Dear BTF Community,
In this interview, Josh Hotsenpiller, President of CEO Life, and a serial entrepreneur, discusses:
- How entrepreneurs can get so deeply wrapped up in their businesses, that this dedication can come at a personal cost
- Business owners can feel alone in their anxiety, but shouldn’t
- Adapting the “My Five” steps towards a more holistic approach to leadership
Enjoy,
Pete
You’ve started, grown, and possibly transitioned your business, but how are you doing?
Business owners can understandably get deeply wrapped up in what they do as entrepreneurship, and leadership, is often tied to the metrics, passion, and, hopefully, success, of what had originally been just an idea.
Everything can get channeled into this pursuit, but do you run the risk of some collateral damage in your personal life?
“I got myself into a moment where the infrastructure of my life was not congruent with the weight of the moment – the internal tools, rhythms, structure,” said Josh Hotsenpiller, president of the exclusive membership group, CEO LIFE, that presently has 30 chapters around the U.S. that include 20 events, roundtables, and a growing membership base.
Prior to his current role, Josh, a self-described “serial entrepreneur” had been in “rarified air in this space,” including three exits, having bootstrapped three successful software startups, he told BTF Insider.
Then, on Father’s Day 2021, Josh said “I had a massive panic attack – I couldn’t calm down,” which caused him to ask himself, “how in the hell did I get here?”
He said his last exit was an incredible moment for him, business-wise, as that company was sold successfully last year, but he found himself facing other questions, such as “how do I live a healthy life?”
At that point, Josh said he felt he was ready to close the chapter of what he had been doing in his career and was looking towards what was next, and that’s when he became the president of CEO Life and found a deeper purpose.
“At CEO Life, we’re not talking business all the time,” he said.
Josh says group conversations with CEO Life’s business leader members brings out one commonality: “There is a true belief from people that something bad is going to happen, and that’s part of what makes us great leaders – that we forecast. It can also erode your soul.”
Tying into that is another commonality, he said, where business leaders tend to think “all these other leaders are thriving, but not me.”
“I was in a CEO roundtable in Boulder where everyone at first was saying their killing it. Then I shared that I was getting killed, and the conversation turned more real, with some in tears; some admitted they’re not functioning, some were medicating.”
“When you don’t see a way out, you tend to lead through the dark,” he said.
“It’s shocking to me the isolation A young $$44 mil company guy [told me] he’s scared to death. Everyone is going through it. The social media reels show everything is ok. You don’t want to be vulnerable if there’s not a path to correction. I don’t want to say I’m lost if I don’t have a map or gas station,” he said.
This is why CEO life is “a broader concept…I’m an evangelist for people being healthy,” Josh said.
“I talk about frameworks: physical, environmental, spiritual.”
Integrated into the fabric of CEO Life, is what Josh refers to as his “My Five:”
My Health- Josh says he emphasizes the importance of holistic health, offering strategies to maintain physical, mental, and emotional well-being.
My Circle: “The people you surround yourself with can significantly impact your journey,” he said.
My Work: Josh says “it’s critical to develop, fostering purpose, emotional intelligence, and balance.”
My Purpose: “A clear mission fuels motivation and direction,” Josh says, in terms of defining and aligning your mission with your goals, ensuring that your work has purpose and impact.
Josh will be taking a much deeper dive with his lunch keynote “Mastering Executive Health” at the Business Transitions Forum in San Diego on September 24 at the Westin Gaslamp.