Andy Johns Was In-Demand As a Startup Development Guru However Couldn’t Proceed The Work Till He Helped Himself First
Andy Johns was one of many authentic notable ‘progress’ specialists, working at quite a lot of startups and bigger tech corporations to assist drive product methods that resulted in natural and sustainable person acquisition. We have been lucky to incorporate him as an advisor to our portfolio throughout early Homebrew investments, and he ultimately crossed over to enterprise himself, earlier than stepping again to deal with his personal well being. It’s that effort I needed to deal with on this 5 Questions interview. Thanks Andy for being open about your individual analysis and subsequent therapeutic.
Hunter Stroll: Thanks for doing this interview Andy. We’ve identified one another for some time and I needed to focus as we speak primarily in your latest writings about your private journey to search out psychological well being and wellness. What prompted you to begin speaking extra publicly?
Andy Johns: My psychological well being journey first began in early 2010. Life was good on the time. My profession was on the rise, I had the beginnings of a monetary security web, I used to be bodily wholesome and lively, and I had a terrific group of pals. But I began to endure from debilitating panic assaults, nightmares, melancholy, and an total sense of feeling “uncontrolled” when it comes to my very own thoughts and temper. It scared me sufficient that I feared my life was in danger so I started to succeed in out to therapists for assist.
I’ve gone via a number of intervals of targeted psychological well being work, largely motivated by further ups and downs that I’ve skilled since then. Within the final 3–5 years I used to be capable of course of elements of my childhood trauma that contributed to the downward spiral that struck me in my late 20s. That concerned many classes of EMDR, a couple of intense however transformative psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy experiences, in addition to over a month in a trauma restoration middle the place I labored 24/7 on my psychological well being.
As tough as all of that work has been, it’s given me a brand new life to stay up for.
Because of the modifications I’ve skilled, and the unimaginable individuals I’ve met alongside the best way that equally wrestle with psychological sickness, the broad discipline of psychological well being has turn into a ardour of mine. That’s what led me to begin talking publicly about psychological well being. Writing shouldn’t be solely part of my wellness routine, and one thing that retains me on observe and accountable to sustaining my very own well being, it’s allowed me to attach in new methods with the expertise group. Fewer of my conversations as we speak are about startups and the way to progress them. They’ve been changed by deeper, nearer conversations with individuals concerning the challenges they face in life and what they’ll do to search out extra peace and steadiness.
HW: That is an space that’s rapidly destigmatizing, at the very least throughout the tech group. Have you ever discovered the identical? Or am I simply seeing what I wish to see, given my very own forthrightness about being in remedy too?
AJ: I might agree with you. On the entire, the expertise group is extra open about discussing psychological well being than most industries. The forward-thinking and open-minded traits widespread within the silicon valley have contributed to a broad consciousness and acceptance of psychological sickness relative to most different locations I’ve lived. That’s an attribute of the tech trade that I admire.
But I’ve additionally skilled a passive detrimental response in a couple of circumstances from a couple of individuals. And I do know others which have misplaced profession or enterprise alternatives as a result of potential companions in a deal have been weary about working with somebody that has a identified psychological sickness. At a person stage, there stays loads of narrow-mindedness amongst some.
That’s a part of why I’m writing about psychological well being publicly. I don’t really feel like I’ve something left to show professionally. I’m at peace with the work that I’ve finished and the affect that I’ve had. I don’t crave tens of millions of {dollars} or notoriety just like the youthful me used to. I’ve nothing to lose so it feels not solely like a life calling but additionally an ethical crucial. All I would like for myself is inside calm, reference to others, my well being, and to be totally aligned emotionally, mentally, and spiritually round a trigger that provides my life objective.
That stated, what I wish to do at this level is assist others awaken from the trauma and conditioning of their previous, and to free themselves from the perceived constrains of their current situation. I wish to assist others turn into free in the best way that I’ve.
HW: How do you determine what to share, versus what’s extra private? For me it’s much less concerning the content material and extra concerning the motivation. I actually don’t wish to write up stuff that appears like I’m being performative or manicuring one thing right into a public narrative that’s not precisely true.
AJ: I really feel the identical manner. If it’s inauthentic, I really feel an inner disgust that gained’t let me proceed because it is aware of that I’m being false. It’s as if the inside little one in me is saying, “Pay attention, asshole. You’ve spent sufficient time dwelling with this facade. Drop it and be actual.”
Once I write, I take into consideration two first ideas:
- Cheap vulnerability
- Emphasis on therapeutic
What I imply by “affordable vulnerability” is that I wish to share however accomplish that with acceptable boundaries in place. My viewers doesn’t want to listen to each single element as a way to perceive the ideas I’m sharing or to derive worth from it. On the flip aspect, if I’m not susceptible at al,l then the article could come throughout as generic and inauthentic. That’s the very last thing I would like. I don’t wish to write a generic Buzzfeed-like article on “The High 8 Methods to Begin Meditating”.
Nonetheless, it requires that I do share sufficient of my private insights and experiences to ensure that it to be clearly genuine. That’s why I even have precept #2 of “emphasis on therapeutic”.
