Sourcebooks

Toxic Grit - How to have it all and (actually) love what you have 
COMING OCTOBER 21, 2025!

Author

Be Clear Communications

We help progressive organizations and their leaders build robust digital presences that reflect their values, elevate their message, and reach the audiences who matter most.

Advisor

Anonymous

Chief Marketing Officer

🧩 Life’s a Game, HLG Projects

Marketing Consultant, Brand Builder, Creator and Author of Life's A Game: An anti-hustle newsletter about building a life on your terms. Personal and professional growth tips and frameworks delivered every Thursday at 8am.

Founder

The Post

Brought on by board as Fractional CMO to grow and scale The Post: the leading community for Leaders: Built By Sport.

Shaklee Corporation

Consulting with the global leader in health & wellness supplements working on innovation & partnerships and go to market positioning of new products.

VP of Marketing - Consultant

House of Wise

Empowering women to take control of their SLEEP, SEX, STRESS and STRENGTH with trusted CBD products.

Founder, CEO

Nue Life Health

4 month contract as fractional CMO to help with brand and marketing strategy.

Teal

6 month contract to help with positioning, team building and go to market strategy.

The Knot Worldwide

Following the December 2018 merger of XO Group Inc. and WeddingWire: We are The Knot Worldwide. With the mission of helping all couples around the world plan every aspect of their unique weddings, The Knot Worldwide is positioned to innovate and accelerate growth in the global wedding industry through The Knot, WeddingWire, bodas.net, and its family of leading wedding and lifestyle brands across the globe. The Knot Worldwide will deliver leading wedding marketplaces, wedding websites, planning tools, registry services and more to over 20 million unique visitors each month internationally through our brands. We're excited for all that is ahead for our brands, our couples, and our partners.

VP of Marketing

Amanda Goetz is a 2x founder, 3x CMO, brand builder and content creator on personal and professional growth and brand building, inspiring over 150,000 people every week through her social insights and weekly newsletter, 🧩 Life's A Game.

Amanda Goetz, was the founder and visionary behind House of Wise, a wellness company focused on creating space for more sleep, hotter sex and less stress. She started House of Wise during the pandemic in her garage, raised two rounds of venture capital and sold it in 2022 all while homeschooling three young children as a single mom.  

Born and raised in a single traffic light Midwest farm town, Amanda is a first generation college grad. Her dad is the town plumber & electrician. A self proclaimed over-achiever, Amanda worked three jobs in college while maintaining a 3.9 GPA and graduating early. 

Fast forward to 2017. Amanda found herself in NYC with 3 children under the age of 5 and navigating a divorce at the height of her career. Living life by a societally-approved checklist of success left her nearly broken. She spent the next 6 years unlearning hustle culture and learning a new way to approach her ambitious life. 

Amanda was the former head of brand for The Knot - the global leader in weddings. Previously, Goetz served as a startup founder building availability software for the wedding industry after spending years analyzing companies for Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur Of The Year program. She also worked for celebrity wedding planner David Tutera as Head of Marketing developing the go-to market strategy for his brands, licensing deals and client partners.

She has built an audience of over 150,000 in the startup and business community learning to live a life of ambition and success without subscribing to today’s hustle culture. She launched a newsletter called 🧩 Life’s a Game with Amanda Goetz to help high performers learn actionable tips for living a life of intention.        

Amanda’s been featured on Access Hollywood, The Skinny Confidential, Forbes, Business Insider and more.

Amanda Goetz

I stopped bringing my whole self to work. 
And I stopped bringing my work self to home. Let me explain…..

The work version of me is assertive, cares about deadlines, financial security and being at the top. 

The home version of me is silly, soft and cares about being the best mom and caregiver possible. 

Those two versions of me don’t often see eye to eye and yet we are constantly being told to find “alignment”. 

My book is about how alignment isn’t always possible. 

It’s about:
- awareness of the character that’s leading
- prioritization 
- focus on their character’s goals 
- timeline for how long you wjlm focus 
- transition sequences to the next character 

Check out my latest op ed for The Wall Street Journal in the link below. 

And if you struggle to make space for all the diverse versions of yourself - grab a copy of Toxic Grit now!

USA TODAY Bestselling Author of Toxic Grit | 2x Founder (acquired) 5x CMO | Mom x3 | Keynote Speaker | Subscribe ➡️ 🧩 Life’s a Game Newsletter

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Popping on to say this: for every day I spend offline during this post book tour spin cycle….

the more ideas start flowing. 
the less anxiety I feel about the algorithm. 
the more clarity I have about 2026. 

If you never stop to pause and look up, you might miss the beauty of the changing landscapes on the climb.

