Matthew Cooper is the co-founder of Silicon Valley fintech start-up EarnUp. In August of 2020, EarnUp was managing more than $10 billion in loans.  After being CEO for six years, Cooper made news when he stepped down to focus on his mental health. “For a long time, I covered up mental health issues with other mental health issues. For example, I would manage my anxiety disorders with compulsive eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia,”  “When I focused on those, I was able to continue to work in a pretty intense way. So that was the tool for sort of hiding in plain sight,” he says. “I worked in management consulting and then had finance careers where [in] my opinion is,  some people don’t have the healthiest relationship to their bodies; they sometimes become super-anxious or collapse. In this honest and courageous interview with Jonathan Gabay, Matthew explains the pressures of CEOs, especially after COVID. He offers advice as well as hope to those suffering from anxiety. Thought and Leaders is a global podcast reaching a world of intelligent guests and listeners whose stories are remarkable, joyous, sad, inspirational… reflecting all aspects of leadership and life. We need your support to keep broadcasting.  If you would like to sponsor the show or have a suggestion for a future episode, please DM or email:[email protected]   This episode deals with issues that may act as triggers for someone in distress. (NB, due to technical issues, the beginning of the podcast has minor sound issues).   If you are in the USA/Canada and need help, you can call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, 24/7, for confidential support at 1-800-273-8255. For hotlines in other countries, click here. You can also call the NAMI Helpline at 800-950-NAMI, or in a crisis, text “NAMI” to 741741. (Episode length: 41 minutes).