In this powerful episode of the Brightn Podcast, James Oliver Jr. — entrepreneur, venture capitalist, and founder of the Kabila Founder Mental Health Fund — gets real about the cost of the grind and the courage it takes to heal. From launching his first startup while his twins were born three months prematurely, to navigating divorce, burnout, and investor rejection, James shares how resilience became both his survival mode and his warning sign.

He opens up about functional depression, the toxicity of hustle culture, and why authentic relationships and mental wellness must become part of the founder toolkit — not the afterthought. Today, he’s turning that pain into purpose by creating accessible mental health support for overlooked founders nationwide.

Tune in to learn how vulnerability can build stronger leaders, why “not all money is good money,” and how shifting from transactional to human-led connections might just change the future of entrepreneurship.