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A partner and head of brand/communications, Christine worked with Sir Richard Branson to launch Virgin Group’s North American portfolio and was the first head of communications for Virgin Galactic/Virgin Orbit/The Spaceship Company. She serves on the boards of KIPP NJ and Virgin Unite US.

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As M13's community program coordinator, Samantha aligns with M13’s commitment to creating an inclusive community through authentic experience, dedication to innovation, and creativity. Samantha was previously the development associate for outreach and programming at Rockefeller University.

Samantha Hughes

Operator

As M13's community program coordinator, Samantha aligns with M13’s commitment to creating an inclusive community.

M13SharePeople-SEO image Samantha Hughes

Samantha Hughes | M13

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As M13's brand project specialist, Generra brings her experience in operational excellence and community building from her previous time at The Knowledge House, a tech non-profit. Prior to that, Generra led project management, from enrollment and ops to data management, for Newark Public Schools. 

Generra Rodriguez

As M13's brand project specialist, Generra brings her experience in operational excellence and community building from her previous time at The Knowledge House, a tech non-profit. 

M13SharePeople-SEO image Generra Rodriguez

Generra Rodriguez | M13

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As a partner and head of operations, Lizzie leads the Propulsion team that helps propel our founders’ businesses forward. She was previously the COO of sneaker marketplace GOAT Group, CMO of Gilt Groupe, and founding partner of Brilliant Ventures.

Lizzie Francis

Partner

As a partner and head of operations, Lizzie leads the Propulsion team that helps propel our founders’ businesses forward. She was previously the COO of sneaker marketplace GOAT...

M13SharePeople-LizzieFrancis

Lizzie Francis | M13

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Erik is M13's accountant and has a vast background working in tech companies and the applications used in accordance with GAAP for reporting. Erik was previously an accountant at Glamsquad and Stella Connect, which was acquired by NYSE listed Medallia in 2020, which gave Erik the opportunity to oversee the finance integrations of the two companies. 

Erik Grant

Erik is M13's accountant and has a vast background working in tech companies and the applications used in accordance with GAAP for reporting.

M13SharePeople-SEO image Erik Grant

Erik Grant | M13

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Feven was an investment analyst for KingsCrowd while simultaneously receiving a certificate from Cornell’s Women and Entrepreneurship program, where she focused on the start-up ecosystem for minority groups.

Feven Solomon

Investor

Feven was an investment analyst for KingsCrowd while simultaneously receiving a certificate from Cornell’s Women and Entrepreneurship program, where she focused on the start-up...

M13SharePeople-FevenSolomon

Feven Solomon | M13

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As a member of the investor relations team, Talitha has worked with the team to build the IR systems at M13 from the ground up. She was previously the quality control and administrative assistant for the accounting and assurance department of Lindsay & Brownell, LLP.

Talitha Wright

As a member of the investor relations team, Talitha has worked with the team to build the IR systems at M13 from the ground up. She was previously the quality control and...

M13SharePeople-TalithiaWright

Talitha Wright | M13

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Sarah was previously the VP of marketing and investor relations at Arlon Group and has served in IR roles at StepStone Group and Citi Private Equity. She is a public company board member, co-founded the Sustainability Investment Leadership Council, and has served on numerous non-profit boards.

Sarah Tomolonius

Sarah was previously the VP of marketing and investor relations at Arlon Group and has served in IR roles at StepStone Group and Citi Private Equity. She is a public company...

M13SharePeople-SarahTomolonius

Sarah Tomolonius | M13

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A people operations analyst, Rita was previously the owner and operator of Street Beatz Dance Company. Prior to that, she held the roles of internal annuity specialist and registered client associate at Merrill Lynch.

Rita Serrano

A people operations analyst, Rita was previously the owner and operator of Street Beatz Dance Company. Prior to that, she held the roles of internal annuity specialist and...

M13SharePeople-RitaSerrano

Rita Serrano | M13

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Morgan spent five years in investment banking at Morgan Stanley. She worked on a presidential campaign, at Bloomberg Philanthropies and consulted for start-ups in the political media space.

Morgan Blumberg

Morgan spent five years in investment banking at Morgan Stanley. She worked on a presidential campaign, at Bloomberg Philanthropies and consulted for start-ups in the political...

