BCG BrightHouse

BrightHouse Luminary

Crowley Group

Global Director

National Geographic

Anthropologist, Filmmaker, TED Speaker

TED Conferences

Global Speaker. Keynote Addresses include Oxford University, the American Museum of Natural History, the Smithsonian Institute, and Harvard University.

TED Speaker

Global Innovator | Humanitarian | National Geographic Explorer | United Nations Visionary Award Recipient | TED Speaker

After decades of bridging the world's most remote regions and Fortune 500 boardrooms, 
I've discovered this:

Your internal compass is more accurate than any external map.

As a National Geographic Explorer, 
I've studied navigators who masterfully find their way without GPS, 
maps, or permission. They navigate by trust. By instinct. By knowing.

I empower leaders to do the same.

My Work: 

National Geographic Explorer • Documented navigation mastery across 50+ cultures • UN Visionary Award Recipient • TED Speaker • BCG BrightHouse Luminary advising organizations, including Google through transformation • Author (forthcoming)

Problem: 

Most leaders navigate by committee, consensus, and comparison. 
It creates confusion and uncertainty.

Solution:

Your internal compass leads to clarity and conviction.

Methodology:

1. Navigational Intelligence
Strengthen your internal guidance system 

2. Transition Mastery
Move through change with precision, not panic.

3. Leadership Clarity
Lead by conviction, not consensus 

4. Decision Confidence
Trust your judgment when it matters most

Conclusion:

- Your first instinct holds the answer. 
It's pattern recognition and accumulated experiential knowledge. 

- Consensus dilutes clarity. 
The clearest path comes from internal alignment. 

- Navigation is a skill. 
It can be developed, strengthened, and trusted.

The same principles that guide navigators across 
vast and turbulent seas apply to your strategic decisions, 
career transitions, and leadership challenges.

The most expensive mistake leaders make is following someone else's map.
Your compass works. The question is whether you'll trust it.

🧭 Follow for daily insights on navigating with clarity and conviction.

WORK WITH ME

Keynotes | Executive Advisory | Organizational Transformation
For inquiries, please send me a direct message.

From those who’ve experienced my work:

“Elizabeth's timeless insights provided critical unlocks to our team and will no doubt do the same for a broad audience.” 

Ashley Grice, CEO BCG BrightHouse

"Elizabeth is a spellbinding presenter who embodies an inimitable coherence as a daring explorer, visionary, and courageous advocate for cultures around the world."

Dr. Chellie Spiller, Leader-in-Residence, Oxford University

"Elizabeth has greatly honored her cultural heritage. She is superbly qualified for her global quest to find and protect the essence of at-risk cultures." 

Captain Don Walsh, National Geographic, Ocean Elder

Dr. Elizabeth Lindsey

No matter how successful you are, 
treat people badly and it means nothing.

Five minutes taught me what decades of success couldn't.

Early in my career, I wore my best homemade dress, took the hour-and-a-half bus ride to Honolulu, and waited outside a hotel executive's office.

When he finally saw me, he barely looked up.

"You're not a good investment."

Eyes on his papers. Not on me.

Years later, we met again. This time, he looked me in the eye.

"After watching your career soar, I've always regretted not being the one who helped you at the beginning."

Here's what I've learned since then:

Your expertise means nothing if you can't see the human in front of you.

I've watched brilliant executives lose entire teams because they treated people like furniture. Staff quit en masse because no one felt seen.

That hotel executive had 30 years of experience. I had none.

But I had something he didn't: the memory of being invisible.

So I learned to see everyone. The assistant ignored in meetings. The maintenance person others walk past. The intern everyone dismisses.

Not out of kindness. Out of knowing better.

People remember how you made them feel long after they forget what you said.

You can have every degree, every certification, every year of experience. But if you look through people instead of at them, you're already failing.

His five minutes of dismissal cost him a lifetime of connection.

My bus ride in that homemade dress taught me more than any boardroom: people know when you see them, and they know when you don't.

Who needs to know they matter to you today?

If you found this helpful, share it with those who understand that humanity beats expertise.

For more on Mastery and Mindset, join me, 
Dr. Elizabeth Lindsey.

Dr. Elizabeth Lindsey 

National Geographic Explorer | Helping leaders to gain clarity in uncertainty | United Nations Visionary Award | TED Speaker

When the path is unclear,
make yourself the mission.

Last year, I said 'yes' to almost everything.

Speaking engagements that didn't fit my message. 
Partnerships that didn't feel exactly right. 
Projects that left me depleted.

I was chasing what I thought success should look like 
instead of asking what actually mattered to me.

By December, I was exhausted. 
It wasn't the kind of exhaustion a weekend could fix. 
It was the kind you know when something's broken.

So I stopped. 

For six months, I didn't pursue any new opportunities. 
I just focused on getting myself right.

Made exercise non-negotiable. 
Slept 8 hours instead of surviving on 5. 
Faced disappointments I'd been ignoring.

Nothing dramatic happened at first. 
But slowly, things shifted.

The work that felt forced before started feeling natural. 
Invitations came that aligned with what I cared about. 

Collaborations emerged with people 
who energized rather than drained me.

Here's what changed:

When you don't know what path to take, 
the answer isn't out there. 

It's in becoming the version of yourself 
who can see clearly.

Every wrong turn I took came from a depleted, 
unclear version of me. 

Every exhausting pursuit was about proving 
something instead of building something meaningful.

When you get yourself right first, everything changes. 
Your energy shifts. What you attract gets better. 

The path becomes visible 
because you're ready to see it.

Most leaders I know spend huge amounts 
on strategy. But they're strategizing 
from burnout. Deciding from confusion.

Here's what actually works: 

Pick one thing your body's been asking for 
and do it for 30 days. 

Not meditation if you hate sitting still. 
Not 5am workouts 
if you're not a morning person. 

Stop fixing your calendar before your sleep. 
Stop optimizing your content before 
you process what's actually bothering you. 

Stop planning your next move 
when you can barely think straight.

The version of you that's rested and clear 
already knows where to go. 
You just can't hear it yet.

But you will.

What's one thing you've been ignoring?

Share this with those who are exhausted 
from chasing the wrong things.

For more on Mastery and Mindset, 
join me, Dr. Elizabeth Lindsey.

Visual Credit: Enlighten Thoughts

The loudest voice in the room is rarely the wisest one.

I learned this watching my father in meetings. While everyone else debated and talked over each other, he'd sit quietly. Then he'd speak once, and the room would shift. Problem solved.

Years later, after studying leaders across different companies and cultures, I kept seeing the same pattern.

The people who talk the most are usually the most nervous. They rush to fill silence because it makes them uncomfortable.

The confident ones listen first. They gather information before they speak.

There's a difference between being quiet and being passive. The leaders I've watched aren't sitting back because they have nothing to say. They're observing. They're connecting ideas others miss. And when they do speak, it actually moves things forward.

Here's what I've noticed about people who think 
deeply:

They'll interrupt themselves mid-sentence if they realize they're wrong. Most people double down. Deep thinkers course-correct in real time.

They reference something you said three conversations ago. They're not just hearing you. They're building a mental map of how you think.

They get quiet when everyone else gets loud. Not because they're intimidated. Because they're watching the room dynamics play out before deciding where to add weight.

Instead of trying to time your responses, try this.

When someone finishes talking, let your first instinct pass. That's usually your ego or anxiety talking. Wait for the second thought. That's where your actual thinking lives.

If you catch yourself preparing your answer while someone's still speaking, stop. You're not listening. You're performing.

And if the silence gets uncomfortable, let it. The best conversations I've had started after someone got brave enough to sit in the quiet.

If you found this helpful, share it with those learning to lead differently.

For more on Mastery and Mindset, join me, 
Dr. Elizabeth Lindsey.

Minutes are pieces of a life.
Look who's handing you theirs.

This Thanksgiving, I am thinking about gratitude
 in a different way.

"Appreciate those who give you their time.
 It is not just time.
 It is a piece of their life."

Not the meetings.
Not the quick calls.
The real moments.

To my mentor, who pushed me to write a keynote
I did not believe I had it in me.
Then spent hours revising it
until it became more than either of us imagined.

To the coach who taught me martial arts at dawn,
sending 6 am messages,
 walking me through each step
 like it was the middle of the day.

