How do we make time for rest and recovery in a high-performance culture? How do we support the needs of individuals without compromising the goals of the team? And how do we reconcile self-care with sustainable success?
These are the questions I’m asked often, and honestly, I’ve asked them of myself too.
In many workplaces, especially those with high expectations and tight targets, it can feel like wellbeing and performance are at odds with one another. If we’re taking breaks, switching off, and setting boundaries… are we really doing our jobs? Are we pulling our weight?
But here’s the mindset shift I’ve come to believe in deeply: sustainable high performance is built on wellbeing. It’s not a nice-to-have. It’s not soft. It’s not a trade-off. It’s the foundation.
The Power of Small Shifts
In this video, I share a few examples of paradoxes we encounter every day, like autocorrect, designed to save us time, but often doing the opposite. Or huge traffic jams, on Earth Day. These are light-hearted examples, but they show how easy it is for the things we think will help, or are designed to help, are actually make things harder.
The same is true when it comes to wellbeing.
We’ve built cultures that idolise productivity, but nearly always neglect the recovery required to sustain it. What I’ve learned (and what I see reflected in high-performing teams) is that it’s not about working less, but working smarter. Sustainable success can only come with energy, focus, and intention. That means taking rest seriously. Not in long sabbaticals or spa days (although don’t get me wrong, they are also important) but in the small, daily, consistent acts of self-care that keep us going and help restore the nervous system.
Technology Meets Insight
As I often mention, I wear an Oura Ring—a piece of wearable tech that measures everything from heart rate variability to body temperature and recovery patterns. One insight surprised me: my best recovery often happens during my busiest, most high-pressure periods.
Why?
Because I prioritise rest even more when the stakes are high. I build it into my day. I pay closer attention to the signals I may be pushing too hard for too long, the little red flags the body sends out. And I use the tools available to me—my daily non-negotiables—to stay energised, regulated and grounded.
That’s not accidental. That’s intentional recovery. Slivers of recovery, as I call them.
What This Means for You and Your Teams
If you’re leading a team or trying to create a high-performance culture, this is the work: giving people permission and practical tools to take care of themselves. That’s how we unlock real performance. Not by burning out, but by building up.
It starts with redefining what success looks like, sustainable people drive sustainable businesses, and therefore, sustainable success rests on the vitality, energy and wellbeing of your most valuable asset, your people.
Sustainable success isn’t just about output or effort. It’s about protecting the three things everything else depends on: energy, mood, and motivation, because everything is downstream of those.
Cultivating Sustainable Success in Your Culture
What small, consistent habits could you introduce to support your wellbeing, without sacrificing performance?
Top tip – start small, but make it consistent. Consistency over intensity every time. Make it so easy you can’t help but win, they try adding something else.
If you’re building a culture, how could you help others do the same?
Top tip – role modelling behaviours is a great way to empower people to follow by example. If they see you managing your energy, mood, and motivation through prioritised slivers of recovery.
Let’s not pit wellbeing and high performance against one another. Let’s see them for what they actually are, allies.
Help your business and people thrive, without burning out
This story, and the strategies within it, are part of my Sustain keynote, designed to help individuals and teams build lasting resilience and sustainable success in a high-performance culture.
If you’re interested in sharing this message with your organisation and empowering your people to achieve sustainable success, I’d love to hear from you.
Get in touch, book a free, no-obligation call or find out more about my wellbeing keynotes here.
