Those Hips Don’t Lie
How Recovery Boosts Executive Decision Quality and Performance
Nine out of ten high performing leaders eventually hit a ceiling. Here’s why.
Not from lack of effort, and not from lack of discipline.
They hit it because they never build recovery into how they actually operate.
I’ve been living this truth over the past 16 months (navigating my own life-threatening health battle) and it’s painfully obvious in hindsight: sustainable performance isn’t about pushing harder. It’s about restoring clarity fast enough to keep making good decisions when it counts.
I was reminded of this while interviewing Gilad Jacobs, Chief Innovation Officer at Hyperice and founder of Normatec. At one point, he said something deceptively simple:
“Hard work beats intelligence. Persistence is the variable you can actually control.”
That line stuck with me. Not because of the tech behind it (though Hyperice makes incredible recovery tools) but because of the patience and discipline baked into the work.
Gilad’s mother built the earliest Normatec devices to help breast cancer patients regain circulation. Long before recovery became a performance category. Long before anyone was talking about systems for peak performance. She was solving a real problem, one patient at a time. That origin story matters. It’s a reminder that sustainable performance isn’t built on hype or shortcuts, it’s built on systems that restore capacity under pressure. Sustainable execution applies to any leader, whether navigating a team through post-crisis recovery or managing intense operational demands.
And speaking of systems: we spent a lot of time talking about Hyperice’s latest innovation, the Normatec Elite Hips. Yes, shake those hips! These aren’t just “fun gadgets” for athletes. They’re biomechanically designed to reduce stiffness, improve circulation, and accelerate recovery. And because they’re wireless, you can use them anywhere (at your desk, between meetings, or even while recovering from intense hospital rounds) proving that practical recovery systems aren’t just for athletes.
Here’s what really stuck with me from our conversation:
Recovery is a skill, not a luxury. Peak effectiveness isn’t about pushing harder, it’s about building routines that restore your capacity fast enough to make good decisions under pressure.
Persistence beats raw intelligence. You can’t outthink the need for patience. Hard work is necessary, but consistent, well-structured recovery is what actually keeps leaders and high performers in the game.
Systems over intensity. Whether you’re leading a team, running a marathon, or navigating life after a major procedure, it’s not the intensity of your effort that matters — it’s the quality of the systems supporting it.
After months of testing my own limits and experimenting with different recovery tools, this lesson feels painfully obvious :
Leaders don’t burn out because they’re weak.
They burn out because they never design recovery into how they operate.
That’s why I wanted to share this conversation in full. In my interview with Gilad in Authority Magazine, we cover:
- How the Normatec Elite Hips target circulation, inflammation, and recovery where it matters most.
- The design challenges behind creating wearable recovery tech that actually works for real human bodies.
- Lessons for anyone who wants to operate at peak performance without crashing under pressure.
If you care about performance that lasts — not just spikes — you’ll want to read the full story with Gilad Jacobs.
Savio P. Clemente is a journalist, keynote and TEDx speaker, and creator of Adaptive Resilience Leadership for healthcare executives. He works with leaders navigating the period after major disruption, when the crisis has passed, but performance must return and the old operating system no longer works. A two-time cancer survivor and board-certified wellness coach (NBC-HWC, ACC), Savio rebuilt his world after a life-saving stem cell transplant — a true medical rebirth. He has interviewed 2,000+ decision-makers across global stages and distills those insights into his best-selling book and high-impact keynotes. 🔗 saviopclemente.com ↗