Annie Wright addresses why many founders struggle to rest due to their nervous systems being stuck in a state of alertness, often rooted in early experiences of neglect or overwhelm. She explains how this specific emotional wound makes it difficult for entrepreneurs to fully disconnect, impacting their ability to take meaningful breaks and recharge effectively.
Last reviewed: June 2026 by Annie Wright, LMFT
- Camille Has Been in Costa Rica for Eleven Hours and Has Not Exhaled
- Why a Founder’s Nervous System Treats Rest as a Threat (Polyvagal Mechanism)
- The Three Tells. The Slack-Reflex, the Pre-Trip Crunch, and the Post-Trip Crash
- The Specific Hazard of the “Working Vacation”. Why It Is Worse Than No Vacation
- What Happens in the Body of a Founder Who Has Not Truly Rested in 18 Months
- Both/And: The Company Needs You AND Your Nervous System Needs Seven Days Off the Grid
- The Architecture of an Actual Rest. What to Build Before, During, and After
- The Founders Who Learned to Rest. What Changed (And Why It Was Not Willpower)
- Frequently Asked Questions
Founder nervous system dysregulation is the chronic state of hypervigilance and difficulty with rest that many entrepreneurs develop after years of operating in a high-stakes, low-predictability environment. It occurs because the nervous system learns to treat any reduction in monitoring as a threat, making genuine downtime feel dangerous rather than restorative. For founders with early histories of neglect or emotional unpredictability, this pattern is amplified because the nervous system was already primed for vigilance before the startup began. In my work with ambitious founders, the hardest part is usually convincing them that rest is not a productivity strategy to optimize but a nervous system need that cannot be hacked.
In short: Founder nervous system dysregulation is a chronic state of hypervigilance in which rest itself feels threatening, rooted in the combination of startup-culture demands and often earlier developmental wiring.
If your nervous system learned the safest way to exist was to manage everyone else's world, my self-paced course Enough Without the Effort is the recovery map.
I have worked with founders struggling to rest and regulate for more than 15,000 clinical hours, observing how the startup environment interacts with pre-existing nervous system patterns. The polyvagal framework explaining why the nervous system treats rest as a threat draws on Stephen Porges, PhD, and his foundational research (Porges 2011).
Camille Has Been in Costa Rica for Eleven Hours and Has Not Exhaled
It’s 7:02 a.m. on a Saturday, and Camille sits in the hotel bathroom, counting the hand-painted teal tiles beneath her fingers. One tile has a hairline crack, a thin fracture she’s fixated on because her phone is in the other room and she doesn’t know what else to do with her hands. Through the slightly ajar door, she hears her husband wrestling with the espresso machine, the hiss and sputter punctuated by her daughter’s curious questions about the geckos darting across the patio outside. Her left hand rests on the cool marble countertop while her right hand opens a Slack DM that just buzzed on her watch. The message is from her head of sales: “Quick Q when you have a sec.” She thinks, “I have been here for 11 hours. I have not exhaled.”
Camille’s arrival in Costa Rica should mark the start of a week-long pause, a chance to step away from the relentless pulse of her startup. But the body remembers what the mind wants to forget: the unyielding tension, the invisible strings pulling her back to the company’s runway, the cap table, the ever-present board seat looming in her mental periphery. The nervous system of a founder like Camille doesn’t switch off simply because the plane lands or the out-of-office reply kicks in. Instead, it remains locked in a state of hypervigilance, scanning for threats, real or imagined, that might jeopardize the fragile equilibrium of growth and survival.
Her fixation on the cracked tile is more than a distraction; it’s a sign of the nervous system’s refusal to settle. The tile’s imperfection mirrors the unresolved fractures in her internal landscape, the tension between her identity as a CEO and her longing for rest. The Slack message is a small but potent reminder that the company’s demands are never fully absent. Even in this moment, the pull of the startup’s trajectory tugs at her attention, fragmenting the possibility of true rest.
