Iryna Synychak is a Holistic Wellness Coach, speaker, and an author of “The CALM Entrepreneur” book. With a Master of Arts degree in Communications and Technology from the University of Alberta and a distinguished background in Journalism, she combines expertise in communication with her passion for wellness to guide leaders toward lasting wellness and sustainable business growth. Drawing on years of experience as a Certified Personal Trainer, with 20 years of working in healthcare field, Iryna integrates a comprehensive holistic approach to wellness that blends exercise, stress-management bodywork, and mindfulness therapies. Her method nurtures balance across body, mind, emotions, and spirit—empowering overwhelmed entrepreneurs, CEOs, and high-achieving leaders to thrive without burning out. Iryna’s professional journey also spans roles as a journalist, television reporter, and educator, where she learned the power of storytelling, awareness, and communication in inspiring change. Today, she channels that experience into motivational talks, keynote speeches, and her coaching practice, where she helps entrepreneurs design lives and businesses that support—not sabotage—their well-being.
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[00:00:00] Hey guys, Corey Poirier here. Welcome to BluTalks and I hope you enjoy this video.
[00:00:05] Hello everyone, it is a great privilege to speak today at Harvard University.
[00:00:36] And my talk title is How Wellness is Linked to Sustainable Business Growth. Would you agree that most entrepreneurs focus on strategy, scaling, marketing, AI and revenue? But what if the greatest untapped growth lever wasn't found in your business?
[00:01:03] What if it was found in you? What if your health, your energy and your well-being was the missing sustainable link to your growth? We spent years studying how to grow businesses, yet very few entrepreneurs are learning how to sustain themselves while growing it.
[00:01:32] According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, roughly 50% of businesses fail within five years. And it's not because every founder lacks opportunity or intelligence, but it's often because when the systems break, the entrepreneur breaks and growth becomes unsustainable. So today I'd like to propose a different question.
[00:02:02] What if sustainable business growth begins long before strategy? What if it begins with wellness? You see, but to understand that we first need to challenge one of the biggest myths in entrepreneurship, and that is that more hustle creates more growth. For decades we've been taught work harder, push harder.
[00:02:29] Hustle has become a business strategy, but hustle is not a growth strategy. Often it's a survival strategy. According to World Health Organization research from World Health Organization in 2023,
[00:02:46] it was found that chronic workplace stress costs close to over $300 billion in productivity loss each year. And founders are at the top of that list. Another recent study found that stressed entrepreneurs are 60% more likely to make reactive decisions
[00:03:14] that cost their companies growth and culture. So it seems like the harder we push, the more resistance we create. So if more hustle is not the answer, what is? In my book, The Calm Entrepreneur, I talk about wellness differently. I talk about wellness as infrastructure. It's the foundation underneath sustainable growth. You see, true wellness isn't just physical health.
[00:03:44] It's holistic. It's body, mind, your emotional and spiritual well-being, and lifestyle design. You see, when your body is depleted, your mind is scattered, your emotions are overloaded, and you lack a sense of purpose, then your growth becomes more difficult to sustain.
[00:04:14] I know this message because I lived it myself. You see, for years I thought that if I just managed my physical health, eating well and workouts, everything would just fall into place. I think it's the best way to do it. Stress, emotional patterns from my past, and the lack of alignment with my deeper purpose were pulling me off a balance.
[00:04:43] And it wasn't until I adopted comprehensive holistic approach that my life truly shifted. It's the best way to do it. You see, your wellness is not separate from business performance. In fact, your wellness drives your business performance.
[00:05:08] Have you ever thought about why a lion is one of the most powerful animals in nature? When you observe a lion, what stands out isn't some frantic activity. Lion is calm, present, still and confident. It conserves energy and it observes.
[00:05:37] And when action is required, it moves with precision. And that's the secret. True power is in constant motion. True power is disciplined energy. Which leads us probably to the most important realization of all, and that is that the entrepreneur is the growth engine. You are the growth engine.
[00:06:06] Your energy drives performance. Your clarity drives your decisions. Your persistence drives your consistency in business. And of course, your well-being drives the sustainability of your business. Your business can grow as far as the leader grows.
[00:06:30] According to a 2023 entrepreneur well-being report, founders report, founders who cultivate daily calm rituals like breathing, reflection, journaling, and reflection. And the people report 25% growth year after year in comparison with those who operate in a constant stress.
[00:06:57] So obviously, when wellness improves, your clarity, your leadership, your growth improves. And the real question then becomes, can we afford not to prioritize wellness? And so it has become my mission to help entrepreneurs understand that business growth is not built on exhaustion. It cannot.
[00:07:27] It is built on your wellness. Because when the leader thrives, your business has far greater chance to thrive too. Thank you. Thank you. And now I would like to lead you through a quick exercise. It's called Calm Breath Reset. So if you will, just place your feet on the ground. Relax your shoulders.
[00:07:54] And we are going to breathe on the count of four. Two, three, four. Hold for two and breathe out on the count of six. And as you exhale, just exhale all the tension that you are carrying today. And let's do that again. Breathe in calm. Hold and release.
[00:08:21] And as you can see, you know, in just short few seconds, you feel your jaws relaxed. You know, you created a space of calm and you just let your nervous system know that you are safe. Thank you. Thank you.
[00:09:45] Thank you. This podcast is a part of the C-Suite Radio Network. For more top business podcasts, visit c-suiteradio.com. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.