The Chris Voss Show - The Chris Voss Show Podcast – Unlocking High Performance and Energy with Suzanne Rath

Episode Date: March 30, 2025

Unlocking High Performance and Energy with Suzanne Rath Suzannerath.com.au Amazon.com Angelasedran.com/rome About the Guest(s): Suzanne Rath is a distinguished speaker, executive health and leadership coach, and an award-winning leader specializing in high-performance endurance leadership and sustained success. With a background in physiotherapy and business ownership, Suzanne has firsthand experience in overcoming burnout and chronic fatigue. She is committed to helping high performers, executives, business owners, and leaders reclaim their energy and lead with vitality through scientifically-backed health strategies and real-world leadership insights. Suzanne is also a contributing author to the book "She Built It: Inspiring Strategies and Stories for Women in Business". Episode Summary: In this engaging episode of The Chris Voss Show, host Chris Voss welcomes Suzanne Rath, a prominent executive health and leadership coach. They delve into Suzanne's inspiring journey from overcoming a life-changing accident to becoming a successful business owner and leader. Suzanne shares her experiences as a physiotherapist and business owner, emphasizing the importance of building a clinical space focused on holistic healthcare and preventative medicine. As a contributor to the anthology "She Built It," Suzanne articulates the significant lessons she learned on her path to success. This episode also focuses on strategies for regaining energy and achieving sustained success in high-pressure environments. Suzanne shares her expertise in using endurance sports as a metaphor for effective leadership and business management. She discusses the challenges faced by female entrepreneurs, particularly in balancing career demands with personal commitments and offers insights into energy management techniques for high performers. The episode is packed with practical advice on enhancing productivity, maintaining focused leadership, and creating a sustainable and energizing work environment. Suzanne also talks about her upcoming retreat, Renaissance in Rome, designed to empower women leaders worldwide. Key Takeaways: Suzanne Rath shares her journey of recovery and success, detailing how her life and career evolved following a traumatic accident. The episode emphasizes the value of endurance sports as a metaphor for mastering leadership and business dynamics. Energy management involves intentional time investment, boundary setting, and engaging in tasks that energize and fulfill. Notable techniques include taking intentional breaks, engaging in reflective practices, and aligning work with personal strengths for enhanced productivity. Suzanne's upcoming retreat, Renaissance in Rome, aims to offer female leaders strategic and personal clarity while exploring the heart of Italy. Notable Quotes: "Energy is like a bank account, right? You think very intentionally about when you're making deposits into it and when you're taking energy out." "I parallel the stories of endurance athletes and the lessons from endurance athletes with success in business and in life." "It's important to have these things lined up correctly. Anything that adds to that vision goes in, and anything that doesn't stays out." "Somebody coming in and saying, 'Oh, you need to meditate, or you need to eat better.' It just becomes another thing to our list of things to do." "Carving out thinking time is so important. I create a lot of thinking time so that I can visualize what's next."

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or review of any kind. We have an amazing young lady in the show. We're talking about some of her consulting, some of the different things she does. She's also a contributing author to the book. She built it, inspiring strategies and stories for women in business. And that came out September 26th, 2024 with a multitude of authors in it. And we'll get into all of her deets and lessons you can learn from her on how to make your lives better. And if you don't, or else we'll come back there.

Suzanne wrath is going to join us. She is a speaker, executive health and leadership coach and award-winning leader in specializing in high performance, endurance, leadership, and sustained success with a background as a physiotherapist and a business owner, she is firsthand experienced in overcoming burnout, chronic fatigue, and relentless demands of leadership. Her mission is to help high performers, executives, business owners, and leaders reclaim their energy, sharpen their focus, and lead with vitality.

She blends science-backed health strategies with real-world leadership insights, empowering professionals to thrive in high-pressure environments. She's the founder of multiple allied health practices and a coach to leaders and business owners. She speaks on sustainable, high-performance resilience and the power of endurance in leadership, drawing on lessons from both Business and Endurance Sports. Welcome to the show. How are you, Suzanne?

