CheckPoint Podcast | The mental health cost of building a business | 12 May 2026
Nkepile Mabuse speaks to clinical psychologist Edwardine Okoudjou about entrepreneur mental health, African startup pressure, burnout, business failure and the emotional cost of building a business.
The conversation begins with a personal story. Okoudjou explains how her husband’s entrepreneurship journey helped her recognise the loneliness, anxiety and emotional strain many founders carry in silence. From there, the discussion turns to the wider reality facing African entrepreneurs, who are often expected to create jobs, support families, grow economies and stay strong while dealing with stress, uncertainty and isolation.
Okoudjou speaks about the grief of failed ventures, the danger of tying your identity too closely to your business, and why entrepreneurs may struggle to ask for help. She also examines female entrepreneurship, funding inequality, caregiving pressure and the mental load many women carry while building businesses.
This CheckPoint conversation asks a critical question: if entrepreneurs are so important to the economy, why are their mental health needs still treated as secondary?
Watch for a grounded discussion on startup failure, founder burnout, African entrepreneurship, SME support, business resilience and why mental health should be seen as a business tool.
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