The Hidden Cost of Ignoring Wellbeing in Management Roles

Wellbeing isn’t the opposite of ambition — it’s the fuel that makes ambition sustainable.

In 2015, I was exactly where I thought I wanted to be — living in a beautiful place and working for a hotel brand I deeply admired. I was ambitious, driven, and determined to grow my career. On top of that, I was going through a complex visa process, so the pressure to succeed felt even greater. Failure didn’t just mean disappointment – it felt like my whole future was at risk.

To prove myself, I pushed harder than ever. Twelve to thirteen hour days became normal. On my “days off,” calls from work still came through. The schedule was unpredictable — some weeks I’d start at 7 a.m., others at 2 p.m., and sometimes I’d work overnight shifts from 11 p.m. to 8 a.m. My body stopped knowing what a normal routine was.

Slowly, that lifestyle took its toll. I picked up smoking and drinking more. My relationships broke down, and I avoided new ones because I didn’t have the energy or headspace. Anxiety became constant, and even small things triggered it. On paper, my career was moving forward and my visa was close to being approved, but I didn’t feel happy. Strange… After all, isn’t that what we were taught? That real leaders push harder, keep going, and rest only when you are dead?

Warning Signs

We are often taught that if you are ambitious and want to achieve big dreams, you must sacrifice your health, your hobbies, your relationships. The truth is harsh: more than 50% of managers report feeling burned out (Harvard Business Review, 2023). In Australia, nearly 58% of middle managers say they have experienced burnout, up from 42% just a few years ago (HR Leader, 2023a). Meanwhile, 66% of Australian managers—compared to 53% globally—report burnout symptoms (HCAMag, 2022). And it’s not just a few isolated cases: 81% of Australian workers say they battle stress or burnout, often in silence (HR Leader, 2023).

These numbers aren’t about weakness – they are warnings. Signals that when we keep pushing without pause, the cost isn’t just ambition – it’s our bodies, our relationships, and our ability to lead wisely. As a result, we achieve less and suffer more.

Ambition is not the enemy. In fact, it’s something I deeply admire and strive for. But without awareness, ambition can quickly turn into exhaustion, resentment, and burnout both for leaders and for their teams. Here are some of the most common traps ambitious hospitality managers fall into:

• Glorifying exhaustion as a badge of honour – Making 14-hour workdays and 15 days straight a leadership example of good work ethics. Because nothing says “inspirational leader” like proudly demonstrating how little you have slept and how much you can suffer.
• Treating exhaustion with pizza and alcohol – Because there is no energy left to go to the gym. No wonder if you were running around fixing guest complaints on your eighth back-to-back shift.
• Relying on staff canteen food – It is convenient, it saves money, but far too often it is low-budget, carb-based, and low in nutrition. If you want your body to run like a Ferrari, maybe stop fuelling yourself like a lawnmower.
• Counting your 30,000 steps at work as a proper full-body workout – Sure, your legs are on fire, but no, pacing across the lobby in heels isn’t strength training.
• Ensuring everyone’s issues are solved before yours – Your guests got their upgrade into a quieter room, team got a day off and your boss is not stressed about the budget because you covered the gaps. Great job! Except you forgot about you.
• Limiting social interaction to work – Because humans are exhausting, especially after listening to their problems at reception all day. Who needs friends when you have guests, right?

So here I was, about to step into my next promotion – new hotel, bigger responsibilities and a slightly bigger paycheck. And then, just like for so many others, Covid changed everything.

Not going to lie, it was a stressful and uncertain time. It was painful to watch one of my favourite industries — hospitality and tourism — struggling so deeply. But that strange period also gave me something unexpected: space to rethink my priorities. It showed me that change is not only necessary, it is possible — and that you can build a successful career and a healthier life at the same time.