To the friend who stayed close after surgery,
 awake through hard nights,
 steady through painful setbacks.

When someone gives you their time,
they choose you over every other 
demand on their attention.

They give you a piece of life
they'll never see again.

They weren't just giving hours.
They were giving their heartbeats 
they'll never get back.

We thank people for gifts.
For opportunities.
For kindness.

But do we really see
the magnitude of their time?

In a world chasing "more,"
one truth is unchanging:

Time is the only currency
that doesn't return.

You can make more money.
Find new chances.
Meet new people.

But those long afternoons
someone spent teaching you.

Those early mornings
they chose you over rest,
are pieces of a finite life.

They decided you were worth it.

So this Thanksgiving, my gratitude is simple.

Not just for what people gave me,
but for who they chose to be
in my presence.

For the parts of their journey
they allowed me to witness.

For the moments they could have been
anywhere else, with anyone else,
and still chose here.

Your presence is your rarest gift.
Where you place it matters.
Who receives it matters even more.

Look around your table this week,
virtual or physical.

These are not only people sharing a meal.
They're sharing their existence.

That's not just time.
It's love.

Who deserves your gratitude?

Share this with someone
whose time changed your life.

If you found this valuable,
join me, Dr. Elizabeth Lindsey, for more.

Visual Credit: diary2feel

The right people don’t try to rebuild you.
They remind you you were never broken.

It took me decades to understand this.

I used to think relationships required work.
Constant effort. Endless compromise.
Walking on eggshells.

Then I met people who felt like oxygen.

No performance required.
No masks needed.
Just me, fully seen.

Here's how you recognize them:

• They celebrate your wins.
With genuine joy.
Your success is their happiness.

• They remember small things.
The book you mentioned.
Details that say: I see you.

• They respect your boundaries.
Your "no" is enough.
Your limits are sacred.

• You feel energized after seeing them.
Not exhausted. Not depleted.
You leave fuller than you arrived.

• They listen without defending.
They hear your hurt
without making it about them.

• They allow you to be fully yourself.
Your joys. Your sorrows.
All of you belongs.

• They make you feel safe.
Not just physically.
Emotionally. Spiritually.

• You don't have to edit yourself.
No watching what you say.
No calculating responses.

• They support your goals.
Even when it means less of them.
Your dreams matter.

I spent years accepting less.
Calling it normal.

It's not.

The right people feel like home.
The one you deserved.

They don't complete you.
They witness you completing yourself.

They don't fix you.
They create space for you to heal.

They don't need you small.
They celebrate you expanding.

Here's what changed everything:

1. I stopped explaining myself
to people committed to debating.

2. I stopped shrinking
for people who needed me small.

3. I stopped apologizing
for taking up space.

Now I protect my energy
like the precious resource it is.

The people who belong stayed.
The ones who didn't were lessons.

You deserve people who:

- Match your energy
- Honor your journey  
- Celebrate your becoming

Life's too short
for relationships that require
you to be less than you are.

The right people will find you.
But first, you must know your worth.

Who feels like oxygen for you?

If you found this valuable,
share with those who deserve more.

For more insights on navigating 
with clarity, join me, Dr. Elizabeth Lindsey.

Visual Credit: HerPsychology

The calmest person in a crisis 
sees options others miss. 
Clarity is a quiet superpower. 

My mentor was missing for 26 days.
His village mourned. 
His family assumed he was gone.

Then he returned.

A storm had hit hard while he was at sea. 

No instruments. 
No rescue coming. 
Just open ocean.

He didn't panic. 
He found his center. 
He navigated home.

That's what made him a master. 
Not the calm voyages. 
The storms.

Fair weather will never make you a master.

He taught me something I carry into my work. 
Into every high stakes decision. 
Into moments when pressure mounts.

Chaos creates chaos. 
Calm creates clarity.

When conditions get rough, most people grip tighter. 

React faster. 
Force decisions.

That's when they lose their bearings.

The skill isn't speed. 
It's stillness.

Navigators learn to access a still point. 

Where the mind's logic meets the heart's knowing. 

From there, you see what reaction hides.

I've watched leaders destroy years of work. 
In ten reactive minutes.

Angry emails sent instantly. 
Bridges burned in frustration.

I've watched others hold steady under fire. 
Find paths no one else could see.

The difference was never intelligence. 
It was internal weather.

Your mind is like water. 

Stirred, you see nothing. 
Still, you see everything.

Pressure makes you reactive. 
Peace makes you responsive.

The pause that feels slow in the moment. 
Often saves months of correction.

You don't have to respond immediately. 
You have to respond clearly.

Those are rarely the same thing.

What decision needs your calm today?

If you found this helpful, share it with those 
who are facing a difficult decision.

For more on Mastery and Mindset, 
join me, Dr. Elizabeth Lindsey.

Image Credit: Mike Leber
Please give him a follow.

Someone you know is fighting an invisible war.
Choose to lift them today.

I worked with an executive
at Google some years back.

Brilliant guy. His team loved him.
Strong leader in every way.

But something was wrong.

His energy would tank around 3 pm.
He'd lose focus during big decisions.
By evening calls, his patience was gone.

Not because of the work.
But because of what he was doing
when no one was watching.

He finally told me what his calendar
couldn't show:

4 hours of sleep most nights.
No workouts because meetings
always ran over.

Living on coffee and whatever
was in the conference room.

Eating dinner at his desk at 10 pm.
Telling his family "next
quarter will be better."

His neglected health became a problem.

We didn't touch his leadership approach.
We changed the invisible stuff:

-Saying 'no' faster to misaligned people.
-Protecting his sleep as a vital asset.
-Scheduling non-negotiable thinking time.

Three months in, the change was real.

His afternoon energy matched his mornings.
Decisions came faster and clearer.
His presence felt different, steadier, more grounded.

But here's what stayed with me most:

From the outside, this guy looked fine.
Successful. Respected. In control.

But inside he was drowning.

No one knew because he never showed it.
Because leaders aren't supposed to struggle.
Because admitting you're barely keeping it together
feels like failure.

That's when I realized something:

Everyone around us is carrying something we can't see.

The colleague who snapped in the meeting.
The friend who's been distant lately.
The person who seems fine but isn't.

We're all fighting invisible battles.

And sometimes, one kind word is the difference
between someone breaking 
and someone breaking through.

I started noticing it more after working with him.

- How a simple "you good?" can open a real conversation.
- How checking in without agenda can 
change someone's week.
- How being present for 5 minutes can mean more than 
talking for an hour.

We spend so much time managing perception.
Trying to look like we have it together.
Forgetting that everyone else is doing the same thing.

What if we stopped pretending?

What if we asked the real questions?
What if we shared the real struggles?
What if we lifted each other up instead of comparing?

You don't need a title to do this.
You don't need permission to care.

Just pay attention.
Just reach out.
Just be real.

Who can you check in on today?

If you found this helpful, share it with 
someone who may need this message.

For more on leadership mastery, 
join me, Dr. Elizabeth Lindsey.

Visual Credit: @entrepreneurshipfacts

Walk like you just got good news.
Talk like the world is listening.

Energy is magnetic.
Your confidence will bend reality.

I learned this the hard way.

Years ago, my film premiered
with the Honolulu Symphony.
It received praise. And criticism.

Public. Painful. Unrelenting.

I had two choices:
1. To shrink from the noise.
2. Or stand in my truth.

So I made a quiet decision.
I would walk into every room
like my work mattered.

Like the praise was louder than the pain.
Like I belonged there.

Shoulders back.
Eyes clear.
Energy steady.

Then something shifted.

New invitations arrived.
Better projects found me.
Stronger allies appeared.

Here’s what I saw:

Confidence is not a costume.
It’s a way of moving.

It doesn’t wait for proof.
It becomes the proof.

When you move differently,
life responds differently.

Walk like you're headed
somewhere important.
People will be attracted to you.

Speak like your words matter.
People will lean in to listen.

Act like life is working with you.
You'll start to notice that it is.

I've tested this around the world.
In boardrooms. On stages.
Through criticism. Through triumph.

The pattern is clear.
People who expect good things
see what others miss.

They reach for chances others leave.
They build momentum others never start.

Not because they’re lucky.
But because they’re ready.

Critics will always exist.
But they'll only win
if you back down.

Walk like you've already won.
Talk like you matter.
Move like good news is on its way.

What’s one change you can make?

