‘I Thought I Was Having a Heart Attack’: 5 Lessons on CEO Health and Leadership

Editor’s Note: As part of our ongoing CEO Health and Wellness coverage, we invited Mark Taylor (center), a Vistage Master Chair in New York and recipient of the 2022 Don Cope Memorial Award, to share this personal story.

Twenty-four years ago, I sat at the helm of the Taylor Systems Engineering Corporation, watching the clock tick through another orderless day. It had been 60 days since 9/11 stopped the world cold, and the silence of our phones was deafening. The air in my office felt heavier with every layoff, every decision carved from fear. Then came the Vistage meeting, my escape.

Walt Sutton stood before us, his voice steady, painting a picture of the invisible backpack every CEO straps on the day they start a business; a pack crammed with worry, risk, and the crushing weight of responsibility. His words hit like a punch to the chest. For the first time, I realized how bent my back had become.

I hadn’t slept the night before. I was running on two lattes, anxious about an upcoming trade show, and doing what many CEOs do best: powering through exhaustion.

Then it hit me. My heart started racing. My chest tightened. Something felt seriously wrong.

But I didn’t say a word.

I told myself, “Don’t make a scene.” I had a dinner meeting that night. A flight to catch. Calls to make.

So I walked out quietly, got in my car, and drove 80 miles per hour to the nearest Urgent Care facility, still on the phone with my GM, still pretending I was fine.

When they hooked me up to an EKG, the nurse left the room in a hurry. The doctor followed: “You’re having premature ventricular contractions. A stress response.”

That was my wake-up call.

CEO Health and Leadership Lesson No. 1: The Body Keeps Score

You can tell yourself you’re fine. That you’re strong. That you can push through. But your body always tells the truth.

As CEOs, we often believe the myth that leadership means being unshakable. We must suppress doubt, fatigue, and even illness to be effective.

But leadership isn’t about endurance at all costs. It’s about sustainability. You cannot lead if you’re unwell.

Actionable Insight: Make self-checks a non-negotiable habit. Schedule your physicals, get real sleep, and notice your stress patterns. Leadership longevity depends on it.

CEO Health and Leadership Lesson No. 2: Rest Is Not Weakness

Back then, I believed rest was a liability. That pausing meant losing ground.

Today, I know better. Rest is not weakness. It’s wisdom. It’s preparation. It’s an act of leadership.

Your team needs a leader who is present, calm, and clear. That only happens when you’re rested.

Actionable Insight: Redefine your relationship with rest. Start small: Commit to 7 hours of sleep a day. Block time on your calendar for unstructured thinking. Take 1 tech-free evening a week.

CEO Health and Leadership Lesson No. 3: Self-Care Is a Leadership Responsibility

This isn’t about willpower or weight loss. It’s about taking responsibility for your team, your family, and everyone who counts on you. Most importantly, it’s taking responsibility for yourself.

Ignoring your health is not noble. It’s neglect.

Since that wake-up call, I’ve lost 40 pounds. I work out daily. I meditate morning and night. I see a doctor the moment something feels off.

I practice Positive Intelligence to strengthen my mental fitness the same way I strengthen my physical fitness, and I became a certified Positive Intelligence coach because I believe it’s vital for effective leadership in others.

Actionable Insight: Build your health into your operating system. Create a ritual that supports your body and mind. Treat it like any other essential business function.

CEO Health and Leadership Lesson No. 4: Pressure Is Real. So Is the Cost of Ignoring It.

The CEO role is inherently stressful. That backpack Walt described? It doesn’t go away. But it can be managed. And it must be.

When we ignore the signs — the skipped meals, the lost sleep, the tight chest — we gamble with everything we’re building.

Actionable Insight: Take inventory of your pressure points. What’s draining you? What are you avoiding? Who can help? Burnout isn’t a badge of honor. It’s a signal.

CEO Health and Leadership Lesson No. 5: The Strongest Leaders Ask for Help

I didn’t want to cause a scene. I didn’t want to look weak.

But the truth is that it takes more courage to say, “I’m not okay,” than to pretend that you are.

That moment in the doctor’s office was humbling. And necessary. Because it broke the illusion that I could do it all on my own.

Actionable Insight: Cultivate vulnerability. Share with your coach, your Chair, your trusted peers. Start a conversation. You don’t have to carry the backpack alone.

Final Thought: Leadership Starts With Leading Yourself

That day 20 years ago changed me and not just physically. It changed how I define leadership. It’s not about sacrifice at all costs. It’s not about toughness. It’s about alignment. It’s about clarity. It’s about taking care of the human being behind the title.

If you’re reading this and feel that flicker of recognition — if you’re wired, tired, “fine” but not well — please don’t wait for a crisis to change your course.

Pause. Reflect. Reach out. Even one small change could be your turning point.

Because leadership is a marathon. And you can’t lead if you’re not here.

Related Resources

CEO Health & Wellness Resource Center

How CEOs Train Like Elite Athletes for Peak Leadership

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