J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc.

• Lead engineering efforts for Final Mile Services and Managed Logistics Solutions.
• Direct the E&T Development Program since 2016, accelerating career progression for 130 engineers through structured rotational assignments and targeted skill development.
* Mentor and develop high-potential leaders across engineering and technology teams, fostering collaboration and delivering measurable operational improvements.

Sr. Director of Engineering & Technology

Director of Engineering

Director of Carrier Relations

Engineering Manager

Maxwell Leadership

Provide coaching, training, and facilitation for professionals and leadership teams, leveraging Maxwell Leadership principles to enhance team performance, influence, and results.

Highlights:
* Designed and delivered leadership workshops for corporate teams
* Mentored emerging leaders into higher-impact roles
* Applied 20+ years of corporate leadership experience to real-world development programs

Certified Leadership Coach | Speaker | Trainer

John Brown University

Adjunct Professor of Statistics

ArcBest

Industrial Engineering and Economic Analysis

Senior Engineering Leader for Final Mile Services and E&T Development Program

I believe leadership is less about titles and more about influence, vision, and the ability to inspire others to perform at their best.

Over the past two decades, I’ve had the privilege of leading engineering and technology teams, mentoring emerging leaders, and guiding high-performing teams through complex challenges.

Alongside my corporate role, I’m a Maxwell Leadership Certified coach, speaker, and trainer, helping professionals and leadership teams sharpen their skills, expand their influence, and deliver stronger results.

My approach combines proven leadership frameworks with real-world application — whether it’s developing leadership presence, fostering collaboration, or creating a culture of continuous improvement.

I share insights here on LinkedIn to spark better conversations about leadership, growth, and career success.

📩 I enjoy connecting with people who are committed to growth — whether you’re an individual contributor, leading teams, or guiding an organization. If you’re interested in exchanging ideas on leadership, building high-performing teams, or personal development, feel free to connect and start the conversation here on LinkedIn.

Tarek Taha

I didn’t realize I was making the best investment of my life.

Back in 2011, every Saturday followed the same rhythm.
I’d wake up early, let my wife sleep in, and take my daughter to our favorite coffee shop.

Black coffee for me.
Carminilla latte for her.

During that time, I was mostly pouring my energy into myself. Career, fitness, chasing productivity.

I thought that was growth.
Looking back, I was missing where it mattered most.

A new job and a move back home gave me a reset. 
Those Saturday mornings slowly became a ritual we rarely missed.

Nothing fancy. Nothing expensive.
Just time focused on my daughter.

Week after week, it turned into something bigger.

At her wedding last year, I shared this story.
I choked up. She did too.

Those mornings shaped our relationship in ways neither of us fully understood at the time.

She was home for Thanksgiving last week.

It reminded me that the return on the time you invest in the people you love keeps showing up long after the moment has passed.

Everything else we chase is temporary. 
But the time we give to the people we love lasts.

It is the greatest investment you will ever make.

Read the full story here: https://lnkd.in/gQWV2av9

Senior Engineering Leader & Certified Coach | Helping leaders grow with confidence and clarity

I used to think good leadership was about keeping everyone comfortable.

Then I watched my team become frustrated because I waited too long to address a performance issue.

The silence didn't keep the peace. It bred resentment.

High performers got frustrated carrying the weight.
The underperformer never got a chance to improve.
And I lost credibility with everyone.

Here's what I learned:

Hard conversations aren't about being harsh.
They're about being honest before small problems become team-wide dysfunction.

The best leaders I know don't avoid conflict.

They address it early, directly, and with clarity.

Because teams don't grow in comfort.
They grow when someone cares enough to tell the truth.
—
I write about the power of authentic leadership every week: https://lnkd.in/gyH-3xm2

li_at

JSESSIONID

I dropped my YETI cup when Susanna screamed.

We were on a fishing boat on a perfect October morning when her fishing rod began to dance.

She had just caught her first fish EVER. 

By the end of that weekend, she'd caught eight. Named them all. Albert through Harry.

After 34 years of marriage, we had never gone fishing. 
That hit me harder than I expected.

It made me ask: What else have we never tried?

You're not tired of your life. 
You're tired of the loop you're in. 

And most of us don't notice when that loop starts:
Wake up. 
Coffee. 
Work. 
Dinner. 
Scroll. 
Sleep. 
Repeat.

Nothing's broken. But nothing's alive either.

I see it at work all the time.

People are going through the motions.
Not miserable.
Just asleep.
Anesthetized by comfort.

But your life isn't as fixed as it feels.

I wrote about that morning and the unexpected lesson it taught me in today's blog: https://lnkd.in/gGwnyNNh

I spent years believing my career would be defined by a shelf full of trophies.

Every mentor told me the same thing.
Polish your accomplishments.
Collect titles.
Stack achievements until no one can ignore you.

So I did.
I collected promotions.
I collected awards.
And for a while, it felt like winning.

But the higher I climbed, the more obvious it became.
Trophies do not create legacy.
People do.

This year, I promoted an employee into a leadership role.
She lifts her team the same way I've tried to lift her.

That is when it clicked. 
Your real impact is not what you achieve.
It is who you help become achievers.

Now I ask myself one question before taking on anything new:
"Will this help someone else win?"

If the answer is no, I pass.

My pay has grown 386.75% since my first job 32 years ago.

Before you stop scrolling, this isn't a humble brag.

The point is, that number would have boggled my mind 32 years ago.

Instead, when I looked at my pay stub last week, I felt...

...Nothing.

That's when I realized something I did not want to admit.

I have gotten comfortable in my comfort.

Each week in my blog, I encourage readers to:
- Step into their potential
- Stop playing small
- Take the risk

But here I was, living the same cycle I warn others about.

Dr. Myles Munroe said,
"The wealthiest place in the world is the cemetery. There lies companies that were never started, masterpieces that were never painted.  In the cemetery is buried the greatest treasure of untapped potential."

Comfort itself is not the problem.

The problem starts when it replaces your sense of purpose.

So here is the question I'm thinking about:

What am I leaving on the table because comfort feels safer than becoming who I was meant to be?

Your dreams do not belong in the graveyard.

They belong here in the world where they can change lives.

I wrote more here: https://lnkd.in/gFbwsH5w

Most leaders don't learn leadership from great bosses.

