Brad Feld on OCD, Depression, and the Courage to Be Honest

Nov 13, 2025

Join venture investor Brad Feld, a co-founder of Foundry and Techstars, as he opens up about his battles with OCD and depression. He discusses the importance of honesty in leadership and how shame perpetuates stigma. Brad shares insights from a decade of therapy, including the significance of internal consistency and the dangers of passive avoidance. He also highlights the value of recognizing anxiety triggers and maintaining a simple dashboard to monitor burnout. Get ready for a candid conversation on mental health and effective leadership.

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ANECDOTE

Public Reckoning After A 2013 Episode

Brad Feld described a major depressive episode in 2013 that pushed him back into therapy and public writing about mental health.
He used blogging and friends like Jerry Colonna to process the episode and destigmatize mental illness in entrepreneurship.

INSIGHT

Stigma Creates A Negative Feedback Loop

Feld links stigma to a negative feedback loop that worsens mental health for entrepreneurs and high achievers.
He sees public honesty as a leadership act that creates internal and external consistency.

INSIGHT

OCD Isn’t A Superpower

OCD links irrational obsessions to compulsive actions and can consume cognitive bandwidth.
Feld warns against glamorizing OCD as a 'superpower' because its negative side harms oneself and others.

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Stigma loses its power when leaders tell the truth. In this episode, venture investor and Techstars co-founder Brad Feld shares why he went public about depression and OCD, how a 2013 crash led to a decade of deep therapy, and why aligning what you feel, say, and do is a leadership advantage. We talk about the “inappropriate anxiety spikes,” the trap of calling mental health a “superpower,” and the difference between passive and active avoidance. Brad also breaks down a simple dashboard for monitoring burnout, practical somatic cues to watch for, and clear guidance on when to hire a coach versus a therapist. Get ready to rethink performance, protect your team from collateral damage, and lead with courage, clarity, and real agency.

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In this Episode, You Will Learn

00:00 Why did you choose to speak openly about mental health?

09:00 How stigma and shame create a negative feedback loop for founders.

14:30 The irrational links between thoughts and actions that drive compulsion.

18:00 How reframing failure helps you find grace in what doesn’t work out.

20:00 The concept of “passive avoidance” and how it quietly erodes relationships.

26:00 What are the two ways anxiety shows up in leadership?

30:15 How absurdism brings comfort amid uncertainty.

33:30 Why performative passion often hides real insecurity.

37:45 The “anxiety spikes” that jump from 2 to 11 in seconds.

43:00 How ACT therapy helps you feel, accept, and act instead of suppressing emotion.

46:00 The dashboard of green–yellow–red lights to watch your energy in real time.

50:00 Advice to leaders who want to understand how their behavior impacts others.