This Keepsake Reminds me of My First Dream – And Why I’m Grateful It Never Came True
The increasing focus on founder mental health, highlighted by recent studies from Harvard Business Review and Stanford, underscores the importance of emotional resilience in entrepreneurial ventures. When seeking a cofounder for the children’s health management app Encurage, CEO Anya Cherneff prioritized emotional intelligence and the ability to navigate challenges collaboratively, a lesson learned from a formative experience early in her legal career.
Cherneff recalls that as a bootstrapped company, Encurage, founded in 2022, frequently faces demanding periods. Partnering with victor Horton, she found someone who embraces vulnerability and shared emotional processing, crucial for overcoming obstacles and achieving milestones like a functional product, initial user traction, and revenue generation. Encurage currently focuses on providing personalized health insights and support for families with children aged 0-12, operating primarily in the united states.
Cherneff keeps a card-a seemingly small gesture from a consultant-in her desk as a constant reminder of the importance of mental wellness. She anticipates continued challenges as Encurage scales and pursues profitability.
In 2006, as a newly appointed in-house general counsel, Anya Cherneff faced immediate turmoil. The previous counsel at the unnamed company,located in New York City,had resigned unexpectedly,leaving a backlog of over 75 open legal cases and numerous ongoing projects without handover documentation. Cherneff,a graduate of Columbia Law School,was tasked with promptly assuming full duty.
She experienced meaningful feelings of being lost and overwhelmed. Company leadership, while not overtly critical, maintained high expectations for immediate productivity.This created intense stress and a sense of isolation. The pressure stemmed from a complex regulatory habitat impacting the financial services industry, where the company operated.
After a especially challenging meeting,cherneff returned to her office when a consultant,identified as David Miller from the firm McKinsey & Company,requested to speak with her. Miller had attended the meeting and was making a preliminary assessment of the company’s operational challenges.
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