For founders, rest isn’t just about turning off devices or stepping away from the keyboard. It’s about the nervous system’s ability to downshift into safety, to activate the ventral vagal pathways that support social engagement, relaxation, and restoration. Camille’s body, however, remains caught in a defensive state, unable to exhale the accumulated stress of months, if not years, spent in survival mode. This is why so many founders find themselves physically present on vacation but mentally and physiologically locked in the office’s relentless pace.
Why a Founder’s Nervous System Treats Rest as a Threat (Polyvagal Mechanism)
It’s 7:02 a.m. on a Saturday, and Camille sits in the hotel bathroom, counting the hand-painted teal tiles beneath her fingers, tracing the hairline crack in one. From beyond the door, the espresso machine sputters as her husband experiments with it, while their daughter’s voice bubbles with curiosity about the geckos sunning themselves on the patio. Her left hand rests on the cool marble counter; her right hand lifts her watch to read a Slack DM buzzing insistently: “Quick Q when you have a sec.” She thinks, “I have been here for 11 hours. I have not exhaled.”
Camille’s body is locked in a state that neuroscientist Stephen Porges, PhD, describes through Polyvagal Theory as a nervous system stuck outside of its ventral vagal “rest and digest” mode. For founders, especially women leading companies, the nervous system often interprets rest as a threat rather than a reprieve. This is not simply willpower failing; it’s biology responding to perceived danger. The autonomic nervous system, comprising the sympathetic (fight/flight), parasympathetic (rest/digest), and dorsal vagal (shutdown) branches, regulates our capacity to relax and feel safe. But for founders, chronic stress and identity fusion with their company can keep the nervous system in a heightened state of vigilance, mistaking downtime for vulnerability.
When Camille receives that Slack ping, her nervous system is primed to respond, not to rest. The ventral vagal pathway, responsible for social engagement and calm, is diminished by the allostatic load of constant decision-making, fundraising pressures, and the implicit threat of loss of control. Instead of letting go, her system defaults to sympathetic arousal, keeping her body ready to react. This biological response explains why founders often feel unable to truly disconnect, even in environments designed for rest. The body’s survival mechanisms override conscious intentions, making the nervous system a gatekeeper that refuses to open the door to relaxation.
Understanding this mechanism reframes the founder’s struggle with rest. It’s not about toughness or commitment but about nervous system regulation. The founders I work with learn that creating the conditions for ventral vagal activation, safe relationships, predictable routines, and intentional downshift practices, can recalibrate this internal alarm system. For Camille, this means more than scheduling a week away; it means building a nervous system architecture that recognizes rest as safety, not threat. For tools and strategies that support this process, see the Founders hub.
Polyvagal Theory, developed by Stephen Porges, PhD, explains how the vagus nerve influences the nervous system’s response to stress, safety, and social connection.
In plain terms: Polyvagal Theory helps us understand why our body reacts differently in situations where we feel safe or threatened.
The Three Tells. The Slack-Reflex, the Pre-Trip Crunch, and the Post-Trip Crash
It’s 7:02 a.m. on a Saturday, and Camille sits in the hotel bathroom, counting the hand-painted teal tiles beneath her fingers. One tile has a hairline crack running through it, a tiny imperfection she fixates on as her mind races. From the other room, the espresso machine hums uncertainly while her husband fumbles with the settings; their daughter’s voice drifts through, curious about the geckos on the patio. Camille’s right hand opens a Slack DM that just buzzed on her watch. The message reads, “Quick Q when you have a sec.” She thinks, “I have been here for 11 hours. I have not exhaled.”
These moments reveal the three classic signs that the nervous system of a founder is struggling to truly rest. First, there’s the Slack-Reflex: an automatic, almost Pavlovian response to any incoming message or notification, pulling attention back into work even when offsite. This reflex is a nervous system hijack, triggered by the ever-present threat of falling behind or missing an urgent crisis. It keeps the sympathetic nervous system primed, preventing the downshift into rest.