Repost for those who are ready to shift.

If you found this valuable, join me,
Dr. Elizabeth Lindsey for more insights.

I sent a letter to someone completely out of my league.

A powerful LA producer scouting Hawaii for a major network series.

Me? I was barely scraping by as an independent documentary producer.

No savings. No connections. No business writing.

I wrote anyway.

I couldn't stand watching from the sidelines, doing nothing, while an opportunity was coming to town.

The producer responded. Asked to meet. We talked about island life, my family, growing up here. Nothing about his show. I figured I'd wasted his time.

Three months later, my phone rang.

He'd written our conversation into his script. Created a character based on me. In the process, I auditioned and was eventually cast as the female lead the series.

That letter I almost talked myself out of sending became the turning point.

Recently, I've thought about that moment a lot. What made the difference wasn't talent or timing or luck.

It was just trying when it felt "too big" a dream.

Most people stop right before something shifts. I've done it myself. You get tired of rejection. Tired of hoping. Tired of feeling foolish.

But one day, after many failed attempts, something works differently. You're not desperate anymore.

You've learned what doesn't work. You try softer, smarter, with less attachment to the outcome.

Failure isn't wasted effort. It's data.

The rejection taught me something important. Closed doors showed me which ones to stop knocking on. Every "no" refined what I'd try next.

The producer told me later why he responded to my letter: "Most people sent resumes. You sent a story. Most people listed qualifications. You shared perspective."

I wasn't being strategic. I was just being myself because I had nothing left to lose.

When you try one more time, you're different than you were before. The heartache changed you. The frustration taught you. The failure gave you information other people don't have.

Use it.

I watch brilliant people quit right before their breakthrough. They've tried everything, they say. But they've tried everything once. They haven't tried everything with what they know now.

Your next attempt won't look like your last one. Growth, not desperation.

Zero attempts guarantee zero results. One more attempt might change everything.

Who's your version of that producer? The person you think is out of your league but you're going to reach out to anyway?

If you found this helpful, share it with those who need permission to try again.

For more on Mastery and Mindset, join me, 
Dr. Elizabeth Lindsey.

I wasn’t ready. I did it anyway. 
That’s when everything changed.

Years ago, I accepted a job
I wasn't qualified for.
On paper, at least.

Others had better credentials.
More experience.
Stronger resumes.

During the interview, they asked:
"Why should we choose you?"

I told the truth:

"I don't know everything.
But I'll outwork everyone.
I’ll find what others miss."

They took the chance.
I took the leap.

Those first months were brutal.
Everyone else seemed to know more.
They moved faster. Spoke louder.

I wanted to quit daily.
Instead, I studied nightly.

These lessons saved me:

LESSON 1: 
Your difference is your advantage.

Stop trying to be a better version of them.
Be the only version of you.

Action: 
List 3 things you bring that others don't.
Focus there. Obsessively.

LESSON 2: 
Make your weakness your teacher

Every gap showed me where to grow.
Every struggle taught me resilience.
Every mistake became wisdom.

Action: 
Pick your biggest weakness.
Study it for 15 minutes daily.
In 90 days, it won't be a weakness.

LESSON 3: 
Build bridges, not walls.

I couldn't win by competing.
I won by connecting.
By making everyone better.

Action: 
Help one person daily.
No agenda. No expectation.

LESSON 4: 
Document everything

I kept notes on every lesson.
My struggles became my roadmap.

Action: 
End each day with this question:
"What did today teach me?" 

That role I wasn't ready for
launched my career.

Not because I was qualified.
But because I was willing.

Every expert was once unqualified.
Every master was once a disaster.
Every leader was once terrified.

The difference is
they started anyway.

Your inexperience isn't a liability.
It's your superpower.

If there’s a job you're not ready for,
take it.

If there’s an opportunity that scares you,
grab it.

If there’s a dream that feels too big,
embrace it.

You don’t need to be ready.
You need to be willing.

Ready is a luxury.
Brave is a choice.

Choose brave.
The universe is waiting.

What will you say yes to?

Repost for someone willing to say “yes.”
Love, Dr. Elizabeth Lindsey 💕

Critics reveal more about themselves than you.
You’ll never be judged by someone doing more.

It's often the people going nowhere
who have something to say.

I’ve noticed this pattern everywhere.

When I launched my first expedition, 
explorers cleared the path. 
Doubters waited for me to fail.

When I started speaking publicly, 
speakers cheered me. 
Critics judged me.

When I started writing, 
authors opened doors. 
Skeptics dismissed my voice.

Builders encourage building.
They know how hard the first brick is.

Climbers encourage climbing.
They remember the bottom.

Creators encourage creating.
They understand the blank page.

The critics will list every reason you'll fail.

Not because they're wiser.
But because your courage 
mirrors their fear.

Your action exposes their excuses.
Your progress threatens their comfort.

Here's what I've learned:

Criticism from the sidelines
is just noise from the stands.

The players are too busy playing
to tear down your game.

People doing the work
want you to succeed.

They've felt the fear you're facing.
They've fought the doubts you're fighting.
They've walked the path you're starting.

They'll share the shortcuts.
Open the doors.
Light the way.

Choose whose voices matter.

Listen to those who've been there.
Learn from those still going.
Ignore those who never started.

Your dreams don't need everyone's approval.
Just courage and a first step.

Who's cheering you on?

Repost for those taking their first step.

If you found this valuable, join me,
Dr. Elizabeth Lindsey, for me mindset insights.

People don’t burn out from work. 
They burn out from feeling invisible.

I learned this by watching
a navigator lead his crew.

He knew everyone's name.
Where they came from.
What they dreamed about.

He asked the youngest sailor
about wind patterns.

He asked the cook
about her struggles.

He saw wisdom everywhere,
in everyone.

I watched the crew transform.

They stopped just showing up.
They started showing everything.

The quiet one shared
thirty years of weather knowledge
he'd never been asked about.

The cook revealed how
she could read the sea swells
while preparing food.

The youngest became
the fiercest protector
of the vessel.

Not because the navigator demanded more.
But because people finally felt seen.

The voyage taught me important lessons:

When you see potential, not just position,
people rise to meet your vision of them.

When you ask for wisdom, not just work,
people share maps they've kept hidden.

When you remember what matters to them,
they want to give you more.

When you create space for growth,
people become who they never imagined.

This truth is everywhere:

In teams where ideas are welcomed,
innovation appears without force.

In relationships where both feel treasured,
love multiplies without effort.

Most people are starving
to be genuinely seen.

Not praised.
Not promoted.
Seen.

That navigator reminded me:

Everyone is carrying
untold wisdom,
unshared gifts,
unseen value.

They're waiting for someone
to notice. To ask. To care.

When you truly see someone,
you give them permission
to show you who they really are.

And who they really are
is always more than who 
they've been allowed to be.

Quiet team members become leaders.
Struggling students become teachers.
Doubting creators become pioneers.

Not through motivation
but through recognition.

If you want people to exceed expectations:

See them before they see themselves.
Value them before they prove their worth.
Know them before they realize their gifts.

Then watch what happens…

They don't just do more.
They become more.

Your seeing becomes their becoming.
Your belief becomes their bridge.
Your value becomes their valor.

Start with yourself.

Value your own journey.
See your own potential.
Honor your own navigation.

Then extend that gift to others.
The world changes
one seen person at a time.

Who needs to know they matter today?

Repost for those whose value you see.

If you found this valuable, please join me,
Dr. Elizabeth Lindsey, for more insights.

Visual Credit: Mike Leber, give him a follow.

Surround yourself with people
who have bigger goals than you.

Ambition is contagious.

I learned this later in life.
Luckily it wasn’t too late.

Growing up, my sister and I
were the dreamers in our family.

The ones talking about possibilities
while others talked about problems.

The ones seeing further
while others saw barriers.

Then we changed rooms.

I moved to California where people 
were building empires
while I was building projects.

People thinking globally
while I was thinking locally.

People planing decades ahead
while I was planning quarters.

At first, I felt small.
Then I felt something shift.

Their normal became my new baseline.
Their minimum became my starting point.
Their casual wins became my next goals.

Here's what happens when you're
the smallest dreamer in the room:

Your impossible becomes inevitable.
What seemed unreachable last year
becomes this year's checklist.

Your excuses evaporate.
Hard to claim it can't be done
when someone next to you did it twice.

