The Questions That Keep Students Healthy (and Ahead)

What if the very questions that protect a student’s mental well-being were also the ones that fueled their future success?

Most of us don’t stop to check in with ourselves until the wheels start to wobble. For students, that usually looks like stress piling up, motivation slipping, and self-doubt creeping in. By the time they’re asking Am I okay?, they’re already running on empty.

We’re Marnie Stockman & Nick Coniglio, authors of The Business of You, a book to running your life like the most important project you'll ever work on. And we’re joined by Vince Duffy, founder of ThinkSync, a platform that helps students make well-being a daily habit.

On the surface, it looks like we’re tackling different problems: career readiness vs. well-being. But here’s the truth—well-being isn’t separate from growth. It is the strategy. And if you’re the CEO of your own life (or team), the questions you ask yourself are your most powerful performance tools.

🧠 Think About These Questions

Here’s how mental well-being questions (from ThinkSync) connect directly to career readiness and leadership (from The Business of You):

1. What recharges me, and am I making it a priority?
   👉 Students who learn to identify their energy sources aren’t just “taking care of themselves.” They’re learning resource management. A company that burns through its reserves goes under; a student who never recharges can’t perform when it matters most.
2. Who’s in my corner when the weight gets heavy?
   👉 For students, this is more than friendships. It’s the beginning of building a Board of Advisors—mentors, teachers, and peers who can back them, challenge them, and remind them of their value. No one succeeds alone, and students shouldn’t try to.
3. What boundaries keep my peace of mind intact?
   👉 Boundaries are often misunderstood as walls. In reality, they’re rules of engagement. Teaching students to set limits—on their time, on distractions, on toxic relationships—isn’t about saying no. It’s about protecting the focus and clarity they need to say yes to the right opportunities.

🌍 Where This Leads

When students practice these kinds of questions, they naturally start asking the bigger leadership ones too:

• How do I want to show up today—for myself and for others?
  
• What choices today will make me proud tomorrow?
  
• Am I leading my life, or letting life lead me?
  
  

That’s the intersection: mental well-being + clarity = students who are both healthy and ahead.

🚀 Why It Matters for Schools

Educators are already stretched thin trying to meet academic benchmarks while supporting students’ social-emotional needs. But mental well-being and leadership aren’t two separate conversations. They reinforce each other.

When students build resilience (through mental well-being) and clarity (through personal story and identity), they:

• Stay well enough to keep moving forward.
  
• Gain the confidence to know where they’re headed and why.
  
• Build the character skills that employers and colleges say matter most.
  
  

That combination makes students stronger in school and more prepared for what comes next.

🎯 The Takeaway

You can’t expect students to lead their lives if they’re running on empty. Helping them ask better questions (about wellness, identity, and leadership) keeps them both healthy and ahead.

So the next time you’re designing advisory periods, leadership lessons, or career prep activities, think about starting here:
👉 One mental well-being question.
👉 One story/identity reflection.
👉 One leadership choice.

Because the questions we teach students to ask today will shape the leaders they become tomorrow.

Need help or additional resources, reach out to the authors, they are passionate about helping students work on their most important project … themselves! 

👥 Meet the authors

Marnie Stockman & Nick Coniglio are the authors of The Business of You, a book that equips students to ask the right questions, own their story, and lead their lives with clarity and confidence. Their work helps schools bring career readiness and leadership development into advisory periods, classrooms, and student programs. (Find the book on Amazon or connect @bluethebusinessofyou)

Vince Duffy is the founder of ThinkSync, a proactive wellness platform that helps students make mental well-being a daily habit. By weaving reflection and resilience tools into the school day, ThinkSync ensures students have the strength to grow, lead, and succeed. (Connect with Vince - Entrepreneur + Mental Skills Coach of ThinkSync & EDGE90 @vtd_edge90)