This podcast is for you, the Modern Man. I'm Dr Anne Truong,

your host. I'm an intimate health medical doctor and best

selling author of the book, Erectile Dysfunction Fix. I'll

do a deep dive into sexual health and performance and how

it affects men of all ages and backgrounds. So let's get

started, and be sure to visit my website at

sexualhealthformenpodcast.com for more information and

resources from the show. See you on the inside.

Hello there, Modern Man, I'm Dr Anne Truong. I'm a sexual health

specialist. I've treated over 7000 men. In today's episode,

we're going to ask the question, "Do entrepreneurs and executives

have high or low testosterone?" Let's talk about the shocking

truth.

Think successful entrepreneurs, are they born or high

testosterone or not? Is it an acquired thing? Well, there's a

new research on 107 Y Combinator found that founders just

revealed something that will blow your mind about

testosterone level throughout the whole entrepreneurship

journey. And if you're a founder or CEO, an entrepreneur, this

could explain why your energy and drive might be taken. We're

diving into the most fascinating studies I've ever seen about

entrepreneur biology and sexual health.

We always assume that successful business leaders are just

naturally pumped full of testosterone, right? Alpha

mindset, the risk taking, the dominance. It all seemed high T,

but what if I tell you that most entrepreneurs actually start

with low testosterone, and the level change dramatically as

their business grows. Now stick around, because this research is

going to change how you think about hormone success and why

some entrepreneurs burn out while others thrive. There's a

ground breaking study that's called the Y Combinator study,

where they looked at 107 male founders. So this study is

turning everything upside down. Researcher just analyzed

testosterone level of 107 male founders from the Y Combinator

and the results are wild. So this is the result right here.

What they found is that each at the funding stage, the pre-seed

funding stage, their testosterone level is in a

healthy range. Seed funding stage, their testosterone level

actually jump. Series A, there's a steady growth of testosterone

level. Series B, however, that is higher than the pre-seed peak

level, and then this late stage VC, there's a massive 42% drop.

So what does this mean? It means that at Series B level, when

founders actually achieve what doctors consider optimal

testosterone level. Before that, most were running on themes.

Why does this happen? It's actually brilliant from an

evolutionary perspective. The early stage, the grind. That's

when you're starting out, you're stressed, you're probably broke,

and you're working 80 hour week, and you're eating ramen. Your

body's basically on survival mode. So chronic stress pump out

cortisol, which kills testosterone. So then when

you're series A and B, you get the confidence boost. It's a

magic happen. You start raising money, start getting validation,

maybe you're hiring your first employee, your confidence

source. So you feel like an alpha founder, and your body

responds by cranking up testosterone. In the late stage,

that's the pressure cooker. Then reality hits. Bigger rounds mean

bigger expectation. Board pressure, scaling challenges,

and suddenly you're back to chronic stress, and boom,

testosterone crashes.

So there's a door formal secret. So here's the real kicker.

Separate Harvard study found that the most successful

executives don't have high testosterone. They have high

testosterone and low cortisol. This magic combination, high T,

gives you drive and confidence. Low cortisol means you're

managing stress effectively. You get both. You literally manage

people and higher position, higher revenue, higher

achievement. So what does this mean? This means that you really

want to focus on activity that will raise your testosterone and

activity that will lower your testosterone. So does that mean

successful entrepreneurs may acquire or you're born with it.

Most likely you probably acquire skills throughout your life and

also the mindset that will predispose you to be successful.

So what does that really truly mean? Truly mean that you really

need to be on top of your health, and I've always said

that your sexual health align with your general health. What

that means is that know how you feel, be attuned to your body,

and that when you're working the activity that produce high

testosterone levels are like acquisition, taking risks and

dominant leadership behavior. Here's the business performance

connection, high testosterone level, low cortisol.

So what do you do to increase your testosterone? Your diet,

Mediterranean diet, consistent exercise, meditation, sleep,

stop smoking and stop porn, and also moderate your alcohol to

about 14 drinks or less. Consider the same thing as ED.

You're recognizing this. Are you following this as well? These

are the same things I've been talking about for ED as well. So

testosterone level really correlate with business success

and really good health. Here is where it gets interesting. Some

researchers think that there's a selection effect happening.

Maybe not that success boosts testosterone. Maybe higher

testosterone, they're more likely to be successful. So

think about this. Higher T, more risk tolerance. More risk

tolerance, more likely to start a company or take chances.

