Most of us operate like we made a run all the way to the NBA Finals or National Championship game, wake up the next day, and go straight into preseason training. For decades, business leaders have leveraged the sports world for things like high-performance, leadership, and culture. Those are all relevant, applicable, and valuable. But the truth is that it’s only one side of the coin. Lebron James reportedly spends a million dollars per year on health optimization.
The challenge is that we tend to glorify the hustle and grind culture of sports and ignore the rest and recovery aspect of high-performance. The way we operate in today’s world is simply not sustainable. We don’t just normalize exhaustion—we wear it like a badge of honor. If we want to lead in today’s world of distractions, disruption, and demands, we have to learn to prioritize intentionality, rest, and recovery.
I had to learn this the hard way.
During my early years building a basketball training company out of my college apartment, I worked 70 to 90 hours a week. No vacations. No breaks. My interpretation of a weekend was 2 more days to get ahead. I loved it. It didn’t feel like burnout—it felt like building something meaningful. After a multi-week stretch running back-to-back camps, my version of recovery was ordering gyros from N.Y. Pizza and Deli, and playing Godfather on PS2. That was my idea of rest—until I ran face-first into a wall I didn’t see coming.
When Purpose Isn’t Enough
After tapering off an antidepressant, I experienced brutal symptoms that doctors at UCLA have now compared to someone withdrawing from heroin. My resilience, drive and passion—the very things I used to pride myself on—went out the window. I wasn’t just burned out—I was completely depleted. And, my ability to lead dropped dramatically.
You might not be experiencing it to that extreme of a level, but research shows that as high as 82% of people are experiencing some level of burnout. And, if that’s happening at scale, it’s not just individuals that are burned out — it’s our culture.
And here’s the truth: You can’t lead if your system is fried. Not from your highest self. Not in a way that inspires. Not in a way that’s sustainable. We need a paradigm shift and a new direction. AI won’t solve this on its own. While emerging technologies can boost efficiency, they also raise expectations and standards. What’s needed is a deeper, internal transformation.
The New Metric of Performance: Presence
What we’ve misunderstood for decades is that the real currency of high performance isn’t hours. It’s the quality of presence.
Presence is the foundation of creativity, innovation, and meaningful connection. When you’re scattered, fatigued, or stressed, you’re simply not accessing the best parts of your brain. According to Harvard Business Review, multitasking and overwork actually reduce productivity, yet the culture of “hustle and grind” continues to dominate.
Research from Stanford also shows how constant digital stimulation and lack of recovery time impair our cognitive functioning and emotional regulation. We’re not just less productive—we’re less human.
If you’re a leader, the single greatest advantage you can offer your organization isn’t a new strategy—it’s your state of being.
How to Lead Yourself Through Exhaustion
If you’re exhausted, your system isn’t broken—it’s just calling for recalibration. The practices below aren’t luxuries—they’re essential protocols for showing up with clarity, energy, and creativity.
1. Power Down Your Phone
Not “put it in another room.” Not “flip on Do Not Disturb.” Actually turn it off. Sliding that bar to shut it down creates a psychological shift—not just a technological one. It signals to your nervous system that it’s time to exit reactive mode and re-enter your own timeline. Research shows that constant connectivity is linked to elevated cortisol levels and disrupted sleep cycles, especially for leaders who rarely get uninterrupted time to think. (APA)
2. Get into Nature
This isn’t about going off the grid. It’s about reconnecting with a rhythm that isn’t digital. Time in nature reduces activity in the part of the brain associated with rumination and self-criticism, according to a study from Stanford. Even a 20-minute walk outside can reset your system in ways no app ever will.
3. Epsom Salt Baths
Magnesium absorption through the skin helps downregulate the stress response. But more than that, the ritual of slowing down—doing something that isn’t about optimization—trains your brain to rest. It also improves sleep quality and reduces muscle tension, especially valuable for leaders carrying the invisible weight of decision fatigue.
4. Sleep
Not just quantity—quality. Sleep is your most undervalued leadership tool. Create conditions that support deep rest: lower your room temperature, eliminate blue light at least an hour before bed, and stop eating three hours prior. Studies show that deep sleep enhances emotional regulation and decision-making, two pillars of effective leadership. (NIH)
5. Sprint, Don’t Grind
Most leaders run on the myth that output = value. But your brain doesn’t operate like a machine. It works in rhythms—specifically ultradian cycles that last about 90 minutes. Work with those cycles instead of against them. Protect blocks of deep focus and follow each with real recovery. The data is clear: strategic rest improves cognitive output and innovation. But don’t allow the strategic rest to feel like more work. It needs to be a reward. (Deloitte)
How to Lead Others Through Exhaustion
If you want to create a culture where people are able to perform at a high level over the long haul, you need to model recovery and normalize restoration.
1. Model the Behavior
Leadership starts with congruence. If you talk about boundaries but send emails at midnight, your actions will drown out your words. Show your team how you refill your tank—and give them permission to do the same.
2. Give Them A Healthie
Give your people access to the same recovery tools: space for movement, quiet rooms, mental health support, time to recharge—not as perks, but as baseline infrastructure. Australian ad agency FutureBrand has introduced a proactive mental health initiative called “Healthies,” giving employees one day off each quarter to focus entirely on their personal well-being.
3. Lead with Humanity
When I was coaching basketball, I had a simple rule: never yell at a player until you ask how their day’s going. The same applies to work. Context in performance conversations is why mindfulness and EQ matter.
4. Create Psychological Ownership
Autonomy is a form of oxygen. I once had a team member disappear for a few hours in the middle of a workday. I was irritated—until I found out he had gone for a run because “the weather was great and I just needed it.” And you know what? He came back sharper, more energized, and more present. Leadership is about building people who can make those calls on their own.
5. Get Away—Together
An off-site wellness retreat might sound like a luxury, but it can be a high-ROI investment. The American Psychological Association reports that stress and disengagement continue to rise in the workforce. Retreats create a container for connection, community, and deep trust.
Lead The Shift
You don’t need to wait for a breakdown to build a new way of leading. Exhaustion may be common, but it’s not inevitable—and it starts with you. Your presence sets the emotional temperature of your culture. When you prioritize recovery, model boundaries, and lead from a place of wholeness, you create the conditions for others to do the same. People don’t just work better—they feel differently about the work itself. That’s leadership. That’s the shift.
