Fill Your Own Tank First

Why Leader Wellbeing Isn't Optional

There's a clip doing the rounds from Dr Steve Peters that stopped me mid-scroll. Not because it was revolutionary - but because it's something I see missing in so many leadership conversations.

He talks about getting yourself in a good place first before you try to help anyone else. Simple. Obvious, even. And yet, how often do you actually do it?

The Pattern I Keep Seeing

You're leading a team through complexity. Supporting others through change. Being the steady presence everyone needs. And you're doing all of this whilst running on fumes yourself.

The stress you're carrying. The anxiety about what's coming next. The mental noise that won't switch off. You bring all of that into every conversation, every decision, every interaction with your team.

And then you wonder why it feels so hard.

What We Get Wrong About Leadership Energy

Here's the thing about energy in leadership - it's not about being relentlessly positive or pretending everything's fine. That's exhausting and nobody believes it anyway.

It's about showing up with enough space in your head to actually listen. To think clearly. To respond rather than react.

When you're depleted, anxious, stressed, you're not bringing your best thinking to the people who need it. You're bringing your unprocessed stuff. And they feel it, even if you think you're hiding it well.

The Question That Matters

How much time are you genuinely spending on your own energy and wellbeing?

Not as a luxury. Not as something you'll get to when things calm down (they won't). As a fundamental part of your leadership capability.

Because you can't guide, support, or challenge effectively when you're running on empty. You can't be the thinking partner your team needs when your own thinking is cluttered with noise.

Why I'm Building Something Different

I've been working on a new wellness programme for leaders, launching in the spring. It's designed around something I know works - getting outside, getting on a bike, and creating space to think differently.

This isn't about fitness for fitness sake. It's about building your capacity as a leader. About finding the mental clarity that comes from fresh air and movement. About learning that looking after yourself isn't selfish - it's the foundation for everything else you're trying to do.

And yes, obviously it involves two wheels. Because there's something about cycling - the rhythm, the scenery, the shared experience - that creates the conditions for better thinking.

What This Looks Like in Practice

Looking after your own energy first doesn't mean disappearing for hours of self-care. It means building small practices that keep your tank above empty.

A morning ride before the day starts. Time to think without your phone. Space to process what's happening rather than just reacting to it.

The leaders I work with who do this well aren't superhuman. They've just recognised that their wellbeing isn't separate from their effectiveness - it's the foundation of it.

Where This Leaves You

If you're reading this and thinking "I don't have time for this", I get it. You're busy. The demands are real. There's always something more urgent.

But here's what I've learned, both from my own experience and from working with leaders who are navigating exactly what you're navigating: You don't have time NOT to do this.

The version of you that's stressed, depleted, running on empty? That's not your best leadership. And somewhere, quietly, you already know that.

So what would it look like to fill your own tank first? Not someday. Actually first.