Founder and CEO of The Performance Code Kylee Stone knows the necessity of taking time to care for her own physical, emotional and mental wellbeing, especially when aiming to champion her culture and community.
As a leadership transformation expert, Stone says her purpose is to “help people ignite their passion, grow their influence and amplify the impact they have in business, leadership and life no matter who they are, what they do or where they come from.”
She’s a Cabrogal woman of the Dharug Nation and a descendant of the stolen generations of the Wakka Wakka and Kulluli First Nations People, and as an aboriginal woman, says she has a commitment to developing a greater appreciation for her culture
At different times of the day, Stone says she has a practice for deepening her capacity for compassion, wonderment and humility. This includes being present, noticing the smaller details in life and creating a strong sense of connection to community while taking care of her own and others wellbeing.
The practice is known as Dadirrii (da-did-ee) from the Ngan’gikurunggurr and Ngen’giwrumirri languages of the Aboriginal Peoples of the Daly River region (Northern Territory), that recognises inner, deep listening, acceptance and quiet, still awareness.
Her culture is also championed in her professional work as Founder and CEO of Performance Code – a 100 per cent owned Indigenous business registered with Supply Nations, specialising in leadership transformation, resilience and wellbeing as the access to helping people realise their potential as leaders and accelerate growth in direct alignment with their values, vision and purpose.
Stone is a passionate storyteller, certified in the neuroscience of resilience and high-adversity resilience training and an expert in leadership transformation, with 20 years of experience in leadership transformation as a coach and facilitator and over 25 years of media industry experience in Australia.
She’s been called “Australia’s Oprah” and featured as one of 13 Indigenous Female Leaders in the National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee (NAIDOC) “Because of Her We Can” campaign for her contribution to advancing female leaders.
Read Kylee Stone’s full “How I Manage My Health” profile below, and see other women profiled in this series here.
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In the morning, I…
Start with a 10 min deep breath meditation, followed by bringing awareness to the smaller details of making my bed (sounds incredibly simple, but surprisingly very powerful) and going to the gym for a swim and sauna. While I am a huge fan of the benefits of intermittent fasting and keto-friendly nutrition on the functioning of the brain, I’ve been through an auto-immune condition and menopause, so I start the day following a glucose-free protocol that helps to reduce cortisol and reduce spikes in blood sugar including MCT oil and juice of celery, avocado, mind, cucumber, chia seeds, spinach, kale and almond milk.
My exercise routine includes…
My exercise routine has changed a lot in the last decade. While I used to hit the gym 6 days a week doing high-intensity workouts and training for sprint series triathlons, once I had kids that slowed down. I did a couple of half marathons after the kids, but that all changed in my mid-40s after discovering that increased stress and elevated cortisol levels can cause abdominal fat and weight gain. At that point, my exercise routine changed to yoga, pilates, swimming and walking and slow jogs. I still go to the gym for a weights session but it’s a lot slower and intentional than it used to be.
My favourite workout is…
More of a spiritual healing practice than a workout. I do a slow, deep breath meditation while doing a 1km swim, followed by a 20 min hot sauna which has a stack of proven health benefits like detoxification, improved immune and cardiovascular functioning, increased metabolism and blood circulation, anti-aging and stress management.’
I find balance in…
Swimming in the ocean, taking time out of the daily grind to slow down, reflecting daily on what there is to be grateful for in life, and doing work with like-minded people that aligns with my purpose of creating meaningful connections. I’ve recently become an ambassador for the Women’s Resilience Centre and have become certified as an aboriginal cultural awareness facilitator working with Aboriginal Elder Aunty Munya Andrews on helping organisations create a kinder and more inclusive Australia.
On health, I encourage women to…
Ditch the guilt and challenge traditional stereotypes as a mother and a leader because stress levels and burnout is high.
Ninety-five per cent of HR leaders report burnout is sabotaging the workforce and nine out of ten Australians are below the protected level of resilience. The first step is often the hardest, so my number one recommendation for women (and men) is to get clear about their health by completing a diagnostic on their level of resilience in six key domains including health (nutrition, sleep and exercise), vision (goals and purpose), composure, reasoning, tenacity and collaboration — measures which, according to neuroscience, directly impact our wellbeing — good health, happiness, confidence, satisfaction, a sense of purpose and feeling calm and centred.
For anyone wanting to get some personal insights by testing their resilience and wellbeing, Kylee Stone has created a personalised performance report and app with over 800 online activities. Contact Kylee for more information.