I'm creatively tapped after my book tour so I'm running a spin cycle. 
If you are feeling the same.....steal this below 👇

Story time....I've spent the two years: 
- writing a best selling book 
- publishing a weekly newsletter for almost 80k people
- conducting interviews for the Girlboss podcast - Ambition 2.0

In Toxic Grit, I talk about “spin cycles” as intentional seasons where you wring out the heaviness that’s built up....... the pressure, the stimulation, the expectations, the constant output.

It's not quitting.
It's not laziness.

It is maintenance.

A spin cycle is a defined period of time where you reduce your RPM so you can keep going without burning out.

Here’s what my current spin cycle looks like:

1. Lower the creative bar
No “big” new projects. I’m focused on maintenance mode only: my FT CMO role and my weekly newsletter. Everything else is being held until next year. 

2. Shift from output to intake
I’m reading more, listening to conversations, and paying attention to what’s landing with people instead of trying to force new ideas. 

3. Tighten my containers
Shorter work blocks, hard stops in the evenings, more white space on the calendar. The constraint is what gives my brain room to reset. 

(and resisting the urge to use that white space for scrolling)

4. Name what can wait
I have a literal list called “Not right now” for every fun, shiny idea that pops into my head. It goes there, not on my actual plate.

5. Redefine “progress”
During a spin cycle, progress is: rested brain, clear thoughts, regulated nervous system. 

Save this for the next time you feel tapped out and ask yourself:
What would a 2–4 week spin cycle look like for me?

What can I pause, simplify, or say no to so I can actually keep going?

This is the path to sustainable ambition.

The number one complaint from employees I talk to? Lack of context + micromanaging. 

I've been silently working in a full time CMO position since July and I can't wait to share more about it soon. 

But I wanted to share the operating rhythm that I have used for 10+ years to increase context and agency across the functions of marketing. 

EVERY WEEK: 

Monday: Async priorities 

I send out an async email called "managing up monday"
This email does 2 things: 
- everyone replies with their 2 main areas of focus for the week so we know where everyone's brains are at
- allows everyone to update the dashboard with previous week's metrics

Tuesdays: 1:1s and team chat 

All of our weekly meetings happen on the same day to get aligned for the week. Since we already know what people are focused on we can use this time to either remove roadblocks or brainstorm ideas. 

Wednesdays: Hallway chat

Now that we are moving and groovin' for the week we use 1 hour on Wednesday for a "sync'd Slack hour". This mimics the hallway chat where you casually ask for the updates and things you need from someone. 

By doing this in Slack at the same time you ensure everyone gets a prompt answer AND everyone gets line of sight into other things moving forward. 

Thursdays & Fridays are open for deep work and closing out the week. 

Thoughts?! 
What do you find that works for your team?

So excited for this event!! If you are in NYC - please come by for this powerhouse event with Girlboss and Her Workplace 

See you December 15th!

✨ NYC, we’re ending 2025 with a moment. ✨

​Join Her Workplace and Girlboss on December 15th for an intimate fireside chat with Amanda Goetz—2x founder, 4x CMO, and author of Toxic Grit—as we explore how to balance drive with joy, ambition with alignment, and growth with grace.

🎤 Redefine ambition without the burnout
📚 First guests receive a signed copy of Toxic Grit
🤝 Connect with women rewriting the rules of success
🍷 Sip Juliet Wine & enjoy an evening powered by Blu Dot

Close the year in a room that fills your cup and your ambition. 💛

Register here—https://lnkd.in/eYU9Xs6V

Toxic Grit isn’t a success just because I worked hard. (I mean, I did work hard but that wouldn't have gotten it to best seller status alone....)

It’s a success because people showed up for me.

Friends who posted the book without me asking.
Podcast hosts who invited me on before they read a single word.
Former coworkers who introduced me to the right editors or hosted events at their companies.
And yes....I had to actually put myself out there and ask for help.


Me asking for help on LinkedIn.
But here's the thing...

Most of the help didn't come from cold networking connections.

These were people I've kept in touch with for years.

People who I have checked in with when I didn’t need anything. I sent voice memos when I saw they were going through something. I celebrated their wins like they were mine.

So when it was finally my turn to ask?

The trust was already there.

A lot of people get networking wrong.

Even the word itself feels transactional. “Be in my network” is just code for: “I’ll contact you when I need something.”

But community?
That’s different.

Community is built when you show up before it’s convenient. It's when you give without tracking what you’re getting back. It's when we remember that humans aren’t LinkedIn headshots...…they’re living, breathing, emotional beings (likely going through their own shit).