M13SharePeople-MorganBlumberg

Morgan Blumberg | M13

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Latif manages the overall investing strategy for the firm and has led numerous deals across money and health verticals with a large focus on web3. He was previously the managing director at Virgin Group where he led investing in the Americas including investments in Ring (acq. by AMZN), Slack (NYSE: WORK), Virgin Galactic (NYSE: SPCE), and Virgin Orbit (NASDAQ: VORB).

Latif Peracha

As M13’s general partner, Latif manages the investing strategy for the firm and has led numerous deals across money, health, and web3 verticals. He was previously a managing...

M13SharePeople-LatifPeracha

Latif Peracha | M13

__An essential part of building purposeful new technology is sharing the journey.__ Working with Virgin Galactic, The Spaceship Company, Virgin Orbit, and Kitty Hawk’s EVTOL solutions taught me the importance of building goodwill by sharing your progress, especially for technology that we haven’t yet seen or tried. True leaders have the courage to help us see what we can’t yet even imagine. Failure leads to both learning and progress, and kindness is an underrated leadership trait. I enjoy helping founding teams share their stories and convey their optimism and questions about the future.

<br>__I once told Dan Rather that the engineers I worked with are poets who speak math. (He liked that.)__ Collective progress happens when our command of the technical is inspired by our humanity. EVTOL has the potential to make more room in our built environment for human work and play. Space access for civilians will continue to improve life on Earth. I’m also a believer in the power of culture to break taboos such as enabling cannabis regulation and adult access. M13 is the chance to collaborate with diverse changemakers shaping how we live today and how our children will thrive tomorrow.

<br>__In college, I joined Teach For America and became a founding member of a generation-defining social movement.__ We were social entrepreneurs before the phrase existed. The greatest privilege is working alongside people with an intentional vision that expands access and transforms lives. I learned so much from the last dozen years with Sir Richard Branson and Virgin company founders in launching Virgin brands in North America across entrenched industries. When you choose to be the customer champion, as Virgin did, business decisions are at once intuitive, challenging and a hell of a lot of fun. 

<br>__Brighter Together can’t happen without community.__ The sparks of diverse perspectives and shared experiences move us forward. It takes convening power to gather creative and curious solution-oriented makers, and M13 applies that in dynamic ways in LA, NYC and beyond. I’m excited to connect with more people and make magic happen for our founding teams. 

<br>__Chemistry and attitude are everything.__ At M13, everyone works hard, has fun and looks after each other. As we say at KIPP: Work hard, be nice.<br><br>

## Insights
[M13’s Christine Choi On CCO’s Avoiding Human Shortcuts And Acting As Agents Of Empathy](https://www.forbes.com/sites/billeehoward/2020/03/22/m13s-christine-choi/?sh=e15f8c57a7bc "forbes")

Christine Choi

A partner and head of brand/communications, Christine worked with Sir Richard Branson to launch Virgin Group’s North American portfolio and was the first head of communications...