They learn it from terrible ones.

People say toxic managers ruin careers.

I say they're the best teachers you'll ever have - if you're paying attention.

Years ago, I had a manager who micromanaged everything.

Every calculation? Checked.
Every decision? Required his approval first.
Every answer? Had to be precise to 10 decimal places.

I had zero agency.
Zero autonomy.
Zero trust.

It was suffocating.

70% of U.S. workers would leave a job due to a bad manager.

I understood why. I was one of them.

But here's what I didn't realize at the time:

He was giving me a masterclass in how NOT to lead.

Front row seat. Daily lessons. Crystal clear examples.

Every interaction showed me what happens when you:

• Treat employees like they can't think
• Value precision over progress
• Hoard decisions instead of building capability
• Create dependency instead of growth

I watched talented engineers become order-takers.
I felt my own confidence erode daily.
I saw how distrust destroys teams.

The lesson stuck.

When I finally led people, I did the opposite:

Trust first.
Give room to grow.
Care more about their growth than my control.

The worst leaders teach you exactly what matters.

They just do it backwards.

What did your worst boss teach you?

I used to confuse authority with leadership.

I could not have been more wrong.

The person who stands at the top waiting for applause? That's not a leader.

That's just someone with authority.

The real leader:

1. Puts people before position.
↳ Your job is to make them better, not look better
↳ Influence comes from impact, not authority

2. Sees who others miss.
↳ The quiet ones often contribute the most
↳ Every voice matters when you're actually listening

3. Owns the losses and shares the wins.
↳ When it breaks, you take it
↳ When it works, they get the credit

4. Leads through action, not words.
↳ Show the standard you expect
↳ Your behavior sets the culture

5. Stays humble and open.
↳ Admit when you're wrong
↳ Ask for feedback like you mean it

6. Serves without keeping score.
↳ Their success is your success
↳ Lead with them, not above them

Your spotlight doesn't matter.

What matters is how many people you help find theirs.

I few weeks ago, I walked into a private dinner in Austin expecting business talk.

Justin Welsh and Jennifer Welsh were hosting.

The room was filled with people far more successful than me.
-A woman who’d run a podcast for eight years
-A former VP at Uber
-An accomplished speaker and author
-I could go on...

But here’s what surprised me:

No one talked about funnels.
No one pitched an offer.
No one tried to “network.”

They shared their stories.
They opened up.
They connected.

This wasn’t a tactical conversation.

It was fifteen real people with a desire to connect with other real people.

And in that moment, something clicked:

The most successful people aren’t chasing tactics.

They’re chasing connection.

Because you can automate content.
You can scale with AI.
You can build systems that run while you sleep.

But you can’t automate belonging.

The camaraderie in that room was something you can’t replicate online.

It was human.
It was warm.
It was real.

We spend so much time optimizing our lives that we forget this:
Real relationships still happen in real rooms.

Maybe the best strategy
is simply showing up as yourself
in the right room.
--
Adam Wright Daniel Layfield joel bein Katie Taylor,Kieron Monahan Marika Ponton Melissa Galt Natasha Gorodetsky

The $10M Solopreneur | Helping 100,000+ experts turn their expertise into income.

Personal Finance Made Simple

Founder, Clarity Collective | CLEAR-EDGE Marketing Advantage | Never Waste Time & Money on Marketing Again

Product Managment

permanently liberating founders from self-doubt and mental blocks so they can create with freedom, not friction | negative belief gone forever in 10 minutes (like Santa isn’t real) 🎅 | Host of The Joel Bein Show 🎙️

Founder and Chief Executive Officer | Mission-Driven Health Tech Executive | Strategic Partnerships & Pediatric Innovation

I guide the C-Suite to create strategy the competition can't copy. | ex-W+K, TBWA\ and M&C Saatchi.

The Judgment-Free Profitability Coach • CPA, 400+ Audits • 3X Business Owner • 2X Exits → Transform your business with a Profit Mindset

Double Your Revenue in Half the Time ▪️ Business Coach for Luxury Design Firms ▪️ Design Business Freedom™ - Interior Design Success Without Limits or Sacrifice ▪️ Industry Speaker ▪️ Author of ‘Marketing Luxury Design’

Build what matters - I help small to medium-sized B2B companies scale through strategic product leadership and execution | AI strategy & launch | Founder, Product Pursuits | xSAP | WIP Chapter Founder | PM Women in AI

Gen Z isn’t lazy. We are.

I’ve worked with enough people across generations to see this clearly: 
We’re getting Gen Z wrong.

They show up wanting guidance.
They want direction.
They want feedback.
They want someone to actually lead them.

Instead, we criticize them.
We compare them to who we were at 22.
We expect them to figure out alone what no one taught us either.

That’s not leadership.
That’s avoidance.

Here’s what they’re actually bringing to the workplace:
• They use AI to simplify what we overcomplicated
• They want meaningful work, not meaningless promotions
• They value flexibility because they watched us burn out
• They want to learn, not just execute

They’re not trying to work less.
They’re trying to work smarter.

The engagement problem isn’t Gen Z,
It’s our unwillingness to lead differently than we were led.

In 10 years, they’ll be the ones shaping culture and setting the standards.

We won’t be in the room forever.

Transfer leadership.
Or gatekeep it until they stop asking.

Your move.

7 reasons your annual review isn't leading to a promotion.

(and what to do about it)

1. You treat punctuality as optional.
 ↳ Showing up late signals unreliability.
 ↳ Arrive early, prepared, and ready to contribute.

2. You only focus on yourself.
 ↳ Look for ways to lighten the load for your team.
 ↳ Share credit generously so others want to work with you.

3. You wait to be told what to do.
 ↳ Anticipate needs and prepare solutions before they’re asked for.
 ↳ Take initiative on small problems. That’s how leaders test you.

4. You bring problems, not solutions.
 ↳ Never ask “What should I do?”
 ↳ Present three approaches and recommend the one you’d choose.

5. You stay quiet in the room.
 ↳ Ask smart, well-timed questions that push thinking forward.
 ↳ Offer insights that connect today’s discussion to the bigger picture.

6. You zone out in meetings.
 ↳ Put your phone away and engage fully.
 ↳ Take notes and follow up. People notice who remembers details.

7. You try too hard to impress.
 ↳ Don’t flatter the boss. Contribute real ideas.
 ↳ Focus on results and reliability, not appearances.

