Lead Like an Athlete: Mastering Energy for Peak Performance

"If you have a body, you're an athlete." As a personal trainer, I always told my clients this—not because they were competing at an elite level (although, let's be honest, tennis, golf, and most recently, pickleball can get pretty intense), but because they were engaged in the everyday challenges of movement, endurance, and resilience. 

Marco Pasqua takes this idea to an entirely new level, demonstrating that leadership and resilience come in many forms. Born with cerebral palsy, Marco has challenged traditional expectations—not just in his personal journey, but in his groundbreaking professional career as well. In the photo above, he’s doing a pull-up not just with his body weight, but with the added weight of his chair—demonstrating that strength is not just about muscle, but also about determination, adaptability, and mindset. As an award-winning entrepreneur, accessibility advocate, and inspirational speaker, Marco has used his lived experiences to create a powerful, inclusive framework for leadership and energy management. His unique perspective and ability to navigate challenges with focus, adaptability, and innovation make him the perfect person to help us rethink how we approach energy in leadership—ensuring that success is accessible to all.  (By the way, you've got a unique opportunity to speak with Marco directly, click here to be a part of it.)

No matter what your current physical state is, simply being a leader in today’s fast-paced business environment takes a lot of energy. You’re not just managing teams and driving results—you’re navigating a VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, and Ambiguous) environment where rapid decision-making, continuous problem-solving, and high-pressure demands require immense mental, emotional, and physical energy. To be fully optimized, you need to integrate all three dimensions of energy.

Your Daily Corporate Athletics

Let’s take a look at what your body and brain are actually doing during a normal corporate day:

Decision Marathon: Your brain consumes 20-25% of your body's total energy while making up only 2% of your body weight. The energy your brain uses in one day of decision-making could power a light bulb for 24 hours.

Meeting Endurance: Leaders now spend 57% of their time communicating (meetings, email, and chat), meaning you're in a cognitive relay race for nearly five hours daily. This constant engagement requires sustained focus, much like an athlete pacing themselves through a long-distance event.

Energy Management: Your brain burns through 20% of your body's oxygen supply just to keep up. Think of it as sustained low-intensity physical activity—your leadership responsibilities require a steady and strategic use of energy to avoid burnout

Each of these elements—decision-making, constant communication, and sustained energy management—contribute to the immense cognitive and physical load leaders face daily. The ability to navigate these challenges effectively requires intentional strategies to maintain clarity, endurance, and focus.

So, how the heck do you maintain your energy in the midst of all that?

One of the biggest mistakes I see leaders making is focusing on action action action. Yes, Nike got it right: "Just do it." But "IT" isn't just physical action. It's also mental and emotional action. When you align your mental, emotional, and physical energy (what I call your MEP), you unlock a powerful trifecta. 

Marco Pasqua will join us to talk about this exact topic in our next Healthy Leader Expert Forum. Marco is an award-winning entrepreneur and speaker who has built his career on teaching leaders how to channel their energy effectively. His framework, The CUBE Principle—Creatively Utilize your Best Energy aligns perfectly with the principles of self-discipline and leadership.

Marco says, "The best leaders don’t just react; they reframe." Instead of letting stress deplete their energy, they ask: How can I use this as an opportunity for growth? Energy isn’t just personal—it’s communal. Leaders who build strong networks and delegate effectively preserve their energy for high-impact decisions. Leadership energy is contagious. If you bring calm, focused, and intentional energy, your team will mirror it. But if you show up depleted and reactive, that energy spreads, too. 

Marco’s unique approach sheds light on how leaders can cultivate resilience and stamina without burning out. (Make sure you join us! Sign up here to hear from Marco directly.)

In the meantime, if you want to consistently show up with energy and resilience like the athlete you are, here are a few key ways you can maximize your energy right now:

Three Keys to Gain Traction & Maximize Your Energy

Key #1 – Concise & Simple: The 3Q Formula

There’s a flood of information out there about what you “should” be doing. It’s overwhelming. One way to cut through the noise is by focusing on the 3Qs: Quality, Quantity, and freQuency.

• Quality: The effectiveness and impact of your actions—whether it’s the nutrient density of your food, the depth of your focus at work, or the intentionality behind your movement and recovery.

• Quantity: The amount of energy, time, or effort invested in an activity to ensure meaningful progress without burnout.

• Frequency: The rhythm and consistency of your actions—how often you engage in habits that sustain momentum and drive results.

For example, if you’re focused on reducing alcohol, your 3Qs might be: Drink water (Quality), 64 ounces or more (Quantity), 5 days per week (freQuency). Another example, if you’re improving rest, your 3Qs might be: No screens before bed (Quality), seven hours of sleep (Quantity), five nights a week (frequency). *

By simplifying your approach, you eliminate decision fatigue and free up mental energy for execution rather than deliberation. 

