In today’s demanding business environment, burnout poses with no time for active recovery, a significant threat to success. Professionals are working harder, faster, and longer, which leads to exhaustion and decreased performance. While this has become the norm, it shouldn’t be accepted as such. Fortunately, one leader is taking action to change this concerning trend: Chris Christiansson, the Founder and Program Director of ARA.Health.
Chris is a Harvard-trained expert in human health, specializing in how our bodies function and breathing therapy. He was also educated at the Professional School of Behavioral Health Sciences. Through his work, he is leading a science-based movement aimed at fostering sustainable healthy performance. This is the story of Chris, a pioneer in performance enhancement, who is working on engineering a future where the workforce can thrive without burning out.
From Athlete to Architect of Wellbeing
Chris Christiansson’s path to becoming a leading voice in sustainable performance started in the exciting world of sports. As a former skiing athlete who loved pushing his limits, Chris, originally from Stockholm, learned firsthand the vital connection between hard work and adequate rest. In the 1970s, he promoted sports and motivated businesses for well-known brands such as Marlboro Leisure Wear and Salomon ski bindings, experiences that were vital in managing high-pressure events.
As Chris points out, “Managing big events taught me to be precise, flexible, and to lead under pressure. I had to perfectly integrate different teams and goals – skills that proved incredibly useful later in my business career.”
Moving into the corporate world in the late 1980s, Chris Christiansson observed a troubling trend: the balance between work and life was disappearing. The first solution to that problem, leveraging his sports background and business sense, was the development of Body Equilibrium Training (BET).
This innovative program was designed to improve health and performance in demanding work environments. Chris explains that his approach, using the “human function curve model”, was well-received by leaders, as it illustrated the progression from healthy performance to “over-use – fatigue and unhealthy performance.” (show picture of HFC)
Driven to understand more and deepen his program’s impact, Chris conducted parallel studies with top professors mostly in the USA. He explored how our bodies behave under stress, the science of breathing, the connection between mind and body, and how heart rate variability changes with stress. This intense continues education provided him with “advanced scientific methods for managing energy and time, using mind-body techniques for top performance.”
For years, Chris travelled the world with a mobile training center and a team of 3 or 4 experts. “Traveling with a mobile campus, our team of experts conducted tests, workshops, and coaching for leaders in big companies. Over the years, we trained over 5,000 executives and leaders. Our clients were very happy with the results,” Chris recalls. His approach was hands-on, focused on results, and made a real difference, earning him praise and changing company cultures worldwide.
Even with the rise of digital tools, starting around 2004 with online platforms and accelerating with smartphones in the 2010s, Chris remained innovative. He launched the first online learning campus in 2006 to broaden his impact, always adapting to the changing needs of today’s professionals in an era of “constant connectivity.” His methods, based on understanding body, mind, emotion, behavior and practical use, resonated with leaders facing increasing workplace pressures.
The Modern Epidemic: Why “Over-effort” is the New Early Burnout
Chris Christiansson’s extensive work over the past 30 years has given him a clear view of today’s workplace. In a world obsessed with “performance, pressure, and speed,” people are trapped in a cycle of “doing more with less, always racing to an endless finish line.” As a result, their bodies, minds, and emotions become overstimulated, leaving little time for rest. Many people come to accept this constant state of overdrive as normal.
He clarifies, “Burnout, whether early or full, is a common problem today because of the constant performance demands, pressure, and speed in our working lives. This pushes people to do more with less and race towards a finish line that never appears. Eventually, they risk reaching a breaking point, showing early burnout signs like a behaviour of “rushing for more without recovery” resulting in a racing heart, low energy, poor sleep, increased effort, blaming others, panic attacks, and difficulty making decisions.”
To fight this growing exhaustion, Chris recently developed a new concept: Over-effort syndrome (OES). OES is a way to understand and deal with early burnout. He defines it as “a type of learned unhealthy behavioural – physiology pattern.”
Chris draws a strong comparison between OES and Over-training syndrome (OTS) in athletes. OES is similar to Over-training syndrome (OTS), which happens when athletes fail to recover adequately after intense training.
Chris emphasizes that both OES and OTS, if ignored, become deeply set. “When repeated and not treated, both OES and OTS become learned unhealthy responses—a behavioral physiology health problem that affects work, home life, relationships, morale, performance, and overall life quality,” he warns.
