What if high performance wasn’t about hustle, but rather about how you recover? In this episode, Nora and Bonny unpack the powerful connection between recovery, leadership, and performance with two standout guests: former pro-athlete and basketball leader Micaëlla Riché, and purpose-driven leadership advisor Hugh Lawson. Together, they explore how elite athletes treat recovery as a strategic edge, and how business leaders can adopt the same mindset to lead with resilience, clarity, and purpose.
Key Takeaways:
➡️ Recovery isn’t indulgent, it’s essential. From mental resets and energy audits to failure recovery and daily wellness rituals, intentional recovery fuels long-term growth.
➡️ It’s not one-size-fits-all. Recovery looks different for everyone, but it always starts with self-awareness, both on a macro and micro level.
➡️ What you measure, you transform. Organizations should track wellbeing and recovery as rigorously as financial and operational performance.
➡️ Let go to level up. Knowing your role, and letting your team own theirs, frees you to lead more effectively. As Micaëlla asks, are you in the balcony…or on the floor?
Listener Challenge:
You’re in luck, we have two for you to try!
1️⃣ From Micaëlla: Pause and check in everyday, throughout the day. Ask, “What’s my headspace right now?”
2️⃣ From Hugh: When everyone else zigs, zag.
Our Guests
➡️ Micaëlla Riche is a leading expert in sport for development. Micaëlla has over 15 years of experience in basketball competing and coaching at the provincial, national, NCAA and professional levels. She is currently the Director of Basketball Operations at Lay-Up Basketball, a charity focused on the future of access to the game through youth programming, coach education and the Culture of Basketball. Fun fact: Micaëlla is working on her doctorate in Educational Sustainability, where she applies her background as a professional athlete and coach to bring innovative, evidence-based ideas and solutions to the sport sector.
➡️ Hugh Lawson is the Principal of Lawson Leadership Advisory Ltd., a boutique leadership advisory practice helping social-impact organizations and purpose-driven leaders around the world thrive by providing highly effective Revenue Growth strategies and certified Emotional Intelligence methodologies! Outside of work, Hugh is very passionate about community investment, volunteerism, mentorship, supporting student-athletics and social justice.
Our Co-Hosts
Strategic Thinker. Bold Challenger. Grounded Visionary.
Bonny is a strategist, facilitator, and co-founder of Sidekick Consulting who believes momentum is built in the middle of the mess. With a background as a CMO and over a decade of experience across startup and corporate environments, she’s known for her sharp thinking, no-nonsense mindset, and ability to turn big ideas into grounded action. Bonny brings a calm presence, clear direction, and just the right amount of edge to move things forward—with intention.
People-Centered Leader. Strategic Integrator. Dynamic Optimist.
Nora is a purpose-driven leader, facilitator, and co-founder of Sidekick Consulting who believes that bold and meaningful impact is accomplished when done together. With deep roots in business development and operations, she’s known for her people-first lens and her talent for uncovering insights and ideas that translate swiftly into action, driving both people and performance. Nora brings a rare blend of energy, empathy, and clarity to build momentum that truly matters.
This podcast was produced by PRCPTN and directed by Giuliana DiBonaventura.