Real Wealth Isn’t Just Money: Health, Peace, and Purpose in Leadership

For a long time, we’ve been taught that wealth equals money.

Titles. Promotions. Net worth. Influence.
The more you have, the more successful you must be.

But what happens when you achieve all of that—and still feel depleted, disconnected, or out of alignment?

In a recent episode of Unleash Your Amazing Leadership, I had a powerful conversation with Pia Washington, also known as The Property PhD, about redefining what real wealth actually means—and why so many leaders are quietly paying a high price for success.

When Success Costs Too Much

Pia has spent over 30 years working at the highest levels of finance and leadership. From the outside, her career checked all the boxes. But behind the scenes, something wasn’t right.

A personal health scare became the wake-up call that forced her to slow down and ask a difficult question:

What’s the point of success if it costs you your health, your peace, or your relationships?

That moment shifted everything.

As leaders, we’re often praised for pushing through, powering ahead, and doing “whatever it takes.” But over time, that mindset can disconnect us from our bodies, our values, and our sense of self.

Health isn’t something we get to “deal with later.”
It’s the foundation that allows everything else to work.

Health Is Not Separate from Leadership

One of the most important themes of our conversation was this:
How you care for your body directly impacts how you show up as a leader.

When we ignore our health—physically, emotionally, or mentally—it shows up in our decision-making, our relationships, and our capacity to lead others well. Fatigue becomes irritability. Stress becomes reactivity. Burnout becomes normalized.

True leadership starts with self-leadership.

Not perfection.
Not discipline through force.
But awareness, responsibility, and integrity.

You Are Not Your Title

Another powerful insight Pia shared is something many high-achieving leaders struggle with: identity.

So often, we introduce ourselves by what we do:
“I’m a VP.”
“I’m a CFO.”
“I’m a founder.”

Titles can be meaningful—but they are not who we are.

When our identity is tied to a role, a title, or external validation, transitions can feel destabilizing. Promotions, career changes, or even unexpected setbacks can send us on an emotional roller coaster.

Grounding your identity in who you are and what you stand for, rather than what you do, creates stability—especially in seasons of change.

There’s No Such Thing as Balance... Only Integration

We also talked about the idea of “balance,” a word that often creates more pressure than relief.

Life doesn’t operate in equal parts.
Different seasons require different levels of focus and energy.

Rather than chasing balance, the real work is learning how to integrate all parts of your life—health, relationships, career, purpose—so they support one another instead of competing.

Integration allows leadership to feel more sustainable, more human, and more aligned.

Redefining Real Wealth

So what is real wealth?

It’s not just money.
It’s health.
It’s peace.
It’s meaningful relationships.
It’s living in alignment with your values and purpose.

Money matters, but it’s not the most important thing. And when we treat it as the ultimate measure of success, we risk losing what matters most.

A Final Reflection

Leadership isn’t about being the smartest person in the room.
It’s not about chasing perfection or external validation.
And it’s not about sacrificing yourself for the sake of success.

Leadership is about who you are being as you lead.

Life is an experiment. We’re always learning, refining, and becoming—and we need to give ourselves more grace in the process.

If this message resonates, I invite you to listen to the full episode of Unleash Your Amazing Leadership:
“Real Wealth Isn’t Just Money: A Conversation on Health, Peace, and Purpose with Dr. Pia Washington.”

Sometimes the most powerful shift isn’t doing more, it’s redefining what success really means to you as a person.

Watch the full episode here or wherever you listen to podcasts