A few years ago, I probably wouldn’t have written this blog. Actually, that’s not true. Twenty-five years ago, I definitely wouldn’t have written it.
Early in my corporate career, I picked up a copy of Meditation for Dummies. At the time, my interest in meditation had very little to do with leadership. I was exploring it as a tool for my personal life and, if I’m being completely transparent, hoping to manifest some of the things I dreamed about—the husband, the beautiful home, the perfect family, the life I imagined for myself.
I achieved much of that, by the way!
What I didn’t realize when I picked up that book was that meditation would eventually become one of the most valuable tools in my leadership toolbox. Not because it magically created the life or career I wanted, but because over time, it helped me quiet the noise, become more self-aware, trust myself, and feel more connected to what I know to be true.
Today, as an executive coach, I see just how much leaders need that kind of space.
So many of the leaders I work with are smart, capable, successful high achievers who are managing a lot. Their minds are still running long after the workday ends. They’re thinking about the meeting that didn’t go well, tomorrow’s presentation, the difficult conversation they need to have, the organizational change coming around the corner, and the 47 other things on their list. They have trouble turning it off at night, transitioning from work to home, and creating boundaries between all the different parts of their lives.
I often describe it as living on the hamster wheel.
For years, I’ve talked about helping leaders get off that wheel so they can become more intentional about their choices and how they show up. But lately, I’ve been thinking there may be an opportunity to go a little further.
What if leadership isn’t only about becoming more intentional? What if it’s also about becoming more aligned?
And this is where things might get a little “woo woo.”
Many of us learned how to compartmentalize as we moved through our careers. I certainly did. Work went in one box. Family went in another. Stress, fears, dreams, relationships—they all had their own boxes too. We became incredibly skilled at packaging things up, putting them on the appropriate shelf, and opening whichever box the situation required.
In my corporate leadership years, that served me well. I followed the rules, worked hard, delivered results, and did what needed to be done. I always had a thread of care, concern, and heart running through my leadership, but I was still separating parts of myself rather than considering how all those pieces fit together.
Over time, that began to change. I became more intentional about how I showed up and more attuned to the people around me. In the workplace, we called some of that emotional intelligence and empathy. Later, I described it in my book as “leading with heart” and being intentional in how you show up.
Today, I think I would describe it a little differently.
I would call it aligned leadership.
Aligned leadership is what happens when your values, intuition, actions, energy, and intentions begin working together rather than competing for your attention. You aren’t leaving parts of yourself at the door when you walk into work because, really, none of us do. We are one whole human being showing up every day to interact, connect, influence, impact, and lead other whole human beings.
When you begin leading from that place, something shifts.
I have a coaching client who is incredibly open to growth. He rarely comes into our conversations with a perfectly packaged coaching topic. Instead, he brings whatever is occupying his mental real estate at that moment—a relationship, an anticipated conflict, a challenge, or something he can’t quite stop thinking about.
Our conversations are fluid. We explore what’s happening, look at it from different perspectives, and consider how he wants to show up. And then, inevitably, the thing we’ve been talking about seems to appear in his work.
Sometimes within days. Recently, it happened within an hour of our coaching conversation.
We joke about these moments, and he calls them coincidences. He would also really like us to spend more coaching time talking about his college football team so he can speak another national championship into existence. 😂
But I’ve come to believe there are very few coincidences. Maybe there are more coordinated incidents.
When something occupies our thoughts, attention, and energy, we become more aware of the opportunities, patterns, people, and circumstances connected to it. We notice things we might have missed before. We’re more prepared when the situation arrives, and because we’ve created space to consider our intentions, we can respond differently when it does.
Is that “woo woo”? Maybe.
But it’s also incredibly practical leadership.
Leadership is fundamentally about awareness, and that awareness has to start with ourselves. The most effective leaders don’t just understand business metrics, market conditions, and organizational challenges. They understand what’s happening inside themselves, too. They recognize when they’re operating from fear instead of confidence, reacting instead of responding, or forcing an outcome instead of creating enough space for clarity to emerge.
Meditation has helped me create that space, but meditation isn’t the only answer. I have clients who use apps like Headspace, while others insist they “aren’t good at meditating” because they can’t turn their brains off. My response is always that the goal isn’t necessarily to turn your brain off.
Find what works for you.
Maybe it’s exercise, a long walk, time in nature, prayer, journaling, or even a walking meditation. Maybe it’s simply ten quiet minutes before everyone else wakes up. The practice matters less than your willingness to create enough space to hear yourself again.
Because beneath all the business buzzwords we use—resilience, agility, adaptability, change leadership—there is something much more human: connection.
Connection to yourself. Connection to your purpose. Connection to the people you lead.
My own journey to understand this has been decades in the making. From watching Oprah as a teenager in the '80s, to Tony Robbins, Brendon Burchard, Abraham Hicks, Gabby Bernstein, and so many others along the way, I’ve absorbed ideas and inspiration that have ultimately helped me arrive at my own sense of what I know to be true.
And today, that feels grounding. Calm. Confident. Connected. There is less forcing and more knowing.
Maybe that sounds “woo woo” to some people. I’m okay with that.
Because I’m beginning to think the leaders we need for the future aren’t those who get better at compartmentalizing, pushing harder, or running faster on the hamster wheel. We need leaders who are deeply connected to themselves so they can more authentically connect with others. Leaders who create space to listen, notice, trust, and choose. Leaders who bring their whole selves to the responsibility of leading other human beings.
Perhaps that is the next evolution of intentional leadership.
A little less forcing. A little more alignment. And yes, maybe even a little more “woo woo.”