7 Reasons Your Annual Review Isn't Leading To A Promotion

I didn’t realize how often I apologized for simply being human.

“Sorry I didn’t reply, I was sleeping.”
“Sorry I missed your call, I was at dinner with my family.”
“Sorry for the delay, I was on vacation.”

At some point, rest started feeling like a mistake.

Here’s what I finally understood:
 • Rest isn’t a disruption
 • Boundaries aren’t rude
 • Time off isn’t unprofessional
 • Being unavailable isn’t a personal flaw

I decided to stop saying sorry for living my life.

You deserve rest.
You deserve space.
You deserve moments where you’re unreachable.

Taking care of yourself is reason enough. 
No apology needed.

I didn’t realize how much my attention was shaping the person I was becoming.

There was a stretch in my life where I spent hours every day consuming the latest headlines and whatever the internet was furious about.

And it changed me.
 • I became more reactive
 • I became more cynical
 • I was “informed,” but nothing in my life was actually improving
 • I was absorbing emotions that weren’t mine

Then it hit me.
My inputs were building my identity.
Not my goals. Not my intentions.
My inputs.

So I made a shift.
 • I turned off the news
 • I chose what I wanted to learn
 • I paid attention to people who were building, not complaining
 • I focused my energy on adding value to others

And everything got better.

Choose your inputs.
Change your life.

I tried outsourcing my hope. It didn’t work.

I didn’t get the promotion I wanted.
Everything I had worked for fell through.
My confidence eroded.
My mood shifted.
My future felt dim.

But here is the truth:
Hope is not something others can give you.
Hope is something you build inside yourself.

I finally learned this when I invested in my own growth in 2019.
No one told me to do it.
I just reached a point where I was tired of waiting for circumstances to make me happy.

And once I committed to growing, everything shifted.

My hope grew.
My joy grew.
I felt more alive in the seat I was already sitting in.

If you are waiting for life to change first, I get it.
I tried that.
It does not work.

Hope expands as you do.
It is an internal decision before it becomes an external reality.

Real hope sounds like this:
“Yes, things are hard. And I am growing anyway.”
“Yes, I’m not sure what to do next, but I’m taking steps each day.”

Choose to grow when others are playing it safe.
Choose to create when others don’t understand.
Choose personal responsibility over waiting for things to change.

I write about hope each week: https://lnkd.in/gtHC-d5V

Most leaders have no place where they can be fully human.

Two weeks ago, I had lunch with my friend Ilyas in Austin, Texas.

We graduated from the same university 13 years apart.

He has had real success in both academia and business, but what stood out was his genuine heart.

As we were eating, he shared an idea that stuck with me.

A third space for leaders.

Not home.
Not work.
Something in between.

A place where the title doesn't matter.
Where you don't have to perform.
Where you can tell the truth without fear.

As we talked, it hit me how uncommon that really is.

Most leaders carry tremendous weight on their shoulders, yet they rarely have a space where they can speak openly about the decisions they must make.

Leaders need a place to connect with others who understand the pressure.
A place to slow down.
A place to be human first.

That conversation felt like the start of something meaningful.

I have a feeling this idea will grow in ways neither of us can predict.

👉If a third space for leaders existed, what would you want it to feel like?

Chief Data Scientist | Distinguished AI Executive | Startup→Fortune 100 Exit | UT Austin Faculty | Venture Partner

I spent 6 months questioning my own competence.

My manager would give vague instructions, then act shocked when I didn't deliver what they "clearly" asked for.

It took me too long to realize: this wasn't about my performance.

This was gaslighting.

Here's the 4-step cycle I finally recognized:

𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟭: 𝗩𝗮𝗴𝘂𝗲 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀
They give unclear direction, then claim it was "obvious" what they meant.

What to do: Document everything. Send follow-up emails confirming what you understood. Create a paper trail.

𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟮: 𝗕𝗹𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗦𝗵𝗶𝗳𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴
When things go wrong, suddenly it's all your fault. They rewrite history about what was agreed.

What to do: Reference your documentation. Stay calm. Don't get defensive—just point to the facts.

𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟯: 𝗗𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗮𝗹
"I never said that." "You're remembering it wrong." They make you doubt your own memory.

What to do: Trust your records over their words. Your contemporaneous notes don't lie.

𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟰: 𝗤𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲
"Maybe you're not cut out for this." They attack your abilities to keep you off-balance.

What to do: Seek external validation. Talk to trusted colleagues. Consider whether this environment serves your growth.

The pattern is the proof.

One incident might be miscommunication. Four steps on repeat? That's a system.

You're not crazy. You're not incompetent.

You're being manipulated.

At 12 years old, I asked my mom a strange question:

“Mom…tell me what I want.”

I wasn’t looking for advice. I was looking for direction. And I spent years hoping someone else had the answer.

Benjamin Hardy says your brain is a prediction machine.
Every choice you make today is shaped by the future you believe you’re heading toward.

That explained a lot.

Because for most of my adult life, I wasn’t choosing based on a future I wanted.
I was choosing based on approval. Comparison. Fear.

No wonder I kept asking other people to define my path.

Everything shifted when I finally started asking a better question:
Who do I want to be?
Am I making choices that move me toward becoming that person?

That question matters more than your job title.
More than your past.
More than whatever people expect of you today.

Because no one else can tell you what you want.

At some point, you have to choose the person you want to be.

This came from today's newsletter: https://lnkd.in/g5jh9GgM

Wynton Marsalis sat in the back row of his own concert.

My wife and I went to see him.
He was the reason everyone bought a ticket.

After the intermission, he handed the microphone to Chris Lewis, a young saxophonist sitting in the front row.

Then he did something he didn’t have to do.

He stepped back.
Sat in the last row.
Barely visible.
Just playing his part while Lewis led the band through the rest of the set.

The musicianship was incredible.
But what stayed with me was the joy on stage.

This wasn’t ego.
It wasn’t about showing he’s still the best.
It was about giving someone else the room to rise.

And that’s when it clicked for me:
Real leadership isn’t staying in front.
It’s knowing when to move back.

Sometimes it looks like:
 • Passing the baton when you could easily keep it
 • Adding value quietly instead of demanding attention
 • Creating space for the next generation to grow
 • Feeling proud of someone else’s win as if it were your own

Marsalis could’ve taken every solo.
The crowd would’ve cheered.

