The Mental Load of Building a Business Decision Fatigue, Perfectionism, and the Psychology of Leading
As a founder, you're making hundreds of decisions every day, big and small, strategic and operational. Over time, that mental load quietly accumulates. And if you don't understand what's happening in your own mind and nervous system, you can build something successful while quietly burning yourself out behind the scenes.
In this session, Katie McKeown, Registered Psychotherapist and Founder of Modern Psych, will break down the psychological patterns most common in founders and business leaders and share practical, neuroscience-informed tools you can apply right away.
After this session, you'll walk away with:
How to recognize decision fatigue and why it's neuroscience, not weakness
Why perfectionism shows up in high achievers and how to tell when it's helping versus holding you back
How founder identity and nervous system patterns can quietly cap your growth
How to spot your personal burnout warning signs before you hit a wall
A practical framework for managing cognitive load, energy, and sustainable momentum
Practical guidebooks on burnout and mental clutter to work through on your own time
About Katie McKeown
Katie McKeown is a Registered Psychotherapist and the Founder of Modern Psych, a virtual mental health clinic serving clients across Canada. She specializes in anxiety, burnout, and perfectionism in high-achieving professionals: the founders and leaders who are successful on paper and exhausted behind the scenes.
Katie completed her Master's in Counselling Psychology and has taught within the School of Behavioural and Social Sciences at Western University. Her approach is neuroscience-informed, practical, and refreshingly human. Think of it as talking to a really skilled friend who genuinely cares, and isn't afraid to lovingly call you out when you're stuck in your own patterns.
About the Host
About the City of Markham
The City of Markham is one of the most vibrant, diverse, and rapidly growing communities in the Greater Toronto Area. Home to more than 365,000 residents and a thriving business ecosystem of over 10,000 companies — including 1,500 technology firms — Markham is recognized for its forward-thinking urban planning, dynamic entrepreneurial spirit, and strong pro-business environment.Through the Markham Small Business Centre, the city provides dedicated support to entrepreneurs and small business owners. A team of passionate business advisors offers personalized, one-on-one consulting and access to essential resources, helping local businesses launch, grow, and succeed in today’s competitive marketplace. www.markhambusiness.ca
About YSpace
YSpace is York University’s pan-university entrepreneurship and innovation hub supporting startups and entrepreneurs from a variety of sectors and communities. Our programming spans across scaling innovative technologies through customer and investor capital to scaling agri-food businesses into mass retail to diversity-focused initiatives like **ELLA powered by Desjardins** for women-led businesses and Black Entrepreneurship Alliance (BEA) for Black-led businesses. Additionally with our Start-Up Visa program, we are building a robust ecosystem, driving positive change and empowering entrepreneurs to shape the future. We are also home to two physical hubs in the City of Markham and the Town of Georgina