Issue #84 • August 4th, 2026

Hi Reader,

In 2023 I stepped away from the business I built. What people didn't see was the two years before that, going through a divorce in 2021 while still running the business, still showing up, still pushing.

People called me superhuman. I let myself believe that for a while, because it felt better than the truth: I was running on fumes and calling it strength.

By 2023, I finally felt it. Not a rough week, a real loss of energy that didn't bounce back with a good night's sleep. I had time on my hands for the first time in years, and realized I didn't actually know how to recharge. I only knew how to push.

I'm seeing this same pattern with so many of my clients right now. Different businesses, different stages, same story. Carrying more than anyone realizes, praised for how much they can handle, quietly running on empty while everyone assumes they're fine.

Nobody teaches high performers energy management, because we're too busy performing. We optimize our calendars, our teams, our systems, everything except the one resource everything else depends on. And when people call you superhuman for how much you carry, it gets even harder to admit what's actually been sacrificed. Sleep. Workouts. Time with the people who matter most.

A few days ago Doralicia and I were driving to the Belize airport, listening to A Changed Mind, and the host mentioned Les Brown. One line stuck with me the whole flight home: life is going to catch you on the blind side. You're either just coming out of something hard, or heading into something hard. The only real question is whether you have anything left when it happens.

That reminded me of a call with a business consultant who spent a decade at Amazon before going out on his own. He said he always envied entrepreneurs, we get to call our own shots, answer to no one.

He's right. He's also only seeing half of it. Nobody tells you when to stop when you're the one calling the shots. You have to notice it yourself, especially when everyone's telling you how impressive it is that you haven't.

Here's the part I'm still working through. Being all in and making time for what actually matters can feel like they pull in opposite directions, like commitment means you don't get to protect your energy. I don't think that's true, but I'd be lying if I said I've found the exact line.

A few questions for you to sit with:

What are you telling yourself the cost of slowing down would be? Lost momentum, looking weak, falling behind. Is that actually true, or just the story that's kept you pushing?

Who around you is calling your exhaustion a strength? Are they the ones who'll be there when it finally catches up with you?

What has actually gotten pushed to the bottom of the list? Sleep. Working out. Real, present time with your family. Be honest about what's been quietly sacrificed.

If nothing changes, where does this lead in a year? Not dramatically. Just quietly, the way it usually happens.

What is one thing you could actually put on the calendar this week that isn't work?

I don't have this fully figured out either. But I'd rather be asking these questions now than find out the hard way, again, what happens when I don't.

Mathias Ihlenfeld | Entrepreneur | Coach | Advisor

P.S. If it's been a while since we talked, I'd love to catch up, no agenda, just to connect. Grab some time here if you're up for it: calendly.com/mathiasihlenfeld​

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