Instead, he chose to mentor.
He chose to elevate.
He chose to lead from behind.

The best leaders don’t need to be seen leading.
You can feel their impact in everyone around them.

I write about leadership and growth each week: https://lnkd.in/gPiEXnq4

He'd already been driving for 6 hours before I got in his car.

Turns out, he wasn’t just an Uber driver. Jallal is a software engineer.

Did everything right: got the degree, moved to Austin, chased the startup dream.

His reality? $22/hr from 3–11 p.m.
Then, Uber from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. just to survive.

Can’t afford to marry his girlfriend.

We talked the whole ride. Real conversation.

He told me about the code he writes at night, the features no one notices.
The wedding he’s been postponing for two years.

I’ve been there: that moment when you realize the path you’re on isn’t taking you where you thought it would.

The question that stuck with me wasn’t about work. It was, "What am I actually building?"

How often do we stop long enough to ask ourselves that?

I used to think leadership meant being the loudest voice in the room.

So I tried to be that person.

Spoke up in every meeting.
Made bold declarations.
Projected unwavering confidence.

It felt fake.

Because it was.

I wasn't using my actual gifts. I was performing a version of leadership I thought people expected.

Then something shifted.

I stopped trying to be the most impressive person in the room.

I started asking: "What does my team actually need?"

Instead of leading every conversation, I listened more.
Instead of having all the answers, I asked better questions.
Instead of proving my worth, I focused on theirs.

It felt more natural.
Like I could finally breathe.

And something interesting happened:

My team felt more supported.
More understood.
More heard.

Engagement went up.
Trust went up.
Results went up.

When I stopped making leadership about me and started making it about them, everything changed.

Here's the thing no one talks about:

Serving first is what makes people want to follow.

Not your title.
Not your confidence.
Not your authority.

Your willingness to put their success before your ego.

That's what earns trust.
That's what builds loyalty.
That's what creates real impact.

Leadership isn't about being followed.

It's about making others feel capable of leading themselves.

Have you experienced this shift?

I wrote more here: https://lnkd.in/gkR7R96M

I was scared, people pleasing, meek engineering leader…then I almost died (and it changed everything)

I was like most of you: the engineers.

The nerds.
The cautious ones.
The follow the directions to a tee people.

But that all happened when I was in the ICU at 2 am wondering if I would see the sunrise.

I was texting my best friend my bank logins to ensure my family was taken care of.

Thankfully, I survived.

But when I turned to work, I began to evolve.

Completely.

I stopped caring about stepping on toes.
I didn’t care what others thought about me.

I told the truth.

I began to realize that I was made for something more.

I stepped into myself there and then.

Too many of you (myself included) wait till it's too late to be who you are.

And I’m on a journey to show you that you can start today.

NOW.

Check out my Authentic Life Audit in my profile and see where you fall.

It could change your future.

Senior People leader and Talent business executive with 15+ years of combined experience in national and international organizations, ranging from global shipping /supply chain, technology, academics to health and social service industries.  

Diversity and inclusion champion with exemplary success for informed Data informed- decisions and People Analytics, Talent Management, leadership development, strategically aligning HR programmes to design and support innovative manager and employee experiences. Results-oriented and business-driven with a record of delivering against key performance objectives. 

Dynamic communicator and impactful corporate trainer, keynote speaker and lecturer, with proven success in full-cycle workforce planning within fast-paced, growth scaling businesses.   

Expertise: Talent Acquisition and People Management, Organizational Behaviour and Development, Leadership, Coaching, Employee Relations, Internal Communications, Succession Planning, Job Analysis, and Competency Development, Total Rewards, AI Transformation Management and Executive Search.

Shauna MSW

Pivoting on your own terms, even when the universe tells you otherwise.


My mother has always been both my quiet mentor and steady cheerleader.
Funny enough, she’d never use big words to describe her life.

She never talked about her resilience or grit. 
She just did what needed to be done.

Left home at 18, moved to a new country, and built a life from the ground up.
Stayed with the same employer for 30+ years, and mostly as a single parent.

Not as a storyline, just as her reality.
She showed up, worked hard and created stability for us.

Then, after decades rooted in MTL, she chose to start over again.
She relocated to TO, rebuilt her routines, her relationships, her sense of home.

No drama. No need to label it as bravery.
Just a grounded belief that she’d figure it out, because she always had.

I think about that a lot. About those who uproot their lives.
About the resilience that comes with that reality.

Her influence shows up in how I mentor others, too.
Not through grand lessons, but through example and presence.

I learned that grit is quiet. And reinvention doesn’t need permission.
And courage often looks like continuing, even when no one is watching.

Especially now, as an entrepreneur, I come back to her example.
I stop second-guessing myself or wondering if I’m capable of going forward.

Not because our paths are the same.
But because of how she handled uncertainty. 

Mom didn’t teach me how to pitch, sell, or scale.
She taught me something deeper.

That you can reinvent your life at any point.
And you don’t need applause or permission to do it.

👉🏾 Whose example do you lean on when you’re unsure of your next step?

➕ Follow Shauna Callender, MSW, CRHA for more.
♻️ Repost to help others.


#QuietStrength #GritInRealLife #Leadership #Mentorship #CareerPivot #Resilience #LifeLessons #EntrepreneurLife

Shauna Callender, MSW, CRHA

From Boardrooms to Crisis Rooms | HR Director, Co-Founder, Keynote Speaker & Coach | Transforming Folks to Speak Powerfully & Lead Humanly | Shopify-Alum

She thanked us for letting her go…


Throughout my leadership career, I’ve supported leaders through some of the toughest HR decisions.

And nothing is more gut-wrenching than saying goodbye to a team member.

Let’s be honest: as a leader, one decision can impact someone’s livelihood, their family, and their stability.

No one I’ve ever worked with takes that lightly.

And on top of that, you’re expected to champion positivity and rally the remaining team.

No matter how seasoned you are, you’re still human.

One of my non-negotiables is simple:

Everyone deserves to leave with their integrity intact, no matter the reason for the separation.

Because even people who’ve reached the end of their journey with you still have something to teach.

That lesson became crystal clear with Employee A.

A rock star by every metric, Employee A had spent years excelling at Company ABC.