I believe it’s more important than ever to have a community of people supporting you through the ups and downs and life yet it’s harder than ever in this current social media landscape.

And to all of those who have been that to me along the way....as I found myself a single mom of 3 kids under the age of 4....as I found myself moving to a new city with no friends or family....or as I shifted careers....

....I'm so thankful for you.

Today's newsletter goes into how I think about networking and doing it differently. 

Read it here ➡️ https://lnkd.in/ebw89dUw

graphical user interface, text, application, email

Being a CMO of a new brand launching in Q1 while planning a wedding on a book tour. 

AMA. 

🫣

I took a week off from posting after the first leg of my book tour wrapped and I have to be honest.....I am creatively zapped. 

Every time I go to post something, my brain just......fizzles. 

Is anyone else feeling this way?

My portfolio career Black Friday wish list.....

1. Wish = Less time on social media 
Must have ➡️ Taplio 
30% off today!! 

I barely log into LinkedIn these days because I schedule all my content on 
Taplio. Use code BF30 at checkout! 

2. Wish = Less time in email & scheduling 
Must have ➡️ An EA 

I use Athena EA for my services. Get $2000 off your EA using my link below. 

3. Wish = More time back for other parts of your life 
Must have = USA Today Bestseller ➡️ Toxic Grit: How to have it all and (actually) love what you have

I wrote this book to share all the systems I use to juggle work, life and everything in between. On sale today!!

This week on Ambition 2.0: we sit down with Erika Ayers Badan, former CEO of Barstool Sports, current CEO of Food52, bestselling author of Nobody Cares About Your Career, and all-around master of building a career entirely on her own terms. 

Erika shares candid stories from her time leading one of the most controversial (and successful) media companies in the world, what she’s learned about managing men and underdogs, how to stay emotionally regulated at work, and why she advocates for not bringing your whole self to work (compartmentalization can actually enhance your authenticity). 

🎙️ Listen to Ambition 2.0 here: https://lnkd.in/gsrfr7cC 
💻 Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://lnkd.in/gGTD-pT4 

Don't forget to like, subscribe, and let us know your biggest takeaway (there's lots!) ✍️🙂‍↕️ 

Amanda Goetz

Lead without Limits

I help empathetic, high-achieving leaders define what matters most and carve out a path to claim it.

I’m an executive coach and advisor, a 2x CEO and 2x COO, and an aspiring artist. After 20 years leading high-growth businesses, I launched Lead without Limits to share the lessons, mindsets, and strategies I wish I had earlier in my journey.

--> http://newsletter.kathywubrady.com

Executive Coach & Advisor

Forbes Business Council

Official Member

Catchafire

Chief Operating Officer

Interim Chief Executive Officer

Chief of Staff & Chief People Officer

XO Group Inc.

XO Group Inc. (TheKnot.com, TheNest.com, TheBump.com) is a consumer internet and media company that helps couples navigate and enjoy life's biggest moments together through industry-leading apps, websites, video, commerce, and print businesses. 

NYSE: XOXO

EVP, eCommerce, Registry & Guest Services

vente-privee USA

Scaled the business in its second year to double revenue, while reducing costs by 30%. Vente-privee USA was the U.S. joint venture between vente-privee.com, the worldwide leader in flash sales, and American Express. The company closed its US offices in late 2014.

Managed the launch operations, product development and sales operations of the U.S. joint venture between vente-privee.com, the worldwide leader in flash sales, and American Express.

Patch.com

Head of Business Operations

NBC Universal

Managed the multi-phased process of rebranding of the Local Media division across digital, TV, and social channels, including extensive change management efforts at all levels across 10 owned and operated stations across the U.S.

VP, Marketing Strategy - Local Media

Relaunched NBC Local Media's digital properties across 10 local markets, including websites, mobile sites, and mobile apps. Managed the day-to-day operations across Editorial, Technology and Business Development.

VP, Online & Mobile Properties - Local Media

Helped launch NBC's first video syndication business, managing over 200 content and distribution partnerships across all content categories.

Director, >nbbc Content & Distribution Partnerships

Hulu

Oversaw the initial integrations of hulu with it's 5 strategic distribution launch partners: AOL, Comcast, MySpace, Microsoft and Yahoo. Guided technical scoping, product development and legal negotiations.

Director of Distribution Partnerships

SelectMinds

Established all Client Services policies and processes and onboarded and launched over 30 partners. Collaborated with Product & Technology on product development and overall product strategy.

Senior Manager, Client Services

Morgan Stanley

Investment Banking Analyst

I help heart-led, high-achieving executives find the path that’s truly theirs—and walk it with more power and ease.