I'm great. Thanks, Chris. Thanks for having me. Thanks for coming. Giveusher.com is where you want people to find you on the interwebs and skies. Yeah. So I'm on susanrath.com.iu. I can also be found on LinkedIn and all the good socials.

So give us an overview of what's inside this book. Tell us what this book's about, She Built It. Anna So, She Built It is an anthology of female leaders that was curated by a good friend and former mentor of mine, Angela Sedrin, who brought together women with really unique stories of how they succeeded in business, how they succeeded in leadership. So mine tells a lot of my personal story and a lot of my background and how I guess Sue's 2.0 evolved, which is where I set up my clinics business on the basis of having had a life-changing accident, having rehabilitated myself, gathered a

team around me from having had a broken jaw and mild traumatic brain injury, but having that big vision that number one, I was going to get back to where I was before and do the things I wanted to do, which included running the Boston Marathon. And two, that I was going to build a clinic space that I would like to go to. So tell us about your life's journey and some of these things that you overcame and how you navigated your way through them. Yeah. So I speak a lot on endurance leadership and what I do with that is I parallel

the stories of endurance athletes and the lessons from endurance athletes with success in business and in life. And so when I look at, so behind me, I've got a huge amount of participation medals from crazy endurance sports, everything from road marathons to half Ironman to cycling across South America. But I'm a very ordinary athlete, right? Like I'm not going to represent Australia anytime soon. But the lessons that that has given me and on reflection, I look back and I see actually I've done a number of marathons in my life. So one of them was moving to Australia. I moved to Australia from Ireland 13 years ago. I had worked in quite high performance sport in Ireland and essentially I was starting again, building

a life in Sydney, building a lot of creative outlets, building a friends group. And at the point when I just had built that up, I then got hit by a car and ended up with this ongoing symptoms, which I later diagnosed as a post-concussion syndrome and this whole myriad of things from a constant headache to chronic fatigue to concentration issues. So things that people can't see. And I pulled myself out of that over a period of two years because I was determined this wasn't going to be my reality. I was diagnosed with an adjustment disorder,

which basically means that you're struggling to adjust to your reality after a trauma or an accident. And here's the thing. I was struggling to adjust because I wasn't really willing to accept that. Well, I had this big vision to get back to where I was. And the next step then was moving to Cairns, setting up my clinic business from scratch, scaling that, and then moving onto this next iteration of my life, which is in speaking and coaching. And what sort of work did you do when you say you set up your business and practice and things of that nature?

Yeah, so my background is as a physiotherapist. So I wanted to set up the clinical space that I would want to go to. So a space that embraced holistic healthcare, that embraced preventative medicine, where we thought outside the box, where we treated the whole person, not just a body part. So I wanted that multidisciplinary one-stop shop. where we thought outside the box, where we treated the whole person, not just a body part. So I wanted that multidisciplinary one-stop shop. And I got there over a period of the last eight years, like I've been the Cairns Businesswoman of the year, we've won multiple other awards. And a couple of years ago, I realized that actually I'd achieved that vision for the clinics. And then it became about designing my ideal role within the clinics. So three years ago,

I sat down, I wrote a letter to myself and what I would love my role to be like. And it was very much as that visionary big picture thinker strategy, but not managing the little day to day things. So not being involved in every little decision, not being stuck in the weeds and not pandering to absolutely everyone. So I really had to have a clear vision of where I wanted to go with that. And over the space of the three years, since I wrote that down, I've gotten to that space where I've built that role that's energized me. The clinics are ticking away really nicely. And we always are open to looking at services and things like that that will really enhance

the lives of our community and enhance the lives of Far North Queensland. So last year, we brought in mild hyperbaric oxygen therapy, which is awesome. Lots of people doing great work with that in the US. But for me, it was always about that boutique service. So it was never about franchising. It was never about just putting more bums on seats. It was about having really high quality whole person care.

