Michael runs a $50M division.

He manages 200 employees.

He makes decisions that affect thousands of people daily.

But he can't commit to 7 hours of sleep.

"I feel like garbage," he said during our consultation.

"3pm crashes are killing my afternoons. Brain fog makes simple decisions feel impossible. I wake up exhausted even after 8 hours in bed."

His labs told the story his lifestyle had been writing for years:

Cortisol completely inverted.

Inflammatory markers through the roof.

Insulin resistance creeping toward diabetes.

Testosterone in the basement.

Classic metabolic burnout from a high-performer who treated his body like it had unlimited overdraft protection.

I laid out his recovery protocol:

Sleep: 7-9 hours, consistent bedtime, no screens 2 hours before bed.

Stress management: 20 minutes of morning meditation or breathwork.

Nutrition: Stop the 4pm sugar crashes with proper meal timing.

Movement: 3 resistance sessions per week, nothing heroic.

"This makes sense," Michael said. "When do I start?"

Week 2: "The sleep thing is hard with my travel schedule. Can we just do the supplements?"

Week 4: "I tried the meditation app but I don't have 20 minutes. What about that new peptide I read about?"

Week 6: "My assistant heard about Ozempic for energy. That would be easier than changing my whole routine."

Michael wanted the result without the process.

He wanted to hire someone to be healthy for him.

This is the trap that catches every high-performer:

You can delegate profit margins.

You can delegate project management.

You can delegate customer service.

You cannot delegate metabolic recovery.

Your body doesn't care about your org chart.

It doesn't respond to performance reviews or quarterly bonuses.

Your cortisol rhythm follows your behavior, not your bank account.

Michael's pattern is everywhere in executive health:

Complain about symptoms.

Agree to solutions.

Then protect the exact habits creating the problem.

"I don't have time" becomes the excuse for why they feel terrible.

But they'll spend 40 minutes in traffic complaining about their energy crash instead of 20 minutes doing the breathwork that would prevent it.

They'll research peptides for hours but won't meal prep for 30 minutes on Sunday.

They'll pay $50K for experimental treatments but won't invest in 7 hours of sleep.

The hardest part of my job isn't diagnosing metabolic dysfunction.

It's getting successful people to understand that their body operates by different rules than their business.

You can't optimize what you won't prioritize.

You can't delegate what requires your personal commitment.

And you can't shortcut what took years to break.

Michael is still looking for the magic bullet.

Still researching the latest biohack.

Still wondering why he feels worse despite trying "everything."

He's tried everything except the plan I gave him.

The plan that would actually work if he'd stop protecting the habits keeping him stuck.

This is why I only work with people who understand:

Elite health requires elite commitment.

Not just elite intentions.

If you're ready to do the actual work instead of looking for shortcuts around it, reply "COMMIT" and I'll send you the details.

Until next time,

Beyond The Exam Room

Kristen Chase, MSN, APRN, FNP-BC

Founder, Chase Elite Wellness & Concierge