M13SharePeople-ChristineChoi

Christine Choi | M13

Emilee Gu

Some of the most challenging and nuanced problems can be overcome – and even inspire people – through open discussions. So we recently assembled a Future Perfect health fireside to meet leaders who are normalizing deeply stigmatized issues that hold back access to healthcare and wellness. In health areas that are taboo, what are solutions to break down barriers? What is the role of medical institutions versus culture? What evidence of improved health are they seeing?<br><br>
<center>![06-16-22 Future Perfect Panel-audience](//images.ctfassets.net/vcjxvx0h1a5n/ihQbGRHUTM1izKUgadtAi/e8578231fec665659174b69d7b09ccaf/06-16-22_Future_Perfect_Panel_IMG_1995-3.png) </center>
<center style="padding-top:5px;">*From left: Christine Choi, Brooke Baldwin, Catherine Balsam-Schwaber, Dan Miller, Sylvia Benito, and Evan Richards*</center><br><br>
Our community of health founders, investors, researchers, policy leaders, and operators gathered at Daily Harvest’s beautiful office to spend time with founders and investors who have become experts in emerging stigmatized fields. They represent both the frontiers of health and the diversity of innovations needed in healthcare—starting with their own journeys in health.<br><br>
## How did your journey start? 
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    <td><img src="//images.ctfassets.net/vcjxvx0h1a5n/5VBU7SbjHi2HjTNyMPdL8A/c6b506b15f0ab4f5846fcb977fa5b5fd/06-16-22_Future_Perfect_39-_DSC5160_evan_edited.jpg"  alt="Evan Richards, Form Health" style="width:100%";></td></div>
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    <td><h3>Evan Richardson</h3>
      <h6 style="text-align:left;">Founder and CEO at <a href="https://www.formhealth.com" target="_blank">Form Health</a></br>(a M13 portfolio company)</h6>
My grandfather suffered, for most of his adult life, from obesity. I saw him struggle every day with an inability to lose this weight that prevented him from doing what he wanted to do: spend time with his family in the way that he wanted to. It was incredibly important for him to lose that weight but he just wasn't able to do it. We as a society have for so long blamed individuals, even though the data says the issue is not a lack of self-control that we blame them for.</td></div>
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    <td><h3>Catherine Balsam-Schwaber</h3>
      <h6 style="text-align:left;">CEO at <a href="https://ourkindra.com/" target="_blank">Kindra</a> </br>(a M13 portfolio company)</h6>
I was offered “the big new job” at a media company. But I was not feeling well. My doctor said that I had fibromyalgia, suggesting steroids as the solution. Luckily, I had enough chutzpah to say “I just don't think that's right.” I went to Dr. Suzanne Gilberg-lenz (now Kindra’s current spokes doctor) who told me that I was perimenopausal. I said, “What? I'm too young. I don't have hot flashes…How can this be?” She explained that it’s more complicated than the media makes it out to be. Perimenopause is a major physiological shift that impacts not only your physical self but emotional self. There just aren't that many places to go for information and education.</td></div>
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    <td><img src="//images.ctfassets.net/vcjxvx0h1a5n/39FcDcCCcnuVTDWEO7lZYF/beb52453b3e4a014227dab94f3ad915f/15-_DSC4852_edited.jpg"  alt="Catherine Balsam-Schwaber, Kindra" style="width:100%";></td></div>
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    <td><h3>Dan Miller</h3>
      <h6 style="text-align:left;">Founder and CEO at <a href="https://www.sporahealth.com" target="_blank">Spora Health</a> </br>(a M13 portfolio company)</h6>
I used my own experience as a budding Buddhist to think about ways that we can innovate on care models and address inequities and disparities in the healthcare system. I was invited to a retreat called the Gathering, where there were a bunch of Black Buddhists. There were a lot of issues that the same frame of thinking – mindfulness and meditation – could address in inequities and disparities in primary care. It was an incredible, moving experience that I knew needed to be shared more broadly with everyone. </td></div>
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    <td><h3>Sylvia Benito</h3>
      <h6 style="text-align:left;">Investor</h6>
One thing that is ripe to destigmatize is speaking about consciousness. I was raised half of my childhood as a Catholic and half of my childhood as a Jew. At 18, my parents left it up to me to figure out who I am. My driving question was, is awakening real? I became interested in what awakening looks like in an ordinary life. That driving curiosity eventually led me to have profound awakenings in my life. That has been the genesis of what made me a natural fit for psychedelic journeys.</td></div>
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    <td><img src="//images.ctfassets.net/vcjxvx0h1a5n/1BmjdveYBPqaDD9e3GfGep/ec106f62e6190a1890f678f3dafe9a80/06-16-22_Future_Perfect_39-_DSC5160_edited.jpg"  alt="Sylvia Benito, investor" style="width:100%";></td></div>
