E221: Healthy Leaders are Strong Leaders

Cameron-Brooks

Transitioning from the military to business brings immense opportunities and new challenges. While you bring valuable skills from your service, focusing on personal well-being and the importance of self-care is crucial for effective leadership in your next career.

In this podcast, I interview Sarah Draper about how learning to pause, meditate, and spending time in silence are tools for self-care. Dr. Adrian Popa, podcast guest from Episode 213, introduced me to Sarah through her 2024 TEDx talk.

Sarah is a former FBI agent, a graduate of West Point, and an Army veteran. Today, she operates her own leadership and consulting practice. Sarah emphasizes that truly serving others as a leader requires taking care of yourself first. She notes a past belief in service-oriented cultures that self-care is selfish, but this leads to a cumulative negative impact of burnout.

Burnout, characterized by exhaustion, lack of professional efficacy, and sometimes cynicism, is a real risk. When leaders neglect themselves, they can unintentionally push their stress onto their teams, hindering performance. Learning to recognize when something feels “off” internally is vital for adaptation and growth.

Sarah shares tangible tools to build resilience and focus on the importance of self-care. Mindfulness meditation, even just 10-15 minutes daily, trains your mind to manage distractions and improves focus. A gratitude practice, like noting three good things, helps counteract our brain’s negativity bias and fosters a more positive perspective. Intentional breath work offers quick techniques to manage stress and regulate your nervous system in challenging moments.

Developing these “human skills” and fostering trusted relationships is key to continuous self-development and crucial for leaders navigating transitions. Prioritizing your well-being isn’t selfish; it’s essential for you to be your best leader in the business world.

I am incredibly grateful to have met Sarah, and I appreciate her devoting her time and support to transitioning military officers and Cameron-Brooks.

To learn more, check out our podcast, Cameron-Brooks: PCS to Corporate America. You can also visit our website at cameron-brooks.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

If you’d like to talk through your goals and build a plan, I’d love to connect. Let’s take the next step together.

Joel