Your Oxygen Mask First

17 Habits to help high-achievers survive and thrive in leadership and life

The exasperating truth is that most advice offered to business leaders is complete nonsense.

In Your Oxygen Mask First, Kevin Lawrence cuts through the pretence to deliver the best information and tools he has discovered in two decades of coaching CEOs and executive teams. This pragmatic, straight-talking book delivers the 17 habits every high-achiever must adopt to survive and thrive in business and life.

Obsessed with understanding why great people crash and burn, Kevin has studied and tested most every leadership theory known to humankind. He believes there is no in-between with leadership; either it slowly destroys your life or it forces you to get stronger. His speciality is helping great leaders get stronger.

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Your Oxygen Mask First Self Assessment

Rate yourself by answering 17 key questions. Then create an action plan.

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Your Oxygen Mask First Workbook + Audiobook

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Your Oxygen Mask First Tool Kit

Includes the following worksheets:

  • Annual Review
  • My Master Plan
  • Quarterly Plan
  • Quarterly Reset

Download the Full Tool Kit including the 10-Year Plan: PDF  Excel

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Download the Master Plan:  PDF  Excel

Download the Quarterly Reset & Plan:  PDF  Excel

Download the Annual Review & Master Plan:  PDF  Excel

“Your Oxygen Mask First is a stark reminder that you can’t take care of business until you first take care of yourself. Lawrence’s playbook offers a rich set of practices to help you achieve success with no regrets.”

—Liz Wiseman, bestselling author of Multipliers and Rookie Smarts


“Kevin has locked arms with my growth firm, Medix, for more than seven years and has consistently challenged our personal and professional leadership limits! His actionable tools turned out to be truly invaluable resources to our organization and helped allow us to scale as leaders. I encourage you to read and use this book as a resource for your professional and personal growth!”

—Andrew Limouris, President and CEO, Medix


“If you’re looking for practical wisdom from a battle-tested field general of business coaching—look no further. This step-by-step guide enables CEOs to tap into their hidden wells of greatness—redefining success as much more than a healthy balance sheet.”

Verne Harnish, Founder of Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) and author of Scaling Up (Rockefeller Habits 2.0)


“This isn’t the normal business blather. If you are serious about growing yourself as well as growing your business, Kevin’s book is invaluable. These tools are the best collection I’ve seen. They are practical and exceptionally helpful for any high achiever looking to grow and improve. If you just take one of these tools and practice it regularly, I have no doubt you’ll improve your life and your business.”

—Ben Godsey, President and CEO, ProService Hawaii


“Your Oxygen Mask First flies in the face of what we’ve been taught about achieving success. Kevin shines light on the fallacy that being successful at work is the be-all and end-all, while giving his readers the strength, clarity, and confidence to make rapid and insightful changes.”

—Ankur Gupta, Joint Managing Director, Ashiana Housing Ltd.


“If you’re looking for practical wisdom on how the middle path between the selfless leader and the genius iconoclast can lead to greatness, pick up this book.”

—Kaihan Krippendorff, author of Outthink the Competition


“One of the biggest challenges for a highly successful leader in a growth company is motivating yourself on a regular basis. Kevin hit it out of the park with ideas and tools to help motivate me for a lifetime!”

—Brent Parent, CEO, Material Handling Services


“Kevin has been coaching CEOs and their teams for close to 20 years— he’s one of the best in the biz—and his content in Your Oxygen Mask First is a must-read for any leader today.”

—Cameron Herold, Founder of COO Alliance and author of Double Double, Meetings Suck and The Miracle Morning for Entrepreneurs


“I have been working with Kevin since 2003. Kevin has helped me move through the asteroid belt of my life. He stopped me from selling my company for $1.00 to go to sell T-shirts on the beach and encouraged me to keep my business, setting it up the way I wanted, allowing me to grow it and leverage it to do good in the world. I now have the freedom that all entrepreneurs dream of, and I am able to spend quality time with my family and work only on things I enjoy and that bring great meaning to my life. I owe everything to Kevin.”

—Nigel Bennett, Founder of Aqua-Guard and author of Take that Leap – An Entrepreneur’s Ride Through the Universe


“Having known, observed and worked with Kevin for over a decade, he has masterfully developed 17 habits for successful leaders to find their 5th gear of performance, satisfaction and impact…practical principles and tools to grow in areas often unaddressed, even by the most effective leaders.”

—Keith Cupp, CEO Gazelles International Coaching Association


“There are books that are a philosophy and then books that are a roadmap. This is a book that combines the two and gives CEOs a practical step-by-step action plan to being world class performers.”

—Peter Boolkah, The Transition Guy


“I have fun (not all of the time) working with Kevin Lawrence to achieve outrageous success, that being defined differently for everyone. If it were not for this straightforward, direct, driven and passionate guy pushing and prodding and cutting through the B.S., my Partners and I would not be where we are today. Not perfect, but 90% of where we want to be. I am not surprised at the title or content of Kevin’s book…it cuts through the crap of daily business decisions and offers no-nonsense, direct advice. Oxygen is what you need in business, so you’d better be prepared to don the oxygen mask periodically to achieve outrageous success (and to get you through Kevin’s direct and boisterous book).”

