Time to Be Real:
My Health Endurance Journey
Thank you for all the comments on last week’s post about career endurance. Your questions inspired not just this article, but also a live session in May where we’ll dive deeper into the topic. See below for that announcement.
Today, I want to talk about a different kind of endurance—the one I’m building to become the healthiest physical version of myself.
I’m sharing this for two reasons:
1️⃣ To highlight that this part of life is rarely a “figure it out once and you’re done” situation.
2️⃣ To hold myself accountable to what I’m working toward.
When I talk about leadership endurance, I often come back to my I-CAN model:
Intentions, Create the plan, Act on the plan, and Navigate when things need to shift.
Here’s how that framework applies to my health journey:
Intentions
Set my body up to support me for another 40+ years (my grandfather lived to nearly 107—so I’m playing the long game).
Feel confident in my beach-ready appearance as we head into our first full summer living at the beach.
Improve strength and mobility to support my fall half-marathon goals.
Realign eating (and drinking) habits to support my goals and best practices for people with autoimmune diagnoses (mine is Rheumatoid Arthritis).
Create the Plan
When you’re creating a plan for high-performance—health or otherwise—these are the kinds of questions I believe we need to ask:
What will it actually take to reach my goals?
How do I need to train, physically and mentally?
What’s the right schedule and structure?
What resources or skills do I need?
Where will I need support—accountability buddies, a coach, flexible routines?
How will I celebrate milestones and adapt when life throws curveballs?
For me, I’m working with a health and running coach who focuses on women my age. We mapped out a plan that works with my life: strength training days, running days, and a meal strategy that aligns with my health needs and goals.
Act on the Plan
Here’s the real talk part—I sometimes struggle with this phase. Maybe you do, too.
I’m focused. I have the plan. I start strong. And then… life happens.
Some days, I just don’t want to do the strength workout, or I reach for the comfort food, or I pour that extra glass of wine.
I’ve learned that my plan has to be flexible enough for me to feel like I own it—not the other way around. There are seasons where I’m highly disciplined, and others where I’m just cruising. And then, sometimes, I fall off track—intentionally or unintentionally.
That’s part of the endurance journey, too.
Navigate When Things Shift
“Navigating” in this context means two things for me:
Getting back on track quickly when I make choices that aren’t aligned with my goals.
Recognizing when the approach itself needs to change.
Recently, I realized I had drifted from some of my intentions. This winter was tough for a lot of us. I decided it was time to bring back my version of “discipline”—the little d kind—not perfection, but recommitment.
➡️ I don’t always want to do the workout. But 98% of the time, I feel better after I do. So I’m choosing to show up, even when no one is there to hold me accountable.
➡️ I often want the comfort food. And sometimes I’ll have it. But I know I feel better when I choose something nourishing and delicious.
➡️ I love a second or third glass of wine. But I also know I feel better stopping at one. So I’m aiming to make that my new norm.
This reset is going to feel hard. I know I’ll struggle. But I want to reach a place in my health endurance journey where I can “cruise”—doing what I know works, consistently.
Your Turn
Where are you on your health endurance journey?
Are you setting intentions?
Creating a plan?
Trying to stick to the plan?
Or realizing it’s time to navigate a shift?
Wherever you are—know that you’re not alone. And if I can support you in that journey, I’d love to hear from you.
Thoughts for Reflection
“Your body is the vehicle to your dreams. Nurture it.” — Kris Carr, wellness advocate and author
“Discipline is choosing between what you want now and what you want most.” — Abraham Lincoln (attributed; though not directly verified)
Announcements
📣 Don’t Miss This Session: The May Leadership Endurance Round Table will be on Wednesday, May 21st. Based on your questions from the Career Endurance post, we will tackle this topic since we all need a career endurance plan for ourselves and understand how we support our teams. You can register for this session and future ones with this link.
Leadership Learning Content
Articles
Leaders Can Move Fast and Fix Things
“The assumption embedded in this style of operating—encapsulated by Silicon Valley’s famous “move fast and break things” ethos—is that we can either make progress or take care of people, one or the other. A certain amount of wreckage is the price we have to pay for creating the future…
The most successful change leaders we know solve problems at an accelerated pace while also taking responsibility for the success and wellbeing of their customers, shareholders, and employees: They move fast and fix things.”
Podcasts
For all you achievers out there, this may be worth listening to. It was a bit eye-opening to me.
If you missed past podcast episode recommendations, you can find them here.
Looking for other valuable resources we offer? Check out all of the resources here.
If you want other resources to read or watch, check out My Favorite Things list here.
If you missed this week’s daily content, you can find the notes here or see below for individual notes:
Monday:
Tuesday:
Wednesday:
Thursday:
Friday:
You can also find additional daily content from me on LinkedIn.