Health and success share one operating system
Health isn’t a perk or a side-hustle; it’s the infrastructure that keeps your business upright. As a small business owner, I used to assume you trade today’s stress for tomorrow’s revenue. Then I hit the wall. Lisa Wittmann’s line landed:
“Success at work must not come at the expense of mental health.”
It’s not moralizing; it’s operational risk. When your brain is foggy, strategy decks are decoration. After “great” quarters built on poor health, I paid later—in rework, churn, and brittle judgment. So I made health my first key performance indicator (KPI), not an HR afterthought.
Turn mental health into measurable performance
If talking about feelings makes you twitch, call it cognitive bandwidth. Track it like any process:
- Signal 1: meetings you cancel or derail
- Signal 2: avoidable rework you trigger
- Signal 3: conflicts you inflame when running on fumes
Mindfulness isn’t woo here; it’s latency reduction for the brain. A 5–10 minute breath practice before capital decisions doesn’t make me a monk—it makes me less error-prone and more decisive the first time.
Treat your body like the P&L you actually run
On the FI Longevity side, a practical frame shows up often: nutrition, muscle, sleep/mindset, regenerative capacity, and selected therapies. Translate that into owner KPIs for your profit and loss (P&L):
- Protein sufficiency and steady post-meal glucose
- Resistance training 2–3x weekly to protect muscle (your best glucose sink and fall insurance)
- Sleep scores that reflect real recovery, not wishful thinking
- Inflammation markers (CRP) and an advanced lipid panel for early course correction
founder on a walking meeting with smartwatch sleep score
You don’t need a concierge clinic: a tape measure, a barbell, a consistent bedtime, and a physician willing to order labs get you 80% of the benefit. Investigate “hidden bottlenecks” like sleep apnea—sometimes the fix is a dental device, not more willpower.
Write culture with your calendar
Gavin Kyle’s point stings because it’s true:
“Your health habits set the cultural tone for your entire organization.”
When I block a 45-minute lift like a client call, the team learns capacity beats busyness. Try walking meetings, a 2-minute rule for tiny tasks, a 15-minute daily anchor for planning or movement. Audit email send-times. Model PTO you actually take. Expect morale and retention to compound.
Explore frontier tools, but sequence and access matter
There’s sizzle—NAD, PRP, exosomes, microdosing, even rapamycin. My stance in 2025: curious and cautious. With medical oversight, some founders may gain an edge, but the durable returns still come from sleep, muscle, nutrition, and stress hygiene. And there’s an equity question: if “billionaire wellness” becomes table stakes, we stratify who gets to build enduring companies. Sponsor basics—coaching, sleep assessments, biomarker panels—before boutique protocols.
Time and “fine” aren’t defenses—run a one-month pilot
“I don’t have time.” You’re already paying—in errors and strained relationships. “My doctor says I’m fine.” Fine for population risk isn’t optimized for founder performance. Try a simple 4-week pilot:
- Step 1: Fix bedtime within a 30-minute window nightly.
- Step 2: Lift 2 days/week and walk after lunch 10–15 minutes.
- Step 3: Track post‐meal glucose a few times/week or note energy dips.
- Step 4: Log decision slip-ups and morning clarity (1–5 scale).
Compare week four to week zero like any capital project.
My stance for November 2025
Make mental health your first gate, not your last rescue. Treat muscle like business insurance. Sleep like a professional. Measure only what you’ll act on. Lead with your calendar. Explore the frontier once the fundamentals hum—and push for access so healthspan isn’t a luxury SKU. Build a company your future self is healthy enough to run.
This is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional advice. Consult a qualified expert for personal guidance.