MA Design CEO, Carrie Boyd, was recently featured in a Columbus Business First’s Whole Health Matters segment; part of a series of stories about how local business leaders balance their health and work. In the article, Carrie discusses her new position as CEO and how she prioritizes health and wellness amidst her busy schedule.

Suddenly you are the person in charge. What does that mean to you?

We’ve got six partners and we support each other and it’s a team effort for sure. So I’m certainly not alone, but there is a different weight to it with that title.

I think there’s also a lot of pride around it, too, being a female in a very male-dominated industry and showing women what you can do… I already have opportunities that I feel I didn’t have before.

Do you feel the weight of how this company depends on you more than it even did before?

(A recent) leadership meeting we had was about feedback and those crucial conversations about how do we become a team … that is really comfortable giving all levels of feedback. So I was sort of reflecting on that meeting – and I’m just gonna be completely honest and vulnerable with you right now – I sort of felt that imposter syndrome.

Like, does my leadership team now think ‘Where does she get off talking to us about this?’ … So I think the weight of it actually is more reflecting on the things that I need to work on as this person in this seat, to make sure that I’m leading very authentically and not just doing what I think the person in this seat should do.

So how do you deal with those stressors?

Walking does that for me. … It’s been great because I reflect a lot when I’m walking. It gives me the chance to step away from something that is emotional so you are not reacting in the moment, but taking some time to think it through.

I remember asking Mark years ago, ‘How do you know when you’ve had a good day?’ … He said, ‘Just pick one thing. One little success.’ A lot of people talk about journaling, which I have started doing as well. … I think it just reminds yourself daily to ask, ‘Did I do anything good today? Did I have any wins?’

If you are a Columbus Business First subscriber you can check out the full article here and discover Carrie’s insights on maintaining a healthy, fulfilling lifestyle while leading our company.