Published: March 2, 2018

Join several panelists for an open discussion on the realities of why entrepreneurs may struggle with mental health 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 and will include personal stories, expert information and a Q&A.

If you go

Who: Open to the public
What: "Mental Health and Entrepreneurship" panel discussion
When: Tuesday, March 6, 5:30–7 p.m.
Where: Village Center Dining and Community Commons, Conference Room C

Many entrepreneurs take risks, suffer setbacks 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. They often have more going on behind the scenes, including 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 Sarabeth Berk, director of CU Boulder's Innovation & Entrepreneurship Initiative.

About the speakers

Lance Powers

Powers is a founder of Open Labs, 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. 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 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 Boulder Bits and the former founder and CEO at Eyesight Collective. Ranked among the top seven entrepreneurs under 25 in Colorado, his background in design and 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 National Mental Health Innovation Center, Anschutz Medical Campus. She earned a Bachelor 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 Mental Health Task Force.

She is passionate about technology for mental health, stigma reduction, suicide prevention and mental health education.

Peggy Hill

Hill is deputy director of the National Mental Health Innovation Center 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 Colorado Behavioral Healthcare Council and chief strategic relations officer with the national office of Nurse-Family Partnership. She holds a master’s degree in counseling and human development from Purdue University 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 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 at 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 and to live with meaning while bringing fruition to innovative ideas.