Leadership Endurance Starts with One Powerful Word: No.
Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about how hard it is to keep going strong as a leader when the demands don’t slow down.
There’s so much opportunity out there. So much uncertainty. And most of us are juggling more priorities than we can handle without something giving way.
Even if we just focus on the core things—doing our jobs well, caring for our families, and maybe trying to take care of ourselves—it can still feel like too much.
And you know what tends to make it worse?
We say yes to too many things—Even when we don’t want to. Even when we know we shouldn’t.
Saying no feels uncomfortable.
We don’t want to let people down. We don’t want to miss out. We feel like we should be able to fit it in.
Especially for women leaders, that pressure to “be helpful” and “show up” is very real (and something you’ll hear about in this week’s podcast episodes).
But here’s what I keep coming back to:
“No” is one of the most powerful endurance strategies we have.
It protects our priorities. It creates space for the work that matters. It keeps us from breaking promises to ourselves.
And sometimes, the no we need to say?
It’s not to someone else.
It’s to ourselves.
No, I’m not checking Slack before my morning quiet time.
No, I’m not overloading next week’s calendar just to be a team player.
No, I’m not going to let guilt set my priorities.
Honestly? This is where I’ve been slipping lately. And I’m working on it, right alongside you.
🔥 This ties right into the first part of my FIRE framework: Focus.
When we don’t protect our focus, the rest of our leadership endurance plan starts to wobble.
We don’t show up how we want to.
We make reactive decisions.
We burn out—quietly or loudly.
💬 This week, I want to leave you with a question:
What’s one “no” you’ve been avoiding… that could actually help you lead better, live better, and feel more like yourself again?
Leadership endurance isn’t about doing less—it’s about doing what matters on purpose.
If you want support building a rhythm that works—for your life, your team, your goals—let’s talk.