Your timeline accelerates.
Their urgency becomes your urgency.
Their pace becomes your pace.

Your standards elevate.
Good enough stops being enough.
Excellence becomes the expectation.

Your vision expands.
You stop thinking in limits.
You start thinking in multiples.

I used to worry about being the least 
accomplished person at the table.

Now I seek those tables out.

The people you spend time with
determine the thoughts you think.

Small goals are just as contagious
as big ones.

Comfort is just as contagious
as courage.

Choose your exposure wisely.

Find the people who make
your biggest dreams
look like starting points.

The ones whose failures teach more 
than others' successes.

Not to feel inferior.
But to feel inspired.

Not to shrink.
But to stretch.

Your potential isn't fixed.
It's influenced.

By every conversation.
Every room you enter.

If everyone around you
is comfortable where they are,
you will be too.

If everyone around you
is reaching for more,
you will too.

This isn't about comparison.
It's about the environment.

You don't need permission.
You need examples of what's possible.

Protect your ambition
by choosing your circle carefully.

Five years from now,
you'll be the average
of the dreams you're exposed to today.

Not because you're not enough.
Because you're capable of more.

Who's raising your ceiling?

If you found this valuable, 
share it with those who dare to dream.

For more insights on mindset,
join me, Dr. Elizabeth Lindsey.

Perspective is your hidden power.
99% of people never use it.

During the hardest year of my life, 
I thought everything was falling apart.

Years later, I realized
everything was falling into place.
I just couldn't see it yet.

Perspective isn't about being positive.
It's about being precise.

Watch what happens when you shift your lens:

1. Obstacles become opportunities
Every closed door teaches you
to build your own.

2. Struggles become strength
The weight that nearly breaks you
builds muscles you didn't know you had.

3. Setbacks become stepping stones
Each failure shows you 
what doesn't work.

4. Rejection becomes resilience
Every "no" redirects you.
It’s protection in disguise.

5. Shadows reveal hidden truth
Your shadows hold your compass.
Pay attention.

6. Mistakes become masterclasses
Your biggest errors become
your greatest teachings.

7. Fears become fuel for courage
What scares you most
shows you where to grow.

8. Pain becomes purpose
Your deepest wounds can be
the most valuable gifts.

After decades of working
with leaders around the world,
I've learned:

The hardest season prepares you
for your highest calling.

This isn't wishful thinking.
It’s strategic thinking.

Nothing is happening to you.
Everything is happening for you.

You just need the right lens.

Your current struggle
isn’t your story's end.
It's your story's turning point.

Choose your lens wisely.
Your future depends on it.

Share this with someone who needs it.

If you found this valuable, join me, 
Dr. Elizabeth Lindsey, for more insights.

I lost my husband to cancer when I was 50.
Lost our company at 51.

Grief and financial uncertainty arrived together, 
uninvited and overwhelming.

I had two choices: 

Let the losses define the rest of my life, 
or choose to see a future of possibility.

That season taught me something 
I now see everywhere in my work: 

The difference between a heavy heart 
and a peaceful one isn't circumstance. 
It's perspective.

And perspective is always a choice.

Problems hide possibilities.

When funding fell through for one of my projects, 
I saw a closed door. 

Then I chose to see an invitation to innovate. 
That "problem" led to my most meaningful work.

Now when something goes wrong, 
I write down the problem. 

Next to it, I write: 

"This is teaching me..." 
It's a small shift that changes everything.

Gratitude is a practice, not a feeling.

Fear and faith require equal energy.

I've stood before audiences of thousands. 
The fear never fully disappears. 

But worrying takes the same effort as preparing. 
One paralyzes. One empowers.

When fear rises, I ask: 
"What can I actually control here?" 
Then I focus only on that.

Your morning mind shapes your entire day.
Before dawn presentations or difficult conversations, 

I protect my first thoughts. No emails. No news. 
Just intention about who I choose to be.

Those five minutes determine the next twelve hours.
You can't control what happens. 
But you absolutely control how you see it.

And how you see it changes everything that follows.

Share this to inspire those at a crossroads.

For more on Mastery Mindset, join me,
Dr. Elizabeth Lindsey.

Visual Credit: @acalltoleap

Transformation isn't complicated.

Waiting for it is.

Most people think change happens in one big moment.

The decision. The commitment. The declaration.

But that's not how it works.

Real transformation starts small.

It begins with a thought that won't leave you alone. 
Something you keep thinking about at 2am 
or during your commute.

Then one day, you act on it.

Not perfectly. Not dramatically. Just once.

You make a choice that feels different 
from your usual pattern.

Maybe you wake up at 6am 
instead of hitting snooze three times.

Or you send that cold email 
you've been putting off for weeks.

Or you skip the group lunch 
and spend 30 minutes writing instead.

Then you do it again. And again.

At first, it takes effort. You have to remind yourself.
You have to push through resistance.

The first month of writing my doctoral dissertation
was messy and overwhelming.

Half the time I stared at a blank screen.
The other half I deleted everything.

But slowly, it got easier.

What once required willpower became routine.
What felt unnatural started to feel normal.

By week three, I woke up before my alarm.
By month two, my fingers moved across
the keyboard without thinking.

Eventually, I started trusting the process.

I became who I envisioned myself to be.
A Doctor of Philosophy, an anthropologist
specializing in ethno-navigation.

The gap between who you are
and who you want to be isn't crossed in one leap.

It's crossed in small steps,
repeated until they become part of you.

What's one small step you can take?

If you found this valuable, share it with 
those daring to take the next step.

For more insights on leadership mindset,
join me, Dr. Elizabeth Lindsey.

Silence hits differently at 2 a.m. 
2025 proved it. 
Grief confirmed it.

This year I lost family members. 
Two dear friends who felt like family. 
The world feels heavier than I remember.

I used to think mindset was something you worked on 
when life was stable. When you had time. 
When things were calm.

I was wrong.

You become unstoppable when you work on things 
people can't take away from you. 

Your mindset. Character. Personality.

These aren't luxuries. 

When I was younger, I took my inner strength 
for granted. Thought it would always be there. 
Like breathing.

Now I know better.

1. My days include meditation and prayer. 
Not for enlightenment. But for steadiness. 
I pray like I’m building a foundation, because I am.

2. What became clear in the darkness
is that we can't control how long we're here. 
We can only be present for whatever time we're given.

3. More than ever I listen deeply. Really listen. 
Not waiting for my turn to speak.
Just present to what someone is saying.

4. Work used to be a priority. 
Productivity. Accomplishment. 
Staying on top of things.

Now, work serves life. 
Not the other way around.

5. Every moment feels more precious 
because I finally understand. They are.

Your character isn't built in the good times. 
It's forged when things fall apart 
and you choose who to become.

Your personality isn't decoration. 
It's how you show up when 
showing up feels impossible.

Your mindset isn't positive thinking. 
It's the quiet decision to keep going 
when stopping would be easier.

Build these while you can. 
Strengthen them before you need them.

Because one night, alone with your grief, 
you'll realize: These are the things
that can't be taken. They're the things that last.

What are you strengthening that no one can take?

Repost for those navigating their own storms.

Follow me, Dr. Elizabeth Lindsey, 
for daily insights on Mindset and Mastery.

The loudest opinions often come 
from those who never dared.

Everyone has a point of view
about your journey.
Few have actually taken it.

I learned this the hard way.

When I started exploring,
everyone had advice.

"Too dangerous."
"Not practical."
"What about security?"

These warnings came from people
who never left their comfort zone.

Never took a risk.
Never followed their calling.

The loudest critics often have
the least experience.

They'll tell you exactly why
your dream won't work.

Based on fears, not facts.
Based on their limits, not yours.

Who NOT to listen to:

- People who never tried.
They're protecting their own choices,
not protecting you.

- People who quit early.
They need you to fail
to justify their surrender.

- People who play small.
They can't imagine big
because they never dared.

Who TO listen to:

- People who've walked your path.
They know the actual terrain,
not the imagined dangers.

- People still climbing.
They remember the struggle
and share real wisdom.

- People who celebrate courage.
They understand the cost
of an un-lived life.

I spent years asking permission
from people who couldn't grant it.

Seeking approval
from those who never approved
of their own dreams.

Now I know:

Your gut knows more
than their fear.

Your instinct sees further
than their caution.

