Ambition can bruise.
43% of women in leadership report burnout (Deloitte, 2022).
After three corporate layoffs and one almost-relocation to London, something didn’t sit right. “I was good at my job,” she says, “but I wasn’t thriving.” So, former startup CMO and General Mills brand leader Zoe Schwartz traded corporate KPIs for executive wellness coaching.
Zoe entered the world of health coaching with the same strategic intensity she brought to her marketing efforts. What emerged was the need for a structured, data-informed program that addresses competing feelings of achievement and burnout, noise and clarity, and imposter syndrome with confidence through physical movement and mental recalibration.
Today, she runs Strategic Strength, a 12-week program that helps high-performing women turn physical fitness into a repeatable system for mindset resilience, business growth, and leadership clarity. Here are some impactful lessons from her client work.
From Brand Leader to Wellness Coach: Zoe’s Pivot
After nearly two decades scaling billion-dollar brands, Zoe’s body and instincts started whispering what spreadsheets couldn’t.
“I was good at my job,” she says, “but I wasn’t thriving.”
A layoff, a rejected transatlantic relocation, and months of reflection prompted a powerful pivot. Zoe entered the world of health coaching with the same strategic intensity she brought to marketing. What emerged was Strategic Strength, a structured, data-informed program that addresses burnout, clarity, and confidence through physical movement and mental recalibration.
5 Leadership Lessons from Strategic Strength
1. Empathy Is a Strategic Advantage
Zoe’s time in Fortune 500 environments gave her a front-row seat to the complexities of matrixed orgs. That experience shaped how she coaches leaders today.
“I saw the real barriers people face especially women and how those impact decision-making.”
She now builds empathy into everything: from onboarding to performance feedback.
2. Run Toward Something Not Just Away
Zoe didn’t just escape corporate life, she ran toward a calling.
“The worst that could happen is I’d need another job. That’s freedom, not failure.”
Treat career pivots as optionality. Fear rarely leads to strategic growth. Action does.
3. Reputational Fitness > Résumé Padding
When Zoe declined a permanent role in London, she still paid out-of-pocket to fly back and ensure a flawless handoff. That’s reputational fitness:
“Leaving well is a leadership skill. It builds bridges you don’t know you’ll need.”
Skill opens doors. Reputation keeps them open.
4. Productise and Humanise
Strategic Strength isn’t about selling hours, it’s about selling outcomes. Zoe packages her offer with four integrated pillars and weekly accountability.
“People show up more consistently when others are counting on them.”
External motivation, internal change.
5. Make It Fun or Forgettable
“If you’re excited, your clients and team will be too.” Fun is an emotional traction. From onboarding to team check-ins, Zoe builds enthusiasm into the process.
Make joy a core feature, not an afterthought.
Mini-Case: 30% Less Stress by Week 8
One client, a CFO at a mid-sized fintech firm, joined Strategic Strength after her second burnout episode in two years. Within 8 weeks, she reported:
✅ 30% reduction in perceived stress
✅ 40% increase in weekly movement
✅ Reconnected with her direct team after reintroducing stand-up walks and shared goals
“I stopped white-knuckling every project and started leading again with energy.”
Put Zoe’s Playbook to Work Today
- Alignment Audit: List 3 tasks that energize vs. drain you. Reallocate 1 hour/week from column B to A.
- Reputation Rep: Pick one promise to exceed for a client or team member, then do it.
- Bundle & Brand: Sketch a 3–5 step signature process your audience can remember.
- Build the Tribe: Add a group check-in (Slack huddle, kickoff call) that reinforces accountability.
Your Next 3 Steps
Listen to Zoe’s full interview on The BIG Strategy Podcast as she reveals how fitness, mindset & group accountability fuel executive performance.
Connect with Zoe Schwartz on LinkedIn or Instagram to get your free Readiness Report and see if Strategic Strength is your next personal best.
Subscribe to The BIG Strategy Podcast for weekly ideas that spark innovation, and visit www.biginnovates.com for more frameworks and fresh thinking.
Let’s turn big thinking into bold doing starting now.
Zoe Schwartz is a former CMO and marketing executive at General Mills who now helps women leaders thrive through her executive wellness program, Strategic Strength. This 12-week system is designed for high-performing women looking to boost their energy, focus, and resilience through a mix of fitness, mindset coaching, nutrition, and recovery tools. It’s especially helpful for those facing burnout, navigating a career pivot, or leading through periods of rapid growth.