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## What we are building and how do we know it is working?<br><br>
#### Dan Miller, Spora Health
__What are we building and why?__  Past healthcare discrimination significantly impacts a lack of engagement from Black and brown Americans in the healthcare system including waiting or not going to the doctor, then ultimately ending up in the ER. Providers aren’t required training around health equity or cultural competence by any accrediting body. We need to reframe the conversation for patients around not just how we communicate but also every single touchpoint in a way that is culture centered. [Spora Health](https://www.sporahealth.com/ "Spora Health") is a primary care practice uniquely designed for people of color, specifically Black Americans and Latino populations. We now practice across six states. We are addressing inequities in primary care and urgent care access utilization. We recently released a program for birthing persons and women called Spora Mamas that we're super excited about. <br><br>
__How do we know it’s working?__ Spora Institute focuses on training in social determinants of health such as verbal and nonverbal communication styles, ways that trauma for different populations shows up in the clinical encounter, and how different symptoms for different conditions or diseases show up for populations. Our doctors strongly agree that they've learned actionable tools to address inequities and disparities. It's leading to not just a differentiated but a markedly better experience for our patients. The industry average for NPS in primary care is -1. Our NPS score is 85. And this is for a hard-to-reach population that wouldn't engage with the healthcare system. <br><br>
<PullQuote author="Future Perfect guest" text="Thoughtful topics, interesting speakers, solid/relevant group of folks in attendance to catch up with." />
#### Evan Richardson, Form Health
__What are we building and why?__ [Form Health](https://www.formhealth.co/ "Form Health") is the largest provider nationally of metabolic medicine and obesity care. We take care of individuals who have a BMI of 30+, which is about 50% of the US adult population, and help them achieve healthcare goals through treatment. Obesity medicine is a board subspecialty of care that not many know exists. We are delivering care for a condition that has been tremendously stigmatized. They have been told their entire lives that this is their fault and blamed for not having self-control. In reality, obesity is a medical and metabolic issue complicated by societal problems around access. We are working against that stigma of falsely blaming these individuals and, through treatment, help them to achieve something different.<br><br>
__How do we know it’s working?__ The fact that mental health has become more publicly a medical issue is incredibly important because when something becomes medical, it stops being your fault. Individuals with BMI of 40+ spend twice as much time in the healthcare system in a given year, dealing with acute medical issues arising from their obesity. When a patient comes to Form Health, we don’t say, we're going to help you get from X to 25. No, we help them improve their health. So we ask, what are your goals? What do you want to achieve and why? Let's figure out how we can help you get there. And if that means moving from BMI of 40 to 38 because that allows you to walk to your mailbox, which is one of our patients' goals, then fantastic, we'll help you get there. About 25% of our patients lose more than a third of their body weight in their first year with Form Health.<br><br>
<PullQuote author="Future Perfect guest" text="A great event - loved the contextual conversation (vs usual stat readout) that the panel shared regarding solutions for the deep challenges that exist in healthcare across equity, access and inclusivity." />
#### Catherine Balsam-Schwaber, Kindra
__What are we building and why?__ The lack of investment and innovation in women's aging bodies is a massive problem, not just for women but for society. [Kindra](https://ourkindra.com/ "Kindra") is focused on helping women have conversations around menopause and delivering support with products that work. Most women, when they come to us for the first time, are in crisis. They're in crisis about the same thing that was happening to me. They're probably thinking they're going to die based on what Dr. Google tells them. We hope to help find a pathway to say that this is a normal part of your life stage. There are communities and resources supporting you. Making educational information accessible is the tip of the spear in everything that we do.  <br><br>
__How do we know it’s working?