Your vision matters more
than their comfort.

The first 90 days of anything new:

Trust yourself completely.
Learn from those ahead.
Ignore the noise behind.

That's it.
That's the formula.

Most warnings you'll receive
aren't about your journey.

They're about the journey
others were too scared to take.

They're projecting their limits
onto your potential.

Don't let them.

The path forward requires
selective listening.

Choose your advisors
by their scars,
not their theories.

By their attempts,
not their opinions.

By their courage,
not their caution.

Your dream threatens
those who abandoned theirs.

Build anyway.

Who are you listening to?

If you found this valuable, 
join me for more, Dr. Elizabeth Lindsey 💕

I lost someone last week who taught me to read stars.

He was a navigator in Hawaii. One of the greats.

I was planning to call him after Thanksgiving. Tell him I'd be home in January and we'd catch up properly. I wanted to thank him for everything he taught me.

Thanksgiving morning, I found out he died the night before.

All those things I wanted to say will never be said to him. That gratitude I was saving for the right moment never got expressed.

Milton "Shorty" Bertelmann taught me to read more than just stars. He taught me to read myself. To navigate my fears. Find my own courage.

I never told him that part. I was saving it for later.

And now I'm thinking about all the other "laters" I keep creating.

That morning conversation you keep putting off eventually becomes an empty chair at the table.

You really do lose interest in things. The book you're excited about writing today feels less urgent in six months. The project that lights you up right now? It fades.

Your energy at 8am isn't the same as your energy at 8pm. The clarity you have right now gets muddy by evening.

Kids grow up fast. Parents get older while you're making plans to visit "next month." Friends drift away when you keep saying "let's catch up when things quiet down."

Life doesn't end dramatically. It just goes by quietly, one postponed moment at a time.

Just like navigation, life requires reading the signs in front of you and acting on them. Not waiting for perfect conditions. Not saving gratitude for later.

That conversation I was planning for January is now something I'll regret.

So I'm making that call I've been putting off. Thanking people today instead of next week. Having the hard conversation now instead of waiting for the perfect time.

Not because I'm being dramatic about mortality. Just because "later" keeps not showing up the way I think it will.

If you found this helpful, share it with those who need the reminder to act now.

For more on Mastery and Mindset, join me, 
Dr. Elizabeth Lindsey.

You can’t silence people. 
You can silence their access.

Last month a collaboration landed in my inbox. 
Interesting work. Good people. I wanted it.

But I'd just gotten results from my doctor. Elevated 
cortisol. A sign I was running on fumes. My body
was asking me to stop. Thankfully, I listened.

I said 'no.'

I turned off cable news the same week. 
The constant political coverage was draining me.
Stillness was more important than staying informed.

For years I put work ahead of my family. 
I said 'yes' to projects that cost me time at home. 
I thought that was dedication. It was depletion.

If we don't protect our health first, 
we can't show up for anyone else. 

This is what I've learned to do...

1. Say 'no' and mean it.

That collaboration looked perfect on paper, but my 
body knew more than the 'over-achiever' in me. 

I turned it down without explaining. 
Some doors need to stay closed.

2. Control what's being consumed.

Cable news was making me anxious, 
so I stopped watching. Not disconnected. 
Just selective. Your inputs shape your energy.

3. Set boundaries before burning out.

Boundaries teach people how to reach you. 
The ones who care will follow them. 
The ones who don't were never for you.

4. Stop fighting every battle.

Not every argument needs your voice. 
Not every crisis needs your attention. 
Protect your reserves for what matters most.

5. Guard the mind.

I used to let everything in. 
Now I ask: does this serve me? 
Most of it doesn't.

You can't outsource this work. 
Peace is grows through small,
consistent choices even when it's hard.

Repost for those who want 
to protect their peace.

For more on Mastery and Mindset, 
join me, Dr. Elizabeth Lindsey.

Management Consultant | Coaching managers to transition from middle management stagnancy to senior leadership flourishing | DM "CONSULT" to get started

You’re a mid-level manager doing everything right, but still watching others move into senior roles ahead of you.

The truth is, most mid-managers get stuck at the same place: doing great work, but still being seen as the executor, not the strategic leader. 
Not the one with vision. 
Not someone decision-makers view as executive material.

I’m Marija, and for almost 20 years, I’ve helped Fortune 500 management teams bridge the gap between "get the stuff done" and "trusted advisor". I’ve learned that breaking into senior leadership has very little to do with more credential and everything to do with how you're perceived.

That’s why I created the Pathway to Senior Leadership workshop. 

In it, I’ll show you:
	• The career mistakes that quietly keep managers stuck in the middle
	• How to advocate for yourself without waiting for permission
	• And how to lead with influence, so the right people champion your next promotion
	
If you're tired of being overlooked, this is the strategy you've been waiting for. 

A clear, actionable plan to help you move into senior leadership in months, not years.

Marija Stevanovic

The biggest mistake:
 
Thinking leadership should look the same every time.
 
Follow the plan.
Hold firm to one rule.
Never change your mind.
 
It sounds right.
Until the situation changes.
 
Leadership isn't fixed.
 
It adjusts under pressure.
Responds to the moment.
Shifts with new input.
 
That's not confusion.
That's judgment.
 
Strong leaders change their minds.
They drop outdated ideas.
They move forward, not around in circles.
 
Because consistency feels safe.
But it doesn't always help.
 
They'd rather improve
than stay committed to the wrong thing.
 
Barack Obama said it well:
"Better is good."
Not perfect. Not final. Just better.
 
Still chasing the perfect leadership model?
Try this instead:
 
1/ Spot the shift:
What belief did you leave behind?
 
2/ Understand it:
What made you change?
 
3/ Share it:
Your reasons might unlock someone else's.
 
4/ Question forward:
What are you still holding onto?
 
This is the real work:
Not staying the same, but getting better at noticing.
 
Good leadership doesn't freeze.
It adjusts.
 
👉 What's a belief you outgrew?
Share below, someone's likely stuck there now.
 
♻️ Repost to help leaders rethink.

Management Consultant | Coaching managers to transition from middle management stagnancy to senior leadership flourishing | DM “MIDDLE” to get started

True growth doesn't come without fear.
But neither does real leadership.
 
Fear doesn't mean you're not ready.
It usually means you're standing at the edge of something big.
 
The move from mid-management to senior leadership is where it hits hardest.
You've succeeded by playing it safe.
Now you're asked to take bigger swings.
 
The doubt creeps in:
Am I ready?
What if I screw this up?
What if I’m not enough?
 
But staying where you are comes with a cost too.
Because avoiding risk:
→ Slows your growth
→ Shrinks your impact
→ Stalls your confidence
→ Erodes your future options
 
The leap to senior leadership demands a mindset shift:
You stop needing all the answers
You start trusting yourself to figure it out
You don't avoid fear, you move with it
You don't wait for permission, you give it to yourself
 
Because if you don't bet on yourself now,
You'll always wonder what could've been.
 
→ You'll see others flying, and wish you'd jumped
→ You'll notice your confidence fading, not growing
→ You'll regret playing small when you had momentum
→ And worst of all, you'll doubt whether it's too late to try
 
Leadership isn't about avoiding fear.
It's about acting with it, and rising anyway.
 
DM me "GROWTH" if you're ready to make the leap without second-guessing yourself.

Image credit: @growthbyvisuals on Insta

It rarely starts with a battle.
It starts with silence.
 
You report to someone
who's never done what you've done.
 
But they've got
- the degree
- the title
- the confidence.
 
So, you nod.
You comply.
You shrink.
 
Until one day you look up,
and you're reporting to someone you quietly resent.
 
But here's the part no one says out loud:
 
You let it happen.
 
Leadership gets weaker
when strong people stay silent.
 
→ When titles matter more than proof
→ When politics outweigh performance
→ When you wait instead of act
 
And mid-level is the danger zone:
🔻 You're skilled enough to lead
🔻 Close enough to see the flaws
🔻 But stuck between safety + change
 
You either challenge it
or you become it.
 
Most choose comfort.
They stop pushing back.
They blend in.
 
But the cost is steep:
⛔ Talent that gets buried
⛔ Loyalty that breeds resentment
⛔ A system that rewards the wrong people
 
Here's a better way:
 
1️⃣  Stop being impressed by titles
Start being impressed by results.
 
