Harvard MBA, 30, Shares Honest Take on Failure and Self-Doubt

A 30-year-old Harvard MBA graduate, Grace Lee, has gone viral after sharing a deeply personal Instagram post she calls her “museum of failures.” In the post, Lee openly discussed her struggles with ADHD, health issues, perfectionism, and the pressure that comes with elite success.

Meanwhile, Lee said that despite impressive credentials, she often felt inadequate. Rather than calling her experiences regrets, she described them as lessons that shaped who she is today. According to her, many high achievers feel stuck even when their lives appear successful on the surface.

‘I’m genuinely dumb’: Feeling behind despite elite credentials

Lee reflected on her early career at JP Morgan, where she worked as an analyst from 2017 to 2019. However, she said she constantly felt slower than her peers. In her words, it took her three times longer than others to understand basic concepts.

In one presentation, she admitted telling her team she would only say their names because she did not trust herself with the content. As a result, she compensated by working longer hours, but the feeling of barely keeping up never faded.

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ADHD diagnosis and a startup that didn’t last

Later, Lee revealed that she was diagnosed with ADHD at the age of 30. She explained that years of perfectionism and anxiety masked the symptoms. Strong grades, leadership roles, and discipline made her believe she was simply lazy.

In addition, Lee spoke about launching a startup while studying at Harvard. She invested nearly $200,000, grew it to 1,000 users, and even pitched it to a Shark Tank investor. However, severe sleep deprivation, stress rashes, and health issues forced her to shut it down.

Finally, Lee addressed her ongoing health struggles, including weight fluctuations and anxiety around sharing content online. Although she recorded more than 50 videos, she posted fewer than half due to self-doubt. She said she nearly deleted the viral post as well.

Lee concluded by saying she plans to continue sharing what she is learning — and what she is still figuring out — in the hope that others can avoid some of the struggles she faced.

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