On Thursday, I shared how I discovered that my morning anxiety wasn't actually about my workload—it was about how well I'd taken care of myself the night before. Sleep, movement, alcohol—the basics that I'd been neglecting while telling myself I was "too busy" for self-care.

It was a tremendous realization for me, but one, if I’m honest, has been a long time coming. I’ve struggled with the way my addiction to busyness and often relentless drive as an entrepreneur has impacted my health, so this personal aha felt momentous.

The response was immediate and intense.

Some of you said it was exactly what you needed to hear.

Others... well, let's just say you had opinions about "wellness culture" and morning routines.

Which brings me to something I need to address.

I used to be one of those people who rolled their eyes at this stuff, too.

Morning routines? Eye roll.
Cold plunges? Please.
Meditation apps? Give me a break.

It wasn’t until I started dealing with repeated physical burnout that I realized they weren’t just attention ploys by Instagram influencers or Twitter bros.

But still, I struggled HARD to prioritize them.

I have spent decades taking pride in my get-sh*t-done attitude, my hustle mindset, and my move-fast-and-break-things style.

Learning to dismantle it and heal from the deep-seated trauma wounds of “I’m not good enough” that created it has not been easy.

But damn, it might be the most satisfying (and revenue-generating) work I’ve done.

The Smart Person's Resistance to "Wellness Culture"

Here's what I see happening with brilliant entrepreneurs all the time:

They hear about morning routines, cold plunges, meditation, or whatever the latest "optimize your life" trend is, and they immediately roll their eyes.

• "That's for 22-year-old bros with trust funds."

• "I don't have time for that wellness theater."

• "Real entrepreneurs don't need to journal their feelings."

And I get it. A lot of the people promoting these practices online are...let's just say they're not speaking to your reality.

Young men with simple lives, telling you to wake up at 4 AM and do an ice bath before your 16-hour workday while managing kids, aging parents, and a business that depends entirely on you showing up.

It feels tone-deaf. Privileged. Out of touch.

So you reject it all. You wear your exhaustion like a badge of honor. You pride yourself on powering through without "needing" those practices.

But here's the question I want you to sit with:

What if your resistance to these practices says more about you than it does about the people promoting them?

The Mirror Moment That Changes Everything

Why do you get triggered when someone talks about taking care of themselves?

What are you actually rejecting?

Is it the practice itself? Or is it something deeper?

Maybe it's:

• The fear that you don't deserve to feel good

• The belief that struggling equals virtue

• The story that self-care is selfish when you have responsibilities

• The terror that if you slow down, everything will fall apart

Here's what I've learned: When we get snarky about other people's health practices, we're usually defending our own choices not to prioritize ourselves.

This tendency doesn’t just show up in our personal lives or our physical health. If we’re doing it there, we are undoubtedly doing it in our business as well.

• Refusing to delegate because "no one can do it as well as me"

• Avoiding strategic planning because "I'm too busy putting out fires"

• Skipping networking events because "that's just shallow schmoozing"

• Not building a personal brand because “I don’t want people to judge me”

And that defense mechanism is costing us everything.

Because the truth is, those "douchey wellness bros" aren't wrong about the practices. They're just wrong about the packaging.

The Experimental Mindset That Changes Everything

Instead of dismissing practices outright because you don't like the messenger, what if you got curious about the message?

What if you separated the WHAT from the WHO?

Here's how I want you to think about this:

Step 1: Get Honest About Where You Want to Feel Better

Where in your life do you actually want more energy, clarity, or peace?

• Mornings when you feel scattered before you even start?

• Afternoons when you crash and can't think clearly?

• Evenings when you're too wired to wind down?

• Sleep that leaves you feeling like you got hit by a truck?

Step 2: Research Without the Attitude

Look into what people are saying about specific practices. Not the hype, but the actual experiences.

• What happens when people journal in the morning?

• Why do people swear by movement for mental clarity?

• What's the science behind cold exposure or breathwork?

You don't have to love the people talking about it. Just get curious about whether it might serve you.

Step 3: Design Your Own Experiments

This is where it gets good. You don't need to adopt anyone else's routine wholesale.

You can try:

• 5 minutes of writing instead of 30

• A walk around the block instead of a 5 AM gym session

• Three deep breaths instead of a 20-minute meditation

The goal isn't to become someone else. It's to become the best version of yourself.

My Secret Weapon: AI as Your Personal Health Coach

If the idea of doing research and designing experiments feels daunting or like yet another task on our endless to-do list, I have a little secret for you. Something I haven't talked about much publicly, but it's been game-changing:

I've been using ChatGPT as my health coach.

Not for medical advice, but for lifestyle experimentation.

I shared more about this in my recent emails about AI — the cost of avoiding it and the strategies for leveraging it in your business, but the personal side might actually be more transformational for me.

Typically, when I go for my morning walks, I pull open the ChatGPT app and then leave a rambling voice note in the chat. When she (yes, for me, she’s a woman) responds, I listen to her advice so I can reflect as I walk.

I'll tell her things like: "I've been feeling anxious in the mornings and my energy crashes around 2 PM. I sleep okay, but wake up groggy. I exercise sporadically. What are some simple experiments I could try?"

And she gives me thoughtful, personalized suggestions:

• Specific morning light exposure recommendations

• Gentle movement ideas that fit my schedule

• Sleep hygiene tweaks I haven't considered

• Breathing exercises for anxiety

Then I try them for a few days and report back: "The morning walk helped, but I'm still crashing in the afternoon. The breathing thing felt weird. What else could we try?"

And we iterate.

It's like having a patient, knowledgeable coach who never judges you for not being perfect and never tries to sell you anything.

I've used this approach for my own health challenges and even to help my aging parents navigate theirs. The key is the experimental mindset—try, observe, adjust, repeat.

The CEO Mindset Shift

Here's the reframe that changed everything for me:

Taking care of yourself isn't self-indulgent. It's business strategy.

When you're running on empty, your decision-making suffers. Your creativity tanks. Your patience disappears. Your ability to show up powerfully for clients, family, and your own goals diminishes.

But when you're operating from a place of genuine energy and clarity? Everything gets easier.

Your messaging is clearer. Your boundaries are stronger. Your problem-solving is sharper.

You make better decisions because you're not operating from a place of depletion.

Your Next Experiment

I want you to try something this week:

Pick ONE area where you want to feel better. Just one.

Ask yourself (or your AI coach): "What's one small experiment I could try for the next week to improve this?"

Try it. Notice what happens. Adjust accordingly.

Don't worry about becoming perfect. Don't worry about sticking to it forever.

Just get curious about what might serve you.

If you’re here, you’ve likely felt alienated by the abundance of online content from hustle bros and Instagram influencers advocating for productivity-focused wellness routines. I get it.

But using that reaction as a reason to avoid taking care of yourself doesn’t serve your business, your family, or you.

Stop letting your triggers rob you of what actually works.

Your future self will thank you.

In love and growth,
Kasey

P.S. If you try the AI health coach approach, I'd love to hear how it goes. What experiments are you trying? What's working? What's not? Reply and let me know—your experience might help another Solo CEO who's struggling with the same thing.

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