What does it really take to build resilience as a startup founder in high-pressure environments? In Episode 32, we explore mental fitness, emotional intelligence, neuroscience, and founder performance with Sasha Cayward — ex-VC, former elite tennis player, founder coach, and Head of Community at Hubble.

Hosted by Mario Rivas, this conversation dives deep into nervous system regulation, startup stress, burnout, founder psychology, performance under pressure, emotional resilience, and the hidden cost of the modern wellness industry. Sasha shares lessons from elite sports, venture capital, and coaching startup founders across London and San Francisco.

Startup Scaleup People:

Real stories from startup, scaleup & enterprise leaders. From boardrooms to founder garages, we bring you insights on growth, leadership, funding, exits, governance, AI, fintech, SaaS, and business transformation. New episodes every Sunday at 4PM UK time.

Chapters:

00:00 Intro to Sasha Cayward

03:00 Elite Sports, Coaching & Mental Resilience

07:00 Founder Burnout & Nervous System Overload

11:00 Anxiety, Stress & Startup Performance15:00 Mental Fitness vs Mental Health

20:00 Neuroscience, Emotional Intelligence & Leadership

26:00 The Wellness Industry & Founder Obsession

34:00 Why Great Founders “Always Find a Way”

40:00 Knowing When to Quit as a Founder