Let’s be REAL real—everything is a lot right now.
The political climate is horrifying and exhausting. The news is nonstop. The demands never end. Throw in any personal challenges, and WHOA.
Nearly every conversation I’m having with leaders this year reflects the uncertainty, ambiguity, fear, and total overwhelmingness of our current reality.
What do you do when it feels so heavy?
Pro Tip? It’s a mind game. In my Mastermind Group last month, we participated in this daily practice every morning:
“I will not be distracted from my very important work.”
(Shout out to Sharon McMahon for this idea!)
It’s simple. But it’s anchoring me. Especially on the days when everything feels too big, too loud, too much. Especially when I feel paralyzed or too small to make a difference.
Here’s what neuroscience tells us: when you’re overwhelmed, your brain shifts into threat mode. Your amygdala hijacks your attention. You become reactive, not reflective. Narrow-focused instead of purpose-driven. Stuck instead of active.
That’s why great leaders do something countercultural in chaos:
They pause. They become present. They remember who they are. They decide one thing they can do.
One practical step?
👉🏾 Take 5 minutes today. No input. No scrolling. Simply breathe slowly in and out through your nose, and repeat your own centering mantra. (Steal mine if you want.)
Then ask: What’s mine to do today? And what’s not?
This is how you lead through uncertainty and overwhelmingness:
With conviction.
With grounded clarity.
And with fierce focus on the work that truly matters.
Because NO ONE can steal your meaningful contribution, unless you let them.
Your leadership is too important to get lost in the chaos.
Hold your ground. Stay the course.
You’ve got this.