__ In this community, it is a well-known fact how challenging it is to get the word out about conversations around women’s health. Even the algorithmic system of Facebook is set up to flag things that look like female genitalia. The things that are visible, like hot flashes, are easier to talk about. The difficult part is what’s hidden: women feel very down or depressed about this late-life awakening that you're going to die. Those hard conversations are not what people want to see in their advertising feed. Right now we have the best performing TikTok, which is men on the street talking about menopause and not having any clue. The only way to break the taboo is to keep having the conversation as loud as we possibly can. We will keep running ads that have things that look like vaginas.  <br><br>
<PullQuote author="Future Perfect guest" text="It was great to meet other people who are passionate about healthcare and a great way to connect with them!" />
#### Sylvia Benito, Investor
__What are we building and why?__ I'm a director on the board of Beckley Foundation founded by Amanda Feilding, an early psychedelic pioneer.  Psychedelics are particularly good for PTSD and severe trauma. As a practicing shaman, I know it works because I've been in many healings with people who have profound trauma and have seen the trauma heal long term. Science helps to destigmatize psychedelic medicine and normalize access. <br><br>
__How do you know it’s working?__ Right now, access is through clinical trials.There are some really incredible brave souls who have been funding psychedelic research. For example, private donors funded about $17 million into MAPS over the past couple of years to get them through the clinical trials to prove that MDMA is effective for trauma and PTSD. You have leaders like Rachel Yehuda at Mount Sinai who got a program funded so that as part of her research American veterans have access to psychedelic-assisted therapy.<br><br>
<PullQuote author="Future Perfect guest" text="The disciplines across a wide spectrum of human need and systemic stigma blended in a way I did not imagine it could. I learned a tremendous amount, will follow the work of each speaker closely as I am deeply intrigued. Thank you for this fantastic evening." /><br><br>
##### <center>Thank you to our panelists, moderator Brooke Baldwin, Daily Harvest, Eliqs for custom beverages, and Primetime Partners and everyone who is opening the conversation for health access.</center></strong><br><br>
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     <td><img src="//images.ctfassets.net/vcjxvx0h1a5n/uTAMGPxVqZzgzXWVTCB3m/623a531f1e417afbca62ac30123e2684/06-16-22_Future_Perfect_brooke-evan-eliqs.png" alt="Eliqs" style="width:100%"></td><p style="text-align:center; font-style: italic; font-size:14px;">Best selling author Brooke Baldwin and Form Health's Evan Richards</p></div>
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     <td><img src="//images.ctfassets.net/vcjxvx0h1a5n/2jUWg81GawECP5NPglfnW8/f1bc9a51e8cba84d71e1d748c5a179cd/06-16-22_Future_Perfect_56-_DSC5398.jpg" alt="M13 Community" style="width:100%"></td><p style="text-align:center;font-style: italic; font-size:14px;">M13’s Christine Choi (center) with Integrated VC’s Andrew Chomer and Palantir’s Jan-Felix Schneider</p></div>
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     <td><img src="//images.ctfassets.net/vcjxvx0h1a5n/1INh7o0xoVDZbBGcsU64HG/acaaad68f3f1d7a59bdb85d439b15893/06-16-22_Future_Perfect_70-_DSC5492.jpg" alt="M13 Community" style="width:100%"></td><p style="text-align:center; font-style: italic; font-size:14px;">Spora Health's Dan Miller with Nicole Carey, Julie Patel, and Windham Venture Partners' Sarah Fox </p></div></div><br><br>
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 <td><img src="//images.ctfassets.net/vcjxvx0h1a5n/2KaT5elBxblYoFfVyYWbAt/b3942196c2c2c10687d6d24bd749ada5/06-16-22_Future_Perfect_95-_DSC5760.jpg" alt="M13 Community" style="width:100%"></td><p style="text-align:center; font-style: italic; font-size:14px;">M13's Latif Peracha with Kindra's Catherine Balsam-Schwaber</p></div>
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 <td><img src="//images.ctfassets.net/vcjxvx0h1a5n/6xGinHdzrjFHmAF1IJ8HZF/c0301f2018555c6e7ff668e51391603c/06-16-22_Future_Perfect_100-_DSC5787.jpg" alt="M13 Community" style="width:100%"></td><p style="text-align:center; font-style: italic; font-size:14px;">M13’s Christine Choi, best selling author Brooke Baldwin, Shaman VC Sylvia Benito, Comic Relief's Alison Moore, and Primetime Partners' Abby Levy</p></div>
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 <td><img src="//images.ctfassets.net/vcjxvx0h1a5n/49uKjsFvkYIyOA2yvAnH0B/ad055126474fb9a1697a4fdbb9e40819/06-16-22_Future_Perfect_76-_DSC5549.jpg" alt="M13 Community" style="width:100%"></td><p style="text-align:center; font-style: italic; font-size:14px;">14W's Hannah Ajmani, M13's Chloe Colberg, Alleycorp's Jason Gomez, Can9 Bio's Nick Gavin, Smash Capital's Charlotte Camacho, The Rockefeller Foundation's Sarah Freeman</p></div></div>
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Highlights from a conversation about difficult topics in health.

