Why Healthcare Executives Need “Selfish” Hobbies (And Why Volunteering Is Only Half the Answer)

In many industries, it's not uncommon to hear about executives who take a month-long sabbatical, go off-grid on a safari, or trek through Kilimanjaro to recharge. But in healthcare, those breaks are rare. When you’re responsible for systems that never pause, the idea of extended time off often feels like a luxury you can’t afford.

So how do healthcare leaders stay grounded?

We often talk about the importance of rest, but in healthcare, traditional ideas of rest don’t always apply. Volunteering, for example, is widely seen as a meaningful outlet in other fields. But when your everyday work revolves around helping others like making life-altering decisions, managing crises, supporting vulnerable patients, “giving back” doesn’t always restore you. For many in healthcare, it simply extends the caregiving mindset.

Instead, the kind of rest we need might look surprisingly personal, even selfish.

A 2021 study from the University of California found that just 72 hours without meetings or email improved complex problem-solving by 27%. Harvard Business Review reported that healthcare executives face 60% more chronic stress than leaders in other sectors, and McKinsey (2023) found that women in healthcare leadership are 40% more likely to experience burnout than their male counterparts.

This isn’t just a wellness issue. It’s an operational one. Recovery matters, and in healthcare, it needs to be intentional.

So what actually works?

According to Forbes Health, 33% of hospital CEOs turn to cooking as a form of “active meditation.” These aren’t gourmet chefs but professionals who find in food preparation a way to focus, relax, and feel human again. Others prefer low-pressure physical activity: swimming (23%) and hiking (18%) are among the most common. Deloitte (2024) notes that women in healthcare are especially drawn to tactile, creative outlets like painting or ceramics, while MIT has reported a rise in robotics-based hobbies (such as drone building) among women in medtech.

Sometimes, what works best is a temporary escape with no greater purpose. Weekend digital detox retreats. Learning to play the ukulele. Studying a fictional language. Psychology Today suggests that these seemingly “absurd” hobbies may actually reduce cortisol levels, precisely because they aren’t goal-oriented or productive. They give the brain space to breathe.

In my own case, the search for disconnection has changed over time. Early on, I found it in golf. Later, it evolved into collecting watches. Eventually, I even learned to fly airplanes. None of these were done to impress anyone. They gave me space to reset, to detach, and to think more clearly when I returned.

And this is a key difference between healthcare and other fields. While tech or finance executives often step away for weeks, only 9% of healthcare leaders report being able to disconnect for more than two consecutive weeks (Statista, 2024). Time off in healthcare needs to be powerful and compact.

Gender also plays a role. Men tend to prefer solitary, quiet pastimes like fishing or golf. Women often gravitate toward small-group experiences like book clubs or choirs. Spaces where connection exists, but pressure doesn’t. The common denominator is the same: autonomy.

Ultimately, the best hobbies for healthcare leaders are the ones that don’t serve anyone but ourselves. They’re not charitable. They’re not strategic. And that’s the point.

Because in a profession shaped by urgency, altruism, and relentless complexity, reclaiming a moment that is entirely yours may be the most responsible thing you can do.

What do you do to disconnect?