My Ego Nearly Killed My Startup | James Roycroft-Davis

Most founders won't talk about this…

But the line between grandiose confidence and dangerous delusion is thinner than you think.

James Roycroft-Davis stood on Putney Bridge, hearing voices telling him to jump, before discovering his bipolar diagnosis would become his greatest teacher.

This is the unfiltered story of how ego, untreated mental health, and founder identity nearly destroyed everything - and how radical self-awareness rebuilt it all.

💡 What you'll learn in this episode:

▪️ How to spot the early warning signs of ego-driven decision making that destroy startups

▪️ Why bipolar disorder can be both a founder's greatest asset and deadliest trap

▪️ Why most founder therapy misses the mark - and what actually works

▪️ How becoming a father rewired his entire relationship with success and identity

▪️ A framework for making decisions based on who you want to be, not who you think others expect

▪️ The difference between £100M ego goals and £500K happiness goals (and why one nearly killed him)

📖 Chapters

00:00 - Intro

01:19 - The Bridge Call That Changed Everything

07:28 - 20 Years of Trauma Exploding at Once

09:07 - The Guilt of Surviving

11:12 - Nature vs Nurture in Mental Health

12:19 - When Granddad's Death Flipped the Switch

15:31 - The Israeli Psychologist Who Gets Startups

18:10 - "Most Founders Do Have Grandiose Sense"

25:49 - Type 1 vs Type 2: Why It Matters

28:58 - The £500/Hour Diagnosis Story

34:13 - Ego Work: From Validation to Creation

38:20 - Why "Founder" Identity Makes You Unemployable

42:21 - Two Job Offers, One Ego Check

44:51 - Old James vs New James

46:58 - The Exit Community Vulnerability

49:02 - Alex McDonald's Life-Changing Advice

50:48 - Happy and Comfortable vs £100M Dreams

58:32 - The CBT Technique That Rewires Your Brain

01:02:15 - Dual Purposes: Father and Founder

01:06:26 - Final Asks: Jobs, Dad Groups, and Baseline

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🔗 Guest Links & Resources

James Roycroft-Davis : LinkedIn

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