My clients choose me because I’ve been in their shoes.

I’ve led companies, made impossible calls, and navigated moments where there was no playbook. 

I’ve scaled businesses, restructured teams, raised millions, and built functions from the ground up—while also recovering from burnout, navigating health crises, and finding my way back to myself.

That’s why my clients trust me.

They’re high-performing executives and founders who want a strategic thought partner—not platitudes. They want someone who knows how to think like an operator and act like a guide.

Over my 25-year career, I’ve:

> Switched sectors 5 times and led 7+ functions
> Scaled businesses by 5x and turned around underperformers
> Generated tens of millions in enterprise value
> Hired and developed hundreds of leaders, many now thriving in C-suite roles or fulfilling nontraditional paths
> Navigated intense personal and professional pivots—and emerged stronger

Let’s connect if you’re ready to lead without limits:

→ Newsletter – Lead Without Limits: newsletter.kathywubrady.com

→ 1:1 Coaching + Advising: Book a consultation here https://calendar.app.google/jEKEt4dyzgLqL1ms6

→ My Art Journey: @kathywubrady on Instagram

Kathy Wu Brady

Getting the support you need should feel like a drink of water, not a walk of shame.

Just as athletes know that they need proper support to perform, leaders should be no different.

The requirements of great leadership continue to grow:

🔶 Navigate broad geopolitical uncertainty
🔶 Translate rapid tech change into opportunities
🔶 Demonstrate competency in EQ and not just IQ
🔶 Consistency in complex decision-making

And leaders have to accomplish this rapidly, with limited information, and often alone (confidentiality is paramount).

Few people can sustain the burden.
Unless they equip themselves with the support they need.

Coaches, therapists, nutritionists, brand consultants, and physical trainers, to name a few.
I used to see these as luxuries and indulgences. I was wrong.

Elite leaders become elite and sustain their success because they are willing to invest in the support they need.

It's time more talented professionals see support not as a sign of deficiency, but as essential to their performance.

Where are you ready to invest in your success?

—

Share this with a talented colleague who needs to hear it.

Hi! 👋 I'm Kathy Wu Brady and a former C-Suite leader who is now a coach and advisor. I translate my years of experience to help you break through your limits and lead with more power and ease. Follow me on LinkedIn and subscribe to my newsletter for more actionable tips to help you lead with more power and ease.


Photo credit: Michael Priest Photography, courtesy of the 92NY Women inPower Summit

Executive Coach & Advisor | 2x CEO & COO | Artist | Speaker | Subscribe --​> Lead without Limits Newsletter

Most execs wait too long to leave a failing company.

They think:
• “I don’t want to abandon the team.”
• “Starting over now sounds exhausting.”
• “It might turn around.”

But staying too long doesn't just hurt you.
It hurts your team.

When you stay on:
• You’re signaling it’s safe and worth the bet, which you may no longer believe
• You’re more likely to make poor decisions because you are conflicted
• You have to tow the company line, even if you aren’t bought in

In short, you risk confusing your team and damaging your relationships.

Here are 4 of the 10 signs that your company is struggling:

1️⃣  Revenue misses with no cost cuts
2️⃣  Strategy whiplash
3️⃣  Repeated layoffs
4️⃣  Exec churn

If one of these hits home, it's time to make a plan.
Want to know how?
Read my guide with all 10 signs (link in the Comments).

—

New here? Hi! 👋 I’m Kathy Wu Brady and I’m a former C-Suite exec turned coach & advisor helping leaders make better calls and lead with more power and ease. Tap the 🔔 in my profile to never miss one of my posts.

The secret to calm isn’t doing more.
It’s caring less...strategically.

So many leaders I talk to struggle to find calm.
And it isn’t because they aren’t trying.

They invest in improving their:
• Productivity
• Prioritization
• Meetings volume

These all help, but they won’t stop the:
• Endless to-do lists
• Constant digital pings, and
• Internal voices that nag us

What will?

Acceptance that…
• The list will never get shorter.
• Someone will always need you.
• It’s OK that you won’t get it all done.

The realization that your success and meaning…
Aren’t predicated on getting everything done.

They will come when you focus on what matters most.

When you start to see that not everything on your list deserves the same level of attention, that’s when you begin to find peace.

The goal isn’t to not care.
The goal is to care less—strategically.

—

💾 Save this for when it feels like it’s all too much.

📩 Share it with someone who needs a nudge that more isn’t better.

➕ Follow Kathy Wu Brady and subscribe to my newsletter for more weekly tips on how you can find meaning and success on your terms.

Empathy is a super power until it becomes a liability.

