Why Travel Leaders Are Treating Brain Health as a Business Strategy
Skift Take
Travel executives are expected to perform indefinitely under pressure. Dr. Romie Mushtaq makes the case that brain health, not hustle, is what separates leaders who last from those who don't.
When travel leaders talk about performance, the conversation centers on growth, operations and AI transformation. It rarely lands on the condition of the brain making those decisions.
That blind spot is where Dr. Romie Mushtaq works.
As Chief Wellness Officer at Great Wolf Resorts, Mushtaq sits at the intersection of neuroscience, leadership performance and workplace culture. Her research on burnout and cognitive overload has made her a go-to resource for organizations in high-pressure, high-change environments.
At the Women Leading Travel Forum in New Orleans this June, she'll address something many women leaders in travel know firsthand: constant urgency has a cognitive cost, and it shows up in the decisions you make.
Chronic Stress and Executive Decision-Making
"Chronic stress drives neuroinflammation, which shows up as brain fog, difficulty focusing and anxiety. In women leaders, I see this compounded by shifts in estrogen, progesterone, and thyroid hormones that directly impact memory, focus and emotional regulation.
That inflammation impairs the prefrontal cortex, where strategic thinking and decision-making live. Leaders start reacting instead of leading with intention," says Dr. Romie Mushtaq
Protecting Cognitive Clarity Under Pressure
The practices Mushtaq recommends aren't complicated. Protect the first 30 minutes of the workday before email takes over. Work on one device at a time. Control what you consume before bed, because it directly shapes next-day focus. Know your own cognitive patterns before stress makes them invisible.
"These are simple but powerful ways to restore clarity and sustain high performance."
How Great Wolf Resorts Measures Wellness as a Business Priority
At Great Wolf Resorts, wellness isn't tracked as a perk. It's measured the same way any operational priority is: through engagement scores, retention rates, safety records and guest satisfaction.
"It is important for leaders to understand that wellness is not a perk, but a human intelligence strategy that drives engagement, strengthens culture and delivers measurable results."
Burnout Is an Organizational Problem, Not a Personal One
Burnout affects focus, decision-making and productivity. For women carrying both leadership and caregiving responsibilities, the compounding effect is well-documented.
"Ignoring it or relabeling it will not make the problem disappear."
Mushtaq advises organizations to address both sides: give leaders tools to regulate their nervous systems and redesign the workflows and expectations that put teams into chronic stress in the first place.
The Conversation at Women Leading Travel Forum
In New Orleans, Mushtaq will speak on cultureSHIFT: how leaders protect their own performance without sacrificing their people, and how to move from fear-based leadership to one that builds agency, direction and trust.
"I'm especially excited to explore the role of becoming a hope-holder in a rapidly changing world."
The women in this room are managing operational pressure, workforce complexity and accelerating change simultaneously. This is the conversation that sits underneath all of it.