Leader X had just promoted them, mapped out a career path, and even identified them as a future successor.

But even the best-laid plans can shift overnight.

Within weeks, Employee A’s performance nosedived.

Regular 1:1s, new projects, expanded scope, incentives… nothing moved the needle.

The signs of disengagement were clear.

While some leaders at ABC avoided tough conversations, Leader X didn’t flinch.

They showed up, consistently, doing everything possible to support Employee A. 

But eventually, we reached an impasse.

A decision had to be made.

With exit letters prepared and rationale aligned, we waited for Employee A to arrive.

Ten minutes later, the formalities were over, words spoken, documents signed.

 But what stayed with us was what she said next:

“Thanks for believing in me and for letting me go. I couldn’t have made that decision on my own.”

The room exhaled.

We could all breathe again.

For me, the lesson was this:

Even in the most vulnerable moments, effective leadership, sincere generosity, and mutual respect can create a safe space for someone to move on.

Here’s the truth leaders often forget:

↳  Show up. Be present. Engage. Repeat.
 ↳ Pay attention. Your people are often sending smoke signals you’re missing.
 ↳ Acknowledge when it’s too late. Trying to save someone who has already disconnected rarely works.
 ↳ Let people go. Everyone leaves eventually.

If this isn’t a wake-up call, here’s your challenge:

Have a real conversation. Check in with your people.

👉🏾 What’s the worst that could happen?

Someone might actually say thank you.


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#leadershipmatters #thankyou #LeadershipLessons #HumanLeadership
#CourageousConversations #PeopleFirst #LeadershipDevelopment

One of my students burst into tears on a call the other day. 


She's a mom. 

She juggles work. 

She's been trying to finish her degree for the last 3 years. 

And that day, life was just... a lot.

I didn't have answers for her. 

I had five minutes, sat in silence and just listened.

Then she apologized for crying. 

For "taking up my time." 

For being human.

How many people on your team are doing exactly this right now? 

Holding it together in meetings, delivering on deadlines, and then falling apart in their car in the parking lot?

We don't always know what people are carrying. 

The coworker who's suddenly quiet might be dealing with a sick parent. 

The usually punctual employee, who has been late twice this week, might be navigating a custody situation. 

Your team member who "seems off" might be one unexpected bill away from being unhoused.

I'm not saying we need to be therapists. 

But maybe we need to be a little more human with each other.

Maybe it's as simple as meaning it when we ask "how are you?" 

Or building in actual flexibility when we say we have flexible policies. 

Or just... noticing.

At that moment, my student didn't need me to solve everything. 

She just needed to not be invisible for five minutes.

👉🏾 When's the last time you made space for someone to not be okay?


#Leadership #Kindness #HigherEducation #WorkplaceCulture

You never really know what someone is carrying.

Last week, I reconnected with a former colleague.

I’d been meaning to reach out for months.

But I got caught up in something “more urgent.” Emails. Meetings. Deadlines.

You know how it goes.

When we finally spoke, I started the conversation, light and breezy.

A few jokes. A bit of catching up. Then I asked how she’d been.

There was a long pause.

She told me about the loss she’d been navigating.

Not one, but several in her family over the past year.

The kind of grief that rearranges you.

She spoke quietly, almost apologetically, like she didn’t want to make me uncomfortable.

And I just sat there, present and listened.

In that moment, I realized how easily we miss each other.

How often we move through the world assuming everyone’s fine.

Or worse, that they should be fine.

I knew she’d landed a new role a few years back, and thought, she’s doing great.

But behind it all, she was just trying to find her footing again.

Here’s my failure: I almost didn’t make that call.

I almost let the thought “she’s probably busy” be my excuse.

I almost let our connection become another thing on my to-do list.

The lesson: kindness doesn’t have to be extravagant.

Sometimes it’s the quiet reach-out. The three-minute check-in.

The willingness to listen, even if you don’t know what to say.

The truth is, we’re all balancing real life.  

The joy and loss, success and survival, all at once.

And sometimes, the kindest thing we can do is slow down long enough to see each other.

Be kind, cause you never know what someone’s holding together just to be here.

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#KindnessMatters #BeKind #EmpathyInAction #Compassion #HumanConnection #ListeningMatters #EmotionalWellness

Over here in my neck of the woods, winter gets really cold.


I’m talking -15°C plus wind chill now, colder in January and February.

I walk my dog every morning, bundled in boots, scarves, hats, and gloves that rarely match.

Some days I look ridiculous, but I don’t care, as long as I’m warm.

Weekends are the same: no makeup, wild hair, running errands without a second thought about who’s watching.

It’s small, but freeing.

It makes me think about the armour we carry at work.

Early in our careers, we smooth edges, hide the “too much” parts, and perform for approval.

Eventually, you realize the armour doesn’t protect you, it just weighs you down.

Maintaining appearances is exhausting.

There’s a different kind of warmth in showing up as yourself. 

Letting your work, your presence, and your integrity do the talking. 

And it’s worth it.

So if you happen to cross paths with someone on a winter walk, notice their boots and gloves don’t match, their hair is wild…

Maybe, just maybe, for them (and one day for you), that’s enough.


(*Promise Patagonia did not sponsor this post)

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#LeadershipDevelopment #AuthenticLeadership #WorkplaceWellbeing

I thought about Nadia the other day, the woman from the plane.
A few years back, we sat on the tarmac for three hours. 

First, it was a mechanical issue. 
Then the weather in NYC turned bad. 

We waited. They tried for clearance. 
Eventually, they gave up and sent us back to the gate. Flight cancelled.

Somewhere around hour two, after our phones had died and there was nothing left to distract us, we started talking.

Work. Office politics. 
The project I was dreading. 

The gap between what people say in meetings and what they actually mean. How tiring it is to navigate all of that.

She told me about her boss, who says, “We’re all family here,” but tracks every minute she’s away from her desk.

I told her about the colleague who smiles in every Zoom but undermines you in every email.

It’s funny what you’ll share with a stranger.
Maybe because there’s no risk. No performance required.

We exchanged numbers at the gate. 
I think I still have “Nadia - plane” saved somewhere. Never used it.

But I think about that conversation sometimes.
How quickly we got to the real stuff when there was nowhere to hide.

How much easier it was to be honest with someone I’d never see again than with people I see every day.

