Ben Huh on Therapy

TL;DR

Ben Huh, former CEO of Cheeseburger Network and cofounder of Circa, describes how therapy (initially CEO coaching prompted by board member Brad Feld, later personal therapy via Kip) improved his performance and emotional regulation. He argues therapy should be proactive, not crisis-driven, and that honesty with the therapist is essential for ROI. The core mantra “So what?

Key insights

• Waiting for a crisis before starting therapy is like ignoring a runner’s ankle problem until it’s severe; proactive therapy keeps you in an optimal state.
• CEO coaching focuses on removing obstacles to making difficult decisions and understanding relationships with employees/executives; personal therapy examines emotional responses and behaviors that ind
• The mantra “So what?” (from Jerry Colonna and Khalid Halim) strips away emotion and euphoria, forcing a calm focus on the reality of a situation and what to do about it.