Tom Cortese
In 2012, Tom Cortese co-founded a little stationarybike company called Peloton. Over the next nine years, he turned it into an at-home social fitness sensation. Here’s how he keeps the mental gears turning
6:30am Find Zen In The Shower
Cortese awakes to chaos – three young children needing to be dressed, fed and sent off to school. He gets his head together in the shower. ‘There are few moments these days without screens and phones,’ he explains. ‘It’s a clear moment of being able to be truly inward-focused.’ That means emptying the mind and finding brief peace.
7am Spin Up Ideas
With a day of meetings ahead, Cortese needs endorphins. He works out solo – on, of course, his Peloton. (He likes the 30- and 45-minute intense classes.) ‘When I’m driving endorphins like that,
I feel like my brain is more focused. I have all sorts of great business ideas that, three hours later, I realise aren’t so great. But in that moment, they seem amazing!’
9:30am Meet With Intent
Cortese works across several management teams overseeing software and hardware. He breaks meetings into two groups: status checks and deep dives. For the former, he plays boss and gets everyone on the same page. (Where are we at? Where are we going?) For the latter, he plays teammate, letting others own the floor to spur creativity. Varying meeting styles helps Cortese think differently.
‘It’s a great way to kind of separate out the different parts of the brain.’
5pm Make Time For Play
While Cortese likes to power through the workday, he believes in the importance of getting out of work early, too. ‘Once a week, I’ll go with a bunch of team members for pizza and drinks.’ Cortese knows that successful teams maintain strong bonds. Those bonds are built through recognition at work and strengthened during time away from the office. ‘Getting out of the work context and appreciating each other on as many levels as possible makes us stronger together.’
6pm Sunny Side Up
Cortese prioritises being home for dinner with the family. They have a ritual: ‘We go around the table. The kids and my wife and I do ‘rose and thorn’. Tell us your rose of the day and tell us your thorn of the day.’ Cortese’s wife, Rachel, started this practice to ensure there’s always space for communication and a time to celebrate family achievements. ‘It’s a reminder that both ups and downs will come each day. It gives our family a forum to embrace both.’
7:30pm Clean Up
Cortese and his wife try to finish the day doing an activity together. It’s usually the same one: cleaning the kitchen. ‘Is it therapeutic? I don’t know. But we do it and talk. If the babysitter stays late, we’ll go for a walk.’ Cortese is in bed by 10pm. ‘I feel like when I read any of these pieces, everyone sleeps for four hours and works out for seven. Not me. I need my eight hours.’