What time should I wake up? This 31-year-old CEO swears by a 'non-negotiable' 5am morning routine - checklist
This tech boss says her morning ritual keeps her focused, energised, and ready to lead 🐦
- Cassie Gasson became co-CEO of e-learning tech firm Thrive Learning at just 30 years ol
- She credits her rapid career success to one ‘non-negotiable’ habit — waking up at 5.15am every day
- Her early mornings include a 6am workout, inbox triage, and a cacao smoothie on her walk to work
- Cassie says her routine ‘sets the tone for the day’, sharpening her mindset and fuelling discipline
- Thrive, which works with Vodafone, ASOS and Burger King, promotes ‘work-life harmony, not balance’
When your alarm goes off before sunrise, it’s easy to roll over and hit snooze.
But for Cassie Gasson, the 31-year-old co-CEO of e-learning tech firm Thrive Learning, that moment defines the rest of her day, and, she says, her success.
Cassie became co-CEO at just 30, running Thrive alongside founder Sean Reddington. The Brighton-based business has grown from a fledgling start-up to a tech pioneer working with household names like Vodafone, ASOS and Burger King.
Thrive was named one of The Sunday Times Top 50 fastest-growing tech companies in Britain this year, while Cassie was crowned Best Leader in Marketing in 2023 by Women in Marketing (WiM).
She insists her “non-negotiable” lifestyle habit has fuelled that rapid rise, and it all starts with a 5.15am alarm.
Cassie admits she’s not a natural early bird (”the alarm is definitely needed,” she jokes), but she’s up before dawn every day, saying the routine “sets the tone for the day.”
“An early alarm gives me space to move and helps me get ahead before everything kicks off,” she explains.
Sweat before sunrise
At 6am sharp, Cassie begins her morning workout, another non-negotiable she says: “Usually I go for a run or do a workout class at One City, the gym near my home.”
“That intensity and sweat first thing in the morning sharpens my mindset, fuels discipline and gives me a win before most people are even up.”
By 7.15am, she’s showering and catching up on her messages simultaneously. “Multi-tasking is essential if I’m ever to get out of the gym door in time to hit the office,” she says.
Her morning continues with a walk to work at 8am, sipping her must-have cacao smoothie on the way. By 8.30am, she’s in the office having already ticked off a workout, triaged her inbound messages and set herself up for the day.
Structured — but never static
Cassie says “no two days are the same” at Thrive, but she is “intentional” with how she structures her office days.
Her mornings tend to be “deep focus, problem-solving and reactive tasks”. From midday to 2pm, it’s “collaboration, meetings and people”, and between 3pm and 4pm, Cassie focuses on “strategic and project work.”
Despite her tightly planned days, Cassie values flexibility and creativity, and that extends beyond her job.
Home by 7pm, she says: “I try to cook as much as I can during the week. I don’t really watch TV in the evenings. If we can, my fiancé and I fit in a walk after dinner to download the day.”
Even then, she admits her downtime is rarely quiet: “My laptop is always open while I'm cooking – I'm currently juggling wedding planning with work and renovating my house. Picking bathroom tiles is harder than any business decision.”
Cassie’s daily routine – could you hack it?
- 5:15 AM – Wake-up call
- 6:00 AM – Workout
- 7:15 AM – Phone check and shower
- 8:00 AM – Smoothie and walk to work
- 8:30 AM – 6:00 PM – Time to thrive
- 7:00 PM – Dinner and walk
- 9:00 PM - 9:30 PM – Bed
Early to bed, early to rise
Cassie is disciplined about her evenings too, heading to bed no later than 9.30pm. “If I’m not disciplined here,” she says, “that 5am start falls apart, and the eye bags set in. My early bed is the part that makes everything else work.”
It’s this balance of self-discipline and self-awareness that Cassie believes drives her success. “We care deeply about performance and attitude,” she says of Thrive’s culture. “High accountability, high passion, ambitious goals – then delivering on them.”
Earlier this year, Thrive launched its Wellness Era campaign in partnership with wearable tech firm Whoop, paying staff to take better care of their physical and mental health.
“We believe in work-life harmony, not balance,” Cassie says. “It’s not about hours clocked; it’s about ownership and output. Make the customer meeting and make school pick-up. Do what’s needed, when it’s needed.”
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