Nurturing the Nurturers: Why Self-Care is a Professional Imperative for Career Professionals and Leaders

– By Lama Shaath, CCS, CWS – 

As career development practitioners, coaches, leaders, and service providers, we accompany others through some of the most tender and transformative moments of their lives—navigating change, identity, uncertainty, loss, and renewal. But in the act of giving so much, we often forget to turn inward.

Self-care has become a cultural buzzword, often associated with spa days and time off. But in our field, it’s far more than that—it’s a professional, ethical, and spiritual necessity. It is the very foundation that allows us to serve from a place of fullness rather than depletion.

What Self-Care is Not

Self-care isn’t self-indulgent, selfish, or disconnected from service. It’s not a way to avoid responsibility or escape reality. Rather, self-care is about rehumanizing ourselves, reconnecting to our heart energy, and nourishing the foundation from which we lead and support others.

Without it, resentment, exhaustion, and emotional detachment creep in.

It’s not optional. It’s essential.

Why Self-Care is a Professional Imperative

Whether we’re offering career guidance, coaching executives, leading organizations and teams, or holding space for trauma and transition, our presence is one of our most powerful tools. But presence requires energy, emotional resilience and attunement.

According to a March 2025 Robert Half Canada survey, 47% of Canadian workers feel burned out—a significant rise from 42% in 2024 and 33% in 2023. Among them, 31% report worsening symptoms of burnout in the past year. In human-centred professions like ours, where emotional labour is constant, the risk is even greater.

When we fail to prioritize our own care:

• Our energy dims.
• Our decision-making becomes clouded.
• The safe space we work hard to create becomes compromised.

But when we do prioritize it:

• We listen with deeper presence.
• We respond with compassion and clarity.
• We model healthy boundaries and authenticity.
• We become agents of transformation, not just support.

Sacred Service: Self-Care as Healing and Leadership

The World Health Organization defines self-care as what individuals do to maintain health and well-being. But I would expand that: self-care is how we tend to our inner flame and landscape—spiritually, emotionally, mentally, psychologically, and physically—so that we can serve from overflow, not emptiness.

It’s how we align with our values, stay in integrity, and model the kind of sustainable leadership and presence we want to see in the world.

In my own practice, I work with executives, career professionals, and teams to shift from reaction to awareness—from survival mode to soulful vocation. This work isn’t just personal—it’s deeply professional because it changes how we show up, how we lead, and how we relate.

As I wrote in Can Our Healed Heart Heal Others?, “Our heart is not just a vessel—it’s a frequency.” And the quality and coherence of that frequency impacts every interaction we have.

Self-Care From the Inside Out: A Holistic Pilgrimage

True self-care is more than bubble baths and breathing techniques, although they are essential for some. It requires us to go inward—to align with our values, clarify our purpose, and attune to what our body, mind, and spirit truly need.

Here’s a holistic self-care map I use with clients that spans multiple domains:

• Physical: Sleep, nutrition, movement.
• Emotional: Journaling, therapy, inner child work.
• Mental: Boundaries, digital detox, focused rest.
• Social: Supportive relationships, mentorship.
• Spiritual: Inner peace, prayer, reflection.
• Psychological: Coaching, therapy, shadow work.

It’s not one-size-fits-all. It’s about crafting a personalized self-care plan that supports sustainable service, satisfaction, and impact

The Symbiotic Relationship Between Self-Care and Client Service

When we prioritize self-care, we show up clearer, more grounded, and more connected to others. It strengthens our:

• Emotional resilience — so we can hold space without absorbing others’ pain.
• Empathy and presence — to truly hear what is spoken and unspoken.
• Boundaries and sustainability — ensuring we serve from a rooted, regenerative place.
• Creativity and insight — because clarity of mind brings innovation.
• Professionalism and modelling — we become walking permission slips for wholeness.

This is not selfish. It is a sacred service.

You Deserve the Same Care You Offer Others

Many of us entered this work because we care deeply. But our ability to care for others is only as strong as our ability to care for ourselves.

I used to identify primarily with intellect, logic, and productivity. But over the past two decades, I’ve learned to befriend my emotions—to meet myself with presence and tenderness. And in doing so, I’ve become more present with clients and relationships, leading to more profound breakthroughs.

This is the gift of intimacy with self. And it’s where meaningful relationships and impactful work begin to flourish—from the heart.

Embedding Self-Care as a Value into Leadership and Organizational Culture

Self-care isn’t just for individuals. It’s a leadership imperative.

When teams and organizations model care, wholeness, and compassion, the ripple is extraordinary. It creates safer, more generative spaces. You can begin by:

• Normalizing conversations about wellness.
• Including well-being check-ins in team meetings.
• Celebrating rest and recovery—not just hustle.
• Leading with values alignment and integrity.
• The future of work isn’t just efficient—it’s human-heart-centred.
• Coaching conversations as a form of well-being empowerment, not merely for performance.

Self-Care Shapes How We Live—and the Legacy We Leave

Self-nurturing is more than tending to our needs—it’s a radical act of self-respect that shapes how we live, lead, and connect with others. When we nurture ourselves from a place of presence, love, and alignment, we meet the world with more profound compassion, clarity, and generosity.

Our relationship with ourselves begins to shift. So does our relationship with others.

Self-care becomes a doorway into self-actualization and individuation—a journey of becoming who we truly are. It is not separate from our professional growth; it is the soil in which it takes root.

Over time, we begin to shape a life we’re truly proud of—not only for what we accomplished, but for how we showed up, what we gave, and how we made others feel. We remember the:

• quiet pauses.
• the intentional gestures.
• and the moments of connection that made a difference—one person, one act, one breath at a time.

An Invitation to Go Deeper

If I could offer one message to every career professional, coach, leader, and changemaker, it would be this:

Go inward. Mine Your Inner Power. Reclaim your energy, your wholeness, and your joy—that part of you that is neglected. Tend to this garden.

Let your own healing lead the way, because when you are lit up from the inside out, you become a beacon for others.

How Will You Create Your Ritual of Self-Care in Practice?

In my work, I guide clients to build custom self-care plans rooted in their values, aspirations, and authentic needs. Self-care isn’t just about doing more—it’s about becoming more you.

If you’d like to explore how to deepen your own self-nurturing practice, build a heart-centred coaching culture, or lead from a place of well-being and clarity, I invite you to connect.

Offering Support to CPC Members

As part of my commitment to the CPC community, I’m offering five pro bono coaching sessions (first-come, first-served) for members navigating burnout, change, or simply seeking a safe space to reconnect with themselves.

This is an invitation to pause, reflect, and renew.

You’re invited to connect with me at lamashaath.mineyourinnerpower.com