This week on Founders & Empanadas, Joshua Eidelman sits down with Patrick Gilligan, founder of Somethings, a behavioral health platform connecting teens with young adult peer mentors who’ve been through it themselves.

Patrick opens up about the emotional cost of working in youth mental health, why peer support often resonates more than traditional therapy, and how founders can stop gripping the wheel so hard just to survive. From building trust with teens to modeling vulnerability as leaders, this conversation is a masterclass in empathy, emotional self-awareness, and building things that actually help.

Topics covered:

• Why Gen Z needs a different kind of mental health support
• The real reason some founders burn out
• Tools on the path: Journal Speak, IFS, and emotional hygiene for leaders
• What corporate managers can learn from peer mentorship
• How to reach silent strugglers before it’s too late

Listen in and subscribe if you care about mental health, leadership, or building systems that actually meet people where they are.

‍