If you’re ready to get off the hamster wheel and explore what greater intention and alignment could look like in your own leadership, let’s connect. Sometimes the most powerful shift starts by simply creating enough space to hear what’s already there.
There’s something about the summer-time—longer days, summer vacations, and a subtle shift in pace—that creates space to step back and reconnect with what matters most. It’s a season that invites more connection, especially with the people we love. For many of us, that means more time with family. And if you’re anything like me, you’ve likely noticed that as your kids get older, that time together doesn’t happen as naturally as it once did.
Everyone has their own plans, their own interests, their own version of fun. And while that independence is something to celebrate, it also means that creating meaningful family moments requires a bit more intention than it used to.
That’s where something we call forced family fun comes in.
In our family, forced family fun isn’t about obligation—it’s about intention. It’s about creating moments that wouldn’t happen otherwise unless we made the effort. Sometimes it’s something simple, like a night at the pool hall followed by sushi. Other times, it’s planning a long weekend or a short getaway.
This year, my family took advantage of the Fourth of July falling on a long weekend and headed out to Colorado together. No friends invited, no splitting off into different directions—just time for us to reconnect as a family. While it may have started with a little resistance due to competing plans and a few questions about why we have to do this, it didn't end that way. What we’re really doing is creating space for connection and once we’re in it—laughing, sharing stories, being present—that initial resistance fades, and what’s left is something much more meaningful.
That idea—of intentionally creating connection—has been sitting with me lately, not just in my personal life, but in the work I do with leaders and teams.
I believe this same dynamic is playing out in the workplace.
The way we work has changed dramatically over the past few years. Hybrid and remote models have created flexibility and autonomy, which many employees value, but they’ve also introduced a new challenge—one that isn’t always immediately visible.
Connection no longer happens organically the way it used to.
And it's not just because people are working remotely. Even in organizations where employees are physically together, many spend their days moving from one back-to-back meeting to the next, often joining virtually from behind their own desks. Increasing workloads, competing priorities, and the constant pressure to keep up can leave little time for anything beyond heads-down execution.
As a result, the informal conversations, spontaneous brainstorming, and moments of shared laughter between meetings—those small, everyday interactions that quietly build trust and relationships—have become far less frequent. In their place, we have more structured communication, more scheduled meetings, more transactional exchanges. And while work is still getting done, something is missing.
Leaders are feeling it in the form of lower engagement, slower alignment, and teams that don’t quite feel as connected as they once did. It’s not that people don’t want connection. It’s that connection doesn’t just happen anymore. It has to be created.
That’s why so many organizations are investing in bringing their people together again.
In fact, according to a recent Korn Ferry commentary on workplace trends, nearly all companies are now hosting off-site events—far more than before the pandemic. At first glance, this might seem surprising, especially in a time when employees value flexibility and autonomy. But when you look a little deeper, it makes perfect sense. Organizations are trying to rebuild something that used to happen naturally—connection, trust, and a shared sense of purpose. In many ways, these off-sites are the workplace version of “forced family fun”. They are intentional moments designed to bring people together, even when it might feel inconvenient or unnecessary at first.
And just like at home, not everyone shows up fully on board. Some employees question the value. Others feel the tension of stepping away from their workload or personal responsibilities. There can be a quiet sense of skepticism—this better be worth it.
Over the course of my corporate career and now in my work with leadership teams, I’ve seen both sides of this.
I’ve experienced off-sites that felt like a nice break from the routine but didn’t create any lasting impact. People connected on the surface, enjoyed the experience, and then returned to work exactly as they were before. I’ve also been part of gatherings that were truly transformative. The difference wasn’t the location, budget, or even the agenda, it was the intention behind it.
When leaders are clear about the purpose of bringing people together—whether it’s to build trust, align on strategy, or create space for honest conversation—the experience shifts. It becomes more than just time away from the office. It becomes a catalyst. Trust, alignment, and connection aren’t built through email threads or status updates. They’re built through shared experiences, meaningful dialogue, and moments where people feel seen and heard. Those outcomes may not show up neatly in a spreadsheet, but they show up everywhere else.
In how quickly teams make decisions.
In how openly people communicate.
In how willing individuals are to support one another and move forward together.
What I find most interesting is how closely this mirrors what happens in our personal lives.
At home, we can’t assume connection will happen as our lives get busier and more complex. We have to create it. We have to make the time, even when it’s not the easiest option. And the same is true in leadership.
We can’t rely on connection to happen organically in today’s work environment. We have to be intentional about creating opportunities for it.
That doesn’t mean every team needs a large-scale off-site. It might be a smaller gathering, a team dinner, or even a well-designed working session that prioritizes meaningful interaction over just getting through an agenda. What matters most is the clarity of purpose.
Why are we bringing people together?
What do we want them to walk away with?
How will this experience help them show up differently afterward?
When those questions are answered with intention, the return becomes clear.
As you move through the summer, I invite you to think about where you might need to create more intentional space for connection. Maybe it’s with your family—planning that trip or that evening together that might not happen otherwise. Maybe it’s with your team—bringing people together in a way that goes beyond the transactional and into something more meaningful. The moments that feel a little forced at first … are often the ones that matter the most.
If you’re thinking about how to create more meaningful connection within your team or leadership group, I’d love to support you. Whether it’s designing an intentional off-site, strengthening alignment, or building trust in a more hybrid world, let’s start a conversation.
Reach out and let’s explore how you can create moments that truly make an impact—for your team and for yourself.
Years ago, I was working closely with a large sales organization, and there was one business book that seemed to be circulating through every corner of the team.
