The following is a guest editorial courtesy of Michael Bleys, Director of Sales at Finalto, an innovative prime brokerage that provides bespoke fintech and liquidity solutions. Finalto deliver best-in-class pricing, execution and prime broker solutions across multiple assets, including CFDs on Equities, Indices, Commodities, Cryptos and rolling spot FX, Precious and Base Metals, and bespoke products such as NDFs.

On 10 November 2022, I found myself at my local A&E with excruciating chest pains, followed by two weeks in cardiac ICU at Barts hospital in London. It was only the start of my medical journey. I was fit, strong and driven. I exercised regularly. I watched my diet. So how did I end up there?

In retrospect, keeping up my exercise schedule with a severe viral infection was a recipe for trouble. And I’d been stressed. Work was hectic as always, my kids were very young, and I’d been managing some personal issues. Those stresses all add up.

I’m not saying I could have done this or that thing differently and avoided hospital. We can’t control every element of our health or our lifestyles, but it was a learning experience. To use a cliché, but an apt one, it was wakeup call.

Like many of you, I was always busy; but the intense daily routine can mean we almost sleepwalk through frantic periods, not taking time to pay attention and catch our breath.

In my case, I was forced to slow down and pay attention, literally. For one thing, I could barely put one foot in front of the other. But even when I started regaining my strength, my doctors advised me to avoid cardio and playing football for a full year.

One step at a time

To support my recovery, I turned to yoga, Pilates and Vedic meditation. The journey was as much mental as it was physical. I engaged deeply with personal development and wellness material, and I’ve made a conscious effort to maintain a healthier work-life balance, while also managing the stresses that come with life outside of work. I’ve found these approaches incredibly helpful as part of a broader, integrated effort to live in a more mindful and self-aware way.

I’m not writing to promote yoga classes or motivational seminars, nor am I suggesting that these approaches will work for everyone. I’m not qualified to offer that kind of advice, and more importantly, there is no universal prescription for everyone. We all have different abilities, interests, and challenges.

Instead, I want to suggest that, as an industry, we should reflect on whether we are doing enough to support one another. Are we creating an environment that enables people to find balance between the demands of work and the need to take care of themselves?

Raising awareness

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, which offers a valuable opportunity to take stock and assess how we are doing as an industry. What expectations are we placing on ourselves, and are they always realistic or appropriate?

When I was recovering, I was very fortunate that Finalto was not only generous in giving me the time I needed to recover, but also supportive more broadly throughout the experience. I didn’t have the added pressure of worrying about returning to work before I was ready, which made a meaningful difference to my recovery.

Corporate culture doesn’t emerge in a vacuum, it’s shaped by people, but also by leadership, incentives and the expectations we set for one another. I don’t pretend to have all the answers, but making this part of the conversation feels like a meaningful place to start.

I should emphasise that this isn’t about prioritising personal wellbeing at the expense of business success. I wouldn’t work in sales if I didn’t enjoy the pressure: the targets, the competition, the excitement of closing a deal. In many cases, we perform at our best under pressure. Indeed, my approach can be summarised as ‘work hard, work mindfully’.

Ours is an industry filled with competitive, ambitious and highly talented people. That’s part of what makes it so engaging, and what keeps many of us motivated, but the relentlessness of that environment can take its toll if it isn’t balanced properly.

Being present

When a client calls during a period of market upheaval and asks for urgent assistance, I don’t tell them to hold while I take time out for a yoga class. The work I do on myself means I can show up more calm, focused and resilient in those moments of intense pressure.

The same applies to how we show up for our colleagues. Taking care of our own wellbeing makes us more present, responsive and supportive team members, which, in the long run, is what underpins a more sustainable and successful business.

A big part of my role is working closely with clients over the long term, often encouraging them to think about what sustainable growth looks like in their businesses. We talk a lot about partnership, about building something that lasts. I think the same applies to the people in our industry. It’s tough and competitive, and that’s exactly what makes it dynamic and high performing. However, if we’re serious about long-term success, we must think beyond reacting to the moment, towards creating an environment where people can sustain that performance over time.

Partnership takes work

I see it at my own workplace. My employer, Finalto, supports a diverse workforce, where our differences are respected and where we promote a culture of supporting one another. I see how that culture carries through to how we engage with partners, clients and service providers, particularly in sales.

Our clients come from a wide range of backgrounds, each with their own priorities and pressures. A core part of our role is taking the time to understand where they are and working with them to get where they want to be. That requires empathy, attention and patience.

I firmly believe that the most enduring and successful business relationships are those built on true partnership, with a shared focus on creating lasting value over time. Sustaining those relationships isn’t just about effort or performance, it’s also about how we show up – how we support one another, manage pressure and maintain perspective along the way.

Ultimately, looking after ourselves and each other isn’t separate from business success; it underpins it. When we take a more mindful and balanced approach, we not only perform better individually, but contribute to stronger, more resilient partnerships and, in turn, better outcomes for everyone involved. Mindful self-care is good for us and good for business.

All opinions, news, research, analysis, prices or other information is provided as general market commentary and not as investment advice and all potential results discussed are not guaranteed to be achieved. The information may have been derived from publicly available sources, company reports, personal research, or surveys. Past performance is not indicative of future performance. Trading carries risk of capital loss. Service available to professional clients only.