A while back, I worked with a CEO who had built something massive from scratch. Smart. Driven. Respected. But he came to me not because of strategy or mindset—but because his back gave out. That was the symptom. The real issue? His body had become louder than his schedule.
That’s the thing with high performers. They don’t end up in my office because they’re curious about alignment or self-regulation. They end up here when their body says, “Enough.”
And that’s where the conversation starts to shift. Because for most leaders, there’s a critical gap no one ever taught them to close:
Somatic awareness.
The ability to actually notice what’s happening in your body. Not just when something hurts, but when something is off. When tension spikes, when breath shallows, when the gut says “not this” and the mind barrels ahead anyway.
It sounds simple, but in practice? It changes everything.
What Is Somatic Awareness (And Why Does It Matter for Leaders?)
Somatic awareness is your internal dashboard. It’s the real-time feedback system that tells you when you’re grounded, when you’re forcing, and when you’re headed for burnout.
According to research from the National Institutes of Health, people with higher interoceptive awareness (their word for internal bodily awareness) are more likely to self-regulate under stress, recover faster, and avoid emotional reactivity. In other words, somatic awareness is a performance advantage.
But most leaders are taught to override it.
- Push through.
- Stay composed.
- Don’t let them see you sweat.
I’ve coached leaders who can handle a crisis in the boardroom but can’t identify the tightness in their chest before they snap at their partner.
Or take the founder I worked with who was struggling to make a major hiring decision. Every time we explored it, he got foggy. Turns out, he wasn’t confused. He was disconnected. The moment we got him back in touch with his body — back to breath, back to the felt sense of what actually felt right — the clarity returned. Instantly.
This isn’t about vibes. It’s about physiology.
When you’re stuck in your head, your nervous system stays in a mild state of threat. That affects your digestion, your sleep, your posture, your decision-making. Chronic stress actually rewires the brain. But the body also has the power to unwire it. To come back into regulation.
That’s why somatic awareness is the trait no one’s talking about.
But it’s the one that makes everything else work better.
Three Signs You’re Disconnected From Your Body (And Why It Matters)
- You rush decisions even when they’re not urgent. If you feel like you’re always out of time, your nervous system might be stuck in a stress loop. That speeds up your internal clock and makes presence feel impossible.
- You’re tired but wired. You crash hard at night or can’t fall asleep at all. Your brain won’t shut off. Your body is stuck in go-mode, even when you’re lying down.
- You can’t feel much at all. This one’s sneaky. You’re not in pain, but you’re not in joy either. That middle ground is a sign of dissociation — not always trauma-level, but just enough to make you feel foggy or flat.
You don’t fix this by trying harder. You shift by tuning in.
How to Build Somatic Awareness (Without Sitting on a Meditation Cushion for 3 Hours)
This isn’t about becoming a yogi. This is about building a baseline of awareness in the flow of your day. Here are a few ways I help leaders do it:
- Check your jaw. Notice if you’re clenching. That subtle tension is often the first sign your body is bracing.
- Breath audit. Are you breathing from your chest or your belly? Shallow chest breathing keeps you in fight-or-flight. Deep belly breaths bring your system back to calm.
- Micro-pauses. Between calls, stop. Feel your feet. Roll your shoulders. Ask: Where am I tight? What am I ignoring?
- Body-first decision-making. Before you say yes to that next thing, ask: What does my body say? Does it expand or contract?
These aren’t wellness hacks. They’re leadership tools. Because when you can feel more, you can lead better.
Final Thought
Somatic awareness isn’t a luxury. It’s not something to do once everything else is handled.
It’s the foundation.
And when it’s in place? You recover faster. You connect more deeply. You lead more clearly. You stop feeling like you’re managing yourself like a machine.
That’s the shift I want for you.
Your body is already talking. Let’s make sure you’re listening.
Want to learn how to build somatic awareness in your leadership team?
Let’s bring your body, mind, and leadership into alignment. [Book a 1:1 Alignment Session] or reach out — I’d love to hear what’s been feeling off.
