What I Learned From Talking to My Therapist on the Foro Podcast

In 2020, I lost my brother just eight days after he was admitted to the hospital with COVID-19. A year and a half later, my mother, whose Parkinson’s had been manageable until then, relapsed. The grief from losing her son broke something inside her, and she gave up the fight. I buried them both, within a span too short and too brutal for my heart to make sense of.

That sequence of loss pushed me into therapy. I’ve been in and out ever since. Somewhere along the line, I invited my therapist, Petrina Adusei, to join me on the Foro Podcast for a raw, unfiltered conversation on grief, healing, and mental health, particularly for people like me: entrepreneurs, creatives, builders.

Here are five lessons that stayed with me.

1. Healing Isn’t Linear—and That’s Okay

Therapy is not a staircase; it’s a spiral. You revisit old wounds, sometimes from new angles. You think you’ve healed, then find yourself triggered all over again. One week, you show up with insight and clarity; the next, you arrive exhausted, just grateful you made it through the door. But that’s the work. That’s progress.

We are imperfect people trying to unearth truths we’ve buried deep. It’s uncomfortable. It’s easier to shelve the hard things. I did it for a while. But eventually, I realized that healing is not about heroics, it’s about commitment. As the old proverb goes: Little drops of water make a mighty ocean.

2. Grief Comes in More Shapes Than We Realize

We often associate grief with death. But Petrina reminded me that grief wears many faces. The loss of an identity. The end of a relationship. A missed opportunity. A dream that didn’t take flight.

Entrepreneurs, in particular, experience grief often and invisibly. The deal that fell through at the last minute. The product that failed after years of investment. The quiet death of a vision you once clung to with everything you had.

Every founder knows the ache of watching something you built crumble. That’s grief. And it deserves to be acknowledged, not dismissed.

3. Imposter Syndrome Doesn’t Care How Capable You Are

One of the cruelest things about imposter syndrome is that it strikes the most driven, high-performing people. The ones who take risks. The ones who build in public. The ones who dare to start before they’re “ready.”

As entrepreneurs and creators, we often struggle with the visibility that comes with leadership. We doubt whether we deserve the attention. Whether we’ve earned our place.

Petrina shared a helpful reminder: Doubt is not a disqualification. It’s a sign you’re growing, stretching, evolving. The key is to manage those intrusive thoughts with compassion and clarity.

When self-doubt arises, ask:

• Does this thought serve me?

• Does it make me better?

• Is it grounded in truth, or just fear wearing a mask?

4. Entrepreneurship and Mental Health Are Deeply Intertwined

Starting a business is one of the most psychologically intense journeys a person can take. The pressure. The risk. The constant decision-making. The uncertainty. The identity entanglement.

Entrepreneurs often work in solitude while projecting success to the outside world. We wear the mask of confidence while internally managing chaos. This dissonance can lead to burnout, anxiety, and in some cases, depression.

You are not weak for needing support. You’re human.

Your mind is your most important business asset. Take care of it, protect it, and nurture it. Mental health isn’t just about surviving; it’s about thriving, performing at your peak, making clear decisions, leading with empathy, and creating with purpose.

5. We All Need a Safe Space To Be Real

There is power in being heard. One of the most liberating things therapy offers is a space where you don’t have to perform. You don’t have to curate your words. You don’t have to “lead.”

You just get to be.

Safe spaces can take many forms—therapy, mentorship, a close-knit community, or even a journal. But every builder, every dreamer, every doer needs somewhere they can collapse without judgment.Because behind every brand, every product, every strategy deck is a person. And that person deserves to be whole.

This episode reminded me that healing is not weakness—it’s leadership. That grief doesn’t mean something’s broken; it means something mattered. That doubt is not disqualification, and that rest is not the opposite of ambition—it’s fuel for it.

If this resonated with you, consider joining my newsletter. Each week, I sit down with an entrepreneur, founder, or changemaker on Foro Podcast, and I follow it up with a post like this where I unpack what I learned and how I’m applying it to both life and business.