What I’ve Learned Holding Space for Founders
3 Lessons From Coaching Founders Through Burnout and Breakthroughs
7 factors of success for game studios
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When I started leadership coaching two years ago, I imagined the profession to be the typical 60-minute sessions, helping leaders solve work problems with work-related methods.
But what I’ve found is that most work problems are actually personal problems.
The more I was digging into what was blocking leaders from doing what they wanted (or needed) to do, it always came back to questions of self-worth... and fear of death which manifests into the fear of being rejected, the fear of failing, and the fear of the unknown.
That might sound dramatic, but I can now say with confidence, it all eventually comes back to this root.
But then, is that therapy?
From my reflection, therapy looks back. It unpacks the past, explores childhood, culture, traumas, and how those experiences show up now.
What I do with coaching is rooted in the present, and the future. Therapy helps leaders understand why they do what they do.
In coaching, we work on how and what we’re creating next. Through new narratives, new actions, new habits. We update a new self, which leads to a process of transformation.
Expanding What Coaching Looks Like
This past year, my coaching work has been anything but traditional. I had to evolve my practice to meet clients where they actually are—somewhere in between coaching and therapy, in a space that hasn’t really existed in the professional world.
I’ve been hired to run founders’ mastermind groups and lead full-day burnout prevention workshops. Not the typical coaching I was expecting to deliver.
I came into the founders’ mastermind exhausted, like many founders—but Sophie created the perfect space to pause, reflect, and reconnect. Her thoughtful moderation sparked honest conversations that gave me real clarity and renewed energy for the road ahead.
A founder from 1Up Ventures Portfolio
I’ve also held intimate spaces for women leaders to speak what often feels unspeakable—the emotional toll of navigating leadership roles that were never designed for them, while also carrying desires that are rarely acknowledged (let alone supported) in the workplace.
These spaces are hard to find. They don’t exist in most companies. Therapists often don’t understand the work context. Friends might care, but they don’t always get it. So... what’s left?
That’s when I saw a real need for women leaders to process and explore these questions together, with others who deeply relate.
So, I started building ORIN.
For the past year, I’ve been running founders’ masterminds, women’s leadership circles, retreats, and 1:1 coaching for CEOs and founders going through both personal and business transformation.
Let me share what I’ve learned.
1. Founders Self-Sabotage
A few weeks ago, I gave a talk at Pocket Gamer Barcelona about the five self-sabotage habits I see over and over in founders.
No one admitted publicly their truth in the room, but several approached me afterward and confessed: “That’s exactly what I’ve been going through.”
We need to talk more openly about this. These patterns show up for almost every founder, especially if they’re left unchecked.
It was incredibly valuable and inspiring to hear and share the stories we go through as game developers.
As a solo founder, it can be really tough to keep your mental health in check. It’s easy to overload yourself with work and forget to enjoy life outside of work.
A founder from Press Start Program
There are so many resources out there to get help, and it doesn’t have to feel shameful.
Whether it's 1:1 coaching, a group setting, or a retreat—the question is: Will you commit to show up?
2. The Midlife Crisis Hits in Our 30s Now
I work with a lot of women leaders who are going through what feels like a midlife crisis.
I used to think that happened at 50. You’ve built the career, raised the family, achieved the milestones... and then you start wondering: Now what?
But with the acceleration of tech and leadership paths, many women are hitting those milestones in their early 30s. They’ve climbed fast, earned the income, checked all the boxes—and are now waking up to the question: Is this really what I want?
They’ve been on autopilot for the first chapter of their lives. Now they’re realizing: this isn’t quite it. But what now?
One thing is clear: they don’t want to spend the next 30 years working and living like this. Something has to change.
They’re getting the signals—burnout, health scares, cancer, divorce, loss—and they’re starting to get their priorities straight.
That’s what led me to create ORIN, a space for women leaders to process what it means to have "succeeded"—at least externally—but still feel unfulfilled. It’s a place to take off the mask, drop the guilt, and say the quiet part out loud.
It’s A-players supporting A-players in the most comprehensive, thoughtful way. And that's such a rare thing to find.
One participant from ORIN
3. Purpose and Business: The Non-Negotiable Alignment
There’s one big theme I see across all the spaces I’ve held—founder masterminds, ORIN groups, 1:1 work —the growing gap between personal purpose and business direction.
This crisis is happening more and more, because many companies are moving fast toward growth and profit (amplified with AI efficiency), often without pausing to ask why. And that dissonance seeps through every level of the organization.
People are craving meaning and connection in a world that offers quick digital fixes for surface-level problems, but leaves a deeper sense of loneliness and emptiness.
Founders who aren't aligned with the pace and direction of their company—especially if it’s costing them their creativity, relationships, or values—burn out.
Mid-level managers trying to shield their teams from top-down decisions that prioritize profit over people? Also burning out.
I’m calling on company leaders: Pay attention. Unless you’re planning to run a human-free business, this is your reality whether you want it or not.
Ask yourself:
Is your true purpose aligned with your business?
And if not:
What are you going to do to re-align it?
I’ll give you one hint: it starts with you.
📣 Calling Women Leaders Ready For Transformation
You have ticked all the career boxes, you’ve achieved the power and status you’ve wanted and still… you feel something is missing. Are you sure you want to continue the next 30 years of your life this way: exhausted, unfulfilled, uninspired.
You are not alone. But you’ve never found the right way to solve it.
You and a highly-curated mastermind of 9 exceptional women will be guided by our team through a 6-month coaching journey of inner growth, healing, regenerative energy, group empowerment and transformation.
We have 3 spots left for our cohort starting in July.
Contact sophie@riseandplay.io for inquiry.