive or as-needed arrangements during high-stakes periods.
Investment: This is a private-pay practice with fees reflecting doctoral-level expertise and the stakes involved. Specific investment is discussed during the initial consultation and depends on engagement structure.
Absolute Confidentiality
Founders face unique confidentiality concerns. A mental health diagnosis in your insurance record could surface during investor due diligence. Documentation of co-founder conflict could complicate future partnerships. The wrong disclosure could damage your reputation, your funding prospects, or your company.
I've structured my practice to eliminate these risks.
I don't accept insurance. I don't provide superbills. I don't submit diagnostic codes. No record of our work together will ever appear in a claims database, background check, or third-party system. I strictly follow standard reinforced by California psychologist-patient privilege and my own professional ethics.
You can speak freely here.
Common Questions About Founder Coaching
Q: What's the difference between founder coaching and co-founder therapy?
A: Founder coaching focuses on your individual leadership development, decision-making, and psychological wellbeing. Co-founder therapy addresses the dynamics between you and your co-founder—communication patterns, conflict, and alignment. Many clients engage in both, either concurrently or sequentially.
Q: Do you work with remote founders?
A: Yes. While I'm based in Menlo Park, I work with founders throughout California via secure video. Many clients prefer the flexibility of video sessions, especially during intensive fundraising periods.
Q: How is this different from an executive coach?
A: Most executive coaches aren't licensed clinicians. I hold a doctorate in psychology and can work at a level of psychological depth that coaching alone cannot reach—attachment patterns, anxiety, identity, and the relational dynamics that drive conflict. When the obstacle is psychological, not just strategic, that distinction matters.
Q: Can you help us decide whether to continue or separate?
A: Yes. Some co-founder relationships can be repaired; some need a structured conclusion. My role is to help you see clearly, not to advocate for a particular outcome. If separation is the right choice, I can support that process with dignity and minimal damage to the company.
Q: Is everything confidential?
A: Absolutely. I maintain a private-pay practice specifically to ensure confidentiality. No insurance records, no diagnostic codes, no documentation shared with third parties. What we discuss stays between us, protected by California law and my professional ethics.
Q: What if I just need someone to talk to during a crisis?
A: I offer flexible engagement structures, including intensive or as-needed arrangements during high-stakes periods like fundraising, partnership conflict, or acquisition. We can discuss what structure makes sense for your situation.