And so anything that adds to that vision goes in and anything that doesn't stays out. It's important to have these things lined up correctly. And so tell us about some of the ways you help your clients and help people. I know you do some speaking, but what are some things people are coming to you, they're having problems with, they're having issues with, et cetera, et cetera. So big thing I see is around energy management. And the energy management really has three major quadrants. So I work with a lot of women who own businesses who are over 35, and they've hit the pinnacle of the career and they're looking around thinking, is this it? You know, I really, I thought this would be different.

Often they're still stuck in the weeds, they're still trying to keep everybody happy, they feel guilty if they step out of the business, they feel guilty when they're not with their kids, they feel guilty when they're not with their parents. And so there's this constant almost managing of lives rather than leading of lives. And this is where that three-part structure comes in. We need to look at how we build energy in our

roles and in our businesses. We need to look at how we build high-performance health habits and we need to look at how we build energizing lives. And that's everything from our boundaries and our resourcefulness to our relationships and the quality of our relationships. Can you give us an example of what it means to build energy? Because I need some. Yeah, energy is like a bank account, right? So you think very intentionally about when you're making deposits into it and when you're taking energy out. And so it really involves this intentional look

at how you are investing your time and the relationships, what you're putting into your body, the type of work that you're doing. And what was really interesting for me was I had grown to be really good at a lot of work that I was doing in the clinic space. But when I looked into genius zones and strengths and things like that, I was spending 80% of my time doing work that was really de-energizing.

So instead of being up here in this big picture thinking idea zone, I was down in the trying to get people together around ideas and help them on their terms zone, which is my zone of burnout. So I think if we can really get clear on the work that we love and the things that we love to do and get more of those, we're making those deposits into our energy bank. Make deposits in energy bank. I deposit a lot of coffee and espresso all day long. So I get the caffeine. That's what a lot of people do, right? And then alcohol to calm them down at night.

No, don't do that. I did that for 20 years. Yeah. I'm not doing that. So there's a lot that goes into managing and taking care of ourselves. You mentioned that a lot of females you work with, one of the troubles they have is balancing family, work, being an entrepreneur. Of course, you feel like you need to be in your office 24-7 or even if you aren't, you're

thinking about it 24-7. I mean, I used to just explicitly dream business. There was a point in my life where I was dreaming what I was going to do the next day, who was going to fire, what meetings I was going to have. I would literally dream my next day. And I knew what was do the next day, who was going to fire, what meetings I was going to have. I would literally dream my next day. And you know, I knew what was coming the next day. It's not like I would, you know, it was some sort of weird thing, but no, I was just like, I need to fire that person tomorrow and I have dreams about firing them and then meetings that I would have and I'd have dreams about those. And I'd just be like, can I just

dream about, I don't know, something that doesn't have to do with fricking business. Yeah. about, I don't know, something that doesn't have to do with freaking business. And a lot of people get into this and they're really struggling with the aspects of that. Now, there's one thing we want to promote. You're also hosting or helping host a retreat. Tell us about that. Anna Sands Yeah. So, in combination with Angela Sedrin, who, as I mentioned, co-authored the book, we are hosting Renaissance in Rome. So that is in September, the 5th to the 13th. This is actually Jubilee year in Rome, so it's a really great opportunity. We have got an organizer on the ground who lives in Rome. It's actually Angela's cousin, so we're going to get a lot of inside knowledge in terms

of where we eat and the tours we do. And it's going to be really nicely balanced with business strategy, leadership and wellbeing. And the purpose is really for women to come to gain clarity on their next steps. They leave with a 90 day profit plan, but also to gain clarity on what really lights them up and energizes them so that they have that success and that self-actualization. You got to have the energy refill. Yeah. And the thinking's fine.

