Taking direct aim at the narrative of the "all in" entrepreneur who takes extreme risks and depletes their bank account before ultimately succeeding, noted NYC VC Charlie O'Donnell started his Stride Consulting “Leading through Adversity” talk on May 31st.

He openly acknowledged the reality of most ventures which don't end up with a successful exit and decried the tendency to not acknowledge what real failure actually looks like.

"Because we don't acknowledge it and we avoid it, it creates uncertainty. And uncertainty is where fear comes from," he said, encouraging founders to imagine what failure would look like as a way remove their fear.

Through a combination of advice and real-world stories, O'Donnell shared his honest lessons about the value of acknowledging the real chance of failure as a way of improving your chances of success and maintaining your sense of self worth. 

Click here for a recording of the full talk:

Stride's Leading through Adversity series brings experts from around the globe, from a variety of disciplines, to provide a 360-degree view on best practices for leading during uncertain times.

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