Managing Health While Running a Business

claireslk
Jan 23
3 min read

As business owners and leaders, we’re often conditioned to believe that resilience means pushing through. Showing up no matter what. Holding everything together. But recently, I was reminded, very abruptly, that leadership doesn’t make us immune to being human.

I required urgent surgery and an unexpected period of recovery. It wasn’t planned, it wasn’t convenient, and it certainly wasn’t on my strategic roadmap. Yet the experience fundamentally reinforced something I believe many business owners know intellectually, but don’t always live by: your health is not separate from your business, it underpins it.

Here are a few lessons that stood out, both personally and professionally.

1. Health Is a Business Asset, Not a Personal Afterthought

When you own and run a business, your capacity is often a critical input. Decisions, culture, momentum, much of it flows through you. That makes health not just a personal concern, but a commercial one.

Urgent surgery has a way of stripping away any illusion of control. In those moments, you realise how fragile the whole system can feel if it depends too heavily on one person functioning at full capacity all the time.

Looking back, I’m grateful that I had health insurance in place. It meant I could access care quickly, focus on recovery, and avoid the added stress of financial uncertainty. For business owners, this kind of protection isn’t a luxury it’s part of responsible risk management.

If we insure our buildings, our equipment, and our revenue, why would we not insure ourselves?

2. A Strong Team Is the Ultimate Safety Net

One of the biggest takeaways from this experience was the quiet confidence I felt stepping back, knowing the business would continue to operate well. That doesn’t happen by accident.

It’s the result of:

Hiring people who share strong values
Empowering them with trust and clarity
Building systems that don’t bottleneck at the top

My team didn’t just “hold the fort” they owned it. They made decisions, supported one another and upheld the standards we’ve worked hard to establish.

As leaders, we sometimes tell ourselves that being indispensable is a sign of success. In reality, it’s a vulnerability. A truly healthy business is one that can breathe and move even when the founder needs to step away.

3. Values Matter Most When You’re Not in the Room

Culture is often tested not during periods of growth, but during moments of strain.

Being forced to step back showed me that strong values are more than words on a wall, they’re the operating system of the business. They guide behaviour when there’s uncertainty, when things aren’t perfect, and when leadership is temporarily less visible.

If your team knows how to think, not just what to do, the business remains steady, even when circumstances aren’t. That’s not just good leadership. It’s good stewardship.

4. The Audacity to Clear the Diary

Perhaps the hardest, and most important, decision I made was giving myself full permission to recover. Clearing my diary wasn’t easy. There’s always another meeting, another call, another decision that feels urgent. But recovery doesn’t negotiate. Healing requires time, rest and focus.

It took a certain audacity to say:

“I will not be available.”

“This can wait.”

“My body needs priority right now.”

And here’s the truth: the business survived. In fact, it was healthier for it. We often model behaviour for our teams without realising it. By stepping back and honouring recovery, I sent a message, intentionally or not, that wellbeing matters, and that sustainability beats short-term heroics.

5. Redefining Strength as Sustainability

There is strength in endurance, yes, but there is greater strength in sustainability.

Leadership isn’t about being unbreakable. It’s about building something resilient enough that it doesn’t break when you need care.

This experience reminded me that: