I Loved 18-Hour Days Until My Heart Stopped | Jason Straughan

Executive coach and Vistage Chair Jason Straughan on work-life balance for CEOs, and the 18-hour days that stopped his heart.

I was 46 years old working 16, 18 hour days, working eight days a week, and I loved it. I loved every single moment of it until my heart stopped beating while I was walking around Walt Disney World.

In this Season 4 episode, episode 201 of The Building Texas Show, Justin McKenzie talks with Jason Straughan, Executive Coach and Vistage Chair, in San Antonio, Texas. They discuss why the CEO seat has no peers, why the idea of work-life balance simply does not exist for a CEO or a high-level executive, and what Jason learned after his heart stopped beating at 46. The conversation then turns to self-education, to culture as what you tolerate, and to why he sees Central and South Texas as a wonderful place to start and build a small-to-mid-market company.

Released November 13, 2026.

Watch on YouTube:

https://youtu.be/QhfEMzRIJtk

Chapters

00:00 Heart stopped at 46

00:30 Meet Jason Straughan

01:15 What a Vistage chair does

03:38 The CEO seat has no peers

04:33 Work-life balance doesn't exist

06:21 When AI hits like COVID

08:28 A bad time to be a candle maker

09:55 The trait successful people share

11:48 How to rethink balance

14:26 Until my heart stopped beating

16:20 You can't catch up on sleep

17:54 What culture really is

19:33 Why Texas is a strong place to start

22:05 Where to find Jason Straughan

23:57 Closing thoughts

Guest and resources

Jason Straughan, Executive Coach and Vistage Chair: https://jdstraughan.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jdstraughan/

To schedule a conversation with Jason Straughan, use these links:

Introduction Meeting (15min): https://calendly.com/jasonstraughan/15min

Coffee w Jason (45min): https://calendly.com/jasonstraughan/coffee-w-jason

121 Coaching Session (90min): https://calendly.com/jasonstraughan/2-hour-coaching-session-in-person

Why Every CEO Should Join a Peer Advisory Group (30 sec): https://youtu.be/ojozA0S1ITs

Related episodes of the show

The Hidden Giant: Why San Antonio Is The Best Kept Secret: https://youtu.be/zUBrfqVXZZQ

Houston chamber leadership with Reggie Gray, episode 193: https://youtu.be/KWFBJEJ-6Lc

San Antonio Culture: Why It Matters More Than You Think: https://youtu.be/WYTxiU4CAMU

More from The Building Texas Show

https://www.buildingtexasshow.com

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