What we covered in our chat
Through her work with organisations and leaders, Ruth is seeing consistently elevated stress levels — not just as a hangover from the pandemic, but as part of a longer‑term trend that began years earlier and has continued to build. Digital overload, economic uncertainty, geopolitical instability and the rise of “always‑on” work have all contributed to a narrowing window of tolerance for many people, making them more reactive, irritable and emotionally depleted.
The stress–sleep cycle leaders are stuck in
One of the most important insights from our conversation was the bi‑directional relationship between stress and sleep. Ruth explained that stress disrupts sleep, but poor sleep also amplifies the stress response — creating a cycle that is particularly damaging for leaders.
When people are sleep deprived, the brain’s emotional regulation systems dominate, while the areas responsible for rational decision‑making, creativity and strategic thinking are compromised. Ruth made the point that while we would never allow someone to drive a car while fatigued, we routinely allow exhausted leaders to make high‑stakes decisions that affect teams, budgets and organisational outcomes.
Practical habits that support recovery
Ruth shared several practical, evidence‑based habits that leaders and teams can adopt quickly to support better sleep and recovery. Rather than focusing only on the hour before bed, she encourages people to think about sleep from the start of the day — including consistent wake times, light exposure, caffeine timing, evening routines and bedroom temperature.
Small changes such as reducing evening screen use, lowering household lighting, journalling to offload racing thoughts, and prioritising consistency over perfection can significantly improve sleep quality, even when total sleep time is limited.
Self‑compassion as a leadership skill
We also explored self‑compassion, which Ruth described not as something soft or indulgent, but as a practical capability that supports resilience, boundaries and better leadership decisions. Many high performers are deeply self‑critical, believing harsh self‑talk drives results. In reality, Ruth explained, self‑compassion creates the awareness and motivation to take healthier action — including having difficult conversations and setting necessary boundaries.
Mindfulness and sustainable behaviour change
Finally, Ruth reframed mindfulness as a leadership capability, not just a wellbeing tool. By strengthening self‑awareness and widening the gap between stimulus and response, mindfulness helps leaders regulate emotions, think more clearly under pressure and respond rather than react.
For organisations, Ruth emphasised that one‑off workshops are valuable, but sustainable behaviour change comes from ongoing practice, reinforcement and designing wellbeing into everyday work — not treating it as an add‑on.
Final thoughts
This conversation reinforced that supporting mental health at work isn’t about doing more — it’s about doing things differently. By prioritising sleep, building self‑awareness and normalising self‑compassion, leaders can improve not only their own wellbeing, but the health, performance and sustainability of their teams.
Written by Tom Bosna
April 2026