The Mindful High Performer: Simple yet powerful shifts to recharge your mental health and perform at your best in work and life

by Chelsea Pottenger

Future-proof your mindset and sharpen your performance with science-based tools from one of Australia's top corporate wellness providers.

For fans of James Clear's Atomic Habits, Ant Middleton's Mental Fitness and Hugh van Cuylenburg's The Resilience Project comes this practical toolkit for optimising mental health as an essential springboard for high achievement - both in and out of the workplace.

Harness the power, purpose and performance of a refreshed mind

Who has time for self-care? Chelsea Pottenger didn't. In May 2015, the successful entrepreneur had just given birth when she found herself battling postnatal depression so severe, she landed in a psychiatric hospital. Determined to overhaul her wellbeing, Chelsea dived headfirst into the study of mindfulness and meditation. She radically shifted her priorities, learning to put her mental health first.

In The Mindful High Performer, Chelsea expertly guides you through simple, science-based tools to achieve optimal mental health so you can operate at a high performance level without feeling overwhelmed, overworked or simply over it. You'll learn to reduce stress and burnout, reframe negative thinking, tap into positive energy, recharge your physical health and bolster your resilience. Join the thousands of others who've implemented this practical approach to reset your wellbeing and maximise your potential at work and in life.

Genres: Nonfiction, Personal Development, Health

277 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 31, 2022

Reviews

[Ita · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book at an RUOK event and when I saw the title I didn't want to read it as I dislike the term high performer. To my surprise I found there were very helpful practical tips which I have started using, in the chapters on sleep, movement, and gut health to name a few. Not a fan of the many goals the author wants us to set for seven key areas in your life so I just skimmed that chapter. One of the changes is to turn off all screens an hour before bedtime so I better end my review now.

[Paris · Rating 3 out of 5]

It felt like reading one long to do list - I was exhausted by the end.

[Vita · Rating 5 out of 5]

I highly recommend everybody read'The Mindful High Performer: Simple yet powerful shifts to recharge your mental health and perform at your best in work and life' by Chelsea Pottenger AT LEAST once in their life!

I came across this book when I needed it most and the way in which Chelsea writes is so incredibly powerful - you literally feel as though you are in the safest of hands.

The information, her guidance and fundamental ethos are what makes this book so easy to read, and make the mindfulness techniques and ideas practical. It is presented so as to guide and encourage rather than tell. The book also provides you with a road map and step-by-step goals that are designed to improve your life and outlook on life.

I recommend this for anyone and everyone who is serious about taking back control of their lives and ensuring they live a fulfilled life.

[Martin Braunton · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is some really good up to date information in here particularly mental health and nutrition.
This is a useful reference book on modern living for the achievers out there.
The chapter on goal setting seems a little outdated - surely we have moved off SMART goals by now and onto process goals?

Useful stuff:
1. Self efficacy - our own self-judgement about our ability to perform a task or achieve a goal.
2. Caffeine is NOT good for you. It causes anxiety so don't believe all those caffeine addicts out there.
3. Have a growth mindset to help you grow.
4. What are your values. A value is something that is important to you in the way that you work and show up for this world.
5. Use visualisation with processes, senses, visual aids.
6. Have a healthy morning routine when you wake up. Practise 30 seconds of gratitude. Drink water. Say: "Today is going to be a beautiful day."
Make the bed. Take a probiotic. Have a cold shower. Meditate. Review goals and vision board.
7. Practise gratitude.
8. Your gut controls your mental wellbeing not just your brain. Serotonin and dopamine are produced here in the gut too!!! Take a probiotic and a prebiotic. Prebiotics include brown rice and potatoes.
9. Sitting is the new smoking. Move!!!
10. Sleep well. Cardiovascular fitness drops 30% when you do not get enough sleep.
11. Napping is not good.
12. Practise mindfulness - so many good things come of it.
13. Have a healthy microbiome
14. Eat healthy brain foods e.g blueberries, green veg, pumpkin seeds, water, eggs, dark chocolate (min 70%), salmon and broccoli.
15. Buy organic foods.
16. Be in nature.

[Renea Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wasn’t expecting the “self help” concept behind this when I started “The Mindful Higher Performer”. As I got further into it I found this text to be a useful tool to have, particularly when it covered “sleep” and “technology”. The way Chelsea tackles each topic and offers her own experience to educate the reader in ways to implement positive changes, to renew habits in the hopes of creating purposeful routines and mindset.

[Naomi · Rating 1 out of 5]

I would retitle this book “wellness for dummies”. I’m absolutely not the target audience for this book. The title makes it appear as though it will provide insights and tools into how to become a less stressed but high performance person, when in fact it regurgitates the most basic information that is akin to a buzz feed article. Full of self promoting material (I get it, but this does not help it’s case in my eyes) and I couldn’t even get through the last 20 pages. I had wasted enough time.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read. Full of practical ideas to help you be more mindful of your health and well-being in everyday life.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable read by Chelsea! She did a talk at my work which I learnt a lot from and this book complemented that nicely.