Next is the Pre-Trip Crunch, a frenetic lead-up to the vacation itself. Founders often cram in last-minute decisions, delegate frantically, and double down on work to “clear the runway.” The nervous system interprets this as a final battle, heightening cortisol and adrenaline, making the body and mind tense rather than relaxed. This crunch can create a sense of urgency so ingrained that the idea of rest feels unsafe.
Finally, there’s the Post-Trip Crash, the delayed but inevitable shutdown. After days or weeks of attempted rest, the nervous system, still wired from chronic stress, can force a collapse into exhaustion, anxiety, or even depression. This crash is the body’s way of demanding repair, a signal that the founder has been running on borrowed resilience. Understanding these three tells is essential to building the architecture for actual rest, something many women founders discover only after repeated cycles of unrest.
Camille’s moment in that bathroom, phone buzzing, mind racing, perfectly illustrates the Slack-Reflex and the challenge of letting go. Recognizing these patterns opens the door to interventions that honor the nervous system’s signals rather than fighting them, a critical step toward sustainable leadership. For more on how founders can support their nervous system in these moments, see the Founders hub.
The parasympathetic nervous system is a branch of the autonomic nervous system responsible for promoting relaxation and recovery by slowing the heart rate and increasing digestive activity, helping the body conserve energy.
In plain terms: This part of your nervous system helps your body calm down and rest after stress, making it easier to relax and recharge.
The Specific Hazard of the “Working Vacation”. Why It Is Worse Than No Vacation
It’s 7:02 a.m. on a Saturday, and Camille sits in the hotel bathroom, counting the hand-painted teal tiles beneath her fingers. One tile has a thin hairline crack running diagonally, a small imperfection she fixates on while the espresso machine hums in the next room. Her daughter’s voice floats through the door, curious about the geckos on the patio. Camille’s left hand rests on the cool marble counter, while her right hand opens a Slack DM on her watch, a message from her head of sales: “Quick Q when you have a sec.” She thinks, “I have been here for 11 hours. I have not exhaled.”
Camille’s predicament is the embodiment of the “working vacation” trap, a state where the founder is physically away but mentally and emotionally tethered to the company. This hybrid condition is more exhausting than staying home because it activates the nervous system’s threat response without the restorative benefits of true rest. When a founder responds to work messages or ruminates over decisions during supposed downtime, the nervous system remains locked in sympathetic arousal, preventing the shift into ventral vagal states needed for genuine relaxation and social engagement.
Stephen Porges, PhD, the neuroscientist behind Polyvagal Theory, explains that the nervous system’s ability to downshift into safety and rest depends on cues of “being seen and safe.” The “working vacation” undermines these cues by keeping attention fragmented and alert to potential threats, board deadlines, runway concerns, or investor anxieties. Rather than a break, it becomes an extension of the workday, perpetuating allostatic load and deepening nervous system dysregulation.
In my clinical experience with founders, this partial disengagement can exacerbate burnout and impair decision-making long after the trip ends. Camille’s inability to “exhale” is not a failure of willpower but a nervous system stuck in a state of hypervigilance. The company’s needs and the body’s needs become entangled in a way that makes the founder feel that stepping away is synonymous with abandonment or risk, an internal alarm that will not quiet itself.
This dynamic also reveals why the “working vacation” can be worse than no vacation at all: it offers no true respite, yet still demands energy and focus, leaving the nervous system taxed and depleted. For founders committed to sustainable leadership, learning to recognize and interrupt this pattern is critical. It’s not about deleting apps or ignoring responsibilities but about building the nervous system architecture that allows for full presence off the grid, something I explore further in the therapy and coaching work I offer.
