Dear Wholegrain Wisdom Community,

You're lying in bed, unable to move, while your startup crumbles. Friends don't understand why you can't "switch off" on Saturday nights. Everyone thinks you're living the Monaco lifestyle, but you're working from your bedroom, burning through your mental reserves.

This was Simone Martinelli's reality. In our latest conversation, the founder of Italy's largest startup community breaks the biggest taboo in founder culture: treating therapy like a business consultant, not admitting weakness.

What I loved about this chat wasn't just his honesty about the dark moments—it was his practical approach to building resilience. Simone offers a blueprint for surviving the founder journey while maintaining your humanity.

Key Highlights from Our Conversation:

Therapy as a Business Investment, Not Personal Failure

Simone reframes therapy in terms every founder understands: "I see it as a consultant, which is actually what it is." This removes stigma while emphasizing practical value. "You need to know your limits and skills so you can delegate, work with people, or work on yourself better." The goal isn't solutions from therapists but self-awareness for better decisions. "I don't want a solution from a therapist; I want the therapist to help me get there."

The Loneliness Epidemic Among Founders

The most painful part of Simone's story? Friends who abandoned him for missing Saturday dinners due to work. "After two or three rejections, they said 'Simo, this is not the friend I want to have.'" His solution: a curated support network. "I have three friends I can count on who understand exactly what I'm going through—my passion, drive, vision. They're available anytime I pick up the phone."

The Cultural Reality Check: Asia vs. Italy

Returning to Italy after years in Southeast Asia revealed brutal cultural differences. "In Asia, it's easy to separate professional and personal life—much more direct and result-oriented." Italy requires extensive relationship-building for basic business. "Even at work, people want personal relationships. You can't demand KPIs directly—you need coffee, chitchat, wasting 10 minutes in 20-minute calls." This cultural shift became a major stress factor.

Recognizing and Managing Burnout Cycles

Simone developed early warning systems for burnout. "I had dark moments staying in bed when things weren't working. At least 50% of founders experience this." The insight? Burnout follows recognizable patterns. "It's my second time. I know when it's coming—take two days, switch off my phone, and come back strong." This transforms burnout from crisis to manageable cycle.

The Five-Person Support Framework

Simone's ideal support team reveals overlooked human needs in founder culture: his late grandmother, brother, and three close friends. Notably absent? Business mentors or advisors. This highlights that founder challenges are emotional and relational, not just tactical. Sustainable success requires a small, deeply committed support network rather than superficial relationships with people who don't understand the journey.

My Personal Reflections:

Simone and I share a lot in common about our personal love/hate relationship with Italy and its ecosystem. He came back and is trying to do something about it, and I admire it for this! Whether he will be successful or not, his story embeds so much of how Italians feel about their country and the constant struggle to see it so far behind in the world’s innovation scene.

Pro or against Italy, though, the real insight for me was to receive such a clear perspective on mental therapy: the business consultant everyone deserves and needs to maintain our edge and feel heard. Being a founder is often a lonely journey; everyone is trying to build their own support system, but that really feels like an extra job on top of your business. Here at Wholegrain Wisdom, we are slowly building this curated space, and I can’t wait to share more details soon. In the meantime, if you have any wishes or feedback on how to make this “support system” better, faster and more effective, reply to this email and let me know!

Reply

or to participate

Keep Reading

No posts found