← back

Addiction and Entrepreneurship with Stefan Kollenberg

“I started using drugs because I didn’t feel like I belonged.” Stefan Kollenberg shares his addiction experience and how it stems from his need to belong. Now a successful co-founder, we look at the relationship between addiction and entrepreneurship.

Listen to the Episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favourite podcast platform. 

About Episode

* This episode discusses addiction. The views and content expressed in this episode are based on one person’s experience. If you need treatment or support for drug and alcohol addiction or misuse, please contact a support line: https://checkpointorg.com/global/

What is the connection between addiction and entrepreneurship?
What are the traits that a person obsessed with ‘getting the next hit’ share with those obsessed with building a business?
How does guilt, shame and a sense of self-worth impact the relationship between addiction and entrepreneurship?

“I started using drugs because I didn’t feel like I belonged.” Stefan Kollenberg has come a long way since that day, but addiction has always been a part of his life. From his days as a sports obsessed teenager, to joining a startup where he worked so hard, he ultimately started showing the same addictive patterns.

Stefan is the co-founder of Crescendo, a diversity and inclusion platform. Coming off his mental health leave - something he has not shied away from sharing - he joins Vladi and Nektarios to talk about his experiences with addiction and the parallels with entrepreneurship. Stefan shares that it all stems from his need to belong, to be worth something. Until you can admit that there is a problem there, you can’t deal with it. Now focusing on finding joy in life, Stefan talks about the tools that have helped along the way, including the 12 step programme and therapy.

You can connect with Stefan on LinkedIn, Facebook or @stefankberg on Instagram and Twitter or his website to continue following his story.

Don’t forget to subscribe, follow, rate and review NAKED.

Recommended tools and resources

Stefan’s biggest resources have been therapy, Narcotics Anonymous and knowledge exchange with friends. Find out more about Narcotics Anonymous and his therapy provider, Shift Collab.