Most of my mentors and investors have been incredibly smart, thoughtful men. I've had the privilege of being mentored by some extraordinary men who saw something in me and took me more seriously than I knew how to take myself.

I always tell people, don't worry about the haters, you are not a jackass whisperer. You have to be enough. You have to be your own validation.

Whether I'm traveling or at home in Seattle, my days rarely play out as it looks on my Outlook calendar - there's almost always something unexpected that comes up. But when I'm in town, my day usually starts at about 6 a.m., which is brutal for me because I'm really a night owl at heart.

Figure out WHY you're doing what you're doing and remind yourself of it constantly. Every day, every hour. Hold onto that for dear life. But don't expect anyone else to necessarily believe you, or know what is in your heart.

Every day, possibly every hour as an entrepreneur, you do something that you absolutely could have done better with more time, more information, more experience, or more money - all luxuries you can't afford. So you do your best, and you move forward. The key is to see the forward momentum and not beat yourself up about how it could have been better.

The world is more flexible than you might think.

The most important part of my mental self-care is knowing who to call for what kinds of help.