I used to be the executive leader who had it all. I achieved the extraordinary and was constantly delivering. I started chasing the next win the moment the last one landed. And I’d thought that relentless pace was just what I needed to do to perform at the top. So I kept going. Until my body stopped me.
I was diagnosed with a rare, incurable autoimmune disease. I also had cancer twice and spent over a decade in medical waiting rooms. And when circumstances stripped me of every external marker of success, I faced the question I’d been outrunning: If this is it, what do I truly want my life to be? That was my “enough already” moment.
If you’re an ambitious leader who is wondering if there is a better way to succeed, you’re not broken. You’ve just been following the wrong blueprint. These five practices are the reset that you need to ensure that your success doesn’t come at the expense of your well-being.
1. Aim for high impact, not high performance
High performance is about output. High impact is about results that matter. Most leaders are running a master class in the former while quietly starving the latter.
Every Monday morning before my week starts, I spend 30 minutes with my diary and ask myself: Where can I add the most impact this week? From that answer, I write my top five priorities and plan them in. I deprioritize meetings and commitments that don’t genuinely move things forward.
When you don’t do this, you end up spending your week reacting to what seems urgent rather than what makes the most impact. That’s why it’s important to design your week before it designs you.
2. Strive for excellence without exhaustion
Every overachiever I have coached shares the same blind spot: They believe their capacity is infinite. It is not. The higher you climb, the more ruthlessly you need to save your energy.
Each morning I identify my three most important tasks, the work only I can do at the level it needs to be done. On meeting-heavy days, I choose one task that moves my goals forward. I also cap meetings at four per day, so I have the capacity to do real work, space to think clearly, and room to take care of myself.
Before accepting any invitation, I ask: What is my role here and how do I add genuine impact? If I can’t answer that clearly, I say no.
3. Sequins over superwoman
The overachiever’s cycle pulls you into a relentless pursuit of the next thing. You reach the summit already scanning for the next one. You carry an invisible load alone because asking for help feels like failing. You forget to be present in the moment you are actually in. You forget to enjoy the extraordinary life you have built.
I now choose sequins over superwoman every day. That means not trying to do it all at the cost of being present to this moment, rather just sprinting through it. Remember, your people don’t need another flawless performance. They need you.
4. Think in an ‘effort-less’ way
Most overachievers are stuck in constant “efforting”—pushing and proving as though the moment they stop, their worth stops with them. Doing less feels terrifying. Effort-less is the shift from that exhausting cycle to leading from genuine capacity.
Think of it this way: Your phone recharges by plugging in, but your brain is the opposite—it needs to discharge. Neuroscience confirms that the prefrontal cortex, responsible for your best thinking and decision-making, can’t sustain high performance without deliberate recovery. Yet most leaders are back-to-back with meetings—no time to think, rushing through their day, and running on empty. Then they wonder why in the only time they have to think clearly, they have nothing left to think with.
Three times a day, I stop completely for 10 minutes. The 10×3. No phone, no email, nothing. Intentional space isn’t a luxury. It is how you retain the perspective and clarity that leadership demands.
5. Take care of yourself first
Each morning, I ask myself: What is one thing I can do today to fill my cup? It might be a 10-minute catch-up with a best friend. Maybe it’s going for a walk or a small treat. Or a Japanese tea ceremony at the end of the day.
My daughter coined the phrase that I now try to live by: The more self-full you are, the more you have to give. You can’t pour from an empty vessel, and you can’t lead people well when you are running on fumes. This isn’t a nice-to-have. This is how you sustain the pace without breaking under it.
Ask yourself right now: What is one practice I could start today that would allow me to show up as the best leader I can be? Every overachiever I have coached has the same story in different clothes, a story of constantly chasing achievements, always being high functioning, and quietly paying a price nobody else can see. Remember, the reset isn’t about shrinking your ambition. It is about revising the way you pursue it so that it doesn’t drain you in the process.
