The emotional roller coaster of being a CEO and how to ride it

Executive overview

Entrepreneurs share a cluster of traits — restlessness, euphoria, irritability, burnout — that the medical community formally classifies as bipolar disorder, nicknamed "the CEO disease." The stress is not ordinary stress: founders have their income, reputation, staff livelihoods, and brand all on the line simultaneously.

Understanding the four stages of the entrepreneurial roller coaster lets you match your behaviour to your mental state — and avoid the decisions that wreck businesses and relationships.

You can't get off the roller coaster, but you can learn to ride it.

The 11 traits of entrepreneurship (and bipolar disorder)

1. Often filled with energy
2. Flooded with ideas
3. Driven
4. Restless
5. Unable to keep still
6. Working on little sleep
7. Gets euphoric
8. Easily irritated by minor obstacles
9. Burns out periodically
10. Acts out sexually (flirting)
11. Feels persecuted by those who reject the vision

Five or more = on the spectrum. Nine or more = clinically diagnosable. These are also the clinical criteria for bipolar disorder.

The four stages of the roller coaster

Stage 1 — Uninformed optimism

• Natural energy replaces coffee; passion drives everything
• Danger looks like opportunity, not risk
• Others see your actions as crazy; you see them as sound
• Best time for: outward-facing sales, media, rallying the team, idea generation
• Avoid: hiring, major buying decisions, advertising commitments — buyer's remorse follows

Stage 2 — Informed pessimism

• The "oh shit" moment; energy drops, stress rises
• Second-guessing, unexpected emotion, loss of natural drive
• Good time for planning; avoid talking to press or making strategic calls

Stage 3 — Crisis of meaning

• Paralysis: calling in sick when actually hiding at home
• Screaming at staff, blaming others, seeing danger everywhere
• Impulse to sell the company comes from fear, not opportunity
• The body signals overload: metallic taste at the back of the neck is a stress-triggered chemical secretion
• You cannot think clearly here — the roller coaster video experiment proves it
• Do not push through; unplug instead

Stage 4 — Informed optimism

• Recovery after crisis; energy returning
• Danger: celebrating too early and stopping support
• You must reach the point where you know you're okay, not just hope it

Getting through crisis of meaning

• Talk openly and get vulnerable — isolation amplifies the spiral
• Seek people at the same stage; you are not alone
• Take ideas from books, groups, and peers rather than trying to be the smartest person in the room
• Get coaching from people who have been there
• Accept a "kick in the ass" and be willing to look in the mirror
• Recharge yourself the same way you recharge your phone — without guilt

Why entrepreneurial stress is magnified

• No guaranteed income; long stretches of no personal pay
• Responsible for staff who left stable jobs to follow your vision
• Public statements and media claims feel like they must be defended
• Brand and reputation permanently attached to your identity
• Payroll, customers, and expectations all hit simultaneously