2️⃣ Make truth more important than approval
You don't need to be liked to be respected.
 
3️⃣ Lead from the middle
You don't need permission to set a higher standard.
 
4️⃣ Don't inherit the script
Write your own version of how leadership should work.
 
5️⃣ If you're more qualified, act like it
Don't wait to be asked.
 
6️⃣ Refuse passive obedience
If you won't challenge it, don't complain about it.
 
👉 What's one moment you realized you had more to offer?
 
Drop it below, it might wake someone up.
 
📍 DM me "MIDDLE" if you're ready to stop playing small in a broken system.
♻️ Repost to remind others: silence is surrender

I used to think growth came from
chasing "More"
 
More meetings
More visibility
More projects
 
This led to decent results:
Promotions, pay raises, more responsibility.
 
But I still felt stuck.
Like I was moving, but not upward.
 
Something had to change.
 
Then I realized:
To become who I wanted to be,
I had to stop being who I was.
 
That shift is hard.
Because becoming someone new
means letting go of who's familiar.
 
5 actions that helped:
 
1/ Define your future self
Get specific. Who do you want to become in 3-5 years?
 
2/ Rewire your decision filter
Only say yes to what future-you would choose.
 
3/ Embrace the stretch
If it feels unfamiliar, you're growing. Stay with it.
 
4/ Audit your identity anchors
What habits, roles, or labels are keeping you small?
 
5/ Normalize internal discomfort
Every version upgrade starts with internal resistance.
 
Be patient with yourself.
 
You're not just changing roles.
You're becoming someone you've never been.
 
What version of you are you stepping into?
 
📍 Ready to lead from purpose, not pressure?
Join my Pathway to Senior Leadership workshop 
and align who you are with how you lead:
https://lnkd.in/dt2CBTQU

Image credit: @goldiealexx on Instagram

You can deliver results without being seen as leadership material.
Many managers stay stuck here for years.
 
You hit your targets.
Keep your team steady.
Stay reliable.
 
But something's missing, and senior leadership feels it.
 
Most mid-level leaders I work with don't lack capability.
They lack perceived strategic value.
Not more effort, just the wrong leverage.
 
They're solving problems,
managing up,
supporting their teams,
and quietly getting passed over.
 
It usually comes down to three traps:
 
1/ Execution tunnel vision
↳ You get buried in the work instead of rising above it.
↳ You become critical to operations, but invisible to strategy.
↳ The busier you are, the less ready you look.
You're seen as reliable, not as a future leader.
 
2/ Quiet contribution
↳ You assume results speak for themselves.
↳ You under-communicate your impact.
↳ You avoid visibility out of fear of self-promotion.
Your work gets done, but your influence stays flat.
 
3/ Permission mindset
↳ You wait to be recognized instead of signaling readiness.
↳ You over-focus on the current role.
↳ You underplay your leadership potential.
You don't get promoted to lead, because you haven't started yet.
 
Most wait for promotion to lead that way.
 
But leadership isn't granted. It's signaled: consistently and early.
 
You can keep managing tasks.
Or you can start owning the narrative.
 
And it always begins with how you lead today, not later.
 
📍 DM me "MIDDLE" if you're ready to be seen 
as the leader you already are.
 
💜 Like if this resonates
♻️ Share with a mid-level manager who needs this

You may never get the title you've earned
You may never lead the team you built
You may never drive the vision you shaped
 
But here's what you will get:
 
More tasks stacked on your plate.
More meetings run by leaders who don't listen.
More years watching others rise on your work.
 
Corporate is full of managers keeping things afloat
Yet somehow, they stay boxed in,
While those with less depth steer the ship.
 
Everyone tells you: "Be a team player" to get ahead.
But you're watching others skip steps, speak louder, and take the credit.
While you carry the weight and stay silent.
 
So you ask yourself: if you exceeded expectations,
Led through every fire,
And coached without recognition,
 
Why does progress feel blocked?
Why do others lead while you keep things running?
 
After watching this cycle repeat, I've learned the real story:
No one's coming to hand you your next chapter.
 
1/ Begin with hard truth
What are you allowing to continue?
Because quiet acceptance becomes your ceiling.
 
2/ Kill the fantasy of the perfect plan
There's no script that guarantees growth.
Only choices that demand clarity.
 
3/ Trade comfort for control
Growth at this level needs a leap.
Not more patience, but more power.
 
You're at the crossroads.
 
Keep holding up broken systems.
Or step into the leadership you've already earned.
 
You choose.
 
Register for my Pathway for Senior Leadership workshop:
https://lnkd.in/dt2CBTQU
 
New date:
December 3rd, 5-6 PM CET

Everyone's thinking about who to 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 in 2026.
Start thinking about who to 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦 behind.
 
You don't need another:
Time to level up plan.
 
You need an honest goodbye.
 
What you release will unlock more than what you chase.
 
Stuck isn't always a skill problem.
More often an identity one.
 
The version of you that got here
is blocking the version that wants to go further.
 
Here are 7 things to let go of before 2026:
 
1️⃣ Being the fixer
↳ You built trust by solving.
↳ But now it's keeping you small.
 
2️⃣ Waiting for recognition
↳ You're still hoping someone sees your value.
↳ Start showing it, out loud.
 
3️⃣ Over-identifying with your last win
↳ You're more than one good project.
↳ Let it go. Build what's next.
 
4️⃣ Playing it safe
↳ The middle seat feels secure.
↳ But it rarely moves forward.
 
5️⃣ Leading like your old boss.
↳ Their voice is still in your head.
↳ Lead in your own.
 
6️⃣ Avoiding conflict to stay likable.
↳ Growth comes with friction.
↳ Respect beats approval.
 
7️⃣ Defining yourself by who you were.
↳ Old roles. Old habits. Old validation.
↳ None belong in your next chapter.
 
The version of you that leads in 2026
can't be managed by the 2016 mindset.
 
The longer you grip it, the longer you stall.
 
I'm spending December not planning who to become,
but what to stop carrying.
 
If you feel stuck, start there.
 
Let it go.
Lightness moves faster.
 
📍Still carrying who you used to be?
DM me "MIDDLE" if you're ready to drop the weight and lead forward.
 
♻️ Repost to remind others: growth starts with letting go.

The most effective leaders don't dominate the room.
 
They shape what the room becomes.
 
They don't push the answers.
But know how to hold the space for answers that haven’t been spoken yet.
 
Here's where mid-level leadership gets stuck:

- Mistakes stillness for indecision
- Views questions as signs of doubt
- Feels pressure to sound certain
 
But senior leadership knows:
 
Influence isn't about resolution.
It's about creating environments where resolution becomes inevitable.
 
So they slow down.
They get quiet.
They let tension do its work.
 
And the payoff isn't just clarity, but also buy-in.
 
Because the leader who invites thinking…
Often gets thinking that's 10x better.
 
Here's what that looks like in real time:
 
↳ Pausing when you could fill the space
↳ Letting someone finish the messy version
↳ Asking "what else?" when others would move on
 
These moments don't steal authority.
They strengthen it.
 
My framework for leading with depth over dominance:
 
1/ Protect the space, not just the timeline
→ Clarity takes longer than direction
→ Silence is creative oxygen
→ Don't rush the thought that could shift everything
 
2/ Build trust before certainty
→ Let others shape the thinking
→ Invite disagreement early
→ Share your own "not sure yet" moments
 
3/ Lead like a facilitator, not a forecaster
→ Surface what's not being said
→ Ask one layer deeper than usual
→ Make the idea the center, not your title
 
Too many leaders think speed = strength.
Or that decisiveness = value.
 
But the best leaders are steady.
Measured.
Intentional.
 
And when they speak, it matters more.
Because they've listened first.
 
DM me "MIDDLE" if you're ready to lead with less noise and more impact.
 
Image and quote credit: Brilliant Greg McKeown

You got promoted because you could deliver.
Now you're stuck delivering more.
 
You kept the workload, but missed the leverage.
Execution scaled, but leadership didn't.
 
The shift to senior leadership requires subtraction, not just addition.
Less hands-on. More high-leverage.
 
Here are 6 ways mid-level managers actually step into leadership:
 
1️⃣ Stop hiding behind execution
↳ Doing the work is safe. Leading the work is not.
↳ If your calendar is full of tasks, you're not leading.
 