*For more details about the 3Q Formula and how to apply it to your nutrition, download The Healthy Leader Exactly What to Eat Checklist.

Key #2 – Consistency Over Intensity

Consistency is crucial. No surprise there. But a little trick to being consistently consistent (see what I did there?) is to understand the difference between potential and kinetic energy—because that’s where momentum is built.

Think of it like riding a bike. Kinetic energy is action—it's movement, the effort you put in as you start pedaling at the base of a hill. As you climb, that motion slows, but you’re building potential energy—stored energy that comes from the work you've already done. When you reach the top, all that energy is just sitting there, waiting to be released. The moment you push forward? You convert potential energy back into kinetic energy, and suddenly, you’re flying downhill with ease!

The same principle applies to leadership, health, and personal growth. Potential energy is everything you could do—the workout you plan, the healthy habits you think about, the break you know you need. But without action, it just sits there. Kinetic energy is actually doing it—turning intention into motion.

Here are some ways to go from potential to kinetic energy when you think you don't have time!
✅ No time for a full workout? Do a 2-3 minute high-intensity session—jumping jacks, climbing stairs
✅ Need better connection with our spouse? If a vacation isn’t realistic, a weekly date night or a 30-minute phone-free conversation builds connection.
✅ Feeling overwhelmed at work? A 10-minute reset outside keeps your momentum going.

Instead of waiting at the top of the hill (or the bottom) for motivation to push you forward, just start pedaling. Small actions convert potential energy into kinetic energy, and that’s where real progress happens.

Key #3 – Calibrate Without Judgment

Often, when I ask a leader what went well with their plan, they'll start with, "Well, I didn't follow through like I wanted to," or "I wasn't super pleased with XYZ." Even though I didn’t ask what didn’t go well, it's normal for us to focus on the negative first. Heck, that’s what you probably get paid to do—you're trained to spot potential issues before they arise (hello, negativity bias!).

But when we take the time to dig deeper, we often find they actually followed through more than they thought. "Wow. Huh, I didn’t realize that I was actually gaining a bit of traction." This realization is a golden key—it shifts energy completely mentally, emotionally, and physically.

That’s what we’re doing when we calibrate. We're being precise and objective. Calibrating means assessing progress without self-criticism. Instead of beating yourself up, think of yourself as a scientist in a white lab coat, reviewing the data objectively. You’re not being harsh; you’re refining your plan for greater success.

Instead of self-criticism, practice calibration—a process of adjusting and refining without judgment.

Get in the Game, Don't Sit on the Sidelines

It’s easy to be “in the game” in your career while sitting on the sidelines in terms of your health, energy, and habits. But here’s the truth: the way you lead yourself directly impacts how you lead others. Small, intentional shifts—better sleep, movement, and mindful habits—create the energy and resilience needed to perform at your best. And, as you practice those personal habits, you are also fine-tuning leadership skills like discipline, resilience, fortitude, and an immense awareness of the common struggles we all face.

Leadership isn’t only about guiding teams or making strategic decisions—it’s about showing up as your best self, day after day. When you prioritize your energy and wellbeing, you cultivate resilience, sharpen your focus, and inspire those around you.

Your energy isn’t just a resource—it’s your competitive edge.

 

And the leaders who master their energy? They don’t just survive the game. They win it.

The choice is always yours—just like it was for Marco Pasqua. He didn’t wait for the perfect conditions, an easy path, or someone to hand him the game plan. He took control, adapted, and played his game—turning obstacles into strengths and showing up with energy, resilience, and impact.

It doesn’t matter what the game looks like from the sidelines—you just have to get in it. Step up, take control, and optimize your energy like the leader you are. The sooner you start, the faster you’ll see the benefits—more clarity, resilience, and momentum.

Start now and sign up to integrate Marco Pasqua’s insights into your leadership strategy.

It’s time to get in the game.

The choice is yours: remain stuck in draining habits or step up, take control, and optimize your energy like the leader you are. The sooner you start, the faster you’ll see the benefits—more clarity, resilience, and impact. Start now and sign up to integrate Marco Pasqua’s insights into your leadership strategy.

It’s time to get in the game.

Traci Fisher is a leadership transformation expert and creator of The Healthy Leader Operating System™. Drawing from 25+ years of experience coaching Fortune 500 executives and military leaders, she guides leaders to be healthy, fulfilled, and successful—without burning out on the sidelines.

In the game of leadership, every great player needs a coach. Traci cheers leaders on, calls it like it is (no BS), and ensures their game plan is as effective and efficient as possible—all while keeping it fun. Because what’s the point of winning if it’s miserable along the way?

Want to learn more about wellness and leadership coaching? Discover how to harness your emotional edge for extraordinary leadership impact. Learn more here.