In her newly released memoir, The Messy Truth: How I Sold My Business for Millions But Almost Lost Myself, Alli Webb opens up about Drybar’s meteoric rise and a cascade of hardships, including divorce, her son’s unexpected time in rehab, and paralyzing depression. “I didn’t see it coming, but my life kind of imploded. I thought it was important to tell that story, the underbelly of the entrepreneurial journey. I am a living, breathing example of just how high one can climb and how fast one can fall,” she shares.

When Webb opened the first Drybar salon in 2010, her mission was a simple one: to offer affordable $35 blowouts in a chic space. “There was no business plan. I didn’t go to college, and I don’t have any kind of fancy degree. It was, ‘Hey, I think this would be a good idea. Let’s give it a go.’ I felt on some level instinctively that the Drybar concept would work,” she says. Here, Webb shares advice for aspiring entrepreneurs and executives.

1. Delegate strategically. Whether you’re a small indie brand or building global executive teams, it’s important to find ways to transfer responsibilities and focus on your core skills. “Learning to let go of certain things was an important transition. You don’t have to have your hand in every single thing. Nobody can possibly be good at everything, so recognize your highest and best use,” Webb advises. She also cautions against having a Jack-of-all-trades mentality. “Nobody knows when their life is gonna nosedive. If everything hinges on you as the founder, and something personal comes up and you have to step back, the whole company falls apart if you’re not involved.”

2. Enrich your spirit. Looking back, Webb realizes how seductive and intoxicating success was for her. “I was on this rocketship, and it was really exhilarating and exciting. You give everything you have, and then you end up burnt out. I didn’t take great care of myself physically and spiritually.” Even though Webb practiced self-care, she wasn’t tapped into deeper emotional cues. As a result, she responded to business demands by escaping further into the hustle. Within a couple years of Drybar’s launch, Webb was featured on the cover of Inc. magazine, appeared as a guest judge on “Shark Tank,” made Fortune’s “40 Under 40” list, and published a New York Times bestselling book — all before she turned 40. The more she poured into her brand, the more her mental health, family and relationships suffered. Webb has learned to ground herself with a combination of practices to maintain well-being. Now, with a sharpened sense of self-awareness, she can pinpoint stressors before they overcome her. “I write in my journal to get things out of my head and onto paper. I’m also big on hot-cold therapy. I have an infrared sauna and a cold plunge, and I go in them almost every day just for body regulation. And I do breathing and meditation. I love walking for the mental benefits, it clears my head.”

3. Let yourself be vulnerable. “We put so much pressure on ourselves, as women, to live up to all of these very unrealistic expectations as entrepreneurs or business women,” Webb says. “Trying to balance it all with our kids and our husbands and our lives, it’s just a lot. And it’s not really talked about all that much. Everyone goes through something at some point,” she adds. “The more real we are about what’s going on in our lives, the less alone we feel. Who hasn’t gone through a divorce or a death or a sick kid? These are things that we all deal with, but there’s a lot of shame around them. I certainly had a healthy dose of shame around my now-18-year-old son going into rehab. I was really embarrassed.” Webb suggests building relationships with peers and fellow founders, who have shared challenges.  “There’s so much camaraderie in the beauty business. I have this army of women that I can call and vice versa. Even if we have pretty competitive brands, we’ve always been buddies. I think we all come at it from this sisterhood place versus a competitive place. There’s room enough for everybody.”

Now, with a bit of hindsight and wisdom, Webb is focused on helping others by sharing her story. “There are so many women in my boat, and they’re raw and going through it in their own way. There’s an opportunity to talk about these things more so that there isn’t any shame around it.”

The Messy Truth: How I Sold My Business for Millions But Almost Lost Myself is available at major book retailers.