Dr. Marita Kinney, BCC, Msc.D, CEO of Pure Thoughts Publishing & Wellness. Board-certified coach with a doctorate in metaphysics.
Success looks good on the outside, but if you’re too sick, too tired or too stressed to enjoy it, what’s the point? You can have the corner office, the dream house, the luxury car, but if your body is worn down, none of it matters. You only get one, and if it breaks down, everything else in your life will feel the effects.
I’ve seen this play out more times than I care to count. I once worked with a client who, on paper, had everything people chase: money, recognition, power. But behind the scenes, his health was unraveling. Years of pushing too hard had caught up with him. He finally realized that without his health, all that success meant nothing.
That hit me differently because it reminded me of my own father. He was a businessman, a pastor and the dean of a Christian college. He carried heavy responsibilities and made an impact in people’s lives. But like many leaders, he often put his health last. At just 47 years old, my father passed away, and the weight of everything he carried kept him from experiencing more of the future he had worked so hard to build. Watching that left a permanent impression on me: achievement in one area doesn’t make up for neglect in another.
Living Through It
For years after his passing, I carried a quiet fear with me. I had seen up close how easy it is to work yourself into the ground while ignoring your own needs. That fear would whisper: What if I end up the same way? What if I give everything to my calling, my family, my responsibilities, but lose my health in the process?
And then my own body started teaching me the same lesson. I began to face health challenges that forced me to stop and pay attention. It’s humbling when your body becomes the messenger. You can ignore stress, exhaustion and unhealthy habits for a while, but eventually, they will catch up with you. And sometimes I wondered, did my fear manifest this, or was it denial that it could happen to me, too?
Now, I also want to pause here with compassion because not every illness is the result of neglect. Some people get sick at no fault of their own. Life can hand us diagnoses we never asked for and challenges we never expected. But even then, the question becomes: How do I respond? You take care of yourself in the ways you can. You extend yourself some grace. You choose a positive mindset even when it’s hard, and you fight for the best quality of life available to you. That, too, is wellness.
For me, my health struggles made the message personal. I realized I couldn’t just talk about balance and well-being; I had to actually live it.
At Harvard Medical School, where I studied health and wellness, one of my professors, Dr. Beth Frates, helped me put words and structure to what I was living through. She teaches the six pillars of lifestyle medicine: nutrition, exercise, stress management, sleep, social connection and avoiding risky substances.
These pillars aren’t luxuries; they’re opportunities to create the life you deserve and daily invitations to choose strength, freedom and wellness.
When I began to reflect on these areas, I realized how easy it is to focus on what we’re good at while quietly neglecting the very things that sustain it all. The truth is simple: If your health fails, everything else in your life eventually feels the impact.
That’s why I see health and wellness as more than routines or habits; it’s self-care and self-love. When companies create wellness programs, they’re not just checking a box. They’re giving people a chance at a better quality of life.
What This Means For Business Leaders
If you’re leading a team, your approach to health and wellness sets the tone for everyone around you. People may hear what you say, but they will follow what you model. Leaders who normalize overwork, skipped lunches and sleepless nights unintentionally create cultures of burnout. But leaders who protect their own well-being give others permission to do the same.
Here are a few practical steps to consider:
• Model balance. If you never take time off, your team won’t either. Show them that rest is part of success, not the absence of it.
• Prioritize wellness programs. Company gyms, meditation apps or flexible schedules aren’t perks; they’re retention strategies.
• Make space for conversations. Ask your employees how they’re doing beyond their deadlines.
• Redefine productivity. Productivity isn’t about hours logged; it’s about energy, focus and sustainable results. Encourage smarter, healthier work, not just longer work.
• Celebrate wellness wins. Recognize employees who take positive steps toward their health. This shifts the culture from one of silent exhaustion to one of shared growth.
People often ask my husband, especially, how we’re able to accomplish so much. The answer is simple but not always easy: consistency, prioritization and focus. And just as important, learning to say no. My husband recently said something that stuck with me: “Sometimes you have to learn to say no to yourself. That means setting boundaries not only with others but with your own habits, impulses and distractions.” For leaders, that may be the most powerful act of wellness, knowing when to stop, when to rest and when to protect your well-being so you can show up as your best self.
Final Thoughts
When leaders prioritize wellness, they don’t just improve their own lives; they elevate the entire organization. It’s not about being perfect. It’s about being intentional. It’s about pausing to ask yourself:
Am I …
• resting enough?
• moving my body?
• feeding myself with what truly nourishes me?
• paying attention to the signals my body is giving me?
I challenge you to audit your life. Don’t just count the money, titles or the accomplishments. Ask yourself if you’re truly well. Ask yourself if you’re building a life you’ll actually be healthy enough to enjoy.
And if you forget, your body has a way of reminding you.
Forbes Coaches Council is an invitation-only community for leading business and career coaches. Do I qualify?