Masterclass: Mastering Stress as a Founder
Stress is not a personal failure.
It is a biological and organisational signal.
Founders and future leaders are often told to be resilient, push harder, and power through. But chronic stress does not disappear when ignored. It accumulates in the body, shapes decision making, affects relationships, and quietly impacts how organisations function.
Understanding stress is not about becoming softer. It is about becoming more effective, more aware, and more sustainable as a leader.
This session takes a science based and deeply practical approach to chronic stress, helping founders understand what is happening beneath the surface and how to work with stress rather than against it.
Through somatic awareness, organisational insight, and real world tools, this session connects personal stress responses with leadership behaviour and company culture.
About The Delta Campus Masterclass Series
The Delta Campus Masterclass series brings experts into our community to teach what they know best from product and venture design to legal, finance, and growth. Each session delivers hands-on knowledge founders can immediately apply to strengthen their ventures.
This Session: Mastering Stress as a Founder
Hosted by Iulia Oprea, Gestalt Psychotherapist and Founder Coach.
Iulia is the CEO of Dragon Coaching House and Co-Founder of Cheiron.vet. She has worked extensively with founders and leaders navigating high pressure environments.
She also brings lived experience, having struggled with managing stress herself as a founder and as an immigrant living and working across multiple countries. In this session, she shares what she learned, what the science says, and what truly works in practice.
We’ll Cover
• How stress works and how the stress response impacts the body
• The difference between acute stress and chronic stress and why it matters for leaders
• Simple somatic exercises you can do anywhere, including public transport, co working spaces, while standing in line, or at home
• Seven key areas that create stress in organisations and what to be aware of as a people leader
• Science based tools to assess the root cause of stress in organisations
What You’ll Walk Away With
By the end of this session, participants will leave with:
✅ A clear understanding of good stress versus bad stress
✅ Five practical somatic exercises to regulate stress in real time
✅ The ability to recognise stress responses in others and respond more effectively
✅ A healthier and more realistic mindset around stress management for future organisations
Who It’s For
This session is built for:
✅ Anyone at The Delta Campus
✅ Founders already on the founder journey experiencing high levels of stress
✅ Future leaders who want to build healthier teams and organisations from the start