In this episode...
David Darmanin discusses boundaries, building a business, and burnout—and how those things are probably all related.
He discusses how success with Hotjar heightened his fear of loss, how founding a startup has merged his own identity with the company’s, how he really does care about what other people think—and why therapy is the best thing he ever did for himself.
David also reveals how coronavirus sent him spiralling—in his family life, his own head, and his company. As his mental health deteriorated, so did his physical health. Under the weight of exhaustion, pressure to make sure Hotjar survived the pandemic, and increasingly serious illness, he made a huge decision about his role in the company.
About the guest
David founded Hotjar in 2014. Since then, Hotjar has seen incredible success—all while staying fully bootstrapped. David’s journey started with building a website for comedian Billy Connoly in the early days of the web. Above all, he trusts and empowers Hotjar’s remote teams to guide development and operations.
About Oliva
Oliva is the UK & Europe's #1 rated employee mental wellbeing benefit.
We help companies respond to the pivotal moments that impact mental wellbeing at work and beyond—driving employee retention and exceptional effort.
We do this by:
- Empowering individuals to take control of their mental wellbeing
- Developing manager emotional intelligence
- Helping HR teams create org-wide psychological safety
