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You protect the therapy appointment. You take the vacation, or at least you plan to. And still. There is a kind of depletion that none of those practices touch, a specific exhaustion that comes not from doing too much, but from not knowing yourself clearly enough to recognize when you are drifting from who you actually are."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"c6c9f5c83e5e","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"5ac9ce6c84d80","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"McKinsey and LeanIn's 2025 Women in the Workplace report found that 60% of senior-level women "},{"_key":"5ac9ce6c84d81","_type":"span","marks":["3dd4f0325296"],"text":"report feeling frequently burned out"},{"_key":"5ac9ce6c84d82","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":", compared to 50% of their male peers. Gallup's tracking from 2022 to 2025 shows that gap has held at "},{"_key":"5ac9ce6c84d83","_type":"span","marks":["c5458bef6851"],"text":"roughly 10 percentage points"},{"_key":"5ac9ce6c84d84","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" every year. This is not a bad quarter. It is a structural condition driven, in part, by the one practice most executive development programs never touch."}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"3dd4f0325296","_type":"link","href":"https://womenintheworkplace.com/"},{"_key":"c5458bef6851","_type":"link","href":"https://www.gallup.com/workplace/702881/women-show-stronger-employee-engagement-amid-higher-burnout.aspx"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"416bf036e62d","_type":"quote","body":"Self-care is not what you do after the work is done. It is the source from which your best work comes. ","quoteOptions":"quote"},{"_key":"f7591c0ecb63","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"42a4659b5a1a0","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"Self-Care Predicts Success More Than Strategy"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"heading2"},{"_key":"f8e4242c105f","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"dc01406386d10","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"We have been told a story about "},{"_key":"dc01406386d11","_type":"span","marks":["68a217a3c06e"],"text":"self-care"},{"_key":"dc01406386d12","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":", that it lives at the edges of a leader's life as something you earn after the real work is done. That story is wrong, and it may be one of the most costly beliefs women leaders carry."}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"68a217a3c06e","_type":"link","href":"https://chief.com/category/health-wellbeing"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"4c89fd16c4aa","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"ef93134778ba0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Research by organizational psychologist Tasha Eurich found that 95% of people "},{"_key":"ef93134778ba1","_type":"span","marks":["b8de59f99a7b"],"text":"believe they are self-aware"},{"_key":"ef93134778ba2","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":", but only 10 to 15% actually are. Working with colleagues who lack self-awareness can cut a team's chances of success in half. As Daniel Goleman defines it, "},{"_key":"ef93134778ba3","_type":"span","marks":["c18a3e9013d2"],"text":"self-awareness is emotional intelligence"},{"_key":"ef93134778ba4","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":": knowing your internal states, preferences, resources, and intuitions. Knowing yourself clearly enough to make intentional choices is one of the deepest forms of self-care available to a leader."}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"b8de59f99a7b","_type":"link","href":"https://hbr.org/2018/10/working-with-people-who-arent-self-aware"},{"_key":"c18a3e9013d2","_type":"link","href":"https://www.danielgoleman.info/topics/emotional-intelligence/"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"6e5880279841","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"1a92cf5e9bb00","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"A separate study by Green Peak Partners and Cornell University found that across 72 senior executives, a high self-awareness score was the "},{"_key":"1a92cf5e9bb01","_type":"span","marks":["5bb34b89ba71"],"text":"single strongest predictor"},{"_key":"1a92cf5e9bb02","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" of overall success, outranking technical expertise, drive, and ambition."}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"5bb34b89ba71","_type":"link","href":"https://greenpeakpartners.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Green-Peak_Cornell-University-Study_What-predicts-success.pdf"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"6324364c38e3","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"5be75149db340","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"Not strategy. Not financial acumen. Knowing yourself."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"dbd8d6f3059f","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"96491146ba130","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"Self-Care Is the Birthplace of Innovation"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"heading2"},{"_key":"fc195dffa738","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"e2d1ec7ac4f30","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Rather than pushing harder, innovation comes from creating the internal conditions that allow new thinking to emerge."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"14b9dc7d292c","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"8bafe0c618640","_type":"span","marks":["c6bd172b12aa"],"text":"When you are depleted"},{"_key":"8bafe0c618641","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":", you default to repeating what has worked before, managing risk rather than embracing possibility, and leading from fear rather than vision."}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"c6bd172b12aa","_type":"link","href":"https://chief.com/articles/how-to-find-your-way-back-from-burnout-women-leaders"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"b692d231ff59","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"b5ccfe27181c0","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"Depletion narrows the aperture. Self-care opens it."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"2f9960cb0824","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"d83381d5412d0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Research by TalentSmart found that 90% of top-performing leaders demonstrate "},{"_key":"d83381d5412d1","_type":"span","marks":["14adca393d88"],"text":"high emotional intelligence"},{"_key":"d83381d5412d2","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":", and self-awareness is its foundation. Leaders who know themselves think more originally, adapt more quickly, and build cultures where innovation is possible for everyone around them."}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"14adca393d88","_type":"link","href":"https://digitaldefynd.com/IQ/leadership-statistics/"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"f081b710ec74","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"2f99e0b3db340","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"If you are leading with an old story, you are solving new problems with outdated tools. Self-care is what creates the space to write a new one."