(Or: How I Avoid Becoming a Health-Tech Zombie While Preaching Health to Others)
Here’s a little irony for you: I work in health tech. My job is all about assisting founders to create smarter ways to help people live healthier lives. But ask me a year ago how many hours of sleep I was getting during a big product launch. Let’s just say, my wearable gave up tracking. It assumed I’d gone nocturnal.
Sound familiar? If you’re a health-tech founder, innovator, or developer, you’ve experienced those “do as I say, not as I do” moments. You’re building an app that helps users meditate, and you haven’t taken a deep breath since last quarter. Or maybe you’re creating a platform to encourage physical activity. Instead of counting steps, you count the number of Discord messages you’ve sent today.
So, how do we practice what we preach? Here are the strategies that keep me on track, plus how tech (the stuff we love) can help:
1. Move Like Your Life Depends on It (Because It Does)
Health tech has given us incredible tools, fitness trackers, AI-driven workout apps, VR yoga (yes, that’s a thing). Use them. My smartwatch nudges me to stand up, and I listen, because when my watch is bossier than I am, I know it’s serious.
Pro tip: Schedule micro-breaks like meetings. If your calendar runs your life (and whose doesn’t?), block out time for a brisk walk or stretch. If you’re designing a wellness app, test it on yourself. Drinking your own digital Kool Aid can be surprisingly good for your health.
2. Snack Smart—Your Brain Will Thank You
Health-tech nerd fact: Blood sugar spikes mess with your cognitive performance. Translation? That 3 pm cookie binge isn’t doing you any favours. I’ve replaced random fridge raids with intentional snacking, and tech helps here, too. Apps that track macros or remind you to hydrate can keep you honest.
3. Schedule Your Sanity (Yes, There’s an App for That)
Mindfulness and productivity tools aren’t just for your customers, they’re for you, too. I use meditation apps to squeeze in five minutes of calm between client calls and Zoom marathons. And no, it’s not woo-woo. There’s plenty of neuroscience to back it up (trust me, I’ve read the papers).
4. Laugh. It’s Science.
Stress kills creativity, and laughter lowers cortisol. So, make time for humor. It could be a funny podcast, team memes, or that AI-generated cat video that’s slightly unsettling but still hilarious. Even mental health platforms are starting to integrate humour into care plans. If the science says “laugh more,” who are we to argue?
5. Stay Connected—Humans > Algorithms
We build digital ecosystems, but human ecosystems matter more. Connect with peers, share struggles, and ask for help. The health tech community is full of brilliant minds who also sometimes forget to hydrate. Let’s hold each other accountable for well-being, not just KPIs.
Why This Matters (and Why It’s Good Business)
Here’s the uncomfortable truth: If you burn out, your mission fails. Your app doesn’t launch. Your big idea to improve millions of lives? Stuck in beta forever. Well-being isn’t a “nice to have”, it’s a growth strategy.
The beauty is, we’re in the perfect position to solve this, with our own tech. Use your product. Iterate on it based on your lived experience. And if you haven’t built a solution yet? Borrow someone else’s. The health-tech world is full of tools designed to make our lives easier.
Want to put your health where your tech is? Check out these options. Some homegrown, some global, all designed to make life healthier and easier:
👉 What strategies do YOU use to maintain your health and well-being, and how can tech play a role? Drop them in the comments. Bonus points for tips involving chocolate. (For research purposes only 😉).
Angela Jacques 