What Happens in the Body of a Founder Who Has Not Truly Rested in 18 Months
It’s 7:02 a.m. on a Saturday, and Camille sits in the hotel bathroom, counting the hand-painted teal tiles beneath her fingers. Her gaze lingers on a hairline crack that splits one tile, a small imperfection she fixates on because her phone is in the other room and she doesn’t know what to do with her hands. Through the door, the espresso machine hums as her husband experiments with it, while her daughter’s voice bubbles with questions about the geckos on the patio. Her left hand rests on the cool marble counter; her right hand hesitates as it opens a Slack DM that just buzzed on her watch.
When a founder hasn’t truly rested in over a year and a half, their body doesn’t simply feel tired, it operates as if it’s under continuous siege. The nervous system remains locked in a state of heightened alert, unable to shift into the parasympathetic “rest and digest” mode that signals safety and recovery. This chronic activation of the sympathetic branch means that even moments meant for relaxation become fraught with tension, vigilance, and an inability to let go. The breath stays shallow, muscles stay taut, and the heart beats with a persistent undercurrent of anxiety.
Physiologically, this sustained stress response leads to elevated cortisol and adrenaline levels, which impair digestion, sleep quality, and immune function. The founder’s body becomes a repository of unprocessed trauma and tension, a concept explored deeply in The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk, MD, psychiatrist and trauma researcher. This allostatic load, the wear and tear on the body from chronic stress, does not simply vanish when the laptop closes or the Slack notifications pause. Instead, it manifests as physical exhaustion, emotional numbness, and cognitive fog, undermining decision-making and leadership capacity.
In this state, the founder’s nervous system interprets rest as a threat rather than a reprieve. The brain’s survival circuits, influenced by the polyvagal mechanism described by Stephen Porges, PhD, neuroscientist and originator of Polyvagal Theory, keep the body primed for action. This is why Camille’s fingers twitch over her phone even in a bathroom meant for solitude, why her breath feels caught, and why the “quick Q” on Slack triggers a cascade of tension instead of relief.
True rest for a founder is not a passive pause; it requires an intentional nervous system downshift that often feels foreign and unsafe. Without this, the body remains a battleground, a place where the company’s demands and the founder’s survival instincts collide relentlessly. This is the somatic reality behind why so many founders, like Camille, can’t rest, even when they’re finally away from the office.
“Addiction begins when a woman loses her handmade and meaningful life, and takes up instead the trance of perfection.”
Clarissa Pinkola Estés, PhD, Jungian analyst, Women Who Run With the Wolves
Hypervigilance is a state of heightened sensory sensitivity accompanied by an exaggerated intensity of behaviors aimed at detecting threats, often resulting from trauma or chronic stress. According to Bessel van der Kolk, MD, this condition keeps the nervous system in a constant state of alertness, making it difficult to relax or feel safe.
In plain terms: Hypervigilance means being overly alert to your surroundings, as if your body is always on guard. This makes it hard to rest because your nervous system stays ready for danger, even when there isn’t any.
Both/And: The Company Needs You AND Your Nervous System Needs Seven Days Off the Grid
It’s 7:02 a.m. on a Saturday, and Camille sits in the hotel bathroom, counting the hand-painted teal tiles beneath her fingers. One tile has a hairline crack, like a tiny fault line beneath her skin. Through the slightly ajar door, the espresso machine hums as her husband fumbles with it, while her daughter’s voice asks about the geckos lounging on the patio. Her left hand rests on the cool marble counter; her right hand opens a Slack DM buzzing on her watch. The message reads, “Quick Q when you have a sec.” She thinks: “I have been here for 11 hours. I have not exhaled.”
Camille’s moment captures a paradox every founder lives: the company demands your presence, your decision-making, your energy. Investors want updates. The team needs guidance. The product roadmap won’t pause. But your nervous system, shaped by years of chronic activation, trauma responses, and relentless survival mode, requires a full reset, seven days truly off the grid. Not a “working vacation,” not a half-hearted attempt to unplug while answering Slack, but a deliberate, sustained break where your body can downshift from sympathetic hypervigilance and dorsal vagal shutdown into ventral vagal safety and restoration.