I write as a result of I wish to assist myself and others heal. To ensure that somebody to be able to heal, they have to first really feel protected. You don’t educate a canine a brand new trick when it’s shivering and has it’s tail between its legs. You educate a canine a brand new trick when it’s calm, targeted, and protected.
The identical is true for individuals. Because of this, I consider sharing my private tales and insights as a strategy to make my reader really feel protected. In the event that they know that I’m being open, sincere, and actual, they’ll really feel protected. I believe that’s one of many causes that I’ve had so many individuals in tech attain out to me to speak about their very own psychological well being challenges — they get the sense that they’ll be protected after they discuss to me.
So, after I sit down to write down a chunk, I all the time have that at the back of my thoughts. I ask myself, “What can I write that demonstrates affordable vulnerability and is written in a mode that emphasizes therapeutic.” Then, after I’m hit by a sudden motivation to write down on a selected matter, I mix that with my two ideas and I let the phrases stream.
HW: Apart from persevering with to be sure to dedicate time to this, are there sure sorts of work you now wish to keep away from? Or sorts of personalities/conditions which might be particularly triggering for you?
AJ: Sure, there are very clear boundaries in place for me at this level. I lately wrote concerning the idea of an “acceptable vary of tolerance” on this substack put up about figuring out when to cease and take a break from work.
It’s a well-established idea in biology that states that life will both flourish or wrestle relying on a set of things, similar to temperature, and that life seeks the optimum situations for thriving wherever potential. This identical idea applies to individuals. There are preferrred situations through which the physique and thoughts can thrive. And there are situations through which each will endure.
An necessary level is that the situations which might be preferrred or suboptimal for me gained’t essentially be the identical for everybody else. We’re all distinctive biologically, neurochemically, physiologically, and so forth. Because of this, the situations we outline for optimum efficiency should be custom-tailored to the person.
I’ve realized that there are some things which might be important for me at this stage in my life:
- I gained’t work for or with assholes. I’ve had sufficient experiences with bullying rising as much as know that it creates numerous inner emotional disharmony. And I nonetheless have work to do concerning my potential to set boundaries with authority figures specifically. I rapidly fall exterior of my vary of tolerance when round aggressive individuals with sharp elbows.
- I work much less and make much less cash in change for a quieter, extra balanced schedule. I cannot permit myself to do greater than 20–30hrs per week of labor. That can power me to take care of loads of time for self-care whereas additionally forcing me to work smarter quite than tougher.
- I need to preserve a each day schedule of wellness actions. If I don’t, my nervous system rapidly drops again right into a default stage of alert agitation (this stems from having Advanced PTSD). That includes train, sizzling sauna and chilly bathe/bathtub every time potential, walks exterior when the climate is nice, waking up early and going to mattress early, and ensuring I’ve a clear weight loss plan and take my psychiatric drugs. If I do, I’m way more resilient after I face adversity.
- I additionally deal with “heart-centered” work as a substitute of “head-centered” work. What I imply by that’s I’ve a boundary round doing work that purely comes from an mental place. For instance, a lot of the work I did earlier in my profession was motivated by being profitable and gaining notoriety. That’s fulfilling to my ego however not my spirit. Now I’m targeted on heart-centered work that satisfies my spirit — the inside voice that is aware of what’s fulfilling for me. If I discover myself falling again into previous patterns of engaged on tasks due to monetary achieve because the prime motivator, then I do know I’m pursuing work from ego versus work from a spot of affection and compassion.
HW: What are some sources that you just’d suggest to of us who wish to begin pondering extra about their psychological well being — just like the 101 foundational stuff?
AJ: I’ve a whole checklist of my favourite psychological well being and spirituality content material right here. It’s a public Notion doc that anybody can entry.
When it comes to foundational sources, I’ve a couple of suggestions:
- This interview with Dr Gabor Mate covers the connection between childhood experiences and the way we current ourselves to the world as adults. He’s a real grasp of his craft and covers complicated topics with utmost readability and compassion.
- The Physique Retains the Rating is my favourite e book on psychological well being and the way to heal from trauma. It’s complete but accessible. And it leans on a contemporary understanding of psychological well being in what’s known as the biopsychosocial mannequin. This e book makes it clear that psychological well being isn’t merely a “chemical imbalance.”
- The Solution to Love by Anthony de Mello is my favourite e book on philosophical and religious views on well being and happiness. It comprises a collection of quick, easy essays which you could learn dozens of occasions and nonetheless discover new which means contained in them. I wish to learn this earlier than I’m going to mattress as a kind of transient meditation.
- Tribe by Sebastian Junger elegantly and easily covers our want for human connection and the way loneliness sits on the middle of why so many individuals are anxious and sad.
- How one can Change Your Thoughts by Michael Pollan is the final word inexperienced persons information to psychedelic medicines and the way they can be utilized to assist individuals heal and alter in ways in which betters their lives.
Thanks Andy! Whereas every particular person’s challenges are distinctive, it’s actually necessary to understand that everybody is coping with their very own shit, and also you’re not alone within the journey.