—Casey Langbroek, Partner, Langbroek, Louwerse & Thiessen


“Your Oxygen Mask First challenged me to look in the mirror and consider what it takes to be authentically successful. It provided not only a clear why, but also the how in highly practical steps. The seventeen habits provide a life-changing framework that has ever-increasing circles of influence as they are implemented.”

—Hazel Jackson, CEO, Biz Group


“Your Oxygen Mask First completely crushes core beliefs about success. Through his compelling and provoking approach, Kevin Lawrence proves that you can have astounding success in all areas of your life— but first you have to do the unthinkable. As a leader, you have to put yourself first—a revolutionary concept that confronts beliefs, experiences, and often egos! But it’s a concept that powerfully changes lives. Kevin not only shows how to master this approach in easy, practical steps, but he also provides the confidence to make immediate changes to turbo-boost your life. It’s a must-read for anyone wanting to bring their head and heart together and to truly have it all.”

—Sue Hollis, Co-founder The TravelEdge Group Australia


“This book is different: no fluff, but instead practical advice and provocative questions from a seasoned pro. Every chapter delivers insights that help me to reflect on what’s important in my life—and then to focus directly on the goals to get me there. This is a great book!”

—Dave Minhas, Managing Partner, Pivotal LLP


“If you’re looking for practical wisdom, look no further. This step-by-step guide enables CEOs to tap into their hidden wells of greatness—redefining success as being much more than a healthy balance sheet.

This is a must-read for each and every person committed to leading, living, and working an exceptional life. I highly recommend reading this book, but more importantly, following Kevin’s process outlined in the book.”

—Dave Baney, Author of The 3×5 Coach


“Coach Kevin regularly works with the CEOs and senior leaders of some of the fastest-growing midmarket companies in the world. In this book, he shares insights on how he has helped high-growth leaders who confront and overcome many of the personal and professional challenges of real-world leadership. His exercises are simple, powerful, and impactful. Read this book, and you will learn better ways to lead, and better ways to live life.”

—Doug Diamond, Business Improvement LLC


“This is probably the most honest and practical business book that I’ve read! Lawrence unashamedly confronts the brutal facts surrounding the real-life “success trap” many entrepreneurs find themselves in. This book contains no BS and is packed with simple explanations and actionable tools to enable you to live your life fully while running your company successfully.”

—Hayley Erner, Advisor and Confidant to CEOs


“This is the best book I have read for entrepreneurial CEOs. And it’s one they will actually read: short and to the point. Lawrence clearly knows the traps of owning a business and how to get out of them. This is a must-read for anyone with a growing business.”

—Nan O’Connor, Master Certified Coach


“I was fortunate that my path crossed with Coach Kevin’s more than thirteen years ago. I was in a dark place in my life despite the fact that everything appeared to be all right on the surface. My business was doing very well, but my success was not bringing me as much joy and satisfaction, if any, as I thought it would. Kevin helped me discover that I needed to take care of myself first, follow my passions, and get rid of my demons by facing them head on. It hasn’t happened overnight, and it is an ongoing process, but it’s one that I embrace.

I am able to use Kevin’s feedback, tools, and techniques as a compass to make the best possible decisions to stay on course in my business and in my life. I approach this journey with gratitude, excitement, passion, and a hunger for what’s to come. I no longer measure my wealth in dollars and cents. Instead, I now measure it by the amount of precious time I am able to spend with my loved ones, making memories that are absolutely priceless!”

—Vince D’Agostino, President, Mayfield Financial Services


“I have been fortunate enough to become one of those loved ones that Vince mentioned in the previous blurb. It has been an amazing experience to watch Vince on his journey to become the best person that he can be. Our relationship would not be what it is today had he not started on this journey thirteen years ago. Thank you, Kevin, for being such an inspiring and guiding force in our lives. I know this book will be a huge success because I see what your processes and techniques have done for us. It made not only Vince strive to be a better person, but also everyone around him!”

—Diana Nadinic


“We have been working directly with Kevin for almost four years with amazing results. Kevin’s business insights, experience, and disciplined approach have had a major impact on the performance of our company. Not only have we seen an increase in business results, but with his guidance we are continuously improving our systems and practices for long-term stability and growth.”

—Dave Kearns, General Manager & Paul Kearns President, Fossil Project Services Ltd.


“When I began the adventures of business, I didn’t realize it would consume as much of me as I allowed. Thankfully I read My Oxygen Mask First, which has helped me to be more happy, more healthy, and a better husband and father. The amazing thing is that this discipline also makes me a more effective leader in my businesses.”

—Danny Chase, President, Chase Office Interiors

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