2️⃣ Lead with point of view
↳ Senior leaders don't echo ideas, they shape them.
↳ Say what you believe and why it matters.
 
3️⃣ Build systems, not dependencies
↳ If your team can't move without you, you've failed.
↳ Make your guidance portable, not required.
 
4️⃣ Make yourself irrelevant
↳ The best sign you're leading well?
↳ Things still move when you're not there.
 
5️⃣ See the second-order impact
↳ Stop solving for done.
↳ Start solving for "what happens next?"
 
6️⃣ Trade control for clarity
↳ You can't own every detail.
↳ But you must own the direction.
 
The job was to deliver.
The calling is to lead.
 
You don't need permission to become a senior leader.
You need a new way of thinking.
 
👉 What's the shift that helped you finally lead?
 
♻ Repost if you're ready to lead without the title
➕ Follow Marija Stevanovic for content that helps you step up

Most mid-level managers aren't stuck because of effort.
They're stuck because of repetition.
 
You're showing up.
You're delivering.
But your thinking? Running in loops.
 
The brain loves familiarity:
→ Same habits
→ Same priorities
→ Same lens
 
It saves energy.
But it also limits your leadership.
 
Even high performers hit this wall.
The work gets done, but growth stalls.
 
That's when it's time for a shift:
 
Start thinking beyond execution.
Start thinking like a senior.
 
Here's how I guide clients through that shift:
 
1/ Audit your thinking
Are you solving bigger problems or just solving faster?
 
2/ Change your questions
Stop asking: "How can I get this done?"
Start asking: "What would a senior leader focus on here?"
 
3/ Protect white space
You can't lead strategically if you're stuck in back-to-back tasks.
 
Senior leadership isn't earned from years of tenure.
But from practicing that level of thinking before you get the title.
 
Your next step up doesn't come from working harder.
It comes from thinking bigger.
 
Let's lead like it.
 
👉 Which one of these do you need to practice more?
 
💜 Like if this resonates
♻️ Share with a mid-level manager who needs this
☑️ Follow me for more real talk about leveling up to senior leadership

Stop calling yourself a leader if you're not leading with proof.
 
If you stand for something, show it.
Even when it's easier to stay silent.
Quiet ≠ credible.
 
The workplace is full of people wearing leadership titles.
But they don't model clarity.
They don't give direction.
They don't make decisions.
 
And it's not really due to lack authority.
It's because their values disappear under pressure.
 
But real leadership doesn't vanish when it gets inconvenient.
 
When you skip alignment with your values:
→ You confuse the people you're trying to lead
→ You build a reputation you can't live up to
→ You lose respect before you've earned authority
→ You stall your path to senior roles
 
The uncomfortable truth?
You don't earn leadership by pitching potential.
You earn it by living it daily.
 
Some managers rely on empty ambition.
They repeat buzzwords.
They say all the right things.
But they never show the receipts.
 
You're not them.
You're ready for senior leadership.
 
And the people who make it there?
→ They communicate with proof, not promises
→ They lead by example before asking others to follow
→ They back up every pitch with lived alignment
 
Stop using the title if you're not doing the work.
Stop hoping values are implied.
Stop mistaking ambition for leadership.
 
Be the leader.
Let your values speak before you do.
 
👉 Who needs to see you show up as the real version today?
 
Last chance to register for the next week's workshop:
https://lnkd.in/dt2CBTQU

Your reliability is your real job security.
And most mid-managers spend years protecting the wrong things.
 
Adam Grant said it best:
"The best way to gain job security is not being the most knowledgeable person in the room. It's being the most reliable person in the room."
 
He's not talking about output.
He's talking about predictable leadership.
 
Here's what I'm learning working with mid-managers:
 
At the senior level, knowledge gets you into the room.
Reliability is what keeps you there.
 
Some managers are smart.
Others are steady, consistent, trusted, and those are the ones executives bet on.
 
Pay attention to that.
 
My framework for reliability-based job security:
 
1/ Trust the aftermath
→ What happens after you commit?
→ Do people feel calmer, clearer, and more confident because you're leading it?
 
2/ Audit your leadership habits quarterly
→ Are you predictable in your follow-through?
→ Are you the person who brings clarity when others bring chaos?
 
3/ Signal reliability before you speak
→ Senior leaders promote the people whose presence lowers uncertainty.
→ Make your preparation, communication, and decision-making undeniable.
 
Here's what nobody tells mid-managers about senior leadership:
 
It's not the smartest person who gets pulled up.
It's the person whose behavior reduces risk.
 
The wrong habits make you look busy.
The right habits make you look inevitable.
 
Your value isn't just in what you know.
It's in how reliably others can build on you.
 
Choose reliability as your edge.
 
Share this with someone who's ready to trade being the "go-to executor" for being the leader others depend on.

Image and quote credit: Adam Grant
 
➕ Follow Marija Stevanovic for more on growing from mid-management into senior leadership.

Mid-manager: I feel stuck.
 
Me: What do you mean?
 
Mid-manager: I've done everything right. But I have no idea what's next.
 
Me: Do you want to be a Director?
 
Mid-manager: Maybe. I don't even know if that's the right move.
 
Me: Are you energized by what you're working on?
 
Mid-manager: Honestly? No. I'm just… coasting.
 
Me: Can I be real with you?
 
Mid-manager: Please.
 
Me: You're not stuck. You've just never had the space, or guidance, to define what success really means to you.
So you're climbing a ladder you're not even sure you want.
 
Mid-manager: That hits hard…

………….
 
This is the quiet crisis for high performers.
 
They do what they're told success looks like.
 
But inside, it feels flat.
 
Why? Because no one taught you how to lead with purpose.
 
You were taught to:
📍 Get the job
📍 Climb the ladder
📍 Check the boxes
📍 Wait to be noticed
 
But here's what creates clarity and momentum:
 
1/ Get honest about what drives you
2/ Define what "success" looks like for you
3/ Audit your current role for alignment
4/ Discover the kind of leadership you're wired for
5/ Identify strengths you've been underutilizing
6/ Shift from autopilot to intentional choices
7/ Build a vision worth working toward
8/ Use that vision to shape your next step
 
When you lack direction, everything feels heavy.
Work becomes mechanical. Promotions feel empty.
 
But when you clarify purpose?
↳ You stop comparing yourself to peers
↳ You reconnect with confidence
↳ You become known for something that matters
↳ You create momentum that feels like you
 
Your next level is about alignment
with the work, the mission, and the version of you you’re becoming.
 
Wanna learn more?
Register to my Pathway to Senior Leadership workshop:
https://lnkd.in/dt2CBTQU
 
Re-scheduled for:
December 3rd, 5-6 PM CET

They told me to "toughen up" if I wanted to lead.
 
So I tried:
- Be calm, not reactive
- Be logical, not emotional
- Be strong, not soft
 
But underneath?
 
I still felt everything.
 
Frustration when decisions lacked context.
Guilt when I pushed too hard.
Empathy I couldn't turn off, even when the deadline couldn't move.
 
At first, I thought: "This must be a flaw."
 
But I was wrong.
 
The emotion I carried wasn't a weakness.
 
It was the signal I was built to lead, just differently.
 
The real shift into senior leadership didn't happen when I shut it down.
 
It happened when I learned how to hold it all, without losing direction.
 
Here are 10 emotional shifts that mark the real move into senior leadership:
 
1/ You feel the weight of decisions and move forward anyway
↳ Responsibility doesn't paralyze you. It clarifies you.
 
2/ You notice when others hold back around you
↳ And you adjust to invite, not intimidate, their best thinking.
 
3/ You recognize frustration as signal, not sabotage
↳ Emotions become inputs, not irritants.
 
4/ You carry others' uncertainty without absorbing it
↳ You hold emotional space while holding the line.
 
5/ You let guilt inform, not define you
↳ Some emotions are invitations to realign.
 
6/ You initiate emotional conversations
↳ Because unresolved tension costs more than tough dialogue.
 
7/ You don't take every reaction personally
↳ You lead beyond your ego, not through it.
 
8/ You stop reshaping yourself for approval
↳ Authenticity becomes your leadership posture.
 
9/ You prioritize calm over control
↳ Influence deepens when your presence feels safe.
 
10/ You stay steady in conflict
↳ Not because it's comfortable, but because you've trained for discomfort.
 