As leaders, caring about our team is usually a power move.
But there are times when it can become a distraction.

When I spoke with Laura Kavanagh, the former Commissioner of FDNY, we both shared how we had to recalibrate.

The engagement of our people mattered to us deeply.

And we needed to delegate their caretaking to others so that we could stay focused on leading and decision-making.

It’s a classic case of “what got you here, won’t get you there.”

Leadership is not a one-size-fits-all.
What worked at one point in your career may no longer be effective.

Knowing when and why to shift your approach... that's leadership excellence.

—

If this resonated, save it and share it with an empathetic leader who needs a nudge to know that it might be time to recalibrate.

Follow me and subscribe to my newsletter to never miss a conversation with a great leader who is willing to go below the surface to share what we all need to hear.

The greatest cost of leadership surprised me.
And I’m still making sense of it.

Laura Kavanagh floored me when she said it at a conference a few weeks ago:
“Authenticity is powerful, but it isn’t always possible.”

I had known it as I sat in the seat of leadership for decades.
But I hadn’t been able to put it into words.

As a leader, you represent the organization you lead.
And when you are misaligned with those values and the mission, your only option is: silence.

Silence means muzzling yourself. It feels stifling.
It’s the opposite of authenticity.
But sometimes, it's necessary.

The question isn't: will it happen to you as a leader?
The question is: when and how will you preserve yourself through it?

Laura is the former Commissioner of the NYC Fire Department.
She led through crises and tremendous change. 
She also felt this burden of leadership in a unique, high-profile, and high-pressure way.

I’m excited to have her join me for a Substack Live today where she’ll drop more truth bombs on what it means to fully embody the role of a leader and what she’s learned along the way.

Today: Nov 10th at 11am ET on the Substack App

Come and join us as we pull back the curtain on leadership.
Details in the comments.

—
Follow Kathy Wu Brady and subscribe to my newsletter to never miss one of my Substack Lives with inspiring leaders who are willing to share raw truths and actionable insights.

Your career needs to fit your life.
Not the other way around.

I sat down last week with Alex McCann, author of Still Wandering on Substack and founder of Midweek and True North to talk about this.

I’m in my 40s and he’s in the 20s, but we’ve both lived and seen the problems of following a path carved by and for someone else.

It’s not the journey we have sought out.
And more and more, it’s not the journey that others want either.

But too often, even if you know what isn’t working, you aren’t clear about what will.

Alex is exploring that concept deeply through his writing, his community, and through products he’s building to help people find their way.

Some highlights from our conversation:

🔶 The power of a beginner’s mindset
🔶 The loneliness of career transition — and why community matters
🔶 You can’t think your way to clarity
🔶 Adopting an entrepreneurial lens — without needing to be an entrepreneur
🔶 Rethinking identity and self-worth

A shared a clip below.

For the full video (+ a text digest), see the Comments for a link.
—
🔖  Save this post for future reference when you might need a nudge to figure out your next chapter.

📩 Share this with a friend who is ready for change.

🔔 Follow Kathy Wu Brady and subscribe to my newsletter to never miss one of my battle-tested career tips.

Warren Buffet just delivered his last letter to shareholders.
Here’s why it’s a must read.

I’m not a Warren Buffet wonk, but I’ve always admired what little I knew.

Despite his incredible success, he remained:
• Humble
• Modest
• Practical

As a billionaire, he had the means to move mountains and reshape the world to his whims.

But instead, he lived a quiet life and modeled values that the most devoutly religious or philosophically righteous rarely achieve.

All the while, he remained committed to building value for his shareholders and staff — over a trillion over his lifetime.

This week, at 95, he sent his last letter to the Berkshire Hathaway shareholders.

His reflections on who mattered and what mattered in his life are a masterclass for anyone looking to lead well and live well.

I summarized my top takeaways below.
(link to the full letter is in the Comments).

Which one lands the most for you?

--
Save this post to help you lead and live better.

Follow Kathy Wu Brady for more leadership insights on what really matters.

Here's an uncomfortable stat: 40% of management and white-collar workers say their job is entirely pointless and adds no value to the world.

Not disengaged. Pointless.

In my latest Substack Live with Paul Sweeney (author of Magnetic Nonsense & CEO of Sense Labs), we talked about why this happens.
It's not what you think.

It's not a people problem. It's a system problem.

Most workplace dysfunction comes from:
→ Leadership models from the 1960s that we never questioned
→ Performance management that annoys people but doesn't improve performance
→ Transformation plans built on the illusion of control
→ Power structures that literally predict early death (yes, really)

The good news? There's a different way.

We share practical alternatives leaders can test right now: from peer-based performance reviews to emergent transformation to questioning why we still run companies like it's 1965.