The book was Raving Fans by Ken Blanchard, and the concept quickly became a favorite among the sales leaders I worked with.
The idea behind the book was simple: when you create an experience that truly stands out, you don’t just earn satisfied customers—you earn advocates. People who talk about you, recommend you, and share their experience with others without being asked.
Looking back, I’ve often thought of that concept as the precursor to something most organizations measure today: Net Promoter Score. That familiar question many companies now ask their customers:
How likely are you to recommend us to a friend or colleague?
But what always stood out to me about Raving Fans wasn’t the measurement itself. It was the mindset behind it. The goal wasn’t simply to satisfy customers—it was to create an experience so positive that people naturally talked about it.
You created raving fans.
I remember our sales team even turning the idea into a bit of a friendly contest. The idea stuck with them so much that some created playful posters hanging in their cubicles that looked like those old bulletin board flyers you might see in a laundromat—“Roommate Wanted” or “Guitar Lessons”—with the little tear-off phone number tabs along the bottom.
Their posters said something along the lines of Raving Fans Wanted.
It was clever and interestingly the memory resurfaced recently during a coaching conversation with a leader who was feeling frustrated in her career.
She had been passed over for promotion twice and was struggling to understand why. Her results were strong, her work was thoughtful and consistent, and she was respected by the people who worked closely with her. Yet she kept coming back to the same question:
Why wasn’t her work speaking for itself?
As we talked, it became clear that the challenge wasn’t capability or performance. It was visibility—and more specifically, how uncomfortable she felt with the idea of promoting herself. She felt awkward, almost self-serving, highlighting her accomplishments. She preferred to focus on doing great work and trusted that others would notice. At the same time, she was watching colleagues around her openly share their successes and make sure their contributions were visible ... sometimes appropriately and sometimes a little generously.
This is a tension I see often with leaders I coach, and especially with women. Many thoughtful, high-performing leaders believe that if they simply do excellent work, it will eventually be recognized. For many women, advocating for themselves can feel misaligned with how they want to lead, so reframing visibility through the lens of advocates and champions often feels far more authentic. But the reality inside most organizations is that many of the conversations that shape careers happen when you are not in the room.
In many ways, this is really a conversation about leadership visibility, how your reputation and contributions are understood and advocated for even when you’re not present.
Leadership teams regularly gather to discuss promotions, succession planning, and new opportunities. When those conversations happen, people inevitably begin talking about people, about who might be ready, who has demonstrated leadership potential, and who could step into the next opportunity.
In those moments, reputations travel through the room. And often, the most influential voice advocating for you in that conversation isn’t your own.
It’s someone else saying, “Let me tell you about her.”
That realization brought me back to the concept of Raving Fans, because the idea applies just as much to leadership as it does to customers.
Instead of asking, How do I promote myself?, a more helpful question might be:
Who are my raving fans?
Who are the people who will speak about your leadership when you are not in the room? Who has experienced your work closely enough to advocate for you? Who believes in your judgment, credibility, and the way you lead?
Those voices matter. In many cases, they carry far more influence than anything you could say about yourself. This doesn’t mean leaders should ignore visibility altogether. Part of leadership is helping others understand the impact of your work and the value you bring to the organization. But effective visibility isn’t about constant self-promotion, it's about building trust, relationships, and credibility so that others naturally talk about your leadership when the moment calls for it.
So how do you intentionally build the kind of reputation that creates these advocates?
In my experience working with leaders and teams, raving fans are rarely created through self-promotion. They are created through consistent leadership behaviors that others experience firsthand.
Deliver meaningful results that others experience.
Strong work matters, but it becomes far more powerful when people experience it directly. When colleagues or leaders work alongside you on important initiatives and see how you think, solve problems, and navigate challenges, they gain firsthand insight into your leadership.
Make your impact visible without making it about you.
One of the most effective ways to share your contributions is to frame them around outcomes and team success. When leaders communicate progress, lessons learned, and results achieved, they help others understand the value of their work without needing to center themselves in the story.
Build strong relationships across the organization.
Advocates rarely come from people who only know you through reports or occasional meetings. They come from people who have worked with you, collaborated with you, and seen how you show up in real situations.
Support and elevate others.
One of the most powerful ways to create advocates is by becoming one yourself. Leaders who notice great work, recognize others publicly, and speak positively about colleagues create a culture where advocacy becomes mutual.
Over time, these experiences build trust and credibility. They shape how others talk about your leadership when you’re not present and this is when the real power of reputation begins to show up.
There is another side to this idea that I believe is just as important.
If you’re in a leadership role today, you also have the opportunity to become someone else’s raving fan. When leaders speak up for others in the room, recognize their contributions, and advocate for their potential, they create moments that can shape careers. Some of the most meaningful moments in my own career came from leaders who did exactly that—leaders who believed in my capabilities and spoke up for me when opportunities were being discussed. Those moments matter more than we sometimes realize.
So here’s a question worth reflecting on.
If your name came up in a leadership conversation tomorrow, who would be your raving fans? Who would be the person in the room willing to say, “Let me tell you about her.” And perhaps just as importantly—whose raving fan are you becoming?
Because leadership impact doesn’t grow only through the work we do. It grows through the trust we build, the experiences we create for others, and the people who believe in the way we lead—enough to say our name when we’re not there.
If you’ve ever struggled with how to advocate for yourself without feeling like you’re self-promoting, you’re not alone. Many of the leaders I work with—especially women—are navigating how to make their impact visible in a way that still feels authentic.
Building credibility, cultivating advocates, and ensuring your work is recognized in the right rooms are leadership skills that can transform a career.
