If you’re a leader right now, I don’t have to tell you that the world feels … loud.
The headlines are relentless. The expectations are high. The pace of change feels almost punishing. Many of the executives I work with are managing more than just teams or businesses. They’re managing uncertainty, fatigue, and the kind of stress that seeps into every corner of their lives– personal and professional. It’s not just pressure; it’s pressure plus unpredictability plus emotional labor.
So let’s acknowledge this upfront: you’re not imagining it. These times are chaotic. Leading through chaos requires a different kind of resilience. One that doesn’t demand perfection, but presence.
I won’t pretend any of this is easy. But I will say it’s worth practicing. Because the leaders who can hold steady – who can stay clear, authentic, human and present – are the ones their teams will follow, even when the road is unclear.
When I talk to my clients about stress, the first thing we unpack is the myth of control. Leaders are often wired to fix things, to anticipate and solve. But many of the stressors we’re facing right now, like global instability, financial market shifts, cultural reckonings, simply aren’t within our sphere of control. What is within our influence, though, is how we show up in response. And that’s where real leadership lives.
Managing stress as a leader doesn’t mean powering through or pretending everything’s fine. It means getting intentional about your energy, your focus, and your emotional bandwidth. It’s about asking: Where am I expending energy I don’t need to? What stories am I telling myself about what I should be able to handle? And what would it look like to lead from a grounded place instead of a reactive one?
Sometimes, that grounded place starts with something deceptively simple: your breath. Not because breathing solves the crisis, but because it brings us back into our bodies, into the moment. From there, we can respond instead of react. We can lead instead of scramble.
If you’re feeling the weight of it all, you’re not alone. You don’t have to be superhuman to lead well. You just have to stay connected- with yourself, with your values, with your team and with the people who remind you who you are. That’s how we navigate the chaos. Together.
The Eight Minute Catch-Up
Sometimes that grounded place starts with a phone call.
In the rush to be efficient, we forget that we’re humans first. Picking up the phone to talk with a friend with no agenda, no productivity hack, can shift your nervous system in real time. I’ve had clients come into a coaching session depleted, but walk away with a plan to call someone they trust that evening, just to hear a familiar voice. It’s not a workaround. It’s the work. Connection is regulation.
Business leadership guru Simon Sinek has coined the phrase “The 8 Minute Catch up”. It sounds overly simplified but it is quite powerful, especially in these times of stress, Try it!! More on the striking power of an 8-minute phone call here. Well worth the read.
