The Carey Nieuwhof Leadership Podcast CNLP 755 | 29 Stress Points in 14 Months and My Health Wake-Up Call: Inside My Hardest Year in Leadership in 20 Years
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Sep 18, 2025 In this insightful discussion, Sean Morgan, a former military pilot and executive pastor, interviews Carey Nieuwhof about a tumultuous year in leadership marked by 29 stressors and a significant health crisis. Carey shares his personal journey through illness and how it forced him to rethink his approach to leadership and self-care. He emphasizes the importance of building margins in life, tracking stressors, and redefining contributions to avoid burnout. Listeners will walk away with practical tips on resilience and recovery.
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External Stressors Can Exceed Resilience
- Carey realized external stressors (events outside his control) can cumulatively erode leadership capacity.
- He learned tracking external stressors revealed a threshold where resilience weakens.
Track Stressors And Adjust Schedule
- Keep a running list of active external stressors and reassess when the count grows.
- Make schedule adjustments (more rest, margin, reduced work) once stressors hit a personal threshold.
Sudden Anemia And Prednisone Treatment
- Carey described an unexpected hospital admission and diagnosis of warm idiopathic hemolytic anemia.
- Doctors treated him with high-dose prednisone which resolved hemoglobin but caused severe side effects.