This is the both/and: your role as founder is critical, yes. Your leadership shapes the company’s trajectory, influences runway, affects your cap table, and impacts the lives of your team. Yet, your nervous system’s needs are not incidental or secondary; they are foundational to your capacity to lead. Stephen Porges, PhD, the neuroscientist behind Polyvagal Theory, teaches that without this deep nervous system downshift, your brain cannot access the social engagement system that supports creativity, empathy, and strategic thinking.
In my work with women founders, I see the tension play out daily: the impulse to “just check in” on Slack, the internal debate over whether a call is urgent, the guilt that arises when you try to surrender control. The company needs you fully present, but your nervous system demands rest that looks like absence. This is why a seven-day, truly offline escape is not indulgence, it’s a nervous system intervention that preserves your leadership longevity and your company’s future. For more on how to build this architecture of rest, see the next section.
Rest as nervous-system practice refers to intentionally engaging in rest activities that help regulate and soothe the nervous system, promoting overall well-being and resilience.
In plain terms: Resting this way means giving your body and mind a chance to calm down and recover, which supports better health and stress management.
The Architecture of an Actual Rest. What to Build Before, During, and After
It’s 7:02 a.m. on a Saturday, and Camille sits in the hotel bathroom, counting the hand-painted teal tiles beneath her fingers. One tile has a hairline crack that she traces with the tip of her right index finger, a subtle fissure that somehow mirrors the tension she feels inside. From beyond the door, the espresso machine sputters to life as her husband experiments with unfamiliar buttons, while their daughter’s voice rises in wonder at the geckos darting across the patio. Her left hand rests on the cool marble counter; her right hand flicks open a Slack DM on her watch.
Building a genuine rest demands more than a change of scenery or a break in routine, it requires deliberate architecture that addresses the nervous system’s deeply ingrained threat response. Before stepping away, founders must create conditions that signal safety to the body: clear boundaries around availability, explicit agreements with their team about urgent versus deferrable issues, and rituals that mark the transition from work mode to rest mode. This pre-trip groundwork helps prevent the “Slack reflex” from hijacking precious downtime and primes the nervous system for downshifting.
During the rest itself, the focus shifts to cultivating ventral vagal activation, the state of social engagement and safety described by Stephen Porges, PhD, neuroscientist and originator of Polyvagal Theory. This might look like prioritizing slow, rhythmic breathing, engaging in gentle movement, or immersing in sensory experiences that ground and soothe. Importantly, rest is not about productivity or “recovery” as a means to get back to work faster; it’s about allowing the nervous system to settle into a state that supports regeneration and repair.
After returning, founders often face the post-trip crash, a physiological and emotional dip as the nervous system recalibrates to the demands of leadership. To sustain the benefits of rest, integrating practices that support ongoing regulation, such as mindfulness, intentional pauses during the workday, and attuned connection with others, becomes essential. This architecture of rest is not a one-time fix but an adaptive system that honors the complexity of the founder’s nervous system and the relentless demands of building a company. For more on supporting this integration, see the Founder Identity Merger guide.
The Default Mode Network is a group of brain regions that become active when the mind is at rest and not focused on the outside world, often involved in self-reflection and daydreaming, as described by Marcus Raichle, MD.
In plain terms: The Default Mode Network is like your brain’s idle mode, turning on when you’re not concentrating on tasks and allowing your thoughts to wander.
“I stand in the ring in the dead city and tie on the red shoes. They are not mine, they are my mother’s, her mother’s before, handed down like an heirloom but hidden like shameful letters.”
Anne Sexton, “The Red Shoes”
The Founders Who Learned to Rest. What Changed (And Why It Was Not Willpower)
It’s 7:02 a.m. on a Saturday, and Camille sits in the hotel bathroom, counting the hand-painted teal tiles beneath her fingers, tracing the hairline crack in the one above the sink. Through the door, the espresso machine hums as her husband experiments with the settings, while their daughter’s curious voice asks about the geckos on the patio. Her left hand rests on the cool marble counter; her right hand unlocks a Slack DM that just buzzed on her watch. The message is brief: “Quick Q when you have a sec.” She thinks, “I have been here for 11 hours. I have not exhaled.”
