A Founder's Life
Join me as I explore the powerful intersection of entrepreneurship, health & wellness, and parenthood. In each episode, I’ll be interviewing inspiring individuals who excel in one or more of these areas, sharing their stories, insights, and lessons. My goal is to provide valuable takeaways that can help you thrive both personally and professionally.
A Founder's Life
Burnout, Identity & the Founder’s Trap - Benjamin Read - S2 - E15
What happens when your success starts to cost you your sense of self?
In this episode of A Founder’s Life, Leo Gestetner sits down with Ben Read, a founder, husband, and high-performer who had to unlearn everything he thought he knew about success, ambition, and balance.
Ben shares the unfiltered reality of life behind the scenes—how the pressure to perform nearly broke him, and how redefining success around presence and integrity helped him build a life and business that finally feels like his.
🎧 In this conversation, we explore:
•The emotional toll of constant ambition
•Letting go of old definitions of success
•Navigating identity, self-worth, and ego as a founder
•The power of presence in leadership and life
•Why slowing down can be the key to real growth
🔥 Whether you’re scaling a business or starting over, this episode will challenge you to pause, reflect, and realign.
⏱️ Timestamps:
00:00 – Intro
01:35 – Early ambition & building identity around work
07:15 – Pressure, performance & emotional disconnection
15:45 – Redefining success after burnout
22:20 – Being fully present with family
30:10 – Letting go of the “need to prove”
36:40 – Advice for founders feeling misaligned
Learn more about Mercha:
Connect with Benjamin:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjaminrread/
Website
Subscribe Now!