If this resonates with you, I’d love to connect.
A few weeks ago, I noticed the word “vibe” kept showing up everywhere.
You probably hear it all the time too.
“We had a great vibe.”
“The vibe felt off.”
“I don’t know… something about the vibe just wasn’t there.”
It’s one of those words we use casually, almost instinctively. We may not always be able to explain exactly what we mean, but we know when we feel it.
The vibe is vibing.
And lately, I’ve been thinking about it a lot—especially in the context of relationships and leadership.
At the beginning of this year, I set a personal intention: to make energy decisions.
Not ego decisions. Not obligation decisions. Just energy decisions.
After years of running my own business and working closely with leaders and teams, I’ve become more aware of how precious our energy really is. Where we invest it matters. Who we spend it with matters. And the energy we bring into a room often shapes what’s possible in that moment.
That intention came into focus recently during a simple coffee meeting.
A friend who knows my work introduced me to another woman in our community. She thought there might be some alignment between what we both do professionally, and I’m always open to meeting thoughtful, accomplished people who care about making an impact.
So we met for coffee.
The conversation was nice. She was smart, kind, and clearly passionate about her work. But as we talked, I noticed that I was working really hard to find the connection.
I kept trying to imagine how our work might overlap. I searched for ways we could collaborate or support one another professionally. I found myself asking more questions, digging a little deeper, hoping something would click. It never quite did.
When the conversation ended, I walked away feeling surprisingly drained. Nothing had gone wrong. She was lovely. But I knew that I had just spent an hour trying to manufacture a connection that didn’t naturally exist.
The old version of me probably would have scheduled another coffee. After all, she had been introduced to me for a reason. Maybe the next conversation would reveal something. Maybe I just needed more time to figure out how we could work together.
But I reflected on my intention for the year to make energy decisions. Honestly, the energy just wasn’t there.
For the first time in a situation like this, I made a different choice. When she suggested getting together again, I politely declined. Not because she wasn’t wonderful, but because the energy didn’t feel aligned.
That decision might sound small, but it felt significant. It was a reminder that energy is a form of currency—and we get to choose where we spend it.
Around the same time, I came across a preview of a new book by Adam Grant called VIBE which caught my attention. In introducing the book, he talked about something many of us have experienced but rarely stop to analyze … why some interactions feel electric while others fall flat.
He shared a story about a speaking event where he had to replace a conversation partner at the last minute. On paper, the two of them didn’t seem like an obvious match. They had different personalities, interests, and barely knew each other. Yet when they stepped onto the stage together, the chemistry was undeniable. People assumed they had been friends for years.
He couldn’t stop thinking about why that moment worked so well. What he realized was that connection isn’t really about how much time we spend with someone, it’s about how we spend that time.
In this case, his conversation partner—an actor—encouraged them to rehearse the rhythm of the conversation backstage. Instead of exchanging long personal stories, they riffed on ideas together. They created momentum and energy before they ever stepped in front of the audience.
Reading that, I found myself nodding along.
In my experience as a coach, the most impactful moments in my work often happen when that same kind of energy is present.
There’s a certain ease to those conversations. I’m not searching for the perfect question or trying to impress anyone with insight. I’m simply present—fully listening, curious, and engaged.
My client is leaning in, I’m leaning in and ideas begin building on each other. Something new starts to emerge in the space between us.
Those are the moments when coaching isn’t “work”, it’s “ease”. The conversation flows, the insight lands and the energy expands.
You could say the vibe is right.
One way I’ve come to think about it is that a vibe is simply energy made visible.
You can feel it in a room. You can sense it in a conversation. You know when it’s present—and you know when something feels off.
Why don’t we always trust that signal?
Often we override it with logic or obligation. We convince ourselves we should keep investing time because the relationship makes sense on paper. Or because someone introduced us. Or because we don’t want to disappoint anyone.
But the longer I do this work, the more I believe that connection is the true catalyst for impact.
When people feel a natural alignment in energy:
In a world that’s moving faster than ever, that ability to connect quickly matters.
We don’t always have months to build relationships anymore. Leaders are navigating constant change, packed schedules, and endless demands on their attention. Many of our interactions happen in short windows—meetings, quick conversations, brief collaborations.
In those moments, the energy we bring matters … your presence matters, your curiosity matters … and the way you listen, respond, engage with others sets the tone for what happens next.
Which means the vibe you create isn’t just a personal experience—it’s a leadership signal.
Energy is contagious.
When a leader shows up distracted or disengaged, people feel it immediately. But when a leader brings genuine presence, curiosity, and openness into the room, the entire dynamic shifts. Conversations become more real. People feel safer speaking up. Ideas begin to flow.
The vibe changes and with it, the possibilities for connection, collaboration, and progress.
So if you’re thinking about how this shows up in your own leadership, here are a few simple practices that can help.
Notice how conversations feel—not just what is being said. Are people leaning in or pulling back? Does the conversation feel open and engaging, or forced and transactional?
Energy often tells you more than words.
In a distracted world, presence is powerful. Put the phone down. Listen fully. Ask one more curious question. When people feel truly seen and heard, connection accelerates.
Pay attention to where ideas start building naturally. Those are often the places where collaboration, innovation, and impact are waiting to happen.
Sometimes the most important leadership decision isn’t pushing harder—it’s recognizing when the energy isn’t aligned and adjusting accordingly.
Lately I’ve been asking myself these questions:
Where does the energy feel expansive?
Which conversations leave me feeling energized and inspired? Which relationships create momentum instead of depletion?