Energy refill over here. Here's my cup. Just kidding. Energy is a big part of it, making sure that you're not... One thing that a lot of people and entrepreneurs are bad at is delegating. And it sounds like you were mentioning earlier about how you're trying to do some stuff, you're trying to do some tasks that you weren't excited to do. And I think in that sort of case, to preserve your energy, it's better to find somebody who's maybe better at that or... Just somebody can handle it. So you don't have to, cause yeah, there's, there's things I do out through my day. There's work pieces and I'm like, somebody else should do this because I don't want to do it.

Yeah. Yeah. Yep. And yeah, it's, if you're, if you've got to do it, your brain just sits there and goes, this is so tedious. This is such a waste of my time. Right. And there's a lot of negative self talk behind it. At least it is just me. I don't know. I don't live with it. And those things add up, right? Like those little five or 10 minute tasks are answering the questions. Like they really add up. Yeah. Yup. Yup. You know, my wife and kids want to talk to me and I'm like, seriously?

Is there somebody else that could do this? No, I'm just kidding. I'm just doing a joke. Yeah, that's a good idea for having a polygamous marriage where you have multiple husbands. Because then you're like, hey, can you go talk to the wife? Because I don't want to get in trouble. And then after that, can you go talk to the kids? And I'm going to play some video games here. People starting to figure out in the audience why I'm not married. Um, with kids, without kids. So their treat sounds like a lot of fun. That's going to be held in Rome. Rome's a beautiful country there. It's going to be stunning.

And yeah, having that inside, having that inside knowledge, being there in the Jubilee year as well will be really special. And I think, you know, for me, carving out thinking time is so important. I create a lot of thinking time so that I can visualize what's next. So I build that resourcefulness. And so I'm really clear on the next steps. I think often as entrepreneurs, like you said, we're just running from one thing to the next. So we're reacting rather than being

proactive. I plan my screwing around time pretty much all the time. So I'm like, that's what I do. I plan everything. I'm like, what are you gonna do this weekend, Chris? I just sit and play video games in my underwear and drink, sit naked in my in my lounge or couch and eat Cheetos all the time.

So I'll just be covered in a yellow dust Cheetos. Whatever floats your boat. Yep What ever floats your boat. Pete Yep. Whatever floats your boat. So that's my weekends, at least Fridays. So, you know, people really struggle with owning their own business. Do you mostly work with women? Kirsten I think women tend to struggle a lot more with guilt. So, I've worked with both men and women, but mindset is such a huge part of this and actually part of what we're doing in Rome is enabling women to step up to that next level. I know that at points in my life when I've switched

from having an employee mindset to a business owner mindset, when I've switched from having a you know business owner mindset to a director mindset, when I've switched from having a business owner mindset to a director mindset, when I've switched to having a coaching mindset, all of those things have been big step ups and I've needed different people around me. And I've really needed to change my mindset so I don't get dragged back in to the other things because we can be really good at doing something. But as you mentioned, it's not either necessary for where we're going or it's not what energizes us. Yeah. Pete Yeah. I mean, it can grind you down, man. I remember through my company is getting ground

down for stuff and not delegating, not, you know, I'm like, I can do this better, etc, etc. And where do you, with the keynote speaking, do you speak all over the world, I guess? Yes, I mostly Australia at the moment, but I certainly have the capacity to speak all over the world and I obviously am Irish originally, so I have that very diverse, I guess, outlook on things.

We have a really diverse team and work too, and you know, often that diversity of opinion. I think across countries though, we deal with really similar issues in terms of productivity and employee engagement and all of those things. Yeah. Pete Yeah. Ireland to Australia. Anna Hmm. Pete Seems kind of normal. Didn't everyone from Britain? Anna Quite common.

Pete Quite common, yeah. Except there's a lot of crazy things that can kill you on the Australian thing there, the spiders and the tigers and bears and the alligators. Crocodiles, we call them crocodiles. Yeah, crocodiles. You got crocodiles and you got, I don't know, I don't discern between crocodiles and alligators. I'm running from either one of them. I see one of them out. I'm sprinting the other way. I'm not even going to try and figure out, are you a crocodile or an alligator? Yeah.

