With grueling work demands, executives signal paths taken to avoid emotional exhaustion
A latest research conducted by the Harvard Business Review has shown that 25% of American businessmen have symptoms of burnout syndrome. The survey by Gattaz Health & Results points out that one in five professionals of large companies in Brazil suffers from the disease.
Given a hectic routine with important appointments, meetings and decisions, as well as hectic days with many responsibilities, how do these executives avoid stress and emotional exhaustion?
Running marathons, engaging in regular physical activity, prioritizing moments of decompensation, yoga, therapy, spending quality time with family and friends, seeking support in religion.
These are some of the secrets revealed by the C-Levels of Brazilian startups to keep the mind healthy. Nine executives agreed to share some practical advice on how they can balance their careers with their personal lives and their personal goals for 2023.
- • Bruno Stuchi, managing director and founder of Coaktion
The secret to maintaining a healthy mind is consistency with therapy, reveals Bruno.
“What helps me a lot is knowing myself. So I’ve been in therapy for over five years. It helps me understand each moment, accepting and respecting it without creating more pressure than what already exists on a daily basis. Another point that helps me is dedicating quality time with my wife, a moment to switch off, go out to dinner, drink a good wine or even have a barbecue at home”.
- • Danilo Tamelini, Latam President of BusUp
At the age of 37, he has seen the company take off in 2022. In 2022 alone, the Brazilian office more than doubled its revenues, reaching three new states in the last six months alone. With the excellent results of the scale-up in recent years and the schedule divided between the countries of the Americas, the entrepreneur reveals that he likes it and that he should maintain, even in 2023, the routine of physical exercises and quality time with his family to slow down the mind.
“The volume of information that I have access to and that comes to me on a daily basis is very large. To take the pressure off that and keep my mental health up to date, I engage in various physical activities two to three times a week, such as tennis, running, and weight training. On weekends, time is dedicated to the family. I try to be very close to people I like. It’s my way to start a new week in a good mood,” she says.
- • Ivan Pereira, Vice President of Mind Lab and EduK
Ivan begins with a regimented routine that includes exercise during the day, a family-focused slack-down night, and a bare-bones sleep routine.
“I lead a regulated life based on very clear objectives and principles. I stay focused on the goals, I don’t deviate from them and I always follow three fronts: how I get stronger, smarter, wiser; how can I generate more wealth, in the sense that my activities generate more value for me – going far beyond money; and how I generate more assets and resources around everything I’m building,” he says.
Triathlete, does long distance triathlon, cycles 250km a week, runs 50km and swims 6 to 9km a week, not counting bodybuilding. With well-regulated hours. This routine is what starts your day at 4:45.
“The most important part is that every day I check myself before anything else. I start the day by tackling difficult things. My workouts are never simple and trivial and this already puts me in a completely different position from other people. By the time I get to the first meeting of the day, it’s like noon to me. And before that, with my alone time, I think about the important things, I plan for the future. This solitude is very good. Being able to look within and bring out the good stuff. With a weak CPF there is no way to have a strong CNPJ,” she concludes.
- • Marco Aurélio Fejes, General Manager of BusUp in Brazil
Marco, 41, experienced first-hand the excellent results achieved by the startup here in 2022. However, to manage what is now the main market of the company, of Spanish origins, he bet and will continue to bet on three pillars, including for 2023: meditation, swimming and family connection.
“I included meditation in my routine to keep my mind sane, and after a while I returned to swimming with a goal of swimming longer distances, which helped me breathe and work better, as well as helping me ‘ slow down’ on an everyday,” he says.
The entrepreneur also sees the bond with his two daughters, one 6 years old and the other just 11 months old, as essential after working hours. “My connection with them helps me ‘disconnect’ from the intensity of all that the work entails”.
- • Dener Lippert, CEO of V4 Company
For Dener, the secret to a healthy mind lies in the balance between body and mind.
“We like to call here at V4 Company the PIFE Game, or Professional, Intellectual, Physical and Emotional. After all, if you seek to stand out in any of these 4 pillars, it is essential that it is in harmony with the others. No one can concentrate on work if he has an emotional problem, or on the physical if he is not working intellectually. These 4 pillars are directly related to your personal success, routine and everyday life. If you fail one of them, you will likely fail all of them,” Dener points out.
- • Renan Conde, Brazil and USA Director of Factorial
The hectic routine has always been part of Renan’s professional life. Predominantly in leadership positions and related to the development of more than one market at a time, Renan relies on the maximum organization of his program of activities and meetings, linked to the awareness that mistakes are part of the path to success. Furthermore, he prioritizes working in different environments to “get out of the rut”, experience new energies and people, and also reach moments of decompensation.
“We will always get paid for processes, results, but also for people. At least twice a week I work from different places, from the office I built to my home, where I can concentrate and have a quieter day, at a friend’s house, coffee shop or in the Factorial office. When I’m in the company I take breaks: I leave my desk to talk to the employees, I go around the workspace, I build a relationship that goes beyond the professional one”, adds the director.
- • Ruy Fortini, CEO of Doare
Mental health is a priority in Ruy’s life. Gym, bicycle, yoga, meditation, holotropic breathing and cold baths are some of his daily practices that help him face the hectic routine of a manager.
“I also believe that spirituality can be a good way to work our mind and our virtues, lately I have been studying and deepening the practices of Zen Buddhism,” he explains.
- • Vitor Asseituno, President of Sami
To prevent your work routine from affecting your mental health, Asseituno says you need to prioritize your routine.
“First of all, we need to define what our life’s priorities are ― not only in the short term, but also thinking about the medium and long term ―, and focus. Mine is my family, which includes friends, my religion and Sami. By having clarity about this, I can keep my focus on what I can do for myself, in a way that has a positive impact and engages these three priorities. For example, whenever I can, between one business trip and another, I take my family with me to share this experience,” she points out.
“Thinking about health to keep myself sane in the midst of a hectic routine, I exercise at least twice a week, as preventative care is essential and I sleep well. I am not the type of entrepreneur who works late on Saturdays, nor am I in favor of my employees doing so, after all Sami was born with the aim of taking care of people and it would be contradictory not to value the well-being of those who are with us from members to employees. Sometimes you have to dedicate yourself more and it’s tiring, but it can’t be the rule”, reveals the president of Sami.
Religion, which he mentioned, belongs on the priority list to avoid emotional exhaustion. “To nourish my spirit and bring me peace to face the daily life of a startup, I cling to religion, to God, who keeps me strong in my purpose,” he concludes.
- • Walter Neto, CEO of Ioasys
Walter uses running and exercise as the main outlet for the high demands and pressure of work.
“It is important to have a balance between work, family and leisure to maintain a healthy mind. In my case I give priority to sports and running helps me on a disciplinary level and also to oxygenate myself, to think about something else. I also do psychotherapy, but running is my main therapy,” she explains.
Neto reiterates that being with family and friends is another way to maintain quality time outside of work. “Another piece of advice is to do the things you like for your free time, be with your family, meet friends. I really enjoy barbecuing and being on the beach, enjoy the weekends to come back refreshed and ready for the week. Balance and playing sports almost every day is my secret ”, he evaluates.
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Ben Stock is a lifestyle journalist and author at Gossipify. He writes about topics such as health, wellness, travel, food and home decor. He provides practical advice and inspiration to improve well-being, keeps readers up to date with latest lifestyle news and trends, known for his engaging writing style, in-depth analysis and unique perspectives.