Read (or watch) the full conversation and challenge one norm this week.
Link in the Comments.

What's one organizational practice you've always questioned but never seen challenged?

—

💾 Save this post as a reminder that dysfunction doesn’t have to persist. You can change it.

🔔 Follow Kathy Wu Brady for more insights that grow your leadership impact and sometimes turn conventional wisdom on its head.

The thank you's I never shared haunt me each year.
Don’t make the same mistake.

I’ve known that feeling gratitude is a useful mental tool.
But sharing gratitude is when the full power comes to life.

When you do, it’s a full-body experience.

For me, my eyes tear, my jaw tenses, and my heart swells as I say the words “thank you.”

And then when the other person pauses, realizes what you’re saying, and then smiles, you feel a lightness that is hard to explain.

When you help someone see that what they do matters, you are returning the gift of their impact.
You’re helping them feel seen, valued, and worthy.

And yet most of us don’t pause long enough to share our gratitude.
Life and work get busy.
It’s easy to just wait another day, another month, another year.

But people aren’t here forever.

I waited too long to tell the teachers in my life that they mattered to me.
That what they taught me and how they lifted me up changed my life.

By the time I realized I was ready to make time, they had moved on.
I was devastated.

The silver lining: I learned to prioritize gratitude sharing and stop waiting.

Here’s how you can, too:

1️⃣  Choose one person who has made a difference for you — a family member, a friend, a colleague, a teacher, a boss, a mentor.

2️⃣ Schedule time on your calendar to send a card, write an email, make a visit.

Two steps. That’s all it takes to share your gratitude and help someone see how they mattered in your life.

A little effort with a huge payoff.
Not just for them, but for you.

—

💾 Save this post to remind you to make your gratitude known.

➕ Follow Kathy Wu Brady and subscribe to my newsletter for more tips every week that will help you lead with more power and meaning.

The people who mattered won't be here forever. Prioritize sharing your gratitude today.

Kathy Wu Brady

You don’t need to wait for a retreat to reset.

If you’re craving the quiet and the peace of a retreat, it’s a signal from your body.

Don’t ignore it.

It probably means you’re not operating at your highest level:
❌ Less strategic
❌ Less creative
❌ Less patient

None of this helps you lead well.

✨ Here’s the secret:
You don’t need to pay thousands of dollars and take a week off to reset.
You just need to insert the elements of a great retreat into your day.

Here's how:

1. Put away the screens

• In a meeting, don’t use your laptop or your phone
• If it’s virtual, close all your tabs and apps
• Use an old-fashioned notebook and pen
• When you get bored: doodle, read, or go for a walk

—

2. Focus on doing fewer, but more impactful things

• Choose 3 things that matter most each morning
• Do those and stop worrying about the rest
• Celebrate your progress at the end of each day

—

3. Cancel 20-30% of what’s on your calendar:

• Someone else can do it
• It doesn’t need to happen OR
• It can wait

—

4. Move your body:

• Go for a walk even if it’s only 10 min
• Stretch for 5 min between meetings (or at the start of a meeting — it’ll give your team permission to do the same)
• Do plank or jumping jacks for 20 seconds, it’ll get the blood flowing

—

5. Allow yourself to sit quietly for 5 min with no expectations

—

Even if you can’t do this every day, choosing one and doing it once a week or even once a month will help you find more peace.

The best part?
These are healthy habits that won’t just help you. They’ll help your team, too.

Once you model them, it’ll give others permission to do the same.

That’s how we build strong, high-performing teams that last.
Pick one and schedule it for this coming week.

—

💾 Save this post to reference when you’re feeling drained or frayed at the edges.

📩 Share it with a leader who needs permission to put on their oxygen mask first.

➕ Follow Kathy Wu Brady for more tips to help you lead sustainably and with more power and ease.

Appreciation is one of the best ways to lift up your team.

Here are 4 high-impact ways that won’t break the bank:

1. Weekly Wins

• WHEN: In a team meeting or weekly email, call out the people behind the wins
• HOW: Make it specific
• WHY IT MATTERS: Being valued drives employee engagement

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2. Thank You Wall

• WHEN: Every quarter or after a big milestone
• HOW: Designate a wall for thank yous that anyone can add to with a post-it. Gather everyone for a lunch or a casual meeting where people can take turns writing and posting for 20 minutes
• WHY IT MATTERS: Colleagues are your daily collaborators. Pausing to celebrate can strengthen relationships.