ARA.Health: Building a New Era of Workplace Wellbeing
Driven by his deep understanding of the burnout problem and the urgent need for solutions, Chris Christiansson founded ARA.Health (Active Recovery Academy) in 2023 during the challenging times of the COVID-19 pandemic. He recognized that this global event had intensified pressures on professionals, forcing them to deal with physical and mental tiredness, isolation, and the difficulties of virtual work, all while managing team and company expectations.
Teaming up with a group of partners, Chris established in 2023 ARA.Health in Rougemont, Switzerland. Their goal is clear: “to create a residential education centre and clinic offering masterclasses in Sustainable Healthy Performance for executives and leaders.”
ARA.Health’s programs are grounded in scientific research and personalized insights. Backed by evidence and real-world experience from former athletes, medicine and performance experts, the company provides a proven program structure designed to empower leaders and teams. This program helps them develop essential in-demand robustness skills and for resilience techniques by promoting coherence breathing and mindful awareness and proactive energy management through active recovery.
ARA Health’s offerings are inspiring because they go beyond typical well-being solutions. They provide individuals, particularly leaders, with personalized, science-backed methods to enhance their cognitive robustness and resilience, mental clarity, and sustainable performance. Moreover, ARA’s program combines assessments, expert support, and practical strategies to help leaders perform at their best.
The ARA Edge: Harnessing Biofeedback, E-Zone, and the “Business Athlete” Within
Chris highlights the important role of biofeedback technology. By using science-based biofeedback devices and apps to measure and monitor CO2 breathing, HeartRate Variability, Autonomic Nervous System activities, and neurofeedback, clients can see their body’s real-time responses and learn to self-regulate. This helps them develop natural healthy responses instead of automatic unhealthy stress reactions.
Chris notes this biofeedback integration is vital, “This is a very vital skill athletes have learned to foster when it feels right in performing at their best.”
His E-zone method offers a practical framework for using these insights. It focuses on the “interrelated behavior process” where “how you feel, think, behave, and perform” are all linked. This comprehensive approach leads to lasting, sustainable improvement, reflecting the understanding that “how you feel, think, behave, and perform is an interrelated behavioural physiology process.”
Furthermore, Chris aims to develop a “business athlete” mindset in leaders. Just as athletes train hard to optimize performance, handle pressure, and recover effectively ARA.Health provides business leaders with similar science-backed tools and techniques to achieve optimal healthy performance and lasting well-being in their demanding careers.
Moreover, ARA.Health’s methodology uses a profound “inside-out approach” to identify stressors, analyze responses, and foster lasting change, creating “stronger purpose and efficiency…to thrive and find satisfaction.” Progress is measured with “before and after measurements,” ensuring impactful, consistent results globally through affiliated partners.
Personal Experience & Universal Application
Chris Christiansson’s deep knowledge of in-demand robustness skills, resilience training and optimal healthy performance isn’t just academic; it comes from his own life experiences. “Based on my sports, mountaineering, sailing and leadership experiences, I learned to ‘take charge in tough moments,’ stay focused, and use proactive thinking to anticipate and overcome risks,” he shares.
Chris has translated these personal insights into a powerful, science-backed method. “This fundamental knowledge I have used in research to understand body signals before they become obvious symptoms and adapted this into training programs and coaching methods,” he explains.
He emphasizes the crucial role of the heart in mental well-being. “We know the heart is key to our mental state. To manage bad memories, fear of failure, and performance anxiety, using self-talk to bring heart, breath, and mind into sync is very effective,” Chris advises. He understands the connection between body, mind, emotions and behaviour, and ARA.Health’s method is designed to harmonize these, promoting in-demand robustness skills, resilience technics and mental clarity.
Chris emphasizes the importance of preparation, focus, and recovery by drawing lessons from competitive sports. The key takeaway is that one should prepare thoroughly enough to visualize the race as clearly as if it were right in front of you. It’s essential to develop robust skills to handle the moment effectively and to incorporate active recovery to ensure readiness for the next challenge.
“Think of a top tennis player quickly regaining energy after each ball to maintain peak performance—it’s a trained pattern that becomes natural. In today’s business world, this is what we at ARA teach business athletes—it’s essential and not taught in business schools.”
