Mastering Leadership Mindset: What Healthcare Executives and Business Owners Can Learn from Bodybuilders and High Performers
“If a man trained his brain like he trained his chest, he’d have whatever kind of life he wanted.” — John Anderson
In today’s fast-paced business environment, the pressure to scale, perform, and constantly adapt often leaves leaders running on fumes—sacrificing both their physical and mental health along the way. For many small business owners, the constant grind of juggling vital tasks, navigating strategic planning, and managing the negative aspects of leadership can feel overwhelming. Add to that the daily barrage of distractions that rob them of the ability to spend time wisely, and you’ve got the perfect storm for burnout.
But what if the key to growth wasn’t in the next strategy or marketing funnel—but in training your mindset like a muscle?
On a recent episode of All Things LOCS, we sat down with John Anderson—former professional bodybuilder, strongman, and mindset coach—to unpack how mastering your internal world can radically transform your external results. His message was clear: “The real estate between your ears is a supercomputer—if you don’t know how to program it, it’ll run you into the ground.”
This isn’t just about self-help—it’s about learning how to protect your healthy work-life balance, redirect your focus toward high-impact tasks, and lead from a place of clarity and discipline. It’s about making a clear distinction between motion and progress, and about developing dedicated time to prioritize both business and personal growth.
Let’s break down the biggest takeaways for healthcare executives, business owners, and growth-minded leaders alike. These lessons aren’t just motivational—they're rooted in neuroscience, leadership psychology, and peak performance principles that shape lasting success.
Your Brain is a Supercomputer—But It’s Programmed for Survival, Not Success
Anderson’s core philosophy centers on a simple but powerful truth: your brain is wired to keep you safe—not help you thrive. That means it defaults to comfort, familiarity, and fear-avoidance unless you intentionally redirect it. This speaks directly to the common challenge of a scarcity mindset and the need to intentionally rewire toward an abundance mindset.
“Your brain is always going to go to the problem first. It’s going to go to comfort, to familiar—and that’s not where success lives.”
For healthcare leaders and business owners, this insight matters. When your mental defaults are rooted in scarcity or avoidance, it can sabotage decision-making, especially under pressure. Recognizing the difference between instinctual protection and strategic thinking is the foundation of all high-level leadership work.
It also explains why so many teams fall back on “this is how we’ve always done it”—not because it works, but because it feels safe. But in today’s climate, playing it safe is often the riskiest move of all.
Business Example — Negative Loops in Healthcare Culture
In healthcare, this manifests when clinics default to outdated systems because they’re “what we’ve always done.” Just like the mind repeats familiar patterns, organizations repeat broken ones. Leaders must train themselves—and their teams—to choose discomfort in pursuit of growth. Growth is found in clarity and courage, not comfort and convenience.
And that means taking the time to identify growth opportunities, not just chase urgency.
Addiction, Discipline, and the Power of Constructive Obsession
One of the most eye-opening insights came from Anderson’s approach to addiction. Rather than deny his addictive tendencies, he reframed them as superpowers—when directed at the right things.
“An addict is a highly potential individual. If you can take that addictive drive and aim it at something constructive, you’ve got a weapon.”
He described how he used his compulsive drive to fuel bodybuilding, business success, and eventually, mentorship. It’s a leadership reframe with massive implications. The principle here is that intensity, when managed properly, becomes impact. Leaders don’t need to dull their edge—they need to sharpen it with direction.
Leadership Takeaway — Rewire Before You Replace
In healthcare or business settings, this principle applies to both leaders and staff. Instead of trying to suppress negative patterns (e.g., toxic habits, poor communication, bad hiring), leaders should redirect that energy into structured improvement—like team development, SOP building, or training frameworks that support leadership and personal growth. These frameworks become the scaffolding that shapes sustainable progress.
This doesn’t mean ignoring problems—it means reshaping them. Just like a fitness plan transforms the body, a leadership framework transforms the organization.
The 24-Hour Loop: A Time Management System for Leaders
Anderson introduced a concept called the “24-hour loop”—a breakdown of your day into one-hour slots. This ties directly into mastering time management and applying practical strategies to leadership.
“You’ve got 24 slots a day. What are your dangerous slots? The ones where you self-sabotage? Defend those.”
Whether it’s mindless scrolling at night or reacting to every inbox ping, these habits stack into culture. For healthcare professionals constantly in reactive mode, this perspective offers a way to regain control. Leadership starts with how you lead yourself hour by hour.
Operational Strategy — Build a System Around Time Defense
What if every clinic manager blocked 30 minutes to prep instead of rushing into the day? What if executive teams protected their highest-leverage slots instead of living in Zoom fatigue? Defending time is not a luxury—it’s a leadership system grounded in mastering personal time management and protecting time spent during work hours.
Use tools like to-do lists, specific tasks, and batching techniques to help your team spend their time effectively and in alignment with larger business goals. Without that structure, burnout becomes inevitable—and performance suffers.
Failure as the Front Door to Success
“Failure and success are Siamese twins. You can’t have one without the other.”
