I Faced Burnout, Chaos and ADHD — Then My Leadership (and Startup) Took Off Turning inner obstacles into breakthroughs has been a pivotal part of my journey as a founder. These four key principles helped.

Building a startup in a highly competitive niche is challenging, but we beat the odds.

For 5 years now, together with co-founder Anatolii Kasianov, we've been developing Holywater, a tech company, reshaping entertainment by building synergy between creators and AI. In 2024, we launched My Drama, a short-form series app that quickly became #1 among European and American players in its niche. We grew 3.5x in one year, reaching 10 million views on the most popular shows. And yes, I'm still sane, not on any drugs, and not working 24/7.

How many mistakes did I make during that time? Dozens! Yet, I have a superpower to turn pain into a competitive advantage. I know it's part of my journey as an owner, and I don't take mistakes as a total failure, but as new information that needs to be processed.

Here are four principles that help me transform inner obstacles into business breakthroughs.

Related: 9 Strategies to Turn Adversity Into an Advantage

1. Pain + reflection = progress

An entrepreneur's life is full of painful moments. Money for salaries is running out, but fundraising still is not working. It took tens of thousands of dollars to develop a feature, but it doesn't perform as expected. Key team members suddenly resign during the most intensive period. Certainly, with so much stress, it's not surprising that 50% of entrepreneurs suffer from anxiety, and 34% have experienced burnout!

I was anxious and on the edge of burnout, too. In Holywater's early days, we launched over 10 apps in 18 months. It was chaotic and unfocused, but somehow worked and generated profit. And then there was a painful moment – full-scale invasion. We already realized that by creating random apps, we wouldn't become a unicorn and the war highlighted even more the instability of our situation.

But what is crucial: after pain comes reflection. Constantly thinking about how not just to save but to make a bold boost to a startup, I came up with the idea that we needed to close multiple apps and focus on building a scalable content ecosystem.

I like Ray Dalio's insight that if you're not failing, you're not pushing your limits, and if you're not pushing your limits, you're not maximizing your potential. Pushing your limits — sometimes failing, sometimes succeeding — is an essential part of being a founder.

Related: How to Push Your Limits as an Entrepreneur

2. Seek obstacles, not avoid them

By escaping obstacles, you won't grow. Accepting challenges and dealing with them is the only way for an entrepreneur who wants to build something worthwhile.

I came to this insight with Ryan Holiday's "Obstacle is The Way", which I recommend to everyone! His approach to working with obstacles consists of three parts: perception, action, and will. Here's how I implemented it in practice.

Perception: When I was diagnosed with ADHD, I could have seen it as a limitation. I hate monotonous tasks and lose focus due to the overwhelming amount of to-dos and ideas. But I decided to view this neurological difference as potentially valuable rather than problematic.

Action: I delegated tasks that drained my energy (like spreadsheets and data entry) and focused on what I did best — generating creative ideas and spotting market opportunities. I implemented specific practices like meditation, morning cardio, and cold water exposure to build my concentration muscles.

Will: I accepted that I can't change the way my brain works, but I want to see it as an opportunity for growth. I didn't ignore this challenge — I spoke honestly with the team and permitted them to redirect me when I jumped between ideas or lost focus during meetings.

I'm pretty sure we wouldn't have come up with so many cool AI features to develop My Drama if I had stuck to mundane tasks. I'd just be bogged down with routine tasks my brain wasn't wired for.

3. Separate yourself from your ego

One of my most valuable business insights was realizing that the ego is not me but a defense mechanism. Why do I consider this business wisdom and not a personal one? Because every founder should handle their ego the same way they handle their finances and operations.

For years, I ran a startup through my achievement-based identity, which started in high school. In my mind, I had to be the best to earn love. I took every business mistake personally and argued when my idea wasn't the best. The worst thing? I didn't hire people with a different point of view than mine.

If you recognize yourself, it's time to get out of the ego trap.

Coaching, therapy and books helped me. As a result, I've built a startup culture where challenging ideas are encouraged. Rather than selling my ideas as the only right ones, I'm now the last one to speak in meetings after listening to what the team has to say.

As soon as I understood that my startup didn't define me, I made bolder decisions, and the team atmosphere improved.

4. Build systems for well-being and balance

So many founders underestimate the impact of their mental health on a startup. However, you can only reach your potential in balance! Stress affects your decision-making, your team relationships and the pace of innovation and development.

Since I built my well-being system, my startup has grown like crazy! Coincidence? I don't think so.

My balance system consists of two non-negotiable components: professional support and physical practices. I have regular sessions with psychologists and mentors who help me explore myself and find patterns that impact my leadership style. To keep my mind clear, I do morning cardio, take an ice bath, meditate and prioritize sleep.

You might see these as standard health recommendations, but for a founder, it is like a survival mechanism! I see the direct business impact, and even when I feel lazy, I force myself to maintain these practices.

I implement the same balance system in my team. First, through personal examples. Secondly, through specific actions. For instance, during the team's alignment sessions, in addition to intensive work, our routine consists of early morning exercise, swimming, shared meals and evening downtime. Such practices help us navigate crises and find new creative solutions.

The more I journey from pain to progress, the more I've learned that building a successful startup isn't about working harder — it's about working smarter and more consciously. When you learn to face obstacles, control your ego and maintain balance, you create not just a better company but a better way to thrive as an entrepreneur.