6-16-22 Future Perfect Hero

Breaking taboos to open access to health

Founders and investors analyze challenges and opportunities in health.

Breaking taboos to open access to health | M13

6-16 Future Perfect Panel Thumbnail

When you’re building awareness about your company, it’s helpful to first map out the company story and what editorial content you want to share with the world. That requires a regular cadence of news and stories that you produce and promote on your owned channels. From there, pick out a few timely pieces of news that you can use to pitch the press.<br><br>
But how do you know if your startup is prepared for the spotlight?<br><br>
In this guide, we’ll answer top questions, including:
<NumberedBullet number="1" highlight="What's the role of a PR firm?"/>
<NumberedBullet number="2" highlight="When is the right time to seek media attention?"/> 
<NumberedBullet number="3" highlight="What are common PR mistakes by early-stage startup founders?"/> 

​​Is your startup ready for all that media attention? Here are the telltale signs to track.

PRGuide Beta Header3 05262021 ab-01

When to Hire a Public Relations Agency for Your Startup

Ready to let the world know about your startup? M13’s guide to hiring a public relations agency can help founders like you navigate media relationships and more.

When to Hire a Public Relations Agency for Your Startup | M13

PRGuide Beta HeaderThumb 06032021

Now more than ever, startup founders need to be willing to create a safe space for people to speak up and be heard. And no one may believe this more than organizational psychologist [Adam Grant](https://www.adamgrant.net/).<br><br>
In his latest book, “[Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don’t Know](https://www.adamgrant.net/book/think-again/),” the popular Wharton professor and TED Talk speaker stresses the idea of taking risks and making mistakes without feeling afraid.   <br><br>
Adam and I first met when I received an early copy of “[Give and Take](https://www.adamgrant.net/book/give-and-take/).” It had a powerful message: its stories and data said you don’t get ahead just by taking. To my then colleagues at Virgin Galactic and to Richard Branson, Adam’s book validated the deeply collaborative foundation of the culture of all Virgin companies particularly in our three commercial space companies.   <br><br>
Asking for help can be difficult when our culture celebrates individualism and self sufficiency, but success is achieved by the communication and trust that enable collaboration. Adam has inspired me to build the courage to ask for help and, thanks to him, many of us have learned to work better together. A quick thinker with accessible data and examples at the ready, Adam is also a lot of fun.<br><br>
We recently discussed his strategies for creating psychological safety in the workplace. <br><br>
<YoutubeVideo video="https://youtu.be/H864eyc42rs"/><br><br>
## Why do founders need to look after their employees' mental well-being?
If you care about preventing catastrophic errors or promoting breakthrough innovation, you have to have psychological safety. The evidence is consistent and strong that when teams lack psychological safety, people hide their mistakes. They're more likely to repeat them and no one else can learn from them when people haven't actually admitted their errors. Other people can try to figure out how to prevent them.<br><br>
<TextCard text="Psychological safety is just the freedom to take a risk without having to fear that you're going to get punished." /><br><br>
We also know that if you lack psychological safety, people will not raise problems or solutions. If you have it, people are more likely to bring their bold ideas to the table.  <br><br>
That means I can point out something that's broken, whether it's a technical bug or a management bug. It means I can admit when I don't know something. And it means that I can ask for help. And I want to see both of those things happen in a startup. I want to see your psychological safety, and I want to see speed.  <br><br>
## Why should founders want to hear about problems at their company?
I think the mistake too many leaders and managers make is they say, “Don't bring me problems. Bring me solutions.” This is a dangerous philosophy because if people can only speak up when they have a solution, you will never hear about your biggest problems, which are too complex for any one person to solve.  <br><br>
The foundation of psychological safety is to make it easy for people to raise problems, even if they don't know how to fix them. That way the canaries in the coal mine who are good at detecting issues but may not have the authority, resources, or motivation to do anything about them will still speak up and be heard. And then you can tackle some of your biggest problems. To me, that's indispensable for a startup.  <br><br>
## How do entrepreneurs nurture a healthy corporate culture?
When it comes to organizations, the things that I would put on the map now that have good evidence behind them are:  
