Join several panelists for an open discussion on the realities of why entrepreneurs may struggle with mental health听and to clear up some misconceptions and stigmas often attached to mental health. The event, titled "Mental Health and Entrepreneurship," will be held March 6 at the Village Center听and听will include personal stories, expert information and a Q&A.
Who: Open to the public
What: "Mental Health and Entrepreneurship" panel discussion
When: Tuesday, March 6,听5:30鈥�7 p.m.
Where: Village Center Dining and Community Commons, Conference Room C
Many entrepreneurs take risks, suffer setbacks听and deal with an enormous amount of decisions and stressors on a daily basis. Recent news stories have reported some of the most acclaimed and successful entrepreneurs, at times, have suffered from debilitating anxiety and depression.
"Entrepreneurs deal with more than the daily grind of work.听They often have more going on behind the scenes, including听the many stresses and unknowns that come with being an entrepreneur, and so this is a topic we wanted to bring out into the open for discussion," said听Sarabeth Berk,听director of CU Boulder's Innovation & Entrepreneurship Initiative.
About the speakers
Lance Powers
Powers is a founder of , where he uses his experience as an entrepreneur to help a thriving community of people impacted by brain health (mental health) build a world where people with brain disorders have the hope they need to live openly.听He is also a proud CU Boulder alumni!
Powers was a star student and leader on track for success when his world ground to a halt after he woke up in the hospital and was diagnosed with a brain disorder. He fought his way back to recovery听and used the very same skills he learned from coping with his disorder to found a company with $5 million in revenue in five years, before pursuing his dream at Open Labs.
Jake Hurwitz
Hurwitz is a recent graduate from the Leeds Scholars Program at the Leeds School of Business. Currently, he is the vice president of branding at and the former founder and CEO at . Ranked among听the top听seven听entrepreneurs under 25 in Colorado, his background in design and听branding combined with his obsession with entrepreneurship has led him to success.
Amanda Pennington
Pennington is the project manager for technology and campus mental health work at the ,听Anschutz Medical Campus. She earned a Bachelor听of Science in psychology from the University of Denver, where she founded a student mental-health advocacy organization, helped the university secure the Garrett Lee Smith Suicide Prevention Grant and was a founding member of the university's听Mental Health Task Force.
She is passionate about technology for mental health, stigma reduction, suicide prevention听and mental health education.
Peggy Hill
Hill听is deputy director of the 听at Anschutz Medical Campus. She is a passionate advocate for mental health promotion and early intervention.
Hill previously served as chief operations officer of the 听and chief strategic relations officer with the national office of . She holds a master鈥檚 degree in counseling and human development from Purdue University听with an emphasis on community organization and change.
Debbie Boeldt
Boeldt joined the National Mental Health Innovation Center in 2017. After graduating with a doctoral degree in clinical psychology from CU Boulder, she pursued experiences in both industry and research positions focused on digital health. She听is passionate about integrating technology-based approaches into mental health, specifically in improving the effectiveness of existing empirically supported approaches.
Matt Tomatz
Tomatz is the outreach services lead for Counseling and Psychiatric Services听at听CU Boulder. He also serves as a psychotherapist at CAPS and in private practice. Tomatz often works with creative individuals to support them in pursuing entrepreneurial endeavors. He is excited about helping people merge their passion with purpose听and to live with meaning while bringing fruition to innovative ideas.