It makes me wonder what we’re all protecting by keeping things surface-level at work. 
What it costs us to always be “on.”

Tbh, most workplaces don’t reward honesty. 
They reward polish.

And yet, the best teams I’ve seen? They do the opposite.
They create space for people to drop the performance. 

To tell the truth. 
To actually connect.

Because trust doesn’t come from being “professional.”
It comes from being human.


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#leadership #culture #psychologicalsafety #honesty #work

"Moving Fast and Breaking Things"

I've worked alongside all types of workers. 

We had someone on our team who lived by "ask forgiveness, not permission."
And at first, it seemed great. 
He'd spot inefficiencies and fix them. 

No endless meetings. 
No approval paralysis. 
Just... done.

Then things started breaking. 
He redesigned our performance review template without telling HR. 
Managers filled it out, submitted it, then found out none of the data mapped to our system.

He "simplified" the PTO request process over a weekend. 
Deleted fields he thought were redundant. 
Turns out payroll needed those for compliance tracking.

He updated our onboarding checklist to be "less bureaucratic." 
Cut out steps that seemed like busywork. 
Those steps? Required for health and safety compliance.

Every time: "I thought I was helping. Easier to ask forgiveness, right?"
Here's what I learned watching this play out:
The advice isn't wrong. His judgment was.

He never asked himself: 
↳ Can I actually undo this if I'm wrong?
↳ Am I creating work for people who didn't ask for it?
↳ Do I understand this well enough to change it alone?

The coworker I mentioned who taught me to move fast? 
She rebuilt forms in her workflow. 
She automated her repetitive tasks. 

She fixed things she could own completely. She wasn't asking forgiveness because she wasn't breaking other people's stuff.

Now, as a leader, I watch for this constantly.

When someone on my team wants to move fast, I ask: "Who else does this affect? Can you reverse it? Do you own the cleanup?"

If the answer is "lots of people," "not really," and "no", that's not initiative. That's creating problems for others and calling it innovation.

Real agency isn't about moving fast.
It's about knowing when fast is smart and when it's just reckless.

👉🏾 Ever worked with someone who confused the two?


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#Leadership #WorkCulture #ProfessionalGrowth

Let me just say it:

If you’re out here coaching, leading, advising, holding everyone else together… you need someone doing that for you too.

Period.

I’m seeing so many of us in this space. 
Smart, capable, steady people; pouring into everyone around us. 

And meanwhile? We’re running on fumes and pretending it’s fine because we’re “the strong one.”

But as you already know:

↳ You can’t keep calling people forward if no one’s calling you forward.
↳ You can’t see everyone else’s blind spots and ignore your own.
↳ You can’t do high-impact work and run on self-neglect.

So ask yourself...honestly: Who’s coaching you?

If the answer is “no one,” then you’re not operating at your full power. 
You’re surviving on skill and experience alone.

And with the amount of us doing this work, supporting entire teams and systems and missions… We can’t afford to forget ourselves like that.

Get support. Get challenged. Get seen.
Because you deserve the same depth you give everybody else.


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#WhoCoachesYou #DoYourOwnWork #HighImpactHumans #HoldSpaceForYourself

What if kindness isn’t enough?


Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about what “success” really means in leadership.

Sure, it’s easy to define it by outcomes: metrics, reports, the visible wins. 

But the longer I lead, the more I realize that success is often defined by the conversations we’re willing to have. 

Especially the hard ones.

A while back, I found myself navigating a situation with a team member who was genuinely kind, hardworking, and well-liked. 

But despite her best efforts, she was not performing at the level her role demands. 

Over time, colleagues began to lose confidence in her work. 

And small cracks of frustration turned into quiet discrediting and disengagement.

It was a difficult position to be in, because no one was “wrong.” 

The person is trying, the team is reacting, and the leader (in this case, me) had to hold space for both compassion and accountability.

In this case, I had to reframe what success looks like.

And this is what I came up with.

Success isn’t avoiding discomfort or preserving harmony.

It’s choosing honesty over ease.

It’s about creating clarity rather than rescuing.

It’s also about caring enough to tell the truth. 

Kindly, directly, and in service of growth.

Leadership isn’t about being the “nice boss.” 

It’s about being the brave one.


👉🏾 Curious, how do you balance compassion and accountability when someone’s heart is in the right place, but their work isn’t landing?

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#LeadershipReflection #RealLeadership #AccountabilityWithCompassion
#ReframingSuccess

Not conducting exit interviews, you're not avoiding busy work, you're avoiding feedback.


A few weeks back, I overheard a manager call exit interviews a waste of time. 
Better to focus on people staying, they said. 

Better onboarding, better retention efforts.
Here's what I really heard: someone afraid to face the music.

Here are 5 Reasons Exit Interviews Are a No-Brainer
↳ 1. They tell you what staying employees won't
↳ 2. One person's departure is noise. Five saying the same thing is a pattern
↳ 3. They're your early warning system
↳ 4. They show the gap between what you say and what you do
↳ 5. Dismissing them is choosing comfort over growth

Every piece of feedback is a chance to hear the song your organization is actually playing. Not the one you think you're conducting. 

Sometimes that music is discordant. Sometimes it reveals missed notes, tempo problems, and whole sections out of tune.

The thing about facing the music is that it's the only way to get better at playing it. And it requires more than just listening. 

It requires doing something with what you hear.

The people walking out the door are handing you a gift. 
Honest feedback that could prevent the next departure. 

They're telling you which instruments are broken, which musicians need support, and which parts of the composition aren't working. 

The question isn't just whether you'll listen. 
It's whether you'll actually tune the instruments, adjust the tempo, and rewrite the problematic sections.

Feedback isn't an attack. It's how you learn to play better. 

👉🏾  So the question is, are you brave enough not just to hear the feedback, 
but to act on it? 

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#Leadership #ExitInterviews #OrganizationalCulture #EmployeeRetention #Feedback #ManagementTips #PeopleFirst #WorkplaceCulture

5 Reasons Exit Interviews Are a No-Brainer

High performers aren’t powered by magic. They’re powered by support.


A few years ago, I worked with an employee who everyone quietly referred to as “the rock.” 

Unshakeable. Confident. Always delivering.

You know the type: the person people go to.

Not the person people check in on.

