One of my clients — a brilliant founder, sharp as they come — used to show up to every session with a clenched jaw and locked-up upper shoulders. She didn’t notice it, but her body spoke volumes ahead of her words.

Every time she entered a room, her body alerted everyone that she was stressed. 

We started small with breath work and noticing where her tension landed  when she had to make a tough call. Over time, she said something I’ll never forget:

“I knew I was stressed when I was on the job, but I never realized my body stayed that way all the time – even when I’m not working!”

When most people think about leadership development, they think about strategy and communication. Maybe some emotional intelligence sprinkled in.

Leadership isn’t just mental, though. If your body’s stuck in survival mode, no amount of mindset work will unlock the clarity,  presence, or inner peace you’re looking for. 

And your body will announce your state of mind way before you say a word. 

Your Body’s The First to Know — And the Last to Be Asked

Most of the leaders I work with don’t think of themselves as disconnected from their body.

They work out. They eat well. They track their sleep.

But when I ask what they feel — in their chest, their gut, their breath —every single day? They’re not always completely sure.

No one teaches us that the body is part of leadership. That posture holds memory. That how you sit in a room says just as much as what you say.

And we’re definitely not taught to remain connected to our bodies. 

This is what I mean when I talk about alignment. It’s physical. If your body is constantly braced, your leadership, decisions, and impact will be too.

The body’s not the thing you disconnect to or push through to get the job done. It’s the thing that tells you what’s really going on — if you’re willing to reconnect and listen.

Practicing Leadership in a Whole New Way

You can read all the books, learn all the frameworks, get all the credentials — but if you’re making decisions from a braced body and a burned-out system, something’s going to feel off.

Real leadership isn’t just how  you show up when the pressure’s on. It’s how you feel and live every single day.The most impactful leaders I know aren’t just smart. They’re connected to themselves.. They’ve learned how to notice tension before it hijacks them. They can take a breath before reacting. They can reset their minds and bodies in between the big moments.

That’s the work. 

If you’ve been feeling off, your body might be telling you exactly what you need to hear to get back on track. [Book a call]