Sometimes the most powerful leadership decision we can make isn’t about doing more. It’s about paying attention to the energy in the room - and trusting what it’s telling us.
If you are curious about how your leadership presence and energy show up for the people around you, I invite you to take my Heart Leader Assessment. It’s a simple way to reflect on the intentional energy you bring to your team, your conversations, and your leadership.
Your vibe might matter more than you think. 💜
There is a shift happening inside organizations right now.
The pace is accelerating. Expectations are rising. And the margin for sitting back and waiting for clarity has nearly disappeared.
More and more companies are asking their teams to move with urgency. And it’s becoming increasingly obvious who is operating with that urgency—and who is quietly leaning out.
Leaders and teams are no longer in a position where they can afford to simply wait for things to settle down.
I know what the waiting looks like.
Early in my corporate career, I was part of an executive team navigating, what felt like, constant change. We were in growth mode, under pressure to hit ambitious targets. Product teams were chasing the “shiny pennies.” New initiatives would surface quickly—sometimes to close a deal before year-end, sometimes to respond to a competitor, sometimes just hoping to find the bluebird that would fix everything.
The pattern was predictable.
A big idea would launch.
Energy would spike.
Resources would shift.
And then, before the strategy had time to fully take hold, another pivot would arrive.
Over time, something subtle happened … leaders across the organization became conditioned to it.
You could hear it in quiet hallway conversations:
“If we wait long enough, this will change again.”
“Don’t get too invested.”
“Let’s just see where this lands.”
It wasn’t laziness. It was self-protection.
When change feels temporary, when direction shifts frequently, you learn to conserve your energy. You learn not to overcommit emotionally or strategically.
Instead of leaning in to shape the change, you may begin to lean back.
In looking back on that experience, I will admit that many of those initiatives did fade or morph into something else. So for a while, that strategy worked.
But it doesn’t anymore.
This speed of change is different. The scope of transformation is broader. Technology, AI, market shifts, talent expectations—everything is moving at once. Sitting back and waiting for it to pass is no longer a neutral stance. It’s visible.
And costly.
We are no longer operating in an environment where change cycles quietly reset themselves. The speed of transformation—driven by technology, AI, evolving customer expectations, and global uncertainty—means that leaders who hesitate stand out.
And the data reinforces this reality.
McKinsey has long reported that nearly 70% of transformation efforts fail, with the most common reasons being employee resistance and lack of management support—not flawed strategy. In other words, it’s not the plan that fails, it’s the leadership behavior around the plan.
Gallup research also shows that managers account for at least 70% of the variance in team engagement. When leaders are disengaged, hesitant, or resistant to change, their teams feel it immediately—and performance follows.
When you lean out, your team does too.
When you lean in—demonstrating curiosity, courage, and openness—your team has permission to do the same.
When I talk about “going faster,” I am not talking about piling more work onto already full plates. I am not suggesting reactive decision-making or abandoning thoughtful planning.
I am talking about speed in:
The leaders who are thriving right now are not necessarily the ones executing the most tasks. They are the ones who are quickest to reframe. They move more rapidly from resistance to curiosity. They transition more quickly from “Why are we doing this?” to “What opportunity might this create?”
That kind of internal agility is what organizations need.
When a leader leans out—emotionally or intellectually—it becomes apparent. In meetings, they are quieter. Their language is more cautious. Their energy feels reserved. And teams pick up on that subtle withdrawal.
But when a leader leans in—even without having every answer—the impact is noticeable. They ask thoughtful questions. They engage in shaping the outcome. They model adaptability in real time.
And those are the leadership muscles required for what’s next.
If you are honest with yourself, you likely know the answer.
Change fatigue is real. Transformation can feel relentless. It is human to want stability and clarity before fully committing.
But the leaders who will thrive in this season are not the ones who wait for certainty. They are the ones who build comfort with ambiguity. They understand that leaning in does not require blind optimism—it requires engagement.
Here are three practical ways to assess where you stand and, if needed, recalibrate.
Pay attention to how you talk about change.
Are you using phrases like, “Let’s see how this plays out,” or “This will probably shift again”?
Those statements may feel pragmatic, but they can signal hesitation to your team.
Experiment with language that invites ownership instead:
“What would success look like here?”
“How could we test this thoughtfully?”
“What role can we play in shaping the outcome?”
Language influences mindset, and mindset influences culture.
Your team reads your posture and tone long before they analyze your strategy.
Are you contributing ideas? Asking questions? Demonstrating engagement? Or are you observing from the sidelines, waiting for direction to solidify?
Leaning in does not require dominating conversations. It requires visible participation in building the future.
You do not need sweeping gestures to demonstrate commitment.
Often, it is the small, consistent signals that matter most: volunteering to pilot an initiative, publicly sharing what you are learning, inviting feedback on how you are adapting.
These actions communicate forward motion. They signal that you are not waiting for change to pass—you are helping shape it.
The future will not belong solely to the most experienced leaders or the most technically skilled. It will belong to those who are adaptable enough to evolve alongside the change.
Adaptability is not about constant reinvention. It is about maintaining engagement when conditions shift. It is about choosing curiosity over cynicism and contribution over observation. It is about modeling for your team that forward motion is possible—even when the path is not perfectly clear.
The pace of change isn’t slowing down.
But how you show up inside of it is still within your control.
So here’s the question I’ll leave you with:
Where are you leaning?
And what would shift if you leaned in just 10% more this month?
If you’re recognizing areas where you may have been leaning back—or if you want to strengthen your ability to lead with greater adaptability, clarity, and intention in this next season—I’d love to partner with you.
