A weekly newsletter delivered to your inbox every Thursday. Practical tips and insights to thrive in both, without compromising one or the other. Learn research-based strategies for sustaining energy, focus, and fulfillment from the inside out. Success shouldn't cost you your well-being.
Your Kids Won't Remember Your Zoom Calls
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An uncomfortable truth: We’ve normalized sacrificing life for work, treating it as a badge of honor. In boardrooms and break rooms across the world, people brag about 80-hour weeks and missed family dinners as if they’re Olympic medals. Leaders celebrate those who “put in the hours” while quietly burning out their best talent. It’s backward. It’s damaging. And it needs to stop. Your Calendar Shouldn’t Be Your Cage There’s a reason why no one’s epitaph reads, "They really maximized shareholder value." No one looks back on their life wishing they’d spent more time in unnecessary meetings or answering emails at 11 PM. You might be great at grinding out long hours, but is that really what you want to be known for? What we celebrate in the workplace has become dangerously disconnected from what we value in life. I want to be extremely clear: Being productive and committed to your work is important. I’ve seen many professionals stall in their careers because they couldn’t deliver results. And in today’s competitive environment, performance matters more than ever. But I’ve also watched too many talented people sacrifice their health, relationships, and joy at the altar of career advancement. I want to tell them to WAKE UP. Real success isn’t about becoming a prisoner to your schedule – it’s about becoming the master of your time. So I’m not talking about whether hard work matters. I’m talking about being TRAPPED by work—when you could be THRIVING in both your career and life. Break Free from the Time Prison I’ve now worked with multiple coaching clients who are incredibly successful by traditional metrics but feel like hostages to their calendars. And it’s not something to celebrate—at any stage of their careers. They were traditionally the people everyone counted on to "always be available." To reach the next level of fulfillment, they needed to fundamentally reimagine their relationship with time, establish powerful boundaries, and design systems that protect their energy. This is where it gets interesting: My clients were already capable of having it all the whole time. For them, this wasn’t about working harder or being more efficient. It was about breaking free from toxic time beliefs. If you’re constantly choosing between career success and personal fulfillment, feeling guilty about taking time off, or measuring your worth by your busy-ness, this message is for you. You’re not living fully, which is demoralizing in itself. And to ONLY live for work damages your well-being and doesn’t honor the full spectrum of who you are. Transform Your Relationship with Time Ready to break free? I’ve developed a 3-session program to help you reclaim your time and redesign your life: Session 1: Time Freedom Audit
Session 2: Building Your Freedom Framework
Session 3: Crafting Your Life Balance Strategy
[Reclaim Your Time: Book Your 3-Session Package Now] Don’t wait until burnout forces you to change. Your life is happening now, and it’s too precious to postpone until retirement. Take back your time. Take back your life. The freedom you seek is possible – let’s create it together. Stay Curious and Lead A Life of Purpose, John |
The High Performance Paradox
A weekly newsletter delivered to your inbox every Thursday. Practical tips and insights to thrive in both, without compromising one or the other. Learn research-based strategies for sustaining energy, focus, and fulfillment from the inside out. Success shouldn't cost you your well-being.
I hit my breaking point four years ago. On paper, everything looked successful. But inside? I was anxiously navigating through life, constantly fixated on the future without being present. Then doctors found a tumor in my hip. The diagnosis wasn’t just physical, it was existential. While lying in the hospital bed awaiting surgery, I confronted a devastating truth: I’d been measuring my life’s worth by checkboxes on an achievement list rather than by moments of genuine connection and purpose....
Your top performer just quit without warning. That entrepreneur you follow? "Taking a break to focus on mental health." Your most promising team lead hasn't taken a vacation in 18 months. If you're building anything meaningful in 2025, whether it's a startup, a team, or a side hustle, you're watching the great unraveling of talent. And no, throwing more money or "wellness perks" at the problem isn't fixing it. Here's the truth nobody wants to admit: Two leaders face the same shit (crushing...
Most of us know that setting goals is crucial for success, but there’s one problem: We’re solving the wrong problem. While most goal-setting advice focuses on motivation, willpower, and habits, I’ve noticed something fascinating: The people who most consistently hit their goals aren’t necessarily the most motivated or disciplined. They’re the ones who are ruthlessly specific about defining success. Here’s what I mean: Last year, I tracked hundreds of goals I set for myself and my clients. The...