This Veteran Leader’s 4 Non-Negotiable’s on the Road

How they impacted my emotional and physical performance

By Dr. Theresa Larson, DPT 

I just got back from two full weeks on the road.

The first week, I was in Washington, D.C., with my new best friends in the George W. Bush Institute’s Stand-To Veteran Leadership Program, meeting leaders at Amazon HQ2, Boeing, Johnson & Johnson, the Travis Manion Foundation, and more. That weekend, I stayed to spend time with a friend who runs Mason Enterprise. The next week, my team and I launched our Veteran Leadership Program at Cisco in Washington, D.C., for its second year.

It was a full, meaningful two weeks. It was also early mornings, late dinners, and a lot of time at the front of the room, especially the second week.

Why This Matters to Me

When I present, I want to feel good mentally and physically. I want to be clear-headed, energized, and fully present for the people in front of me. And when I get home, I want to feel just as good for the people waiting there: my husband and two little boys.

You know this too.

You lead the briefing, the board meeting, and the all-hands. Your people take their cue from you.

But on the road, you’re usually the last one you take care of.

It’s Not a Discipline Problem

You don’t lack discipline. You’ve operated on less sleep and more pressure than most people ever will. When your health slides on the road, what’s missing is structure, because your normal structure stayed home.

“Traveling can be where good habits go to die.” —Dr. T

So I packed mine: four non-negotiables I’d keep no matter what, especially on the mornings I didn’t feel like it.

My Four Non-Negotiables for Staying Healthy on the Road

1. Exercise every morning

Some days it was just 14 minutes (1% of my day) in the hotel room. I rarely felt like it, yet I never regretted it. In Washington, D.C., we stayed near the National Mall, and the chance to see the monuments at sunrise gave me extra motivation to get out the door.

2. No drinking

I value my sleep too much, and I wanted to be sharp every time I presented. I held off until the final nights, when I didn’t have to present the next morning.

Dr. Marissa Rescott, our resident sleep scientist, teaches on the impact of alcohol on sleep, and to me it isn’t worth it. Sleep is the ultimate mood booster, energy booster, and hormone regulator, to name a few.

3. No screens before bed

Work email stayed off my phone. Work got 30 minutes in the morning and 30 at night, and then the screens went down. I picked up a real book that had nothing to do with work, and it told my brain the day was done.

4. Tell yourself “I get to” and “I got this”

On the mornings I felt tired or down, I changed the story I was telling myself. I get to lead these amazing people. I get to learn something new. I get to be in an incredible city. And before I walked into a room: I got this.

I appreciate encouragement from others, but I can’t wait for it. Positive affirmations matter, and I have to give them to myself too.

I also made sure to call my boys every evening at 9 p.m. ET.

Small Hinges Swing Big Doors… and Create a Domino Effect

I protected only four things, and each one knocked over the next domino.

Exercise gave me energy, so I wasn’t reaching for sugar at 3 p.m. Not drinking meant better sleep, and better sleep made eating well almost automatic. Putting the screens down meant I actually rested and walked into every room clear-headed.

None of it took willpower in the moment. I’d made the decisions before I left.

I don’t want to lead depleted, and I don’t want to come home depleted. I know you don’t either. Yet I know that’s exactly what can happen.

This trip, I got both. I was on my A game every time I presented, and I came home with something to give.

Try One on Your Next Trip

This is where most high performers get stuck: “If I can’t do all of it, why bother?” Don’t do all four. Pick one and make it non-negotiable:

• Exercise for 15 minutes before you open your laptop.
• Set your drink rule at home, not at the bar at 9 p.m.
• Stop screens 30 minutes before bed.
• Pack one book that has nothing to do with your job.

Then watch which dominoes fall next.

You Don’t Have to Build This Alone

You take care of your people. This is the work we do at Movement Rx in executive coaching for veteran leaders, with an emphasis on human performance: making sure someone takes care of you, too. You already know what to do. What’s usually missing is structure and accountability that hold up when your calendar doesn’t.

Sustainable performance isn’t built through willpower. It’s built through the right systems, the right support, and consistent accountability.

Build Your Road-Proof Plan: Book a Call →

Remember: taking care of yourself isn’t a luxury. It’s a leadership strategy.

Dr. T

P.S. Know a veteran leader about to live in airports for a month? Forward this to them.