Action Plan

This is not medical advice, so please take it as general information only and consult with a professional to understand what is right for you. Here are a few things that helped me:

1. Admit that this is not the way you want to live – The first and hardest step is to say it out loud: I do not want to live like this anymore. I recommend writing it down. It might sound simple, but clarity is the foundation for change.
2. Sleep — even if it takes time out of your busy high-achiever schedule – Go to bed earlier rather than trying to sleep in late. Use magnesium, aromatherapy, a new pillow — anything that turns you into a sleeping beauty for a while. When I got sick, recovery took me 4 months. My advice – do not delay. It is not laziness, it is an essential repair.
3. Start learning about different options and resources around you – Education changed everything for me. I completed a Diploma of Wellness Leadership with ASWA, and it gave me the foundation on how I understood work, wellbeing, and leadership in a practical and relevant way.
4. Change the quality of your food – Make sure it is nutritious. The most common advice to start with: try a Mediterranean-style diet, reduce carbs, reduce sugar, and cut coffee to one cup a day (yes, I know… you used to run on 5 cups before lunch).
5. See a GP and admit that you might have issues – Ask for a blood test to check for deficiencies or other concerns. My symptoms were feeling down, lack of sleep, and creeping anxiety. I was scared by my results, and still dealing with some of them, but it is always better to know and address the problem than to ignore it and get worse.
6. Walk, swim, or dance — anything that moves your body with pleasure. Preferably outdoors. I did all three and loved it. Movement should not feel like punishment; it should feel like freedom.
7. Find interesting social connections – I was in a new place and most people around me did not understand my ambition or dreams. My best solution was joining the public speaking club Toastmasters — I learned, socialised, and felt better.
8. Talk to someone — counsellor, coach, psychologist, or even an inspirational podcast. A mentor that will guide to remind us that there is light at the end of the tunnel. Support is not weakness. It is strength. For me, that person was Angela Derks, the founder of ASWA, with whom I could talk openly about career, ambition, fears, health, challenges and just life. Angela is not just a course facilitator, Angela is a life-long mentor that I know I can always turn to when needed.

I hope that the sharing of my story reaches someone who is beating themselves up for pausing — for daring to think about taking a break while chasing their big goals. I understand you. I have been you. And yet, here is my story to help you see that pausing is not the end, it is often the turning point. Today, I am earning more than twice what I did back then, with the same set of skills that are now more valued and used in far more meaningful ways. Technically, I am working less, and I am definitely suffering less. I work business hours, and if I stay late, I take that time back. I have space to invest in my growth, my education, my health, my fitness, and the hobbies that make me feel alive.

No, I have not achieved every dream on my list yet. That list is very long. But now I stand on a foundation that is stronger, clearer, and healthier. I think sharper. I have more energy. I am more focused. And that means I am far more capable of achieving everything I set out to do.
Turns out, you do not have to work yourself into the ground to climb to the top — you just need the energy to keep climbing. Because success was never meant to cost you your health; it was meant to give you the strength to chase even bigger dreams.

References:

• Harvard Business Review. (2023) More than 50% of managers feel burned out. Available at: https://hbr.org/2023/05/more-than-50-of-managers-feel-burned-out (Accessed: 30 September 2025).
• HR Leader. (2023) Exploring rising levels of burnout among middle managers. Available at: https://www.hrleader.com.au/people/25881-exploring-rising-levels-of-burnout-among-middle-managers (Accessed: 30 September 2025).
• HCAMag. (2022) Australian employees suffer mass burnout. Available at: https://www.hcamag.com/au/specialisation/mental-health/australian-employees-suffer-mass-burnout/422659 (Accessed: 30 September 2025).
• HR Leader. (2023) 81% of the Australian workforce battles stress and burnout in silence. Available at: https://www.hrleader.com.au/wellbeing/24652-81-of-the-australian-workforce-battles-stress-and-burnout-in-silence (Accessed: 30 September 2025).

Daria Andrievskaya is a hospitality strategist and consultant specialising in wellbeing, team development, Gen Z engagement, and workforce innovation. With global experience across luxury hotels, teaching, and student experience, she helps organisations design people-focused strategies that improve culture, retention, and performance. Based in Sydney, she leads campus operations at ICMS (International College of Management Sydney), teaches future leaders at Swissam University, and builds practical learning solutions at Focus Energy Hub. Daria completed the ASWA Diploma of Wellness Leadership in 2022 and can be contacted through LinkedIn.

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