• Jack Dorsey said his strict diet, exercise, and meditation regimen is the result of taking on his second CEO position at Twitter.
  • During an appearance on “The Boardroom: Out of Office” podcast hosted by NBA star Kevin Durant’s manager, Rich Kleiman, Dorsey was asked why he’s willing to put up with the stress of running two companies, Twitter and Square.
  • Dorsey said he views the stress as a motivator and an opportunity to keep learning, but said it was also the catalyst for making major changes in his personal life.
  • “When I went back to Twitter and took on the second job, I got super-serious about meditation and I got really serious about just dedicating a lot more of my time and energy to working out and staying physically healthy and looking more critically at my diet,” Dorsey said. “I had to. Just to stay above water.”
  • Dorsey’s strict routine has been scrutinized in the past. He meditates for two hours each day and only eats one meal during weekdays before fasting all weekend.
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Serving as the CEO of two major corporations can add stress to anyone’s plate – for Jack Dorsey, it was the catalyst he needed to make some major changes in his personal life.

The Twitter and Square CEO described that period during an appearance this week on “The Boardroom: Out of Office” podcast, hosted by Rich Kleiman, cofounder of Thirty Five Ventures and manager of NBA superstar Kevin Durant. Kleiman asked Dorsey about his wealth – which tops $7.7 billion – and why he’s willing to put up with the stress of running two companies.

“I don’t really think about the money aspects of it, probably because all of my value is really tied up in these two companies,” Dorsey said. “I have to sell shares in order to get access to any of that.”

Dorsey said that he views the stress as a motivator and an opportunity to keep learning.

"I'm part of two companies that scaled doing completely different things, and I get to see this like, perspective in the world that I wouldn't have otherwise. It's just incredible," Dorsey said. "That's what really drives me and makes the stresses OK. It's also like, how to creatively adapt to all the new stresses. Every stress brings a new opportunity to bring on a new practice."

Dorsey said taking the helm at Twitter again in 2015 - while simultaneously running payments company Square - was the catalyst for adopting a new diet and exercise regimen.

"When I went back to Twitter and took on the second job, I got super-serious about meditation and I got really serious about just dedicating a lot more of my time and energy to working out and staying physically healthy and looking more critically at my diet," Dorsey said. "I had to. Just to stay above water."

Dorsey said that the added stress actually "made everything in my life better" and that he's grateful he took it on.

Dorsey is famous for having a regimented routine. He typically wakes up at 5 a.m., tries to meditate for two hours each day, and, prior to the coronavirus outbreak, walked to Twitter's headquarters every morning - a five-mile walk that Dorsey told Kleiman typically takes him an hour and 20 minutes.

In the past, Dorsey has experimented with different diets, including becoming a vegan and trying the Paleo diet. Most recently, however, Dorsey has been fasting, eating only one meal on weekdays and then fasting all weekend. The strict eating regimen has been scrutinized by those who worry that it sounds like an eating disorder.

Regardless, Dorsey's stress-management routine has likely come in handy over the last five years, particularly in running Twitter. Most recently, Dorsey has had to fend off a near-ouster as CEO from activist investor Elliott Management and has taken a stand on tweets from President Donald Trump that violated Twitter's guidelines on glorifying violence and spreading misinformation about COVID-19.

You can listen to Dorsey's full conversation with Kleiman on "The Boardroom" podcast.