One day, after a tough presentation, she sat down across from me, exhaled, and said:

“I wish someone would tell me how I’m really doing… not just that I’m doing great.”

It caught me off guard.

Because here was an incredibly capable, deeply respected high performer… asking for something we often assume they don’t need:

Support. Honest feedback. A place to land.

We forget that high performers carry a lot quietly.

They’re often the ones giving feedback, rarely receiving it.

They’re expected to know the answers… even when they’re navigating the same uncertainty as everyone else.

Truth is: without feedback, even the strongest talent plateaus.

With it, they soar.

When I coach leaders now, I ask a simple question early on:

“What does good look like for you, not just to others, but to you?”

It’s amazing how often that question unlocks clarity, relief, and a path forward.

Because excellence isn’t about pushing harder.

It’s about aligning with what “good” actually means… and having the right support to get there.

If you’re a high performer reading this:
↳ You don’t have to carry it all.
↳ You don’t have to already know.
↳ And you definitely don’t need to “earn” support.

Cause even the rock deserves a foundation.

👉🏾 When’s the last time you got honest feedback that helped you grow?

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#Leadership #HighPerformance #FeedbackCulture #Coaching #WhatGoodLooksLike

My first real break came from folks most people overlooked.


Back in junior high, we didn’t have a computer at home.

Money was so tight that even printing at the public library felt like a stretch.

I still remember standing there counting change. 

Realizing I didn’t have enough to print an assignment I’d worked so hard on.

That mix of shame, embarrassment and determination stays with you.

What shifted things for me wasn’t a program or scholarship.

It was the school caretakers.

They noticed I lingered after school near the computer lab. 

Trying to figure out how to keep up.

One day, they said, “If you need to stay and use the computers, go ahead. We’ll keep the lab open.”

It wasn’t framed as charity or special treatment.

It was access. 

A door opened that had previously been closed.

Today, that experience stays with me.

Maybe it’s because my mom immigrated here and her first job was as a domestic.

Maybe it’s because I grew up understanding what it feels like to be capable, hardworking, and still locked out of certain rooms.

But that moment taught me something about leadership long before I had the language for it:

That leadership is
↳ creating pathways people can walk through on their own.
↳ seeing potential where others see inconvenience.
↳ lowering the barrier just enough for someone to step over it.

Those caretakers probably never saw themselves as leaders. But they were.

(Thanks, Ms. Lorraine and Mr. Peter, wherever you are!)

But this also leaves me wondering:

👉🏾Whose life could change if you opened just one door that you now take for granted?

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#leadership #access #createpaths


Credit:Justin Wright

I’ve noticed something about myself lately:


I have an innate talent for complicating things that don’t need to be.

Not intentionally. 

It’s more like adding extra steps that look productive, 
but actually slow me down. 

I have mastered a very professional form of avoidance.

Like, last week I caught myself doing it again.

I had something important to move forward with, 
and instead, I started tinkering.

Tinkering around the edges; planning, refining, circling "the thing". 

Doing all the “smart” things that let me avoid actually starting.

And honestly? It was unnecessary.

Not emotional. 

Just… overthinking without moving. 

So I tried something different:

I didn’t hype myself up.

I didn’t build a plan.

I just did the first thing that would move it an inch.

And surprise: it worked. 

But here’s what I am learning: most of the ways we get in our own way 
aren’t deep personal flaws.

They’re habits we’ve rehearsed for years.

And the good news is, habits can be unlearned.

It’s funny how simple the fix is once you stop pretending the habit isn’t there.


👉🏾  What’s something you’re “preparing for” that actually just needs you to do the next obvious step?


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#leadership #selfleadership #growth #realwork #humanskills #honestleadership

When was the last time someone reminded you that you’re on the right path?


The other day, I finally caught up with a friend I hadn’t had a real heart-to-heart with in over a year. 

We stay connected on social media, but you know how it goes. 

Life moves fast, time zones collide, priorities shift. 

He’s been travelling the world, building his businesses, taking life by storm. 

I had to clear my schedule just to carve out 30 minutes to speak with him.

We shared fam/life updates, laughed, exchanged ideas, and celebrated wins. 

Ironically, it wasn’t the praise or niceties that stayed with me. 

It was when he said, simply: 
"Keep doing what you’re doing. I’m so proud of you."

It reminded me that even those of us who show up confident, who seem like we’re soaring above the clouds, still need that little nudge. 

We still need a reminder that we’re doing the right things, that our efforts matter. 

Imagine the power of that simple affirmation for someone who looks up to you.

Even small words can land like a gentle, powerful push.

Don’t underestimate their weight.

So here’s my question: 
👉🏾 Who in your life could use a genuine “I see you. You’re doing great” today? And who might you be inspiring without even realizing it?


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#KeepGoing #SmallWordsBigImpact #GratitudeInAction #Leadership #HumanConnection

My biggest leadership failures came from choosing humility or will; the real power came when I stopped choosing.

Most people think leadership is about knowing.
My career taught me otherwise.

As a clinical social worker, I sat with people in crisis, transition, and transformation. You don’t walk into those rooms with ego.

You walk in with presence. With humility.
With the willingness to hear the truth beneath the words.

That was my first apprenticeship in leadership, even before I had the title.
Plot twist: Humility gets you in the door. Will keeps you moving through it.

Whether I was leading in global shipping or when I stepped into tech, industry didn’t matter.
I found myself navigating cultures where speed mattered as much as sensitivity.

I had the humility to listen deeply, but I had to build the will to act boldly.
To make decisions in ambiguity, to trust my instincts even when the path wasn’t clear.

When I co-founded SpeakerBox, it forced me to level up both muscles:
↳ Humility to hear feedback that stung.
↳ Will to build anyway.
↳ Humility to recognize what I didn’t know.
↳ Will to learn it faster than I ever thought possible.
And today, in Education, leading teams through complexity, change, and wildly different human needs, I’ve learned that:

Leadership is a dance between grounding yourself and pushing yourself.
Between “I’m listening” and “We’re moving.” Between humility and will.

Letting both coexist and leading from that center, people flourish.
And so do I.

If you’re navigating your own leadership evolution, here’s the reminder I wish someone had given me earlier:

You don’t have to choose between being humble and being powerful.
Your power grows when you lead with both.