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3. Teammate Shoutouts

• WHEN: Team meetings and all hands
• HOW: Have team members nominate people they want to shoutout.
• WHY IT MATTERS: Public praise can feel more meaningful than private acknowledgement. It has the added benefit of reinforcing a culture of appreciation.

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4. Group Professional Development

• WHEN: Periodically when your schedules permit
• HOW: Choose a topic that will level up your team, or let me vote
• WHY IT MATTERS: Supporting the growth of your team builds morale and improves performance. Doing it together creates even more positive momentum.

--

✨ Sprinkle the spirit of gratitude throughout the year.
Your team will benefit. So will your business
... And you might, too.

--

💾 Save this post to reference as you refresh team rituals and routines.

📩 Share this post with another leader who could benefit, too.

➕ Follow Kathy Wu Brady and subscribe to my newsletter (link above) for my actionable tips on how to grow your impact as a leader.

Waiting for validation as a leader?
I have tough news for you:
You aren’t going to get it.

At least not from someone else.

When you’re earlier in your career, people will want to prop you up, and give you feedback to help you grow.
If you’re lucky.

But as you ascend the ranks, that starts to change.

It isn’t just that there are fewer people towards the top to share feedback.
It’s that people assume you don’t need it.

As a leader, people think you:
• Have great self-awareness
• Assess your progress accurately
• Can source affirmation from within

As a result, you will get fewer pats on the back or “you did great.”

Those who rise to the top know how to source what they need.

Here’s how you can, too (see my guide).

—
Save this post to come back to when you’re feeling the need for support.

Share this with another leader who needs it.

New here? 👋 Hi! I’m Kathy Wu Brady, a former C-suite leader turned coach and advisor who helps execs uplevel their leadership, career, and mindset. 
Follow me on LinkedIn and subscribe to my newsletter to never miss any of my actionable tips.

How to Source the Validation You Need

The #1 mistake that leaders with high standards make…
Keeping their success tactics a secret.

I’ve seen this with leaders I coach.

Everything is fine when their direct report operates the same way.
But when they are leading someone who doesn’t think or behave the same way they do, that’s when the wheels start coming off.

They start to nitpick, get impatient, and tension begins to build in the relationship.

It gets worse…
The team member who has a different style knows something is wrong, but they don’t understand why.

Two things can happen to the team member (sometimes both):
❌ They dig in their heels and start to distrust their leader.
❌ They get scared they are missing the mark and they make even more mistakes.

The result is a death spiral that doesn’t just end in the team member leaving.
It ends in trust broken and a relationship severed.
But it doesn’t have to be that way.

So what’s the cure?

Stop assuming your choices are obvious:
Help your teams understand what you do and why you do it.

Steal my 5-step process:

1. Share you’re invested in their growth and success.
2. Explain your expectations in detail.
3. Be specific: what matters, why it matters, and what the person isn’t doing.
4. Offer examples of what works and why.
5. Do a post-mortem to help them learn.

This works because you never leave the other person guessing.
They know why you’re digging in (to help them), why you make the decisions you do (to be effective), and how they can do the same.

🕵 Mystery only works in novels and movies.
It’s a recipe for disaster in working relationships, especially ones where a leader has high standards.

✨ Help your team become as strong as (and hopefully stronger than) you by revealing and not concealing your secrets to success.

—

🔖 Save this to reference when you feel something isn’t clicking with a person on your team.

📩 Share it with another leader with high standards who is struggling with their team.

🔔 Follow Kathy Wu Brady and subscribe to my newsletter for more actionable tips each week to uplevel your leadership, career, and mindset.

If your day has no white space, you're not managing time — you're surviving it.

As a leader, I used to pride myself on jam-packed calendars.

Back-to-back meetings felt like a badge of honor.
A sign I was critical to the team.

But it left me with no time to:
❌ Think strategically
❌ Handle unexpected issues
❌ Recharge
❌ Take care of myself (lunch, bathroom, breath)

In the fast-paced startup world I loved, overload felt inevitable.
We ran lean -- by design.

But here’s the truth: There is always a choice.
More and faster isn’t always better.

Strategic leaders create space.
They know they can’t serve others well when they are stuck in survival mode.

And their organizations?
They don’t need more hustle.
They need healthier leadership.

Your team doesn’t need you burned out.
They need you clear-headed, creative, and present.

So if you won’t create white space for yourself, do it for them.

🟢 Reset the pace.
🟢 Change your goals.
🟢 Create a new way to work.

Because thriving leadership doesn’t happen by accident — it happens by design.

--

📩  If this resonated, send it to someone who needs this reminder.

➕ Follow me (Kathy Wu Brady) and subscribe to my free weekly newsletter for more insights on how to lead well and be well.

