146. From Hero To Steward – Why Wellness Breaks Without Governance

Wellness doesn’t fail because leaders aren’t capable. 

It fails because the system still relies on heroes instead of governance. 

For more than two decades, I’ve watched highly capable wellness leaders carry broken systems on their backs in hotels, spas, and now in consulting. And when they burn out or move on, the entire operation quietly collapses. 

That’s not a leadership problem. 

That’s a design problem. 

This episode was sparked while I was outlining my next book and deepened by a recent conversation where we explored why hotels say they want world-class wellness, yet the structures they build tell a very different story. 

Wellness has moved from basements to prime real estate. 

From “nice to have” to brand differentiator. 

And yet, the governance hasn’t evolved. 

What we still see, again and again, is one “strong” Wellness Director asked to carry strategy, operations, finance, marketing, culture, and guest experience, often without real authority or a genuine seat at the leadership table. 

That hero model might look efficient. 

But it’s fragile. 

And it’s quietly costing the industry its best talent. 

In this episode, I cover three things: 

1.- Why hotel wellness doesn’t actually have a leadership problem – it has a governance problem 

And how the absence of structure forces individuals into heroics. 

2.- Why the hero model feels economical but always breaks 

For both the business and the wellness leader carrying it. 

3.- Why the future of wellness depends on a shift from feature thinking to asset stewardship 

And what that requires structurally, not emotionally. 

By the end of this episode, you’ll see why no amount of grit can fix a system that was never designed, and why the next era of wellness leadership belongs to stewards, not heroes.