The Secret I Rarely Talk About — But Share with Nearly Every CEO I Coach

If we were sitting across from each other right now, I’d probably lean in and tell you a little secret.

It’s something I rarely talk about on stage or in public, but I quietly share it with almost every CEO and managing partner I coach:

The power of meditation and mindfulness.

I know—it might sound like an odd topic for leaders in professional services. Accounting, legal, wealth management… we’re not exactly known for “woo-woo.”

But here’s what I’ve learned after decades in leadership and coaching: your inner state drives your outer results.

When I wrote 5 Minute Mastery in 2018, I shared how I once lived the classic overworked-executive life. As a managing partner, I was running hard—until my heart literally stopped. That moment was my wake-up call. I realized that no strategy, no time management hack, could fix burnout from the inside out.

💎 That’s when I discovered mindfulness. Tai Chi. Breathwork. Presence.

And ultimately, I found my center.

The Leadership Edge You Can’t See

Since then, I’ve taught CEOs and managing partners a truth that still surprises them: high performance comes from stillness, not speed.

Meditation and mindfulness aren’t about escaping the world; they’re about showing up more fully in it. When you’re centered, you make better decisions. You respond instead of react. You lead from clarity, not chaos.

In my Centered CEO™ program, one of the first skills we work on isn’t a financial dashboard or strategic playbook—it’s presence. Because when a leader gets centered, everything else falls into alignment: strategy, culture, and even profitability.

And the data backs it up.

What the Research Says

This isn’t just “feel-good” leadership. Recent studies are proving what top athletes and high-performing CEOs have known for years:

🟢 Better Decisions Under Pressure: A study in Frontiers in Psychology found that executives who practiced just 10 minutes of meditation daily improved decision-making quality by over 30% in eight weeks.

🟢 Sharper Emotional Intelligence: Leaders who completed mindfulness training showed nearly a 30% boost in empathy and relationship skills—crucial for leading teams through uncertainty.

🟢 More Innovation: McKinsey reports that leadership teams embracing mindfulness launched 31% more successful new initiatives than their peers.

🟢 Tangible ROI: When Aetna’s CEO introduced mindfulness company-wide, productivity rose by $3,000 per employee per year, healthcare costs dropped 7%, and turnover fell sharply.

In short: mindfulness pays. 📣

It’s no longer a “nice-to-have.” It’s a competitive advantage.

A client story: A client called one day. "John, there's so much at stake, and I need your help. Can you guide me through a tai chi session today? I really need it." Within a few months, he shared that his team was on a run-rate to achieve their three-year goal in less than half the time.

If It Works for Athletes, Why Not CEOs?

Professional athletes have known this for decades. The late NBA coach Phil Jackson led his teams—including Michael Jordan’s Bulls and Kobe Bryant’s Lakers—through group meditation before games. His goal? To quiet their minds so they could perform with total focus and flow.

Today, top performers from tennis 🎾 to football 🏈 are using mindfulness to regulate emotions, sharpen focus, and recover from setbacks faster.

If meditation helps them win championships, it can absolutely help you lead through a high-stakes audit, a merger negotiation, or a talent crisis.

Because leadership, like sports, is a high-performance game—and the calmest mind usually wins.

You Don’t Need a Mountain Retreat—Just Five Minutes⏱️

Here’s the best part: you don’t need hours of silence or special equipment. You already have everything you need—your breath.

Try this simple practice I teach in The Centered CEO™ program and in 5 Minute Mastery: Take one slow, deep breath. Hold for a moment. Exhale through your mouth.

That’s a one 5-Second Shift. It is the start of something magnificent. Do it again. And again.

It’s amazing how quickly your body follows your breath. Your heart rate slows. Your focus sharpens. That’s mindfulness in action—no app, no mantra, no cost. Just presence.

Why It Matters Now More Than Ever

Let’s face it—leaders today are overloaded.

Between AI disruption, private equity pressure, hybrid work challenges, and client demands, the noise never stops. But the leaders who thrive are the ones who can pause, even briefly, and return to their center before responding.

In a world that rewards constant motion, your greatest strength may be the courage to slow down.

That’s why mindfulness is a cornerstone of The Centered CEO™. Because when you learn to calm your inner chaos, you gain the power to lead with clarity, conviction, and peace of mind.

A Call to Reflection

So here’s my challenge to you:

Tomorrow morning, before opening your inbox or your calendar, take five quiet minutes for yourself. Sit. Breathe. Notice your thoughts, but don’t chase them. Just let them pass.

Five minutes might not sound like much. But those few minutes could set the tone for your entire day—and, over time, your entire leadership style.

You don’t have to talk about it publicly. You just have to practice it privately. Because mindfulness, like leadership, is something you embody—one breath at a time.

So take five. Get centered. And lead from there.

Until Next Time!