7 -Minute Daily Self-Assessment & Biofeedback
Chris champions practical, daily routines like “a 7-10 -minute morning ritual with resonant frequency breathing,” using tools like biofeedback apps like HeartRate+ or HeartRate4Biofeedback to track real-time body responses. He explains the specifics of this mind-body coherence ritual:
“The 4:6 inhale-exhale ratio is particularly effective…Using apps like HeartRate+ or HeartRate4Biofeedback allows you to track real-time physiological responses. Engaging in this morning routine for 7-10–20 minutes in a neutral mood helps set a composed and proactive mindset for the day.”
He stresses, “Consistency is key—doing it daily enhances the biofeedback effect over time.”
Furthermore, Chris adds to his morning routine: “Enhance my early morning (6 Am), drinking water, then the mind body coherence practice, making a fresh pressed lemon juice, eating a kiwi and a banana, enjoy a moment with a green tea is a good continuum of an early morning start. This gives a good vitamin boost, energy, and a smooth start before a training session or work assignment. Breakfast comes later.”
Overcoming Barriers & Building a Legacy
Chris is realistic about the challenges of implementing effective wellbeing programs in companies. He understands the common obstacles that can undermine even the most well-intentioned efforts. When the program’s messaging isn’t addressed properly, many employees may choose not to participate due to a lack of time, unclear benefits, or a dislike for exercise. Others may view their health as a personal matter or mistrust management’s intentions.
He emphasizes that “One key challenge is rethinking how the program is presented—creating the right awareness and engagement about personal benefits. This will improve enrolment and long-term cultural impact.”
Chris is also aware of the limitations when corporate wellbeing is treated as secondary. “Companies must be willing to commit to the learning process, ensuring the organizational changes as well to the better rather than treating as a nice to have and budget-cutting afterthought or corporate lip service,” he states.
Addressing Hybrid Work Challenges
Chris addresses the unique challenges of today’s hybrid work environment.
“Hybrid work brings new challenges. Clear expectations and thorough explanations are essential to ensure tasks are understood by everyone. The lack of in-person interaction adds complexity, as body language is harder to read, requiring new skills and self-management policies. Success in a hybrid setup depends on clear goals, regular check-ins, and shared control—like managing a mountain climb or an aircraft cockpit, where continuous checking and adjusting are key,” asserts Chris.
“However, this process is often seen as micromanagement or simply ignored due to time pressure. Overall, the challenge is managing the overwhelming flow of information, which often exceeds our capacity, making it hard to deliver effectively and on time. Maintaining healthy energy flow can be challenging when personal and private issues interfere with work plans,” he adds.
Chris also understands that hybrid work demands new skills—clear understanding of expectations, priorates and communication, self-management with energy awareness—skills that ARA.Health is uniquely positioned to develop leaders and teams.
Vision for the Future: MSHP
Chris envisions a future where obtaining a Master’s in Sustainable Healthy Performance (MSHP) will equip individuals with the skills to apply “business athlete” principles, perform at optimal healthy levels under pressure, and effectively manage energy and time through optimal “EET Flow Management” (Energy, Expectations, Time). This approach aims to prevent risks that can lead to team inefficiency and organizational turbulence.
He believes that an MSHP will become as essential for future leaders as an MBA is today, recognizing that sustainable healthy performance, in-demand robustness skills to manage inflow of demands, resilience technics, and energy management are not optional but are core leadership skills for the 21st century.
Additionally, Chris is enthusiastic about advancements in health technology. These technologies now enable individuals to monitor key health indicators, and organizations are offering employees tools for daily self-checks and quarterly in-company health assessments.
Chris Christiansson’s Legacy
Chris’s legacy through ARA.Health is both ambitious and deeply impactful. ARA is committed to revolutionizing energy flow management, ensuring that individuals can keep pace with the demands of modern life while preventing early burnout among employers, leaders, and employees.
“Our mission is to help the global workforce combat energy depletion and sustain healthy performance,” Chris emphasizes. By integrating an innovative AI health advisor with a hybrid approach, ARA.Health empowers individuals to maintain long-term productivity, well-being, and balance across their professional, private and personal lives.
With a vision to foster a culture of Sustainable Healthy Performance, ARA is paving the way for a healthier, more robust and resilient global workforce. “We don’t just address burnout—we help prevent it before it begins,” Chris affirms.
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Also Read: Innovators in Workplace Well-Being: The Top Healthcare Leaders to Watch in 2025
