Three senior leaders get honest about what it costs to keep leading when you're stretched thin. The CEO of Lew Geffen Sotheby's International Realty, the Chief of Payments and Partnerships at JUMO, and the former CMO who led Kulula, British Airways, and Hollard share the moments work was quietly costing them everything else, and how they got themselves back. The numbers don't stop. The deadlines don't stop. And somewhere in the middle of it all, the people who matter most start getting scraps. This is a conversation that doesn't usually happen in public. Three senior leaders open up about navigating mental health at the top, running toward every crisis until something breaks, and the moment a child said "mommy, we need you back". Guests: Yael Geffen is the CEO of Lew Geffen Sotheby's International Realty, one of South Africa's most recognised property brands. She has spoken openly about navigating bipolar disorder while leading at the highest level, and what that openness gave her back. Brad Roper is the Chief of Payments and Partnerships at JUMO, leading live partnerships across the African continent. He defines his job by running toward whatever is on fire, until the moment his family told him he had stopped being playable. Heidi Brauer is the former Chief Marketing Officer at Hollard, after leading brands like Kulula and British Airways at the top of South African corporate marketing for over a decade. Today she runs her own consultancy and brings a lens on leadership from outside the corporate machine. They explain: ◼ Why Brad realised he was giving the people he loves the scraps (and what changed when his mom told him "you're not playable")◼ What Yael learned by disclosing her bipolar disorder at the top of one of South Africa's biggest property brands◼ The moment Heidi's son said "mommy, we need you back", and what she did with eight weeks notice and nowhere to go◼ How Yael reframes her mental health as a "brilliant burden", and what that does for how she leads◼ Why Heidi's "agenda-less meetings" surface more useful insight than the meetings with agendas Timestamps: (00:00) - Episode trailer (01:03) - Welcome to Leading Awake (03:28) - The belief shift: what these leaders changed their mind about (07:34) - The mental health conversation: Yael's relapse, firing, and the culture she vowed to build (11:22) - Brad on the turnstile, imposter syndrome, and head/heart/health (14:08) - Yael on imposter syndrome and a "crisis of confidence" (15:17) - Heidi and Pierre: "promise me you'll never change" (19:00) - "Mommy, we need you back": Heidi's bathroom mirror moment (20:48) - The PEAK Practice Programme (mid-episode) (22:52) - "Red is good" and the family reckoning: Brad on running toward crisis (24:41) - Heidi: keeping the main thing the main thing (26:11) - Brad's rituals for staying present (27:41) - "The person getting scraps was me": Yael on self-discipline (30:46) - Heidi on the restructure she didn't survive (31:30) - Agenda-less meetings: the gem in the last 10 minutes (33:16) - Three closing reflections from the table (34:52) - Closing thoughts + PEAK Practice About Leading Awake: Leading Awake is a podcast for senior leaders who want to see clearly under pressure, connect more deeply, and respond more wisely in the high-stakes moments that count. Each episode is an honest, unscripted conversation with senior leaders who are willing to drop the mask and talk about what it actually takes to lead at the highest levels. Host Gilan Gork started as a professional mentalist working with the human mind on stages across more than 40 countries, including Fortune 500 companies, governments, and NATO. That work pulled him deeper into the inner game of leadership, and into the body of work that became PeakAwake. More at https://peakawake.com The 14-Day PEAK Practice Programme: Everything in this episode points to the same thing: when the pressure is on, your perception narrows, exactly when you need it to be widest. The PEAK Practice Programme is a 14-day guided audio practice built to train the inner capacity to see clearly and respond wisely in real conditions. 10 to 15 minutes a day. Leaders who've completed it call it one of the most practically useful things they've done for their leadership. Start here: https://peakawake.com If this conversation lands with you: Follow Leading Awake on your podcast app so you don't miss the next conversation. And if you have a moment, please leave a rating or a review. It sounds like a small thing, but it's the most useful way to help platforms recommend the show to other senior leaders who'd benefit from these conversations. If you know a leader who'd recognise themselves in this episode (the one running toward every crisis, the one whose family is quietly waiting for them to come back) share it with them. That's how community builds.
