I’m writing this with a warm cuppa in hand, surrounded by the beautiful chaos of real life after hosting a wonderful Compass Collective retreat.
Receipts, half-unpacked bags, WhatsApp and phone messages and the kind of to-do list that tries to sprint before my soul has even put her shoes on!
And here’s my old reflex…
Tighten my jaw, speed my breath, slam into productivity mode. Sort the bags, clear the inbox and catch up on everything before taking time to reflect on the client transformations.
Not today.
Today I’m choosing the discipline most high performers resist.
I’m stopping.
Because you can’t pour from empty.
We think we can. We think we’ll be ok. But, we were never meant to feel depleted in the name of success.
Many people treat self care as a reward for performance. You know what I mean… hit the goal, then book the massage. Close the deal, then take a day to recover. Patch the exhaustion and call it resilience.
That’s not leadership. That’s depletion with good branding.
True leadership – profitable, sustainable leadership – starts when your nervous system leads.
Your breath controls your nervous system. Your nervous system controls your brain. Your brain controls how you lead, think, decide and perform. When your inner system is regulated, your outer results compound.
Peace isn’t a luxury; it’s a commercial strategy. Purpose is a focusing mechanism. Profit follows coherence.
Clarity has always been my compass.
And clarity always lands after stillness.
So, whether you’re unpacking bags or carrying the invisible weight of a team, a family, multi-generational care responsibilities and a thousand micro-decisions, here are five practical ways to refill the well without guilt.
1) Ask your body first
Before thinking “What needs doing?” ask “What do I need?”
This is not indulgence; it’s data. Your body is your most honest dashboard.
Movement or stillness? A walk in fresh air or ten minutes with eyes closed, jaw relaxed, nasal breathing steady?
Remember little hinges swing big doors and this one shift resets your whole operating system.
2) Redefine rest as responsibility
Rest isn’t a reward; it’s risk management.
Regulated leaders make clearer decisions, avoid expensive rework, and hold the room without force.
Put recovery blocks in your calendar like non-negotiable board meetings with your future self. (Because they are.)
3) Choose nourishment over numbing
Sugar, wine, and scrolling are counterfeit comfort.
Silently ask yourself, “What would truly nourish me right now?” Real food, real breath, real connection.
The ROI on 15 minutes of coherent breathing will beat 45 minutes of doom-scrolling every single time.
4) Let yourself receive
Superhuman does it all. Sovereign leaders orchestrate support.
Say yes when help is offered. Ask for it before you crash. Delegation with context is not weakness; it’s a throughput multiplier. (I’ve written this one especially for me!)
5) Celebrate the pause
You don’t earn rest by finishing everything. Sometimes the most productive move is stillness.
In the pause, your next right action surfaces and it’s almost always simpler, cleaner, and kinder to your bottom line.
If you’re stretched thin and “taking time for yourself” feels impossible, I’ve got you. These little steps are practical, quick and calm your nervous system so you can act from steadiness, not stress.
We don’t grow by doing more. We grow by being more.
Because you don’t need to push harder. You need to breathe smarter, choose wiser, and remember that you are the asset everything else relies on.
Our greatest successes are build on Peace. Purpose. Profit. In that order.
Contact me to discover more.
Love. Gail.