Stress Does Not Take a Break: The Executive Case for Wellness
- Geenay Laubscher
- Oct 27, 2025
- 2 min read
The phone does not stop ringing. Meetings run over. Flights blur into each other. Somewhere between Q3 targets and Q4 planning, wellbeing slips quietly out of the diary.
This is the reality for most high performers. They intend to rest. They plan to book that retreat. They promise themselves an annual check-up. Yet stress accumulates quietly until it arrives fully formed as burnout.
The truth is simple. Stress does not take a break. Which is why wellness must be structured into life with the same precision as every other commitment.
Why Wellness Belongs in Your Diary
Executives who integrate wellness as part of their calendar are not just protecting health. They are optimising performance. Studies show that structured rest and recovery:
Improves decision-making by up to 20%.
Reduces absenteeism and illness.
Extends career longevity in high-pressure fields.
Wellness is not a cost. It is an investment in sustainable leadership.
3 Principles of Executive Wellness
1. Anticipate, don’t react
If you wait until you are exhausted to rest, you are already too late. The most effective leaders plan their recovery as carefully as their board meetings.
2. Choose infrastructure, not indulgence
A luxury spa day is pleasant, but it will not protect your long-term health. Annual diagnostics, structured retreats, and ongoing coaching build resilience that lasts.
3. Measure the return
Wellness is not intangible. You can track energy levels, clarity, productivity, and health outcomes. Treat it like any other KPI and you will see the results.
What This Looks Like
One Ten Ahead member spends the first week of October each year at a retreat in Spain. Another begins every January with a full diagnostic in Switzerland, using the data to plan their year. A third integrates coaching into their weekly diary alongside board meetings.
None of these choices happen by accident. They happen because foresight turns intention into structure.
The Ten Ahead Perspective
At Ten Ahead, we design wellness as part of life’s operating system. From medical screenings and retreats to daily rhythms, our members are protected from the hidden cost of burnout.
Stress will not take a break. But with foresight, you can.
