Breaking Free: Health, Identity, and the Power of learning to “Just Be”
For many leaders and entrepreneurs, the drive to achieve is both a blessing and a curse. It fuels innovation, hard work, and growth. But left unchecked, it can slide into perfectionism, burnout, and a loss of self. Emily Schwartz of Wholehearted Health recently joined The Emboldened Entrepreneur podcast to discuss health and leadership, emphasizing the impact of learning to slow down, care for our bodies, and ground our identity in something deeper than performance.
At its core, the message was simple yet challenging: clarity comes not from striving harder, but from learning to just be.
The Cost of Striving
High achievers often live by a script: work harder, check the boxes, meet every expectation. For a season, that script delivers results. But eventually, the cracks appear. Fatigue, anxiety, physical health challenges, and strained relationships become the hidden cost of unchecked striving.
One story stood out: exhaustion so deep it showed up physically in hair loss, hormone imbalance, and constant anxiety. Despite “doing everything right”—working out, eating clean, performing at a high level—the deeper truth was a misalignment.
This is the leadership trap, too. Organizations can look polished on the outside while internally unraveling. A lack of alignment between vision, purpose, and practice eventually leads to burnout and a misaligned identity of culture.
Personalized Clarity
Clarity often begins with answers. For Emily, clarity about her health came through genetic testing that revealed she wasn’t “broken” at all—she simply needed a different blueprint for nutrition and wellness. That discovery sparked not only healing but also a business helping others steward their health in the same way.
The principle applies in organizations: clarity doesn’t come from a generic formula. It comes from understanding your unique “blueprint”—your values, people, and purpose. Leaders who stop copying others and start building from their authentic design create healthier, more resilient cultures.
The Danger of Perfectionism
Perfectionism masquerades as diligence, but in reality, it’s fear in disguise. It demands control, approval, and flawless execution—and it robs leaders of presence.
Perfectionism is rewarded in our culture. High achievers are praised for doing more, working harder, and staying ahead. But unchecked, it silences creativity, stifles risk-taking, and keeps leaders chained to performance for their worth.
Organizationally, perfectionism shows up in the fear of launching before every detail is perfect, in the resistance to delegation, and in cultures where mistakes are punished rather than learned from.
Facilitating healthy conversations can challenge leadership teams to recognize when “excellence” is actually a stumbling block—and helps them move forward with courage and strategically rooted grace.
Grace for Yourself
One of the least talked about aspects of leadership is how many of us excel at extending grace to others while holding ourselves to impossible standards. It’s why Whitney’s favorite question on each podcast episode is about a fear, limiting belief, or obstacle. We all have them, but few leaders are willing to acknowledge or address them.
This self-imposed pressure shows up in overworking, negative self-talk, or even guilt for resting. But clarity demands grace. It means stepping into the “gray” instead of insisting on black-and-white answers. It means asking, as Emily so eloquently put it, Is it true? Is it really true? And if it is, what will I do about it?
Just as colleagues or loved ones can reflect blind spots, coaching helps leaders recognize patterns, adjust without judgment, and embrace a healthier perspective for themselves, their teams, and their families.
The Power of Community
Healing and growth rarely happen in isolation. Why? People crave safe spaces to be real, celebrate wins, and share struggles, but finding your people can be a challenge.
For organizations, this reinforces the truth that culture is built in community. When leaders create spaces for honest conversation, positivity, and shared growth, they multiply resilience and engagement. It also becomes a place where the gospel can be tangibly grasped by the love and grace they experience through their leader.
Facilitated conversations and coaching often catalyze this process by encouraging leaders to seek, build, and sustain community intentionally.
Learning to “Just Be”
Emily shared on the episode about her “Just Be” project, a reminder to step back from constant achievement and rediscover the joy of presence.
Instead of exercising only to burn calories or prove discipline, what if exercise was simply to enjoy movement and life? Instead of filling planners with endless names and goals, what if leaders embraced the “what if” of doing less, but with more intention?
The invitation to “just be” isn’t passivity—it’s alignment. It’s leading from identity rather than insecurity. It’s pausing to hear God’s voice, resting in His sufficiency, and letting purpose guide the next step instead of forcing outcomes.
Key Takeaways for Leaders
From this conversation, several universal lessons emerge for leaders seeking clarity and healthier leadership:
Striving has a cost. Achievement without alignment leads to burnout.
Blueprints matter. One-size-fits-all doesn’t work. Know your unique design and build from it.
Perfectionism is fear in disguise. Excellence isn’t about flawlessness—it’s about courage to act.
Grace starts inward. Leaders must extend to themselves the same grace they give others.
Community fuels resilience. Healing and growth multiply in shared spaces.
Learn to “just be.” Presence, identity, and alignment sustain clarity more than constant doing.
Leadership clarity is less about doing more; it’s about aligning with what matters most.
We’d love to help the tools and accountability to recognize perfectionism, release control, and embrace presence. We aim to help teams recognize and lean into their God-given identity and purpose, aligning with their organizational vision.
Ultimately, the call to “just be” is not about abandoning ambition. It’s about ensuring that ambition flows from a healthy foundation. Leaders who build from that place create organizations that are not only productive but whole and healthy.