Thriving leadership doesn't happen by accident. It happens by design.

I told a VP client she needs to work less if she wants to grow.
She looked at me like I had lost my mind.

Here's what I meant:

She's working 65-hour weeks. Saying yes to every meeting. Staying on top of every detail. And wondering why she can't make progress on the strategic skills she needs for her next role.

The problem isn't her work ethic. 

It's the voice in her head telling her:
"If I'm not doing more, I'm not achieving more."

That's her Hyper-achiever saboteur talking. And it's blocking her from the growth she's capable of.

Here's what most high-performing leaders don't realize: 

Growth doesn't come from doing more. 
It comes from creating space to learn what matters most.

But creating that space means:

→ Saying no when you're used to saying yes
→ Delegating control when you're used to holding it
→ Protecting your calendar when everyone wants a piece of it

And that triggers every fear you've been avoiding:

❌ What if things fall apart without me?
❌ What if people think I'm not committed?
❌ What if I'm not actually as valuable as I thought?

These aren't strategy problems. They're saboteur problems.

I wrote about the specific voices that keep senior leaders stuck—and the Monday morning scenario that shows you how to break the pattern.

Link in comments. 👇

—

Repost this to help leaders who want to grow, but need to make the space to do so.

Follow Kathy Wu Brady and subscribe to my newsletter for more ways to break through what’s holding you back from your full potential as a leader.

The reality of being a tech leader in 2025?

Join me in less than an hour at 11am ET today -- Monday, December 1st for a raw conversation with Dan Van Tran, CTO of Collectors.

A preview of our conversation:

• How has he embraced AI?
• What is the experience for introverts in this new world?
• What has changed in tech team organizational design?
• How does he lead with HI (human intelligence)?
• The challenges of hiring...
• What's the impact on new graduates?
and more...

Link in the comments below.

--

Don't ever miss one of my upcoming live conversations by subscribing to my newsletter 👆

Dysfunction in the workplace.
Is it the people or the system?

That's what I'll be talking about with Paul Sweeney of Sense Labs in less than 2 hours on our Substack Live.

Paul is the former Chief Strategy Officer of a FTSE100 company and has not only tested different ways of leading, but done the research.

His theory:
Most of the conventional wisdom and best practices we learn in business school are the source of the problem -- not the solution.

Having worked in 10K person companies and 10 person companies, and having tested different models myself, I agree that the corporate world needs an overhaul.

But what's the right answer?

Join us today, Tuesday, November 18th at 11am ET, and be a part of the conversation.

(link in the comments)

I used to have a colleague who made my blood pressure spike every time I saw their name in my inbox.

Every interaction felt like a battle. 
Every meeting, a minefield.

And I thought: "This is just part of being a leader. You deal with difficult people."

Until I realized something crucial: I had way more control than I thought.

Turns out, most workplace conflict isn't about bad intentions.

It's about differences in how we think, communicate, and work. And at the senior level, the cost of getting these relationships wrong is enormous.

In this week's Lead without Limits, I break down 4 strategies that transformed how I handle difficult colleagues:

✓ Assume positive intent (even when it's hard)
✓ Flip your assumptions to find new perspectives
✓ Address concerns directly (with a framework that works)
✓ Co-design your working alliance for the long term

These aren't just feel-good concepts. 
They're practical, actionable shifts you can make today.

Because the best leaders don't just tolerate difficult relationships.
They transform them.

A link to the full article is in the comments below.

Have you navigated a colleague relationship that went from adversarial to collaborative? Share your story below—I'd love to learn from you. 👇

—

If you’re new here, 👋 I’m Kathy, a C-suite exec turned Executive Coach & Advisor. I help senior leaders and their teams unlock their full potential, become more successful, and enjoy the journey.

I share actionable tips weekly in my newsletter and here on LinkedIn.
Subscribe and follow me to never miss a post.

Missed Giving Tuesday?
Good news! It's never too late to give.

Nonprofits and local agencies need our support more than ever.

They provide the social safety net and the cultural experiences that make the fabric of our communities resilient and vibrant.

I used to take for granted that:

• My local art institute offered world-class instruction
• Our library had well-stocked shelves with diverse programs
• Neighborhood parents created memorable programming for my kids

These are just a few of the causes I support.
And it isn't just with money. It's with my time and my skills.

Not sure where you should give back?
Start with your own community.

Look at activity bulletin boards.
Attend a community event.
Talk with local business owners.

The opportunities to give back are everywhere.
We just have to take the time to look.

That's real leadership.

Where do you go to find organizations and ways to give back?

P.S. This is me helping with a local art installation in my town -- a crochet bomb in our town square.

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