What I learned:
 
It's not about knowing more.
It's about feeling more, without getting lost in it.
 
Emotional depth, with discipline, becomes your quiet differentiator.
 
If you're sensing more, carrying more, and questioning if that disqualifies you:
 
It doesn't.
 
It means you're getting closer to the work that truly matters.
 
Which of these shifts have you felt most recently?
 
💜 Like if this unlocked something for you.
🔁 Share with someone ready to rise, but still stuck in the middle.
☑️ Follow for honest guidance on moving from manager to senior leader.

Mid-management isn't a milestone.
It's a transition phase, with an expiration date.
 
In consulting, I learned this early:
 
Projects end.
Roles shift.
And the next opportunity?
You don't wait for it.
You lead your way into it.
 
Your career should work the same way.
 
But too many get stuck perfecting their current role
when they should be preparing for the one ahead.
 
But here's where the real stall begins, quietly, and without warning:
 
You can be the most reliable person in the room and still get passed over.
You can deliver flawlessly and still feel invisible.
You can lead quietly and still watch others leapfrog you.
And execution alone stops working at this level.
 
That's how high performers get trapped in the middle
mainly since they never learned how to be seen as senior.
 
Here's how to stop circling the middle:
 
📍 Shape perception as intentionally as performance
📍 Lead beyond your title, own business outcomes
📍 Control your narrative before someone else does
 
If you've started to think of mid-management as "where you are"
get ready to stay there.
 
Your next level won't invite you.
You have to initiate it.
 
And if you're tired of doing everything right and still not moving up?
If you're ready to stop waiting and start rising?
 
This is exactly what we unpack inside my Pathway to Senior Leadership workshop.
 
🔗 Register here: https://lnkd.in/dt2CBTQU
 
💜 Like if this re-centered your path
♻️ Share with a leader stuck in the waiting room
☑️ Follow for more career strategy that breaks the ceiling

The wrong move is often the most useful one.
You've probably had one.

The role that promised growth, but left you questioning your own value. 
I know I did, and it changed everything.
 
It looked like a step up.
Talked like a big opportunity.
Came wrapped in praise and promise.
 
But inside six months, I knew:
 
I didn't grow, I shrank.
My edge dulled.
My clarity blurred.
And the version of me I'd worked hard to build?
She started to vanish.
 
Here's what I wish I knew then:
 
The wrong move isn't a failure.
It's your fastest path to knowing what right looks like.
 
Because inside every misaligned role, you gain:
 
🔹 Proof that title ≠ alignment
🔹 A masterclass in leadership you’ll never emulate
🔹 A list of non-negotiables you now defend fiercely
🔹 The language to name red flags in seconds
🔹 The self-respect to walk away before you're erased
 
These aren't setbacks.
They're strategy.
Developed in frustration.
Sharpened in silence.
Built in the brutal middle, between who you were and who you're becoming.
 
If you’re mid-career and mid-questioning, stop asking:
 
👉 Did I mess up?
Start asking:
👉 What wisdom did I earn?
 
Because senior leadership isn't a prize for perfect moves.
It's the result of strategic recovery from the wrong ones.
 
Want to turn detours into direction?
 
Join my Pathway to Senior Leadership workshop.
We'll decode your missteps and turn them into momentum.
 
https://lnkd.in/dt2CBTQU

I used to think moving up meant
 
speaking louder.
 
Giving polished updates.
Sharing strong results.
Adding value in every meeting.
 
But none of it moved the needle.
I stayed stuck at the same level.
 
I knew I had to change something.
 
Then I realized:
The problem wasn't my performance.
It was how I talked about it.
 
Because the higher you go,
the more your voice does the heavy lifting.
 
5 shifts that helped me speak like a senior leader:
 
1/ Own the business impact
Don't just say what you did.
Say how it moved the company forward.
 
2/ Speak to what matters
Your function is important.
But your framing should be enterprise-wide.
 
3/ Shift from detail to direction
Senior leaders don't want the whole process.
They want the path forward.
 
4/ Say less, mean more
When you speak with clarity and weight,
people lean in.
 
5/ Don't ask for input, invite alignment
Frame ideas as essential, not optional.
This changes how they land.
 
One mentor told me:
 
"Right now, you sound smart.
But I need to hear that you see what I don't."
 
That changed everything.
 
Your voice is the signal.
It either says you're ready, or not yet.
 
❓What's one voice habit you're working on?
Share it, it might help someone else make the shift.
 
♻️ Repost to help others lead up.

We live in a world driven by extreme ambition.
And I see it everywhere, from my daughter's ballet class to boardrooms.
 
Everyone's pushing for growth.
But few pause to ask: have we built the foundation for it?
 
This hits especially hard for mid-managers stepping into senior roles.
 
You're asked to lead bigger...
Without ever being shown how to lead better.
 
Here's why strong foundations matter more than you think:
 
1️⃣ Clarity beats speed
↳ If your team doesn't know the goal or the why, they're just staying busy, not growing.
 
2️⃣ Growth needs friction removed
↳ You can’t build momentum when every win comes with 3 blockers. Clear the path first.
 
3️⃣ Trust powers autonomy
↳ Without deep trust, you're micromanaging. With trust, your team takes ownership.
 
4️⃣ Feedback builds direction
↳ No consistent feedback = no consistent growth. People need to know what to improve and how.
 
5️⃣ Enablement multiplies effort
↳ Teams with the right tools, context, and support don't just execute, they evolve.
 
If you want to grow into senior leadership,
Stop sprinting toward outcomes.
 
Start by building the foundation that lets your team, and you, thrive.
 
Here's your chance to learn how:
Pathway to Senior leadership workshop
December 3rd, 5-6PM CET
 
👉 Register here: https://lnkd.in/dt2CBTQU

Most mid-managers believe they're being evaluated on performance.
 
They're not.
Not at senior levels.
 
They're being measured by something far harder to spot:
 
How quickly they evolve when everything shifts.
 
Here's what I mean:
 
✅ Last year's smartest leadership move? Might be useless now.
✅ Your hardest skill? Could be quietly depreciating.
✅ Your playbook? Built for a version of the business that no longer exists.
 
And senior leadership sees that long before you do.
 
I've watched brilliant mid-managers stay stuck
mainly because they kept polishing what used to work
instead of preparing for what's next.
 
They optimize today.
But they don't anticipate tomorrow.
 
And that's the gap.
 
The leap to senior leadership isn't about doing more.
It's about thinking further.
 
📍 Seeing the system, not just the task
📍 Reading shifts before they become storms
📍 Letting go of mastery to pursue relevance
 
Senior leaders aren't the best executors.
They're the fastest adaptors.
 
They evolve before they're forced to.
They adjust before they're asked.
They stop over-relying on what once worked and start building what will make them essential.
 
So if the work that once felt expansive now feels small, don't ignore that tension.
 
That's not burnout.
That's not boredom.
That's evolution.
And it's asking for your attention.
 
📍 Ready to turn that tension into traction?
Join my Pathway to Senior Leadership workshop and start rewriting your next chapter with clarity, confidence, and presence.
https://lnkd.in/dt2CBTQU
 
👇 What's one leadership habit you’ve outgrown this year?

Everyone asks about my secret sauce.
 
The truth?
 
Show up to share.
Not to prove.
Not to posture.
Not to impress.
 
When I started coaching, I didn't come with certificates or scripts.
 
Just experience.
Plenty of mistakes.
And the clarity that comes from paying close attention
To my own growth, and the growth of those around me.
 
That's who I coach today:
 
Mid-level managers who know they're ready for more
But aren't being seen as senior yet.
 
They hesitate to speak up in key meetings.
They lead teams, but not with full confidence.
They do the work, but don't always get the credit.
 
I help them shift from "reliable contributor" to visible leader:
 
🔥 We position their experience with clarity
🔥 We build their presence across teams
🔥 We tailor a leadership voice that gets noticed
 
And I do it by showing, not preaching.
 
No promises.
Just perspective, process, and presence.
 
Because the goal isn't to chase a title
But to lead in a way that earns it.
 
📍 DM me "MIDDLE" if you’re ready to be seen as the leader you already are.

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Dr. Elizabeth Lindsey

Marija Stevanovic

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The Battle

Dr. Elizabeth Lindsey

Marija Stevanovic

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Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Dr. Elizabeth Lindsey's LinkedIn Performance

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