Cross Interview with Stephanie El-Chakieh and Alain Bonnamie
By Yanouk Poirier
Changing gears
After 40, leadership ceases to be a race for raw performance.
It becomes an exercise in alignment, discernment, and personal responsibility.
Body, mind, and lifestyle choices can no longer be dissociated from professional and personal success. What was once tolerable – overload, chronic stress, constant compromises – becomes costly, sometimes unsustainable.
To explore this transition, we posed the same questions to two profoundly different, yet surprisingly convergent, individuals:
- Stephanie El-Chakieh (SEC), pharmacist, scientist and holistic health expert
- Alain Bonnamie (AB), professional boxer and former international champion
Rather than imposing answers, this cross-interview invites us to be challenged by the questions themselves, those that force us to slow down, reposition ourselves, and take back the helm of our lives.
Turning 40
What changes fundamentally in the way you lead your life after 40?
AB After 40, I’m more focused on the essentials. I trust life. I try to move forward rather than stand still.
Sometimes, we stray too far from the goal. With age, we learn to return to the essentials.
SEC After the age of 40, the way we make decisions changes. We no longer decide to prove, but to build.
Time and energy become precious resources. Each “yes” is more intentional. Every “no” is more deliberate. External validation loses importance in favour of deeper alignment with one’s values.
Less dispersion. More clarity.
Less approval seeking. More consistency.
Less reaction. More direction.
Health and Leadership
When does health become a lever for leadership?
AB Health is the foundation. It’s the engine.
We have to lead by example. Mental health is a priority.
With Parkinson’s, I have significant muscle stiffness. I have to train twice as hard as before.
It doesn’t cure the disease, but it slows down its progression.
After 13 years, the disease is stable.
I make the effort. I never use the illness as an excuse.
SEC From the moment you learn to listen to your body.
Symptoms are no longer obstacles, but signals.
In a world obsessed with performance, this awareness becomes an act of leadership. It enables us to embody a sustainable, coherent, and aligned posture.
The Notion of Fitness
How do we define “fitness” today?
AB Fitness is more important than the work itself.
I’d rather be poor and healthy than rich and exhausted.
True wealth is found in enjoying life’s simple pleasures.
SEC For me, it’s all about balance.
Performance is born from balance, not imbalance.
Fitness encompasses body, mind, nutrition, social life, and emotional environment. The logic of “more is better” is giving way to lasting coherence.
Discipline and Consistency
What role does daily discipline play?
AB Discipline is a daily effort.
In the morning, you don’t think.
You do what you have to do.
5-4-3-2-1… you get up.
I used to leave my running shoes next to the bed. At 6 a.m., I was running. Period.
SEC Discipline lightens the mental load. It eliminates internal negotiations and protects decision-making energy.
It brings us back to our deepest commitments, without unnecessary debate.
Stress Management
What do we need to unlearn after 40?
AB We have to stop worrying about how others see us.
I used to hide my tremors.
Today, I want to eliminate unnecessary stress.
Feeling good about yourself is more important than what others think.
SEC We need to unlearn the idea that a stress-free life is the goal.
The real issue is emotional regulation.
Balance doesn’t come from the absence of stress, but from the ability to navigate it with maturity.
The Blind Spots of Mature Leadership
AB Many destroy their health to build wealth,
then spend that bank account to try to regain their health.
Wealth without health is a dangerous trap.
SEC The most common pitfall is relying solely on past successes. Experience is a strength… until it prevents adaptation.
Adversity as a Tipping Point
AB It takes willpower.
Relentlessness.
Willpower is something you develop.
Every morning, you choose to face the day.
SEC Challenges become transformative when they change who we are. They force a profound realignment of priorities, habits, and relationships.
Essential tools
AB Don’t put yourself down.
Stop comparing yourself to others.
Tomorrow, you have to be better than today.
Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses.
SEC Two pillars become non-negotiable:
discernment and emotional regulation.
There is no one-size-fits-all solution. The right tool is the one that resonates with you — walking, exercise, writing, meditation.
The hardest — and most valuable — skill is learning to listen to yourself.
Sustainable Performance
Can we aim for excellence without burning out?
AB There’s no end to excellence.
It’s like martial arts.
A continuous process.
Kaizen.
SEC Yes – if excellence is aligned. When it exhausts you, the problem is not ambition, but direction.
The Essential Message
AB Be proud of yourself.
Don’t let age stop you.
Life begins at 40 – with more vision.
Choose your priorities better… and the people around you.
SEC The true lever of leadership is not raw performance,
but alignment with oneself.
“Alignment changes everything.”
Reaching it is probably the hardest — and most powerful — thing you can do”.
Moving from Reflection to Action
These questions are not theoretical.
They create useful discomfort — the kind that precedes real change.
After 40, time becomes more precious than raw ambition. Carrying on “as before” is no longer neutral: every decision has a real cost in terms of energy, clarity, and long-term sustainability.
The invitation is simple and demanding:
- Take a single question.
- The one that unsettles you most.
- Answer it honestly.
- Then take one concrete action within the next seven days.
Conscious leadership doesn’t begin with grand declarations.
It starts with daily decisions — often invisible, but consistently repeated.
After 40, the real luxury is not doing more.
It’s about doing better.
With lucidity. Consistency. Intention.
If this article resonated with you, we will be offering leadership workshops starting in March 2026. Please contact me directly at Yanouk@humanismtl.com for more information.
Useful links:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/yanoukpoirier
Social networks:
@stephanieelchakieh
