Building Resilience: Well-Being Habits Every HR Leader Needs

HR is often expected to have the answers when it comes to employee well-being, such as guiding employees through burnout, conflict, and constant change. The good news is that, according to recent findings in SHRM 2025 Insights: Workplace Mental Health, 65% of HR professionals feel prepared to support employee mental health. The not-so-great news? That number is down 5 percentage points from 2024.

If this number continues to fall, it raises an important question: What happens when HR leaders themselves are the ones struggling to keep going?

The answer is clear, according to Lisa Lounsbury, a resilience and well-being expert at New Day Wellness Inc.: Resilience is not something to reach for after adversity. It’s something to build ahead of time, brick by brick, through daily habits and intentional self-leadership.

“You wear lots of hats, and you show up willing to give and give and give to others,” Lounsbury said during a session at SHRM25 in San Diego. “But you need to be strong and resilient so you can give back to the people that are expecting you to be ready.”

From Hiking the Camino to Leading in HR

Lounsbury connects the concept of resilience to her solo trek across Spain’s famed Camino de Santiago, a 14-day, 200-mile journey she undertook with just a 20-pound backpack and a desire to “find her bravery.” Here are four main takeaways around lessons in resilience, inspired by her experience and tailored to the reality HR leaders face.

1. Take Care of Your Foundation, Literally and Figuratively 

In her Camino journey, Lounsbury learned that resilience begins with taking care of your base both physically and emotionally. Just as her feet were the literal foundation of every mile she walked, HR leaders need strong habits to carry them through professional demands. That means consistently investing in your core routines: prioritizing quality sleep, nourishing your body, managing stress, and acknowledging your emotional load.  
 

Too often, leaders wait for a burnout diagnosis to recalibrate. But the goal isn’t just to recover from exhaustion. It’s to be strong enough that exhaustion doesn’t knock you down in the first place.  
 

2. Rest Is Not Optional; It’s a Leadership Discipline 

The fast pace of back-to-back meetings, conference calls, and task lists can trick anyone into believing that rest is a luxury. Lounsbury made the case that instead, it’s a professional skill.

Just as she had to stop, nourish her body, and recharge to make it to the next milestone, HR leaders must build intentional pauses into their daily routines to sustain their energy and performance over the long haul. 

“We have to really respect our calendar, respect our colleague’s calendar,” she said. “So, if you have access to other people’s calendar and you just keep booking them, booking them, booking them without respecting time for breaks, that’s going to create overwhelm.”

 
Lounsbury noted how HR leaders often pack their schedules to the brim, skipping meals, water, and even bathroom breaks. “Nobody’s that important that you have to not take those breaks,” she said. “We don’t want to have burnt-out employees. Burnt-out employees don’t show up.” 
 

The guidance is clear: Build in micro-breaks. Protect your energy. Make rest part of your leadership toolkit.

3. Confidence Comes from Doing Hard Things 

Confidence, Lounsbury said, doesn’t come from ease. Instead, it comes from doing things that once felt impossible — like hiking 200 miles. After years of leading with anxiety and fear, she took ownership of her growth by stepping into discomfort. What she discovered was that bravery wasn’t something that needed to be discovered. Anyone can build it.

This is a powerful message for HR leaders navigating change or transition. Whether it’s leading a complex reorganization, addressing sensitive workplace issues, or applying for that next-level role, confidence doesn’t appear overnight. It grows through experience, and it’s important to trust that you’ll rise to meet the challenge, despite the presence of fear.

4. Let Go of What’s No Longer Serving You

As she approached the Cruz de Ferro, a notable landmark on the Camino de Santiago and a symbolic point where pilgrims left behind burdens, Lounsbury carried a black rock inscribed with the words “anxiety” and “fear.” “I said, ‘This is the day I’m going to let this go. I am tired of living my life in fear,’ ” she recalled. “And then I said, ‘Goodbye, anxiety and fear. You’re not leading my emotions anymore.’ ”

In HR, that might look like micromanagement, overcommitment, imposter syndrome, or the pressure to do everything perfectly. It might also include inefficient processes, policies that haven’t evolved, or workplace norms that no longer align with company values. Letting go creates space for clarity, connection, and creativity. It also helps lighten the emotional and operational load so you can lead with agility and presence.

Lead by Example, Not Perfection 

Before her journey, Lounsbury asked her adult children and husband to write her love letters — something she expected to be sentimental. What she received instead were powerful reflections on how they saw her: a woman who took care of herself, challenged herself, and lived with intention. They were watching — and being inspired — not by what she told them, but by what she modeled. 

As Lounsbury said, “What you are doing, people are watching.” The same applies to employees. HR leaders influence far more than policy — they set the cultural tone. By showing what it looks like to live well and lead with care, they give others permission to do the same.