The Most Powerful (and Free) Leadership Performance Enhancer

Last week’s issue: How to Speak So People Lean In 

Sign Up 
Join 7500+ leaders

If you're just joining us, welcome to House of Leadership. A weekly leadership newsletter helping leaders grow their careers.

If you find value in these newsletters and would like to support this publication, you can become a paid subscriber.

Looking to start a newsletter? Use Beehiiv (it’s what we use)

Welcome back to House of Leadership.
We explore what it really takes to grow and lead in high-performance environments. It’s not just about metrics, it’s about visibility, habits, leverage, and building teams that scale. Whether you’re climbing the ladder or coaching others to the top, this is your weekly playbook.

👉 This week: Exercise, the most underused leadership performance enhancer.

You’ve seen it:

One leader runs on caffeine, late nights, and adrenaline. Sharp in bursts, but fading fast.
Another walks into every meeting clear, focused, and energised, day after day.

The difference?
It’s not just sleep or diet.
It’s movement.

Exercise isn’t just about health.
It’s mental performance fuel.

Discover the measurable impacts of AI agents for customer support

How Did Papaya Slash Support Costs Without Adding Headcount?

When Papaya saw support tickets surge, they faced a tough choice: hire more agents or risk slower service. Instead, they found a third option—one that scaled their support without scaling their team.

The secret? An AI-powered support agent from Maven AGI that started resolving customer inquiries on day one.

With Maven AGI, Papaya now handles 90% of inquiries automatically - cutting costs in half while improving response times and customer satisfaction. No more rigid decision trees. No more endless manual upkeep. Just fast, accurate answers at scale.

The best part? Their human team is free to focus on the complex, high-value issues that matter most.

👉 Curious how they did it? Read the full case study to learn how Papaya transformed their customer support

Why Exercise Is a Leadership Superpower

Regular movement:
✅ Boosts mental clarity and decision-making speed
✅ Improves mood and resilience under pressure
✅ Increases focus for hours after a workout
✅ Builds the stamina you need for high-output days

It’s not about training for a marathon (unless you want to).
It’s about using exercise as a strategic tool for sharper leadership.

The Science in 60 Seconds

When you exercise:

• Blood flow to the brain increases → better concentration and memory

• Endorphins rise → improved mood and reduced stress

• Cortisol drops → calmer under pressure

• Neuroplasticity improves → you literally grow your brain’s capacity to adapt and learn

This isn’t theory, it’s biology.

3 Ways to Integrate Exercise Into a Leadership Life

1. Micro-Movement in Your Day

• Walking calls instead of desk calls

• 10–15 minute “movement breaks” between deep work sessions

• Stretching or mobility work before high-stakes meetings

2. Anchor Workouts to Your Schedule

• Morning sessions for mental clarity

• Lunchtime workouts for a mid-day reset

• Post-work exercise to mark the mental shift out of “work mode”

3. Make It Social

• Join a class or run club

• Find an accountability partner on your team

• Host a step challenge or charity fitness event

Run IRL ads as easily as PPC

AdQuick unlocks the benefits of Out Of Home (OOH) advertising in a way no one else has. Approaching the problem with eyes to performance, created for marketers with the engineering excellence you’ve come to expect for the internet.

Marketers agree OOH is one of the best ways for building brand awareness, reaching new customers, and reinforcing your brand message. It’s just been difficult to scale. But with AdQuick, you can plan, deploy and measure campaigns as easily as digital ads, making them a no-brainer to add to your team’s toolbox.

You can learn more at AdQuick.com

A quick story from my world

In one of my busiest quarters, I was working 60+ hours a week and felt like I was constantly “on.” I forced myself into a 30-minute run every morning before work.

The impact?
My 9am calls were sharper, I made decisions faster, and I ended the day with more energy for my family.

It wasn’t because I had the time, it was because I made it. And the return on that time was huge.

Bottom line?
Exercise isn’t stealing time from your leadership; it’s multiplying your capacity. The sharper your mind and the steadier your energy, the better you lead.

🔒 Up next, in the Premium section…
I’m sharing:
📅 The Leader’s Weekly Fitness Integration Plan
💡 5 quick “energy reset” routines you can do in under 15 minutes
🧠 The science-backed workout types that boost brain performance the most
📋 A “movement audit” to find exercise opportunities in your current schedule
🚀 How to use exercise to prepare for high-pressure days and big presentations

Because the most powerful leadership medicine is free — and you can take it every day.

👉 [Upgrade to Premium to access the Leadership Fitness Playbook »]

You’ve read the free stuff—now unlock the tools that actually move the needle. From plug-and-play talk tracks to proven leadership templates, this is the edge your peers wish they had. Upgrade now and lead with confidence, clarity, and calm—every single week.

Already a paying subscriber? Sign In.

A subscription gets you:

• • Plug-and-play talk tracks - Get word-for-word scripts for handling tough conversations, performance reviews, and escalation calls—so you never freeze or fumble.
• • Confidence boosters before key moments - Quick-read mindset resets and one-liners to ground you before team meetings, 1:1s, or presentations.
• • Proven leadership templates - Use battle-tested coaching plans, escalation frameworks, and team comms templates that save you hours and build trust fast.
• • Messaging that lands - Learn how to say what you mean with clarity and confidence—whether you’re giving tough feedback or rallying a demotivated team.
• • Creative engagement ideas - Inject energy into your team with easy-to-steal ideas for engagement, recognition, and alignment—even when morale is low.