As we turn the page into 2026, I’ve been reflecting on the conversations I’ve had with leaders this past year, from executives navigating AI expansion, to high-potential talent building confidence, to teams trying to transform how they work together.
One thing is clear:
2025 changed us.
It reshaped expectations. It stretched our capacity. It asked us to step into leadership with more intention, more courage, and more humanity than ever before.
And the leaders who rose to the moment—the ones who inspired connection, sparked possibility, and created meaningful impact—shared something in common.
They didn’t wait for clarity…
They created it.
They didn’t chase perfection…
They led with heart.
As we step into 2026, here are the five leadership essentials I believe every leader will need to navigate the year ahead with confidence, courage, and clarity.
If 2025 taught us anything, it’s that change is no longer an event—it’s a constant. AI, restructuring, new operating models, evolving customer expectations… the pace isn’t slowing down.
But here’s the real truth leaders can’t ignore:
Change doesn’t fail because of strategy. It fails because of people.
This year, I watched leadership teams thrive when they paused long enough to ask:
How will this change impact our people? What will they fear, hope, or wonder? What do they need from us to feel supported and informed?
Leading change in 2026 means focusing on alignment, communication, clarity, and emotional connection—not just systems and tools. The leaders who embrace the human side of transformation will be the ones who sustain momentum long after the excitement of the plan fades.
I said it all year long because it kept proving true:
Intentional leaders create the greatest ripple of impact.
Whether you’re rolling out new technology, preparing your team for a big initiative, or simply navigating the everyday pressures of leadership, intention is the difference between:
Your leadership presence matters.
Your tone matters.
How you show up—especially in moments of pressure—matters.
Going into 2026, ask yourself regularly:
What does this moment need from me?
What outcome do I want to create—emotionally, relationally, and operationally?
How can I model the mindset I want others to carry?
Intention is not a skill you master once. It’s a daily practice. And it’s one of the most powerful tools you have.
So many leaders I coach struggle with confidence—even those who seem most put together on the outside. I get it. I spent too many years in corporate honoring my own inner critic.
But here’s the shift I want every leader to make in 2026:
Confidence isn’t about knowing all the answers.
It’s about trusting your ability to figure things out.
Real confidence is built through self-awareness, preparation, and the steady belief that you can navigate whatever comes your way. It’s strengthened when you speak to yourself with more compassion, set boundaries that protect your energy, and take steps forward even when you’re not 100% sure how things will unfold.
It grows from acknowledging your competence, owning your strengths, and trusting that—even in moments of uncertainty—you will rise to meet the moment.
Doubt will whisper. It always does.
But your confidence will grow strongest when you decide to show up anyway, anchored in the belief that you are capable, adaptable, and resourceful.
This year, leaders everywhere learned to navigate the tension between efficiency and empathy. AI accelerated work, elevated expectations, and reshaped roles. But it also highlighted something important:
People still crave what only leaders can give—connection, trust, safety, and belonging.
As workplaces evolve even more in 2026, here’s what your people will need from you:
Yes, AI will continue to expand, but so will the need for human leadership—leaders who understand that culture is built in moments, not memos.
That starts with you.
Whether I was facilitating leadership offsites or guiding teams through transformation this year, one theme kept surfacing:
Collaboration isn’t a “nice to have.” It’s a strategic advantage.
Silos slow organizations down.
Misalignment creates friction.
Lack of clarity drains energy, trust, and execution.
In 2026, the most effective leaders will be the ones who:
One of my favorite leadership moments this year was hearing a technology leader use the word collectively seven times in a single kickoff.
That’s the mindset 2026 demands.
Not just leading independently…
But leading collectively.
If 2025 was the year of expansion, then 2026 will be the year of integration—blending technology with humanity, urgency with empathy, and strategy with intention.
Leadership is changing.
Expectations are rising.
But so is your capacity.
You’re not leading in spite of the change—you’re leading because you’re uniquely equipped to make sense of it, humanize it, and guide others through it.
Lead with intention.
Lead with connection.
Lead with heart. 💜
If you’re ready to step into 2026 with clarity and renewed confidence, I’d love to partner with you. Let’s explore how coaching can help you elevate your impact and lead the way—with purpose, courage, and heart.
You don’t have to lead alone.
Let’s make 2026 your most meaningful leadership year yet.
Connection is the currency of leadership.
And it compounds over time—sometimes in ways you don’t even see until someone reminds you, years later, that you made a difference.
A few weeks ago, I received an unexpected message.
In it was a link to an article, along with a short note that simply said, “I read this and thought of you.”
It was a Forbes article, “The Hidden Cost of Remote Work: Lost Rituals and Human Moments”. It explores how the informal rituals we once took for granted—like walking to the parking lot together after a long day, catching up at the coffee machine, or pausing for a birthday celebration—have faded in the modern workplace.
These rituals might seem small, but they held meaning. They built connection. And they made work feel human.
As I read, I was nodding along. This message was so aligned with everything I believe—and everything I strive to help leaders embrace. Meaningful leadership doesn’t happen by accident. It happens through small, intentional acts that build trust, spark belonging, and make people feel seen.
Sometimes, those moments come full circle.
In leadership, we often think of legacy as something we leave behind. A title. A project. A metric of success. But legacy is also how you make people feel.
If you’ve followed me for a while, you’ve heard me say:
Legacy isn’t someday. It’s every day.
It’s not about a title or a milestone. It is about how you lead right now.
The way you listen
The tone you set
The care you bring to each interaction.
We live in a fast paced world, one where many of us work remotely or hybrid, and it can be easy to default to tasks over connection. But leadership isn’t just about getting things done. It’s about how people experience you along the way.
