Health And Fitness
What is the true value of success if the people building it are too broken to live long enough to enjoy it? Because in the end, the body always keeps the score. You pay the huge price. And your ignorance often becomes your doctor’ s source of wealth. emergency away from collapse, but because they still show up looking sharp in suits and heels, everyone assumes they are okay.”
MARKETING AFRICA
Health And Fitness
Eddie Okila
The Body Keeps Score: Why Africa’ s Creative And Corporate Class Is Dying Too Young
There is a silent crisis unfolding across Africa’ s boardrooms, media houses, agencies, production studios, sports arenas, creative hubs, and corporate offices. It is a crisis many people see but few openly discuss. It does not always make front-page headlines for long, nor does it trend for weeks on social media. Yet its impact is devastating. Professionals are dying too young. Success Should Never Cost You Your Life.
Across Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Nigeria, South Africa, and far beyond Africa into major business capitals around the world, a dangerous culture has quietly become normalized- the glorification of burnout, exhaustion, pressure, sleeplessness, emotional suppression, and unhealthy living in the name of ambition and success.
In recent years, one painful pattern has become impossible to ignore. A respected executive suddenly collapses. A media personality dies unexpectedly. A corporate leader suffers a stroke. A young entrepreneur battles severe hypertension. A creative director experiences burnout-induced depression. A broadcaster suffers heart complications. An events professional breaks down physically after years of nonstop pressure.
The tributes that follow are always similar:“ He was hardworking.”“ She was always available.”“ He gave everything to the job.”“ She never rested.”“ He was committed to excellence.”
Yet beneath those tributes lies a truth many industries continue to avoid confronting: modern professional culture is quietly destroying human health.
From Kampala to Nairobi, from Dar es Salaam to Kigali, from Lagos to Johannesburg, and stretching further to Cairo, Algiers, Addis Ababa, and Windhoek, I have interacted with executives, creatives, athletes, broadcasters, entrepreneurs, and corporate leaders who privately admit they are exhausted beyond words.
One senior marketing executive in Nairobi told me during a late-night phone conversation:“ We are literally surviving, not living. Every quarter comes with impossible targets. You go home mentally drained, but you still cannot sleep because your mind is already worried about the next presentation.”
A media producer in Lagos spoke quietly during another interview:“ People see glamour on television, but they do not understand what happens behind the scenes. Some of us survive on coffee, stress, and two hours of sleep. Many are silently depressed.”
A corporate executive in Johannesburg laughed nervously before saying something deeply revealing:“ We have normalized unhealthy living so much that if someone leaves work early to exercise or rest, people think they are not serious enough about their career.”
In Kampala, a senior communications consultant said something even more painful:“ Many people are one medical
What is the true value of success if the people building it are too broken to live long enough to enjoy it? Because in the end, the body always keeps the score. You pay the huge price. And your ignorance often becomes your doctor’ s source of wealth. emergency away from collapse, but because they still show up looking sharp in suits and heels, everyone assumes they are okay.”
That is the sad deception of modern professional life. Many people look successful externally while deteriorating internally. The body, however, never lies. The body keeps score. Every sleepless night. Every ignored headache. Every stressful meeting. Every unhealthy meal. Every bottle used to numb pressure. Every missed medical checkup. Every month without physical movement. Every emotional burden carried silently. Eventually, the body presents the invoice.
The modern workplace rewards performance but rarely rewards recovery. Today’ s professionals are expected to produce more, work faster, stay connected constantly, remain emotionally composed, outperform competitors, and continue delivering results regardless of physical or mental exhaustion.
The pressure on modern CEOs is particularly severe. From multinational boardrooms in Johannesburg to financial institutions in Nairobi, energy companies in Lagos, media conglomerates in Cairo, and fast-growing startups in Kigali and Addis Ababa, today’ s executives are under relentless pressure to satisfy boards, shareholders, investors, clients, regulators, and markets demanding continuous growth.
But amid all this pressure, one thing is often forgotten: behind every company target is a human being. Behind every annual report is a stressed team. Behind every profit margin is emotional exhaustion. Behind every dividend declaration are employees sacrificing sleep, family time, mental stability, and physical health to keep organizations functioning.
One CEO based in East Africa admitted during a confidential discussion:“ People think leadership is power. They don’ t see the pressure. Sometimes you carry the stress of thousands of employees, shareholder expectations, government pressure, market uncer
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