<DotBullet highlight="Screen out takers in your hiring process." text="The negative impact of a taker on a culture is often doubled and tripled the positive impact of a giver. You want a recognition and reward system that actually values people's contributions to the collective, not just their individual achievements, right?" />
<DotBullet highlight="Many organizations say we want collaboration." text="We want people to help each other solve problems, but then they only measure and incentivize individual results which is a disincentive for people to support each other." />
<DotBullet highlight="Back to the point about normalizing struggle, make it easy for people to ask for help." text="A lot of people will step up if they only knew who could benefit from their help and how, but too many of us don't ask. We don't want to be vulnerable. We like to be self-reliant." />  <br><br>
If you're a giver, you don't want to burden others. And just remember, if you never ask anyone for help, you are frustrating a lot of the givers in your organization who would be thrilled to pitch in.<br><br>
## How can leaders reduce the chance of employee burnout?
If you look at the ways to curb burnout, they're basically three categories of changes you can make:  
<DotBullet highlight="" text="Reduce the demands of the job." />
<DotBullet highlight="" text="Give people more control over whatever demands they do face." />
<DotBullet highlight="" text="Provide them with more support." /> <br><br>
There's good evidence that it's helpful just to share embarrassing stories every once in a while. It obviously humanizes people. It also allows them to understand each other a little bit better and trust each other. <br><br>
Richard doesn’t just share embarrassing stories; he creates them by risking embarrassment and being fearless. During the [Strive challenge](https://www.strivechallenge.org/), he did a cannonball into the hot tub, which cracked us all up and melted the power distance in the group.  <br><br>
There's also evidence that if people share embarrassing stories, they become more creative afterward. They ended up sharing more ideas because they think, “Well, I must trust you. Otherwise, why in the world did I tell you this?”  <br><br>
I think that obviously if you're a founder or a leader, it's helpful to normalize struggle.<br><br>
## What are some other common mistakes that startup founders make?  
The trap we worry about is called escalation of commitment to a losing course of action. You make an initial investment, you get some negative feedback, or you find out that maybe it wasn't such a good idea after all. But you don't want to admit to yourself and everyone else that you made a bad decision or that you're a bad decision-maker.   <br><br>
You're also worried that you're going to regret pulling the plug too soon. You want to finish what you started. And so you double down, and you invest even more. And this is why so many founders refuse to let go of employees who are toxic to their cultures. It's why too many founders also fail to pivot when they find out that their minimum viable product launch was not successful. They're like, “I have to prove that this was a good idea all along.”  <br><br>
It's not necessarily that grit is not a virtue. It's just saying: “Let's be gritty about the right things.” You want to be attached to a set of values and maybe a mission, and be very flexible about the best ways to achieve that.  <br><br>
_Get more perspectives on the business and principles of wellness from Arianna Huffington, LL Cool J, Suze Orman, and other prominent leaders at [M13’s Future Perfect virtual event](https://m13.co/future-perfect-what-wellness-means-today-and-in-the-future/)._ 
*   ‍[_Why Arianna Huffington Says Burnout Shouldn’t Be the Price of Startup Success_](https://m13.co/arianna-huffington-why-burnout-shouldnt-be-the-price-of-startup-success/)
*   ‍[_Suze Orman: How Startup Founders Can Cope with Financial Stress_](https://m13.co/suze-orman-how-startup-founders-can-cope-with-financial-stress/)[_‍_](https://m13.co/ll-cool-j-why-im-not-competing-with-anyone-else/)
*   [_LL Cool J: Why I’m Not Competing with Anyone Else_](https://m13.co/ll-cool-j-why-im-not-competing-with-anyone-else/) <br><br>
You can also tune into the [_WorkLife with Adam Grant_](https://www.ted.com/podcasts/worklife) podcast on your favorite streaming app. <br><br>
If you’re interested in receiving guides and other helpful resources to build your startup, please [_subscribe to M13’s newsletter_](http://www.m13.co/newsletter/).

The bestselling author of “Think Again” explains why psychological safety is critical at startups.

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Adam Grant: Why Startup Founders Should Normalize Asking for Help 

At M13’s Future Perfect event, Wharton professor Adam Grant offers startup tips for creating a psychologically safe space to make mistakes and ask for help.

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