From burnout to clarity, Shreya Jajoo reflects on why sustainable businesses need sustainable founders—and how mental health is becoming a strategic edge.
By Shreya Jajoo, podcast host, speaker, and doctoral candidate researching female leadership and sustainability
Highlights
From Burnout to Breakthrough
For years, I believed in the gospel of hustle.
As a founder in Asia’s fast-moving startup ecosystem, I wore my 16-hour workdays like a badge of honor. I answered emails at 1 AM, worked through family holidays, and convinced myself that rest was for those who didn’t want it badly enough. The validation was addictive: financial milestones, praise from mentors, 10x growth in five months. But beneath the surface, something was quietly cracking.
I launched my first business, a B2C travel agency, with passion and a big vision. It grew fast. But the industry was brutal—low margins, high volume, constant operational chaos. When I made the difficult decision to pivot to a B2B travel-tech solution, I had to reinvest every single dollar we made into product development.
That meant saying goodbye to immediate profits and hello to long nights, endless iteration, and self-doubt. What no one tells you is that even when you’re building something you love, it can still break you.
I didn’t realize it at the time, but I was burned out—not from failing, but from constantly performing. I was performing resilience, ambition, and leadership—on repeat.
Hustle ≠ Sustainability
In startup circles, we often confuse speed with success. But fast doesn’t always mean forward. Hustle culture teaches us to glorify the grind, but it rarely asks what we’re grinding toward—or at what cost.
Here’s what I’ve learned the hard way:
- A sustainable business needs a sustainable founder.
- A great product won’t survive if its builder is depleted.
- And hustle, without pause, isn’t passion—it’s avoidance.
It took time, therapy, and honest reflection to rewire how I lead. Today, I build in a way that aligns with my values. I still work hard, but I now prioritize clarity over chaos and consistency over intensity. Exhaustion is no longer a badge of honor.
Breaks are scheduled without guilt. I also mentor young founders to reflect not just on what they’re building, but why and how they want to build it.
Mental Health Is a Business Strategy
Especially in Asia, conversations about founder wellbeing are still laced with stigma. Vulnerability is often mistaken for weakness. But the truth is—mental resilience is one of the most underleveraged leadership skills of our time.
Burned-out founders build reactive businesses. Balanced ones build regenerative ones. If I could go back and tell my younger self one thing, it would be this: There’s no glory in being the last one standing if you’re too numb to enjoy the view.
Building Sustainably: A Founder’s Framework
Here are a few things I now live by:
- Protect your energy as fiercely as your runway. Founders obsess over financial capital but forget human capital—especially their own.
- Rest is not a reward. It’s part of the work. Build it into your calendar like any other strategic priority.
- Define your own version of success. Growth that burns you out isn’t success—it’s just survival on autopilot.
- Surround yourself with people who hold you accountable to yourself, not just your goals.
The Bigger Picture
As I pursue my doctorate in business and continue working at the intersection of leadership, ESG, and sustainability, I see this pattern everywhere. The most impactful leaders—especially women—are no longer those who “do it all.” They’re the ones who know when to pause, pivot, and protect their purpose.
We need a new narrative in Asia’s founder ecosystem—one that celebrates not just what we build, but how well we live while building it.
Highlights
Editor’s Note:
This article, originally titled “The Cost of ‘Hustle Culture’: A Founder’s Take on Mental Health and Building Sustainably”, was contributed by Shreya Jajoo, a podcast host, speaker, and doctoral candidate researching female leadership and sustainability.
She has over a decade of experience in big tech and media, mentors women across Asia, and speaks globally on mental health, inclusive leadership, and ESG. Her podcast She-Co. blends storytelling with data to drive impact. Views expressed are the author’s own.
To pitch your story or share a reflection on leadership, purpose, or wellbeing in Asia’s business landscape, contact the NIA editorial team.
Read the Chinese article here, or listen to the podcast here.
