Feature Article: Be Your Inner CEO: making decisions that honour your wellbeing

Connect and Grow Magazine: Issue 22 July 2025

Embracing your role as the CEO of your inner health and making informed decisions is a key aspect of personal growth and wellness. When you prioritise your health, you gain vitality and mental clarity, enabling you to fully engage with life.

Now, let's delve deeper into this concept.

What Does It Mean to Be Your "Inner CEO"?

Let me ask you: "If you were the CEO of your life, would you still be saying 'yes' to everything?"

Take a moment to reflect on this. Be honest with yourself and kind with your response. Currently, you are reflecting on your current life situation, particularly in terms of your health and wellbeing. Having this knowledge helps you to choose IF there are any changes that you could make.

 Being your own leader, not just reacting to others' demands or expectations, is about knowing yourself and your life so well that you can set healthy boundaries. Often in our lives, many people are eager to share their wisdom on what we should do for our health and wellbeing. However, that information, while it works for them, may not work for you. Being your own leader means you can take this information with the approach of asking yourself, is there anything in this that is for me? If there is, grab it; if not, let it go. Thank you. While some of these individuals genuinely care for us, their advice is always shaped by their unique experiences.

Being the CEO of your life doesn't mean you're doing it all on your own; it means you're able to know what's right for you and your life, including your health and wellbeing. From that foundation, you make your own decisions. When necessary, you can seek input from the right people.

I recall the first time I took charge of my health, and I was met with many people who disagreed with me about an option that I thought would solve the problem. However, I did need the input of medical professionals to consider all the different options and to understand the potential risks associated with them. It was tough at times attempting to explain my decision and choice for surgery; however, as I went down that track, I found the proper support, and I learnt that this is my life and many people cannot understand my particular situation; they have no point of reference to understand it, and that is okay.

2. The CEO Mindset: Leading with Intent

Have you ever wondered what successful CEOs do well?

They set priorities, delegate tasks, say no, and focus on big-picture goals. They look for the what-ifs, and some even have assistants to do just that, to look at the bigger picture and keep an eye on what is going on around them.

So, if we were to bring that approach into our lives, what would it look like?

When it comes to our health, fitness, and wellbeing, it is essential to examine our current habits and how much energy we are giving away to others, leaving ourselves feeling depleted.

A couple of things to think about:

• Time Boundaries

  • Relationship dynamics

  • Work-life integration

As you think about those three topics, ask yourself: Do I have them in place, especially personal and time boundaries? What are my relationships like? Is there balance, or is it all you giving and others taking?

What about work-life balance, considering the cost of living? Many people feel they have to work longer hours or take on a second job, which then affects their personal life. Take your time to answer these, as it's essential to your health and wellbeing to do a check-in from time to time. You cannot make anything better if you don't know what the issue is or if there even is one.

3. Wellbeing as a KPI (Key Performance Indicator)

Wellbeing as a KPI, really? Isn't that a thing businesses do for their staff? It can actually be used anywhere, and when we see it as a tool to help us achieve our goals in all aspects of our lives, it suddenly becomes enjoyable. KPI is about measuring how a person performs in any situation, whether at work or in their personal life.

Let's examine the KPIs of your life - the things you do regularly that have an impact on your health and wellbeing. These could shed light on where you can identify any changes you can make.

Take a look at each of the things in the list, how successful are you in achieving positive results, e.g high energy levels, good quality sleep and so on:

• Energy levels

  • Sleep Quality

  • Emotional resilience

  • Joy and creativity

    
    

So now that you have those answers, let's take a slightly different approach, think about the following questions, you could see this as a check for yourself:

• What drains you?

  • What replenishes you?

  • What have you been tolerating?

4. How to Make Wellbeing-First Decisions

When it comes to making decisions, your overall health and wellbeing are the focus; it is essential to consider what is right for you, as the CEO of your life.

Take a moment to think about each of these questions, and consider writing down your answers, so you can refer back to them later:

• Is this aligned with my values?

• Does this nourish or deplete me?

• Will I regret this later?

• What would future me thank me for?

Each of the above questions helps you understand your current position in each aspect of your life and provides you with the opportunity to make changes if you choose to do so.

Your health and wellbeing are the best investment you can make, and that truly requires investing in yourself.

5. Dealing with Pushback or Guilt

When it comes to making changes, and that includes setting health boundaries, the following are a few suggestions for what you may like to try:

• Acknowledge the emotional resistance to prioritising ourselves (especially for caregivers, entrepreneurs, or individuals with a history of chronic over-achievement).

• Reframe self-prioritisation as leadership, not selfishness.

• Empower readers with language like:

• "Protecting my energy allows me to show up better for others."

  
  

Bringing it all Together: Your Life, Your Boardroom

Remember, being the CEO of your life means that your health and wellbeing are essential for your long-term happiness and overall wellbeing. It is up to you whether you choose to make any changes in your life; however, the key to your full enjoyment of life is in your hands.

Know who you are and what makes you happy.

Be true to who you are and be present in each moment. Be confident in yourself and hold inner boarding meetings - check-ins regarding your goals, dreams, energy, and boundaries.

"You don't need permission to protect your peace. You just need your inner CEO to step up and lead."

Be Unapologetically YOU.

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(C) Break Free Consultancy 2025

Disclaimer: Information is accurate at the time of publication and subject to change