Too often, you don’t know you’re leaving that kind of legacy until much later. That’s why I believe so deeply in showing up with intention every day, especially in the smallest of ways—because those small moments are the true currency of leadership.
The rituals of work might look different now, but that doesn’t mean that connection is gone. It just means we need to be more intentional about how we create it.
Think about your own team. Are there routines or touch points that used to create a sense of belonging? Can you reinvent them?
Here are a few practical ways to bring more meaning and connection into the everyday:
Meaningful leadership happens in all these moments. These small acts build trust, deepen connection, and remind people that they matter. They are, in fact, the currency of leadership.
The article wasn’t just powerful because of its message. What made it truly special was who sent it.
It came from someone I worked with over 20 years ago. Back then, she was on my team and I enjoyed supporting her in her career interests and goals. We had a strong connection through the shared grind and growth of corporate life, and while our paths diverged over the years, we’ve stayed loosely in touch.
She recently shared with me that I had made a lasting impact on her career—and what I probably never said enough is that she also made an impact on me.
So when she sent that article—when she thought of me in the context of a piece about meaningful leadership and human moments—it truly meant something.
It was a reminder that the small ways we show up, care, connect, and lead can ripple out in ways we don’t always see. Sometimes, years later, they come back around and remind you that you made a difference.
So, thank you, Jane. For the article. For the connection. And for reminding me that legacy lives in the everyday moments.
Curious how your leadership is experienced by others? Take the Heart Leader Assessment to discover your heart score and learn how to lead more meaningfully and intentionally today.
Or book time with me to explore how we can help your team create more human moments in a hybrid world.
Let’s connect.
A few weeks ago, I attended a flooring convention with my husband. He runs his family-owned flooring business and while I was there to support him, I also took the opportunity to immerse myself in something I never get tired of—leadership conversations.
At one breakout session, I stumbled upon a discussion called The Power of the Network, featuring a panel of women in the flooring industry. This wasn’t just a conversation focused on female leadership in a traditionally male-dominated space. It was an inspiring reminder of one undeniable truth—that women bring exactly what is needed to leadership today.
For too long, women have been made to feel that being too emotional, too empathetic, or too relational was a liability in leadership. When in reality? These traits are our greatest strengths. And in 2025 and beyond, they are the very skills that will define successful leadership.
The next 10 years will bring as much, if not more, transformation than the last 100.
Read that again.
Organizations are navigating rapid technological advancements, shifting workplace expectations, and an increasing demand for human-centered leadership.
According to the World Economic Forum, the top leadership skills for 2025 are:
✔ Adaptability—because change is happening at an unprecedented pace.
✔ Communication—because clarity and alignment are essential for navigating complexity.
✔ Relationships—because leadership today isn’t about command and control but connection and collaboration.
This shift isn’t coming—it’s already here. And as women, we are best positioned to bring what’s needed.
Women thrive in relationships. We are natural connectors, collaborators, and community builders.
Women lead with authenticity. We bring our full selves to leadership, creating cultures of trust and engagement.
Women are grounded in who we are. We don’t need to lead like men to be successful—we lead best when we own our strengths.
This is the future of leadership.
In today’s workplace, leadership isn’t just about strategy and execution—it’s about connection. The ability to build strong, trust-based relationships is what separates effective leaders from the rest. And this is where women excel.
We lead with heart. We create environments where people feel valued. We foster cultures where employees feel seen, heard, and supported. This isn’t a soft skill—it’s a strategic advantage.
The old model of leadership—one built on hierarchy, dominance, and stoicism—is fading. In its place is a leadership style rooted in emotional intelligence, collaboration, and trust. Women don’t need to fit into the outdated mold of leadership. We are redefining it.
So, what does it take to fully embrace this new era of leadership?
Confidence isn’t about having all the answers—it’s about trusting yourself to figure things out. It’s not something you’re born with; it’s something you build, step by step. That’s why I created Unleash the Confident Female Leader, a 4-week online course designed to help women move from hesitation to conviction—so they can lead with clarity, presence, and authenticity.
Here’s a preview of how you can start building confidence today:
Women bring exactly what’s needed in leadership today—authenticity, connection, and the confidence to lead in a way that is true to who we are. If you’re ready to strengthen your confidence and step into your full leadership potential, join me for Unleash the Confident Female Leader, launching on March 1.
Click here to learn more and register!
One of the biggest challenges facing leaders today is meeting fatigue and the epidemic of unproductive meetings. When you ask any leader about their calendar these days, the response is often, "My calendar is unmanageable." It's not just back-to-back meetings, but sometimes two or even three meetings happening at a time.
Some leaders find themselves juggling multiple screens and logins, taking multitasking to the next level, but is it really?
In my own corporate experience, I spent hours upon hours in meetings, but I had an executive assistant who could help protect some small slivers of time each week on my calendar.
With the ever-increasing speed of change and the rising expectations for urgency, how can leaders be at their best? They plow through the day, switching contexts like crazy, leaving little room for actual work…or leadership!
As companies require their leaders to bring new thinking to the table, keep up with emerging trends and technologies that significantly impact strategy, and lead differently to meet the new expectations of a post-COVID workforce, leaders struggle to find a moment for a bathroom break or lunch.
Of course, we all have the opportunity to hold ourselves more accountable for our own time, our most precious resource. I've recommended and walked leaders through tools like the Eisenhower matrix, "start/stop/continue", and time tracking. These excellent approaches enhance focus, prioritize tasks, and manage time better. However, we've reached a point where companies need to more actively support their leaders in these efforts and in breaking the meeting culture.