Better stress management, more likely to survive the startup

grind, natural confidence, better at pitching and funding.

So is it the chicken or the egg? Probably it's both. Natural

testosterone help you succeed, and success reinforces more

testosterone. It's a positive feedback loop. And it's a

negative feedback loop in a sense, if you don't pay

attention to your health. And the number one thing is sleep.

Remember, testosterone are made during your sleep, and this is

for all men, not just business owners as well. So your hormone

could be sabotaging your business. So pay attention to

the warning sign of low testosterone, like constant

fatigue, despite adequate sleep, loss of competitive drive,

difficulty making decisive decision, decreased motivation

for challenges, brain fog during important meeting, loss of that

fire. What are symptoms of high cortisol or chronic stress? Can

shut off work, thought, waking up tired even after eight hours

of sleep, getting sick frequently, irritability, making

reactive decision rather than strategic decision. So here's a

vicious cycle. Once your hormones get out of whack, it

creates a vicious cycle. Low T, less drive, performance not that

great, more stress. Higher cortisol, lower T is a vicious

cycle that feed onto itself. So you either fix it or you burn

out completely.

So the solution that can actually work, it's called the

Optimization Protocol that you can almost hack your hormone for

entrepreneur success. So test, don't guess. Get your baseline

number, your total and free testosterone, your cortisol,

your morning and evening level. That is measured by saliva.

Thyroid function test, vitamin D, V12, zinc level, and then

stress management with meditation, exercise, but don't

overdo it. And really set boundaries for yourself and

delegate if needed, as much as possible. Remember, sleep is

essential. 80% of testosterone are made during sleep. So get

about at least seven hours a night and sleep in a cool, dark

room. I recommend even lower it down to even 65 and a dark room

will shut down your eyes and also wear an eye mask. Eye mask

will help you sleep better because input from the eyes

itself account for 30% of your brain activity. No screen one

hour before bed, consider wearing a sleep tracker, like

the Apple Watch. I don't have my Apple Watch right now. And then,

the third part is nutrition, a Mediterranean diet, and really

probably go see a doctor to interpret your blood test for

you, and if you're over 35 think about getting on testosterone

replacement therapy. Might be worth exploring with a doctor

here and available if you need us at this point. I have daily

energy tip it's called dailypeakenergy.com that will

give you some tips that you can optimize your productivity and

energy level and your testosterone level for more

productivity in the day. That will actually increase your

productivity by three times. When you're optimizing your

hormones and decreasing your stress, you consistently have

high energy and drive and also have better improved bedroom

performance as well too. So it will also give you a competitive

edge in the business as well. If you want to know whether you

have low or normal testosterone, there is a questionnaire down

below right here, and check that out and do the questionnaire and

find out if your testosterone level is adequate or normal. And

if it's adequate, great, keep doing what you're doing. Is it

low? There are things that we can do, such as testosterone

replacement therapy, diet exercise that can really

increase that at this time. So get tested, audit your stress

and track your energy and track your sleeping habit.

And I hope you like this episode. Let me know what your

thoughts are, and if you have low or normal testosterone at

this point, just know that there are resources available. You do

not have to suffer in silence, and that ED also mirror business

success and also mirror wellness. So get rid of your ED,

you're going to be taking care of your heart and your business

as well. Having said that, Modern Man, I will see you in

the next episode.

Okay, Modern Man, you are not alone and you don't have to

suffer anymore. ED can feel isolating, frustrating, and even

defeating. The endless guessing, the quiet shame, the weight of

not feeling like yourself is exhausting. But here's the

truth, you are not broken. You are not alone. You don't have to

figure this out alone anymore. The Get Wood Now Boost Program

is your step by step, path to sexual confidence and

restoration. No more suffering in silence, no more trial and

error, just real solution, real result and the confidence you

deserve. It's time to take back your power on your term. Let's

get this journey started together. Check out the course

at getwoodnow.com. I'll see you there.

Thanks for listening to the Sexual Health for Men Podcast.

If you love this episode, then please take a screenshot on your

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and be sure to tag me and let me know why you like this episode

and what you like to hear in the future. That will help me know

what's great for you and I would love to give you the most

incredible free gift designed to help you improve performance

quickly. Go to my website at sexualhealthformenpodcast.com to

get the book, The Five Common Costly Mistakes Men Make When

Facing ED. I would appreciate if you subscribe, leave a review on

Apple podcasts or wherever you listen. And just know that you

can have sexual vitality for life. I appreciate you until

next time.