Because both seem to have teeth and they're very big teeth. They roll with the death roll. Oh yeah, I've seen stuff on that and I'm just like, wow, yeah. The death roll, that sounds like the first seven divorces I had. Anyway, that joke never gets old. What have we talked about that you offer and help people with what you do in the work with them? What, sorry? What have we talked about? What have I missed? Is there anything I have missed that we want to tease out to people to get to know you better and work with you? Yeah. So I think, you know, going back to the idea of that marrying that health and that leadership

piece, a lot of really common health programs now and workplace wellbeing programs and so on, they actually miss the leadership and they miss the boundaries and the resilience building. And those pieces are so important because I think as business owners, we've got so many things, like so many arms in the fire and somebody coming in and saying, oh, you need to meditate or you need to eat better, you need to do this.

It just becomes another thing to our list of things to do. What we actually need to develop are not just those health habits that fit into our day and actually energize us, but also that laser focus. So this goes back to that endurance athlete model, the laser focus, the big vision, the ability to navigate towards that one vision. Because you don't see a lot of marathon runners that are like, oh yeah, I might just go off and play pickleball as well professionally, right? Like that laser focus that we all need to learn from, but also little things

like how to adequately use recovery so that we show up with fresh minds, with fresh thinking so we can actually lead rather than managing and then a little bit of recovery looks like. Yeah. So big key point for me is the scheduling of breaks and intentional breaks. So a lot of people think recovery or self care is all go to the spa or I'll take like a golfing weekend, right? And then I'll come back and I'll work 70 hours a week and I'll never take a

flight. I can work really long hours and be really energized, but in the day, I have two to three main types of breaks that I take. One of them is a piccolo break, and that's not because I always have a piccolo, but it's like a three to five minute break where I'm just really intentional about, instead of between big tasks going, oh, I'll quickly check my emails, I'll quickly book a flight. I close my eyes, I walk outside, I go and make a cup of tea, I pat the dogs. So I deliberately give myself that brain break and that break from that visual stimuli. And the research on these proper taking breaks shows an increase of

productivity of over 20%. So that's the seller for me, right? That's the reason for me to finish my block of one task that I've time blocked and to take that intentional five minute break. And then you've got your longer sort of lunch, like your recess. And generally for me, I would take about half an hour. I'll just change my surroundings. Again, I try and get out in nature, but I'm very, very intentional with what I do with that time. And so, when my phone's away, my phone's away,

when I'm not in work, I'm not in work. But when I'm in work, I'm present and I'm focused on those core tasks that I've actually diarized to do. Pete Slauson Yeah, very. Being focused really helps. I used to do the thing in the morning where, I do it during the summers and when it's warm, but there used to be this thing where you would go out in the sun, get your vitamin D, kind of look moderner through nature, get some peace, all that sort of stuff. And yeah, taking breaks and trying to reset, you know, keep your mind clear and everything. I mean, it can really make all the difference in the world when it comes down to it, really.

So, anything more we need to touch on or tease out about what you're doing before we go? No. I obviously for conference and professional speaking bookings, I can be contacted via my LinkedIn and can present online or in person. And otherwise, yeah, I'd love to chat further about high performance coaching and Renaissance in Rome. So, people can reach out to you, they can set up a call, all that sort of good stuff. Yeah, absolutely. Thank you very much for coming to the show, Suzanne. We really appreciate it.

Thanks for having me, Chris. Thanks to our audience for tuning in. Order up the book wherever fine books are sold. It is She Built It, Inspiring Strategies and Stories for Women in Business, and you can reach out to Suzanne for her Rome nice way to get into a beautiful city I mentioned earlier the country of Rome Italy is the country but I'm sure someone will send me like what are you a dummy you know I just it just some stuff just flops out about people and it's not that I'm dumb it's just that I'm dumb there guys thanks for that I'm dumb. Anyway guys, thanks for tuning in, be good to each other, stay safe, we'll see you guys next time. And that should have us out.