Dr Steve Ingham
Case studies

Executive coaching · year-end peak

Eric — CEO, European multinational

How one CEO rewired his physiology to perform at his peak — without burning out

Ten international flights, five world leaders, $2bn in projects. A clinical-grade physiology rebuild kept him sharp through the deals — and out of the post-vacation crash.

$2bn

In projects · 10 international flights · 5 world leaders

01 · Situation

A 52-year-old CEO of a major European company was facing a critical fiscal year-end: ten international flights, meetings with five world leaders, and roughly $2bn of projects on the line.

Fit, intelligent, capable — and burning out. His brief was modest: "I just want to feel less burnt out at the end of the year. It would be great if I don't go into my vacation broken."

02 · Approach

Two anchors: prevent burnout, and excel at the high-stakes moments. Everything else got cut.

  • Aerobic work five times a week, structured intervals for stress regulation
  • Resistance training twice a week, counteracting the postural toll of travel
  • Hotels filtered for 24-hour gyms — environment design, not willpower
  • Clinical-grade sleep monitoring (which revealed sleep was better than he thought, killing unnecessary anxiety)
  • Pre-performance activation protocol: strong coffee 45 minutes out, daylight exposure, light walk, mental rehearsal

03 · Outcome

He went into his vacation intact. Closed the year at a level he hadn't expected to reach. The 'work hard, recover hard' frame became the operating model — not a January resolution.

I didn't get 100% of the deals — but I delivered at a level that exceeded my expectations.
— Eric, CEO

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