Mental health isn’t talked about enough in entrepreneurship

You know that feeling when you’re just stuck in a bit of a slump?

Not burnout. Not depression, exactly. Just… heavy. I’m feeling that lately.

Heavy in my chest. Heavy in my thoughts.

And I’ve realized something.
In the world of entrepreneurship, we rarely say the words mental health.

We say: “Mindset.”
“Accountability.”
“Discipline.”

But here’s the truth I’ve had to learn the hard way:
If your mental health isn’t in a good place, none of those things stick.

Mindset tips don’t help when you’re spiraling.
Accountability feels impossible when you’re already judging yourself.
Discipline becomes punishment when you’re running on empty.

So I talked to someone who’s made it through the kind of stuff that would break most people.

His name is Troy Karnes.
He’s an entrepreneur, a writer, a cancer survivor, a recovered alcoholic, a husband, and a dad.

He’s also someone who knows exactly how important mental health is—because he didn’t used to believe in it at all.

Let’s talk about it. Welcome to inspired idiots.

“I used to think mental health was fluffy,” Troy told me.

He grew up in a blue-collar world. Work hard. Don’t complain. Be the strong one. Carry the load.

By the time life caught up with him, Troy was deep in addiction, on the verge of losing his family, and still trying to “man up” through it.

Then he went to rehab.

And instead of learning about addiction, like he expected, he ended up learning about how to be a human.

“I realized these weren’t tools just for addicts,” he said. “They were tools for anyone trying to manage being alive.”

The one that stuck with him the most?
Journaling. But not in the “dear diary” sense.

Troy built a 7-day journaling system that keeps him grounded, connected, and in check.

He calls them the seven pillars—one focus for each day of the week.
Each day, he writes just a little. No pressure to make it perfect. Just check in.

• Monday—Affirmations. Be your own hype man. Start the week with self-belief.

• Tuesday—Challenging emotions. Face what’s hard instead of avoiding it.

• Wednesday—Slay the dragon. Write about your biggest project or challenge.

• Thursday—Marriage (or key relationships). Reflect on connection and communication.

• Friday—Work. Align what you're doing with how you want to feel.

• Saturday—Kids (or chosen family). Reflect on how you’re showing up for them.

• Sunday—Aspirations. Dream. Reconnect with your “why.”

It’s a system designed to shine a light into the corners of your life that are easy to ignore—until they explode.

“I try to make sure there’s nowhere to hide,” Troy said. “Because the things we avoid thinking about are usually the ones running the show.”

Journaling isn’t about becoming perfect. It’s about paying attention.

Are things feeling better, staying stuck, or slowly getting worse?

It’s the same with business.
If your mental health is quietly tanking, your work will feel heavier and heavier—until something breaks.

I’ve felt that. That slow, quiet heaviness.

And when I asked Troy how he kept himself from falling back into old habits, he told me about a concept he learned in recovery: HALT.

Hungry.
Angry.
Lonely.
Tired.

That’s when we make the worst decisions.

So instead of just reacting to those moments, he made a new rule for himself:

“What if I just stopped getting to the point where I’m always hungry, angry, lonely, or tired?
What if I built a life that helped me not hit HALT so often?”

That’s what journaling gave him: awareness.

Not a magic fix. Not a “good vibes only” gratitude journal.
A mirror.

A place to see what was really going on—so he could do something about it.

When I stop writing, when I stop checking in, when I try to “just get through it”…
I lose track of where I am.

I forget that business is a deeply personal journey.
Discipline takes emotional work.
Consistency requires self-belief.

So this week, I’m bringing back my journal. Not for the aesthetic. Not for the algorithm.
For me.

Because like Troy reminded me—when your mental health is solid, your business has a much better shot at being solid too.

If you’re feeling off lately, maybe you don’t need more strategy.
Maybe you just need to hear yourself think.

Try journaling for 7 days.
Pick a topic each day. Don’t worry about being deep. Just write.

You might be surprised what shows up when you slow down enough to listen.

Reply and tell me:
What’s one thing you do to help keep your mindset in a good place?