Camille’s experience is far from unique among founders who struggle to rest. What ultimately shifted for those who have learned to truly downshift wasn’t an act of sheer willpower or a more rigid “discipline” around unplugging. Instead, it was a transformation in their relationship to their nervous system’s signals, an acknowledgment that rest isn’t a luxury but a nervous system necessity. This shift often came through structured support, such as trauma-informed therapy or somatic approaches that validate the body’s chronic state of alert as a survival adaptation rather than personal failure.
In my work with women founders, I’ve observed that the breakthrough moment arises when a founder stops fighting the body’s resistance and instead builds a scaffold for safety and containment. This means creating an environment, before, during, and after time off, that honors the nervous system’s need to move from sympathetic dominance into ventral vagal engagement. It’s a process that unfolds gradually, often involving recalibrating internalized beliefs about worth and control that are deeply entangled with company identity.
For Camille, this meant leaning into the discomfort of not responding immediately to Slack and learning that her absence didn’t equate to catastrophe. It meant embracing the paradox that stepping back was, in fact, a strategic leadership move, one that protected her capacity to show up fully when she returned. This isn’t about “turning off” but about tuning in: to the body’s rhythms, to the subtle cues that signal safety, and to the profound rest that comes from feeling truly seen and supported.
Founders who have integrated this nervous system wisdom often report that rest no longer feels like a threat but a regenerative foundation for resilience and creativity. They move beyond the myth of willpower and toward an embodied leadership that holds both the company’s needs and their own nervous system’s limits in balance. For more on how to build this architecture of rest, see the FC1 resource in the Founders hub.
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Q: Why does taking a real vacation make me feel worse, not better?
A: Taking a real vacation can sometimes leave you feeling worse because your nervous system remains on high alert, even when your body is physically away from work. For founders, the constant demands and responsibilities create a state of chronic stress that makes true rest difficult. When you step away, your mind may continue to ruminate over unfinished tasks or looming challenges, preventing your nervous system from fully relaxing. This ongoing activation can cause feelings of anxiety, irritability, or fatigue instead of refreshment. Restoring balance requires intentional practices that help calm your nervous system, such as mindfulness, setting clear boundaries before and during time off, and gradually easing into downtime. Over time, these strategies support your ability to truly disconnect and experience the restorative benefits of vacation.
Q: Is it actually possible to be off-Slack for a week as a founder?
A: Yes, it is possible for a founder to be off Slack for a week, though it requires intentional preparation and self-compassion. The nervous system of founders often remains on alert due to the constant flow of responsibilities and decisions. Creating boundaries around communication, setting clear expectations with your team, and scheduling time for restorative activities can help your nervous system shift into a state that allows genuine rest. It’s a practice that builds over time, each intentional break strengthens your capacity to disconnect and recharge. rest isn’t a luxury but a necessary part of sustaining your leadership and creativity. Approaching time off with kindness toward yourself and your body supports this process, making it more achievable than it might initially feel.
Q: What’s the difference between “working vacation” and rest, biologically?
A: A “working vacation” involves staying mentally or emotionally engaged with work tasks, even in a setting meant for relaxation. Biologically, this keeps the nervous system in a state of alertness, preventing the shift into the restorative parasympathetic mode needed for true rest. Rest, on the other hand, allows the body’s stress response to downregulate, promoting recovery, immune function, and emotional regulation. For founders, the challenge lies in the nervous system’s difficulty in disengaging from work-related stress, which can maintain elevated cortisol levels and sympathetic nervous system activation. Genuine rest requires intentional separation from work stimuli, creating space for the body and mind to reset. Without this, the nervous system remains primed for action, making it hard to experience the rejuvenation that supports sustained well-being and productivity.