We can delve into what's holding us back from setting boundaries or saying no. Still, it's less effective if leaders aren't provided with encouragement or examples of how to do this.
I've spent the last three weeks with three different clients in three states, discussing various leadership topics. The common theme that emerged across all these leaders' experiences and occupied the minds of everyone I spoke to was TIME — specifically, finding time on their calendars to do more: more of what's expected, more of what their teams need, and more of what makes them feel fulfilled and alive.
How can I find time in my day to lead ...and lead like I really want to? The desire to lead with intention is there, but stepping off the hamster wheel and making that desire a reality is incredibly challenging.
Shopify recently confronted this problem head-on by installing a calendar app to track the number of hours spent in meetings and their associated costs. By simply being aware of this data, they are on track to save $322,000 in meeting time costs in the first year alone.
During a discussion and facilitated brainstorming session about strategic priorities this week, one of my clients decided to focus on meeting and email overload as a strategy in itself!
Sometimes, awareness is all that's needed to drive change. Leaders are crying out for help as they feel conflicted, unprepared, and unsupported in giving their best in today's workplace. If we ask leaders to lead differently in this ever-changing world, organizations need to do something different to support them and their teams in this endeavor.
Support them in pushing back, support them in changing the trajectory of where we're headed, and support them in prioritizing the true value they bring to the table.
Here are four actions to consider in the fight against meeting fatigue at your organization:
What other ideas do you have to help leaders dig out of the meeting culture of today?
If you are ready to navigate these challenges and invest in your leaders, let’s connect.
I recently read a statistic: only 50% of businesses are still operating after 5 years. So, I quickly did some math and discovered that I established my LLC and took my first client after leaving the corporate world in 2017. Looks like I’m officially five years in – I made it!
My passion for leadership development began in my work at Catalina, and after some life-changing events, I left 70-hour work weeks to follow that passion. I knew I wanted more autonomy, flexibility, and fulfillment, and I wanted to make an even bigger impact. I wanted to take my experience and share it with other grow-minded leaders. So I started my company, named White Cap Coaching with inspiration from my kids (representing the things we love to do as a family – be on the water and in the mountains) and grew it from the ground up.
The topic of leadership resonated with me so much I wrote an entire book about it – Lead with Heart & Leave a Legacy.
And over the past 5 years, I’ve led my company through multiple evolutions. I’ve refined my messaging, impact, and moved from what I knew – traditional corporate speak (the male CEOs I worked with and for over the years taught me well!) – to a more authentic, relatable and intentional message. Now, my messaging matches my experiences and, most importantly, the unique and meaningful value and service that only I can provide to my amazing clients.
I cannot believe it has been 5 years already! I have connected with so many wonderful, intentional leaders and learned so much from them, and I’ve practiced specific strategies for success to help me stay focused and set me up for success.
As a solopreneur with a mission to support leaders as they define their own legacy of leadership for a happy, successful, and fulfilling life and career, I’ve learned quite a few things along the way. And today, I’d love to share the 5 keys to business that I’ve unlocked at this point in my business.
In the early days, I was caught in the trap of looking at others who were further along their path. I thought if I emulated what I saw them doing, it would accelerate my success.
But the truth is that comparing yourself to others knocks you off track from your true purpose. Comparison is the fastest way to forget the reason you started your business to begin with.
For me, it was to help leaders find simplicity in the complex and to be in service to them to find fulfillment, meaning & impact in their roles as leaders and in their lives as beautiful, whole people. Comparison can be evil. I learned that the faster path to success happened when I wasn’t worried about what others thought, or how others perceive me. I learned to practice finding inspiration in others’ successes while staying aligned to the path I was on without any apology for it.
I quickly realized that if I spent too much time trying to perfect what I was working on, I would never move forward. My business has changed in mind blowing ways since it began.
Over the years, I’ve changed my:
Trying to perfect everything was a distraction from the true work I needed to do. Instead of creating something perfect, stay in motion and keep moving forward – refining and improving as you go.
Starting your own business, especially as a solopreneur, requires a lot. The path will never be easy, but it can involve more ease.
I was working 70 hours a week in the corporate world, and I easily carried that bad habit into my new business at first. But I had to remind myself that I started this business to be different, to enjoy my work, to have more time and freedom.
Starting your own business isn’t easy but there should be some ease associated. Once I figured out how to stay in flow and connected to the work that I was doing and the impact I was making, I felt a lot more ease. It was also important that I operated in alignment, modeling what I was teaching my clients in my own work and business.
Intention is a huge reason my business has thrived for five years! In my work, intention shows up in every aspect of what I do:
Showing up with intention helps me stay in alignment, be flexible with my work, and know when to pivot.
This month as I celebrate my 5 years in business, I am privileged to gather with clients, colleagues, and friends to celebrate this accomplishment and thank those who supported me along the way.
The journey has not always been easy, there have been many ups and downs (including a significant health scare!) but starting my own business and following my passion has been one of the biggest wins of all. Over the past 5 years, whenever work became stressful and busy or something did not go my way, I often forgot to count the wins.
But celebrating even the small wins matters. All of those tiny victories have contributed to my overall success – helping me become a better leader and entrepreneur.
I started my business journey investing 25 years in the same company, learning 7 leadership lessons.
And now 5 years into my business as a solopreneur, I’m sharing the 5 keys to business I’ve discovered so far.
These milestones are the perfect opportunity to reflect on my experience and share all I’ve learned.
I’m endlessly grateful for the people I’ve met, the leaders I’ve coached, the lives I’ve changed, and the business I’ve created. Cheers to the next five years as a small business owner!