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"1e2216ebfb7e","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"541e3d0f0dea0","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"The 360-Degree View: Your Self-Care Audit"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"heading2"},{"_key":"8ef0103db0b0","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"4fe745c119660","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Self-care is a whole-life practice. One of the most powerful tools I use with leaders is what I call the "},{"_key":"4fe745c119661","_type":"span","marks":["6bb8bd607c3d"],"text":"All About You Wellness Wheel"},{"_key":"4fe745c119662","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" — a 360-degree audit across every dimension of a sustainable life. This is not a performance review. It is a judgment-free zone. Rate yourself from 1 to 10. Ten means fully alive and flourishing. One means this area is calling for your attention."}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"6bb8bd607c3d","_type":"link","href":"https://belindapruyne.com/all-about-you/?utm_medium=chat&utm_campaign=link-shared-in-chat&utm_source=livechat.com&utm_content=app.ontraport.com#o6dcbb1c177d5"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"691de3630671","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"56a783f77ce80","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"Physical health"},{"_key":"56a783f77ce81","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":": Energy, "},{"_key":"56a783f77ce82","_type":"span","marks":["330f04f5a9d3"],"text":"movement"},{"_key":"56a783f77ce83","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":", sleep, nourishment — how well are you caring for "},{"_key":"56a783f77ce84","_type":"span","marks":["3f2823f49941"],"text":"your body"},{"_key":"56a783f77ce85","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"?"}],"level":1,"listItem":"number","markDefs":[{"_key":"330f04f5a9d3","_type":"link","href":"https://chief.com/articles/pvolve-women-midlife-fitness-longevity"},{"_key":"3f2823f49941","_type":"link","href":"https://chief.com/articles/giulia-enders-women-leaders-midlife-health"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"8f7969220641","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"de7d2d78be210","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"Emotional wellbeing"},{"_key":"de7d2d78be211","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":": Do you process what you feel or push through it?"}],"level":1,"listItem":"number","markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"2d3c49382381","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"afc364e562950","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"Intellectual stimulation"},{"_key":"afc364e562951","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":": Are you learning and being challenged in ways that excite you?"}],"level":1,"listItem":"number","markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"f2e91bba3a71","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"3c09d67375fd0","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"Spiritual grounding"},{"_key":"3c09d67375fd1","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":": Whatever that means to you. 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Don’t judge it, just notice. Where are you thriving? Where are you depleted? Where have you been telling yourself “later” for so long that later has become never? "},{"_key":"dcdb116063651","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"That visual is your self-care map, and what it reveals is costing you more than you know."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"1efd7ee0a198","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"f9226f39b2b60","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"The Self-Care Practice That Changes Everything"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"heading2"},{"_key":"0ef7903bfed0","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"a7816dfb62a50","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"If there is a single practice I have seen transform leaders more reliably than any other, it is replacing judgment with curiosity."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"5ea13cfb2398","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"ef5fa7fd505f0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"When you look inward and see something you don't like, a pattern, a reaction, a gap between who you want to be and how you showed up, the instinctive move is judgment."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"8f454a3dcd98","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"9ca271627aeb0","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"Judgment closes the loop; curiosity opens it."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"2d6f63eaf71b","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"b3912075f7f20","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"When you replace the internal critic with a genuine question — “What is this telling me?” “What do I need?” — you shift from self-condemnation to self-knowledge. 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Simply notice it, without judgment."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"ffe780611f75","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"5dc48342fca70","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"Self-Care Is Not a Luxury"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"79d04fa1cfdf","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"b9a155def0660","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Women at the senior leadership level have earned the right to consider it, because it’s the practice that makes "},{"_key":"b9a155def0661","_type":"span","marks":["4fd165f1b427"],"text":"everything else possible"},{"_key":"b9a155def0662","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":": the clarity to lead with purpose, the creativity to innovate, the resilience to hold steady, and the capacity to sustain your impact over the full arc of a career worth having."}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"4fd165f1b427","_type":"link","href":"https://chief.com/articles/sustainable-leadership-uncertain-times-capacity-wellbeing"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"0031c8c4a147","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"f5245c9983930","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"The women leaders who will define what's possible in the next decade are the ones who understand that taking extraordinary care of themselves IS the work."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"5510f6b89290","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"bb5245f9e4970","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Chief pairs senior women leaders with ICF-certified executive coaches like Belinda for personalized sessions on sustaining both leadership performance and wellbeing. 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Why "},{"_key":"05a12296d13e3","_type":"span","marks":["a305fa7a9c6e"],"text":"experienced leaders leave"},{"_key":"05a12296d13e4","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"."}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"b8971be5765d","_type":"link","href":"https://chief.com/articles/senior-women-leaders-burnout-emotional-labor"},{"_key":"a305fa7a9c6e","_type":"link","href":"https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/health-wellness/2025/10/07/menopause-women-leave-work/86308714007/"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"8efb8a2dd31c","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"5d67e56c38a00","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Beyond healthcare, this is a conversation about organizational performance."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"1de208d89006","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"9277a81a01780","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"Leadership Doesn't Happen Outside the Body"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"heading2"},{"_key":"e84994648f03","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"cf6fbce017a90","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"We often speak about leadership as though it exists independently from the people doing the leading. 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