Taking care of yourself to run the entrepreneurial marathon: the highlights of our conversation with Dominic Gagnon

Entrepreneurial journeys often attract attention for their audacity. Less talked about is what goes on behind the scenes: the emotional intensity, the doubts, the constant pressure. In our interview for the Parapluie campaign, Dominic Gagnon - co-founder and CEO of Connect&GO, author and entrepreneur long immersed in these realities - brings home a simple truth: mental health is not optional when building a business.

The invisible weight carried by founders:

Dominic speaks candidly about the "roller coaster" that comes with entrepreneurship. Enthusiasm and fear can follow one another in a matter of hours. In this context, mental stability becomes a strategic resource.

“If you’re not mentally strong, you won’t make it through,” he sums up. Not as a warning, but rather as a clear observation. The company may be innovative, well-funded, and well-supported, but if the founder collapses, everything becomes vulnerable.

Understanding how you function

Writing plays an important role in Dominic's journey. It has helped him better understand his neurodiversity—ADHD, giftedness—and recognize both its strengths and its costs. Many entrepreneurs experience similar dynamics. The traits that fuel creativity can sometimes also amplify stress, hypervigilance, and mental load.

This clarity opens the door to a change in perspective: mental health is not a personal luxury, it is the infrastructure of performance.

Parapluie: a simple gesture to breathe easier

That's exactly what Parapluie is all about. Offering minimal shelter - telemedicine, mental health, family support - so that entrepreneurs can continue to decide, innovate, hire... without getting lost.

Taking care of yourself, in this context, is not a sign of weakness. It is an act of continuity. A way of protecting both the company and the person who runs it.

Continue the reflection

Dominic also offers a book as part of the campaign that helps put these realities into words. It is not a magic guide: it is a space to reflect, recognize your limitations, and learn to move forward in a different way.

This interview is one of many fragments that make up Parapluie. Together, they remind us that our ecosystem benefits from taking care of those who make it possible.