The Stress Loop You Can’t Think Your Way Out Of

I work with a lot of high-performing leaders — founders, CEOs, VPs. Smart people with serious drive. But even with all their success, many of them are falling apart inside their own bodies.

I’m not saying that to be dramatic. I’m saying it because they are.

One guy told me his hips were so tight he couldn’t sit through a two-hour meeting without pain. Another said he clenches his jaw through every client pitch. A third confessed he’d built a billion-dollar business — but couldn’t sleep more than four hours a night without waking up exhausted.

They all had their version of the same story: “I’m doing everything right. Why do I still feel like crap?”

The answer, more often than not, isn’t more mindset hacks or another 4AM routine. It’s that we’re stuck in our bodies. When we’re locked into a loop of drive, pressure, and performance — there’s no space to actually feel, breathe, or reset. (And I’ve been there too.)

Why High Performers Store Stress in Their Hips

Imagine only eating burgers and fries every day — no greens, no fiber, no water. You’d feel awful, right? Eventually your system would rebel.

Stress is the same. If we feed ourselves the same flavor of emotional stress without rest, joy, or balance, our systems start to shut down.

And one of the first places that shows up? Your hips.

Your hips are a major “holding zone” for emotional and postural stress. They tighten when we sit all day. They lock up when we’re anxious. They brace when we feel like we have to hold everything together.

For high achievers, that’s a daily pattern. Push forward. Tighten up. Repeat. 

Over time, that creates a postural trap: your body starts to reflect your drive: head forward, shoulders rounded, hips locked, breath shallow. (Do a gut-check right now: insert questions here)

You think it’s just normal tension — but it’s actually a message.

“I Don’t Have Time” = The Red Flag

Here’s what I hear all the time:

“I know I should stretch, but I just don’t have time.”

And I get it. The achiever in us always puts performance first. But if you never pause to reset, your body starts running the show through pain, tightness, fatigue, distraction.

And the cost isn’t just physical, because when your body’s out of balance, your leadership starts to follow.

Try This: The 3-Minute Hip Reset I Teach My Clients

This a simple, repeatable stretch I use with executive clients — one that helps restore calm, clarity, and space to breathe.

The Seated Hip Opener

1. Sit at the edge of your chair — feet flat, knees over ankles.
   
2. Cross your right ankle over your left knee, like a “figure 4.”
   
3. Sit tall through your spine. Then hinge gently at the hips to lean forward, keeping your back long.
   
4. Hold for 30–60 seconds. Breathe deep into your belly.
   
5. Switch sides.

If you feel sensation in your outer hip or glute, you’re doing it right. If you don’t feel anything, lean forward a bit more — or just give it time. Sometimes your body needs a few rounds to trust you again!

Why This Simple Stretch Works

It seems like magic, but it’s actually just regulation.

✅ It grounds your nervous system.
✅ It interrupts the stress loop.
✅ And it brings you back into your body.

One client told me:

“I started doing your stretch before my weekly team meetings. My team noticed before I did. They said I seemed calmer, more present… like I was actually with them. WHAT.”

That’s the power of embodiment. You don’t have to force presence. You create the conditions for it.

Leadership That Starts in the Hips

Look, I’m not saying a stretch will fix your leadership. But I am saying your leadership will feel better and be more effective when you’re not at war with your own body.

We don’t need more hustle. We need more honesty. Honesty about how we’re feeling. Where we’re holding. And what it might take to move from grind… to grounded.

Want to Feel It for Yourself?

I demo this exact stretch (and a few others) in this quick Instagram reel:
📺 Watch the 3-Minute Hip Reset

Or, if you want to go deeper:
→ [Book a Leadership Alignment Session]
→ [Join Sunday Stretch — a daily reset for body, mind, and mission]