Q: How long does it take a founder’s nervous system to downshift on a real vacation?
A: For founders, the nervous system often remains in a state of alert long after stepping away from work. It can take several days to a week for the body and mind to truly downshift during a real vacation. This delay happens because the nervous system has adapted to constant activation, making relaxation feel unfamiliar or even uncomfortable. Creating intentional space for rest, such as unplugging from devices and engaging in calming activities, supports this transition. Patience and self-compassion are essential as the nervous system gradually learns to settle into safety and ease. Over time, consistent breaks help retrain the nervous system to recognize downtime as restorative rather than risky.
Q: Will my team fall apart if I unplug for seven days?
A: Taking a full seven-day break can feel daunting, especially when you’re deeply invested in your business. However, stepping away doesn’t mean your team will crumble. Trusting your team means you’ve built systems and relationships strong enough to sustain operations without your constant presence. Your nervous system may resist rest because it’s wired for vigilance, but rest is essential for your leadership longevity. When you allow yourself to unplug, you create space for renewed clarity and creativity, which ultimately benefits your team and business. Communicating clear expectations and empowering your team before you step away helps maintain momentum and shows confidence in their abilities. Your absence can be an opportunity for growth, for both you and your team.
Q: Why do I crash physically on day three of every vacation?
A: When you crash physically on day three of vacation, it often reflects how your nervous system has been running on overdrive for an extended period. During the initial days, adrenaline and cortisol keep you going, but once the body senses a break from constant stress, accumulated exhaustion surfaces. This delayed fatigue can feel overwhelming because your system finally allows itself to rest, revealing how depleted you truly are. For founders, the challenge lies in the difficulty of fully disconnecting from responsibilities, which keeps the nervous system alert even during downtime. Recognizing this pattern can be the first step toward creating intentional rest strategies that support both your body and mind, helping you gradually ease into relaxation without triggering a physical crash.
Q: Does therapy specifically address the can’t-rest pattern?
A: Therapy can be a powerful tool for addressing the pattern of feeling unable to rest. It helps by identifying how the nervous system is stuck in a state of hyperarousal, often due to chronic stress and constant demands. Through practices like somatic experiencing, mindfulness, and cognitive behavioral techniques, therapy supports retraining the nervous system to recognize safety and calm. For founders, therapy also offers a space to explore the beliefs and habits around productivity and rest, gently shifting the mindset that rest is unproductive or risky. Over time, this work can create new pathways for relaxation and genuine downtime, making rest not only possible but restorative.
References
Peer-Reviewed Research (Vancouver)
- Porges SW. Polyvagal Theory: Current Status, Clinical Applications, and Future Directions. Clin Neuropsychiatry. 2025;22(3):169-184. doi:10.36131/cnfioritieditore20250301. PMID: 40735382.
- van der Kolk BA, Wang JB, Yehuda R, Bedrosian L, Coker AR, Harrison C, et al. Effects of MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD on self-experience. PLoS One. 2024;19(1):e0295926. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0295926. PMID: 38198456.
Books & Cultural Sources (Chicago Author-Date)
- Estés, Clarissa Pinkola. Women Who Run with the Wolves. Vintage, 1982.
- Sexton, Anne. The complete poems. Houghton Mifflin (P), 1981.
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Annie Wright is a licensed psychotherapist (LMFT #95719) and trauma-informed executive coach with over 15,000 clinical hours. She works with driven women. Including Silicon Valley leaders, physicians, and entrepreneurs. In repairing the psychological foundations beneath their impressive lives. Annie is the founder and former CEO of Evergreen Counseling, a multimillion-dollar trauma-informed therapy center she built, scaled, and successfully exited. A regular contributor to Psychology Today, her expert commentary has appeared in USA Today, Forbes, Business Insider, Inc., NBC, and The Information. She is currently writing her first book with W.W. Norton.
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