"The best leaders are also the best followers. They follow a purpose, cause or belief bigger than themselves.” - Simon Sinek


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#LeadershipJourney #HumilityAndWill #LeadWithIntention #HumanCenteredLeadership

Credit: Michael J Boorman

Guess what? The highest-performing leaders all share one underrated skill…

They have real, honest conversations with their people.

Not glossy. Not rehearsed. Real.

And the data is undeniable: authenticity isn’t soft, it’s strategic.

Facts:
 ↳ Open communication boosts employee engagement by 85%
 ↳ Honest conversations increase morale (48%), productivity (44%), 
       and loyalty (43%)
 ↳ Strong communication makes companies 3.5× more likely to outperform  
      competitors

The outcome?

You become the kind of leader people talk about for years:  a legend, 
a mentor, an inspiration.

Yet… so many leaders still avoid, delay, or water down the conversations that matter most.

And in that silence? 

Great employees start doubting themselves, feeling undervalued, and become easy targets for other companies.

To the leaders who do this well: thank you. You’re setting the standard.

To the leaders who hesitate (current, new, or aspiring): Your people are hoping this message reaches you.

Lean in. Make the time. It matters.

👉🏾 Unsure, ask yourself...are you creating the kind of conversations your  
      people will stay or leave for?

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#Leadership #Authenticity #PeopleFirst

✈️ Lately, I’ve been realizing something in the quiet moments between departures and arrivals…


Seoul, Geneva, Tokyo, Brussels, TO, Bridgetown, Austin, Hong Kong, NYC.

A handful of the places I’ve had the privilege to explore.

Ireland, Hawaii, Sicily, Milan, Martinique, Napa Valley.

Places my colleagues have recently wandered, collected stories, and come back changed.

And in those small, quiet moments, airport lines, an Airbnb sunrise, beach and hearing laughter spill out of a café, I keep coming back to one simple truth:

We’re meant to work to live, not live to work.

Not in the cliché way.

In the deeply human way.

The way that reminds you that your life is bigger than your calendar.
That the people you love deserve the most present version of you.
That meaningful work should add to your life, not swallow it whole.

Travel has a way of holding up a mirror.

And lately, it’s reflected a version of myself I want more of.

The one who pauses.
Someone who chooses intention over urgency.
The one who remembers that time is the only thing we don’t get back.

And I've come to learn:

If we’re not careful, the world becomes something we see on our screens instead of something we experience with our own two feet.

So here’s my reminder to myself and maybe to you:

Build a life you don’t need a vacation from… 

And still take the vacation anyway.


👉🏾 What’s one place that reminded you what really matters?

#WorkToLive #Leadership #PerspectiveShift #LifeBeyondWork #HumanFirstLeadership #TravelTeaches #MindfulLeadership

A core memory is a weird thing.
 
You see, you don’t get to pick it, plan it, or curate it. 

Your brain just grabs some random moment and decides, Yep. 

This one’s staying forever.

At work, it’s the same. 

The moments people remember about you aren’t the presentations you slaved over, the emails you sent, or the projects you finished on time. 

They’re the small, human moments: 
↳ like how you showed up when someone was struggling, 
↳ or the courage you had to call out a bad idea, 
↳ and the time you made someone feel genuinely seen.

Those are the moments that stick. 

Those are the moments that shape your legacy as a leader.

Career advice in one line: Forget perfection. Invest in moments that matter.


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Ever sat in a meeting that could have been an email?

I did last week. 
45 minutes in, someone finally cut through the noise and asked the question that mattered.

We'd been circling. Slides, data, scenarios, contingencies. 
The kind of conversation that feels important because it looks thorough.

Then someone asked: "What are we actually doing next?"
Silence.

Because, truth was: we weren't being strategic. 
We were stalling.

I've noticed this pattern everywhere lately. 
The 8-page memo that buries the ask. 

The "alignment meeting" that aligns nothing. 
The process with so many checkpoints that no one's actually checking anything.

We call it rigour. We call it being thoughtful.
Really, we're just avoiding the discomfort of being clear.

Because clarity requires commitment and accountability. 
It means picking a direction and owning it. 

It means someone might push back, or you might be wrong. 
Or worse, it might not work.

Complexity gives us cover. 
It lets us look engaged without actually deciding anything.

But leadership isn't about perfecting the plan. 
It's about moving with enough clarity that people know what to do next.

The best leaders I know don't wow you with how much they've thought through.  They free you up to act because they've done the hard work of figuring out what actually matters.

So lately I've been catching myself. 

When I'm adding another layer, another caveat, another slide, am I adding clarity? Or just protecting myself from having to be clear?

Most of the time, I already know the answer.
👉🏾 Do you?


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#Leadership #ClarityOverComplexity #DecisionMaking #WorkplaceCulture #LeadershipLessons

It’s officially that time of year… and suddenly everyone seems to be sprinting.


Last week, I was stuck in one of those classic Black Friday lines. 

The kind where you start questioning every decision that led you there. 

Crowded aisles, carts bumping, people stretching their patience (and their budgets). 

The kind of energy that makes you feel like you should be rushing too, 
even if you don’t want to.

Fast forward a few days, and I was at a small holiday hangout. 

Nothing big; just friends, food, and that familiar comfort you don’t realize you’ve missed until you’re in it again. 

The pace was slower. Lighter. Human.

And somewhere between those two moments, I noticed something. 

December turns up all the pressure points at once.

Wrap things up. 
Be present. 
Buy the gifts. 
Hit the deadlines. 
Smile. 
Don’t fall behind. 
Keep it all together.

And in the middle of that, this came up for me.

In case you forgot, you’re a light.

And you don’t need to burn yourself out trying to be everything for everyone.

You get to choose where your energy goes.

You’re allowed to take up space at your own pace.

You’re allowed to say no.

And you’re allowed to protect the parts of yourself that get dimmed when life gets too loud.

This time of year can be beautiful, but it’s also a lot.

So if you’re feeling the push and pull, same.

But know you're not alone, so protect your light.

👉🏾 What pressure points show up for you this time of year?


#Leadership #Reflection #DecemberEnergy #HolidaySeason #WellBeing #Boundaries

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The Battle

Tarek Taha

Shauna MSW

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taplio

The Battle

Tarek Taha

Shauna MSW

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Posts

Engagements

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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);}Tarek Taha's LinkedIn Performance

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