Purpose: Resilience and purpose have been associated with work well-being. However, limited empirical evidence exists on the liaison between these constructs and Portuguese school leaders' psychological and physical distress and work well-being. This study explored the relationships between resilience, purpose, and well-being in 921 teachers who perform leadership roles in Portuguese schools. Design/methodology/approach: Participants filled out an online self-report questionnaire, providing information on sociodemographic variables. Additionally, they responded to four questionnaires evaluating purpose (PURP), resilience (RES), psychological distress (PsyD), physical distress (PhyD), and work well-being (WWB). Data were analysed through structural equation modelling and mediation analysis. Findings: The findings show that psychological and physical distress negatively predict school leadership work well-being, whereas resilience and purpose positively predict work well-being. The mediating analysis revealed one indirect mediation effect: resilience buffered the psychological distress and work well-being relationship. Originality/value: The main findings align with existing literature and uniquely contribute to understanding the interplay between resilience, purpose, psychological and physical distress, and work well-being. This study provides empirical support for a conceptual model claiming that purpose and resilience promote school leaders' work well-being.