Anderson challenges the idea that failure is something to be avoided. Instead, he reframes it as data, testing, and progress. He draws on Michael Jordan’s legacy—most game-winning shots and most missed—as proof that success is built on failed attempts. The fastest learners win the longest.
When leaders stop fearing failure, they start leading with creativity and courage. The goal isn't perfection—it's adaptation.
Healthcare Analogy — Failure in Business ≠ Failure in Medicine
In medicine, failure has life-or-death consequences. But in business, it’s essential for innovation. Many doctors turned clinic owners struggle here. They expect entrepreneurial ventures to be flawless like clinical procedures—but growth requires risk, feedback, and fast iteration. Accepting this truth separates high-functioning clinic leaders from overwhelmed practitioners.
Progress in business isn’t sterile—it’s messy, dynamic, and deeply human. And that’s okay.
Scarcity vs. Winning Mindset: The Choice You Make Daily
Anderson wakes up at 3 a.m. and immediately checks his mindset.
“If I start thinking the wrong way, I talk to it. I say, ‘I’m not listening to you today.’”
This type of intentional inner dialogue is more powerful than most performance hacks. In healthcare leadership, the same discipline applies—especially during burnout phases. Train your mind like your chest. It’s daily mental hygiene, not once-a-quarter self-care.
Leaders who win consistently aren’t motivated—they’re mentally conditioned.
Morning Rituals and Mental Reps
Anderson wakes up at 3 a.m. and immediately checks his mindset.
“If I start thinking the wrong way, I talk to it. I say, ‘I’m not listening to you today.’”
This type of intentional inner dialogue is more powerful than most performance hacks. In healthcare leadership, the same discipline applies—especially during burnout phases. Train your mind like your chest. It’s daily mental hygiene, not once-a-quarter self-care.
Bioindividuality, Performance, and the Future of Health
Anderson’s health framework focuses not on generalized best practices, but on bioindividuality—teaching clients to understand how their own bodies (and minds) respond to food, training, and stress.
“Most people only understand two signals from their stomach: ‘I’m starving’ or ‘I ate too much.’ There are thousands of signals in between.”
He encourages leaders to decode their own data—just as they would a P&L or patient report. When you lead your biology, you lead your business.
You can’t optimize your clinic if you’re running on burnout, inflammation, and guesswork. Precision leads to performance.
Healthcare Culture Takeaway — Personalization is the New Productivity
If leaders understood their peak times, dietary needs, and stress triggers like they understand their quarterly goals, they’d lead better teams. Clinics preaching whole-person care must also support whole-leader awareness as part of leadership and personal growth. The body fuels the business.
Your calendar isn’t just filled with tasks—it’s filled with indicators of your health and leadership capacity.
Culture, Community, and Choosing Your Inner Circle
“The brain can’t feel anxiety and gratitude at the same time.”
Anderson emphasizes the need for leaders to surround themselves with people who reflect where they want to go—not where they’ve been. He speaks against the Lone Ranger mentality, especially common in entrepreneurial circles. Growth happens faster in the right room.
The room you sit in determines the conversations you hear—and the standards you adopt.
Company Culture Tip — Audit the 5 People Closest to Your Leadership
Are your department heads lifting the team or leaking energy? Is your leadership circle focused on problem-solving or problem-sharing?
As Anderson puts it:
“Look around—what’s around you is exactly what you are.”
Your culture is a mirror.
Final Thoughts: Principles Over Hacks
John Anderson doesn’t rely on hacks, tools, or trends. His leadership playbook is rooted in repetition, discipline, and mental mastery. Whether you're a clinic director, COO, or entrepreneur, his philosophy rings true:
“Your business won’t grow if you’re toast. So are you building your business—or are you building yourself?”
If you want lasting success, start with the supercomputer between your ears. It’s the only system that powers every other one.
📌 Key Takeaways for Business and Healthcare Leaders:
Train your mind like a muscle—start every day with intention and mental reps.
Reframe failure as necessary testing, especially in entrepreneurship.
Defend your 24-hour loop—audit your time slots and protect your energy using practical time management strategies.
Redirect compulsions (addictions, scrolling, sugar) into constructive rituals.
Surround yourself with growth-driven people who live what you want to lead.
Work with John Anderson — Master Your Mindset
If you're ready to stop running in circles and finally reprogram the supercomputer between your ears, connect directly with John Anderson. His no-fluff approach to mindset, discipline, and personal mastery has transformed bodybuilders, business owners, and elite performers alike.
🔥 Whether you're fighting addiction, battling burnout, or simply stuck in neutral—John helps you build a bulletproof mind and a winning internal operating system
Visit John’s Coaching Page to book a breakthrough call.
Work with Best Practice Strategies — Build Leaders, Not Followers
If your team is stuck in outdated patterns, tolerating chaos, or reacting instead of leading—it's not just a performance problem. It’s a leadership and culture issue.
At Best Practice Strategies, we help clinic owners and business leaders create operational clarity, build self-led teams, and multiply revenue—without relying on more patients, insurance, or burnout.
✅ Our LOCS™ Protocol focuses on Leadership, Operations, Culture, and Strategy to turn your practice into a growth engine with a strong, scalable culture.
