#7: George Kapernaros – Imposter Syndrome, Self-Moderation & Living a Free Life

Send us Fan MailAs a rule of thumb, the most “successful” people I know are depressed and brutal on themselves. These are people with extreme wealth and by all accounts innovators and high-performers in their fields.This isn’t just my experience; a recent study by UC Berkeley and UC San Francisco detailed the personality, mood, and human factors that are common among entrepreneurs in which:Self-reported mental health concerns were present across 72% of the entrepreneurs in this sample, a proportion that was significantly higher than that of the comparison group.49% reported having one or more lifelong mental health conditions, 32% reported having two or more lifelong #mental health conditions.The entrepreneurs were significantly more likely to report a history of depression (30%), ADHD (29%), substance use conditions (12%) and bipolar diagnosis (11%) than were comparison participants.5.4% of the entrepreneur participants were suicidal, more than double the control group (2%).This cultivates a subterranean culture of isolation that breeds further anxiety, depression, and self-hatred – especially among young professionals who already overwhelmingly struggle with imposter syndrome.As you'll hear in this discussion, I am one of the 32% of entrepreneurs with two or more mental health conditions. As someone diagnosed with ADHD, generalized anxiety, and bipolar II, it's something I cope with on a daily basis both in my professional and personal life.George Kapernaros is a marketing consultant based in Athens, Greece with a degree in Political Science & International Relations. His innovative work is at the intersection of behavioral marketing, retention, and applied conversion psychology, which he has applied to over 200 product launches and multi-million dollar campaigns.Some of the topics we discussed further:Are entrepreneurs more likely to have ADHD?How business partners expose strengths and weaknesses.The struggle of dealing with imposter syndrome.Marcus Aurelius, stoic stress testing, and behemoth to-do lists.Childhood influences, over-achievement, and abusive self-talk.Is balance even achievable as an entrepreneur?Self-moderation, and the momentum trap.Implanted aspirations, and what is a "free" life?Risk-taking, and the illusion of security.Consuming vs creating, and scarcity vs growth mindsets.Turnover, mindless corporate growth, and the compound interest of bad decisions.The struggle of passion projects vs maintaining cash flow.What you can learn from studying comic books, conmen, and cults.Marketing, the randomness of success, and the importance of testing your beliefs.The butterfly effect of stress, caffeine, nootropics, and health optimization.AI, UBI, and jobs of the future.The looming issue of climate change, and how to prepare for the disruptions ahead.Connect with George:Website: GeorgeKapernaros.comLinkedIn: @George-KapernarosMusic by Kirby Johnston – check out his band Aldaraia on Spotify