It took decades for Brad Feld to understand his depression and mental health struggles. 

“There was a period of time, pretty deep into this depressive episode. … Work was fine. Business was fine, but I would describe it looking backward as the complete absence of joy. There was no joy in anything that I was doing in any way I was doing it.”

All the while, Brad was the founder of his own company while in his mid-20s, but he felt ashamed as the CEO because “the mantra that got thrown around for a while is that you can't show any weakness.”

Listen as Brad discusses his diagnosis and how it helped him respond to his anxiety and depression. Brad and David also talk about mental health in the startup community and how to stop the stigma, both broadly and in the entrepreneur space.

Also, don’t miss episode 20 of the Techstars Entrepreneur’s Toolkit, which discusses mental health issues facing entrepreneurs.

Follow David Cohen on Twitter @davidcohen

Follow Brad Feld on Twitter @bfeld

Listen & subscribe to the Give First podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more.