WE’RE halfway through 2025, and it’s a good time to ask: how’s business? More importantly – how are you doing?
This time of year, most entrepreneurs are recalibrating goals or trying to justify why they’ve fallen off track. But what if the real reason we’re struggling has nothing to do with strategy, and everything to do with what’s happening in our minds?
In a recent conversation with high-performance psychologist and mental fitness coach Chelsea Cree, we dug into the connection between mental health and business performance – and why mental fitness might be the most overlooked tool in our success toolkit.
What is mental fitness?
Chelsea defines mental fitness as the practise of training your brain and body to function at their highest capacity.
“Mental fitness is a mind-body approach to training your brain to think, feel, and perform at your highest level,” she explained. “It’s about rewiring the psychological barriers that come from survival mode so you can unlock your full potential.”
This isn’t therapy. It’s not meditation. And it’s not something you do once and check off a list. “It’s like the gym,” she said. “You don’t go once and expect to be strong forever. It’s a consistent, daily practice.”
We’re still in survival mode
During our conversation, I reflected on something I’d said in a group recently: “How do you expect solutions to be implemented when everyone is still trying to survive?”
That idea sparked a deeper conversation with Chelsea – because this is exactly what she sees in her work. Too many people in business are trying to build growth from a foundation of stress, burnout, and emotional exhaustion.
“We’ve normalised suffering,” she said. “So many of us are disconnected from our bodies and emotions. We don’t even realise how burnt out we are because that has always been our baseline.”
This survival state shows up in subtle but dangerous ways – overthinking, self-doubt, impulsive decisions, and, eventually, shutdown.
Burnout in a business suit
Chelsea works with high performers – executives, founders, and creatives – and the patterns are consistent.
“When leaders don’t prioritise their mental fitness, you get emotional volatility, poor decision-making, and reactive leadership,” she explained. “You might look the part on the outside, but your nervous system is fried.”
The consequences? Tense workplaces. Disconnected teams. Business owners who appear successful but feel hollow. Chelsea calls it “chasing empty success” – something many of us in the Caribbean know all too well.
How to build mental fitness
Fortunately, mental fitness isn’t reserved for CEOs or elite athletes. Chelsea shared a few tools that anyone can start with, no matter where they are:
1. Regulate your nervous system
You can’t think clearly if your body is constantly in fight or flight.
“Your nervous system governs how you respond to stress, people, and business challenges,” she said. “Breathwork and movement are two of the best tools for regulation.”
2. Use AI to support reflection
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