She Built a Startup Empire… Then Burned Out, Got Cancer, and Had to Rebuild Everything

In this episode, I sit down with Marian Johnson—startup ecosystem builder, founder champion, and former CEO of Ministry of Awesome—who spent years at the forefront of New Zealand’s innovation scene… until her body forced her to stop.

We dive into the untold truth behind building a mission-led movement, the funding gap women founders are still up against, and what happens when success demands more than you can sustainably give. After facing a crushing wave of burnout and a life-changing cancer diagnosis, Marian had to walk away from everything she helped build—just to find herself again.

This conversation is a raw and deeply honest exploration of identity, ambition, and why true leadership sometimes looks like stepping down, not pushing through.

For every woman who’s ever carried too much for too long—this one’s for you.

In This Episode We Discuss:

00:00 Intro

01:00 Building Electrify and why she walked away

04:00 The 2% stat: women’s access to capital

07:00 Why innovation is New Zealand’s future

10:00 Female leadership on the world stage

13:00 The myth of balance in high-growth spaces

17:00 Burnout, fear, and the emotional toll of leadership

21:00 Leading on grit—and breaking because of it

24:00 Getting the cancer diagnosis that stopped everything

26:00 The pressure to stay in “high function” mode

28:00 What actually helped her recover

31:00 Letting go of control and urgency

35:00 Role modeling from a place of wholeness

38:00 Rewriting the startup founder narrative

41:00 Advice for early-stage women entrepreneurs

45:00 The one thing she needed to hear earlier

Episode Resources:

Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marianejohnson/

Follow Us On:

Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-powerhouse-diaries/id1791081472

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3ExGnkttIzhK8NMjyWLINw?si=184cc0b3c89d440f

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