A New Year, A New Kind of Strength: Health, Hope & Executive Leadership
Written by Nancy Riegel with contribution from Dr. Tim Riegel, MD FRCSC
I remember a point in my journey lying in bed with autoimmune disease, my wheelchair parked in the corner of my bedroom, unable to move — with one phrase rolling through my mind:
“If you don’t have your health, you don’t have anything.”
And it was true. I couldn’t even walk.
What’s remarkable is that it never occurred to me that stress might be part of the problem. I was pushing to be the best in my field — consulting, building, striving, carrying life independently, and achieving the “executive lifestyle.”
Always achieving.
Always performing.
Never stopping.
I believed harder was better.
More was better.
And quitting wasn’t an option.
It never crossed my mind that the lack of support, love, and gentleness toward myself might be contributing to the physical collapse I was experiencing. My body simply could not sustain the relentless pace I was demanding of it.
One of my physicians told me something I will never forget:
“The one thing you have that many others don’t…is hope. Once my patients lose hope, they rarely recover.”
The irony is that before illness, I carried almost superhuman strength — competing in fitness competitions and lifting heavier weights than most men. I felt invincible.
Or so I thought.
I believe many CEOs, executives, and physicians feel the same way — until they encounter a health crisis that simply cannot be masked, ignored, or powered through. When your health collapses, it is an alert. Something has gone wrong — deeply wrong — and it becomes your responsibility to understand why.
Autoimmune conditions can (not always) be linked to stress. And for ultra-high performers, stress becomes a quiet evolution over time — pushing the mind, body, and spirit to the breaking point until something finally “gives.”
Today, my husband, Dr. Tim Riegel — a burn and reconstructive surgeon — and I help other high performers reclaim their health and ease the burden on the immune system. Interestingly, we were both walking through our own health battles at the very same time.
Here is Tim’s reflection on stress and health from both his professional and personal journey:
Stress & Health
By Dr. Tim Riegel, MD FRCSC
What does it mean to have health? What does stress do to your health?
In my work treating major burn injuries, I have witnessed the extreme impact of stress on the human body — immune system dysregulation, nutrient absorption problems, total loss of protective barrier to infection, impaired temperature regulation, and an overwhelming metabolic demand just to stay alive.
After all the technical skill, surgical expertise, and intensive medical care… what matters most for survival? Hope.
A loving, caring family — people you care about and who care about you — significantly increases survival and quality-of-life outcomes. The brain’s ability to enhance or impair the body’s capacity to cope, heal, and thrive is well-recognized in medicine, though still not fully understood.
The human spirit can either be crushed — leading to disease and decline — or it can persevere through unimaginable odds and recover.
My own health crisis helped me see clearly what matters most: Relationships.
Your relationship with yourself, with God, and with others profoundly shapes your health. The outward and inward expressions of physical — including mental — health are significantly influenced by relationships.
— Dr. Tim Riegel, MD FRCSC
Tim and I agree vehemently that at the worst point of our illness, we never once considered how stress, isolation, and the constant push to perform were affecting our health. We simply believed this was the price of success. But the truth is — the body keeps score.
And when the cost becomes too high, the body will call the bill due.
One of my physicians told me that patients who hold onto hope have a greater chance of recovery. Harvard Health Publishing echoes this in their article, “Understanding the Stress Response: Chronic activation of this survival mechanism impairs health.” They also note that while science hasn’t fully explained why, strong social connection and meaningful relationships may actually increase longevity.
So what does this mean for CEOs, executives, and physicians?
It means health is not built on productivity, perfection, or pressure.
It is not sustained by income level or titles.
And it is not protected by status or success.
Health is built on hope, and on healthy relationships.
Health is also built on faith, rest, connection, meaning, and love.
And sometimes, the strongest, bravest thing a high performer can do… is stop carrying life alone.
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