The Energy Equation: Why Your Leadership Starts With You

Prioritizing energy management as a rooted and rising leader.

Let’s get something out of the way:

Your energy doesn’t just affect you.
It influences your people, your purpose, your performance, and the culture you’re creating - whether you realize it or not.

When your energy is high, your presence is magnetic.

When your energy is depleted, so is your impact.

And as a leader, that means one thing:

Protecting and replenishing your energy is not a luxury. It’s a responsibility.

I've Been There

In the spring of 2023, I hit my own energetic edge.

I was pushing hard - hustling, over-delivering, and trying to hold it all together in my business for my family, my clients, and myself (pride and ego included). I told myself I just needed to get through the next launch, the next proposal, the next program… then I could rest.

But the truth? I was exhausted. Miserable. Burnt out.

There were some personal issues going on my life at the time, as well - hard, heartbreaking, energy-sucking ones. I was having a hard time even finding the point of what I was doing - and got this close to walking away from it all to go back to a regular job.

Not because I didn’t love my work, but because I had drained every ounce of energy trying to do it all without taking care of the one thing that mattered most: ME.

What shifted?

One day, this thought popped in my head:

"If I'm this miserable running and leading my business, I may has well go back to work and be miserable there."

It jarred me to my senses.

With the help of an incredible business mentor and coach, and reaching into the self-work and education I've done in the past, I realized what was missing - I had to start putting my energy first - not last.

Not only in a performative “wellness routine” kind of way. But also in a this-is-my-3DLeadership™-edge kind of way.

Who You Are With Energy vs. Without It

We all know what it feels like to operate from an empty tank.

We’re shorter in conversations.

We avoid hard decisions.

We second-guess our own thoughts and voice.

We lose our creativity, confidence, and clarity.

The version of you that leads with energy - real, sustainable energy - is wildly different from the one trying to survive on fumes.

When your energy is strong, your leadership presence becomes a source of safety, momentum, and inspiration - for others, yes - but also for your Self.

This is what I call Energetic 3DLeadership™ - and it’s non-negotiable if you want to be the leader you want (and others need you) to be.

What Energy Management Really Looks Like

Managing your energy isn’t just about sleep, food, and yoga (though all of those help!).

It’s about knowing yourself well enough to recognize when your energy is being spent in ways that don’t align with your values, your season, or your capacity.

It’s about getting honest with yourself:

• What fuels you right now?
• What drains you?
• What are you tolerating that’s slowly pulling you away from the work you’re meant to do?

And then, it’s about creating boundaries, rhythms, and rituals that honor your energy - before it’s too late and you're having doom and gloom thoughts like I was.

From Surviving to Self-Led Energy

Today, I catch myself faster.

I know the signs of slipping into “drain mode".

(heavy eyes, foggy mind, feeling flat (a.k.a. joyless), ungratefulness, low tolerance and patience, not wanting to go anywhere or do anything (other than work), not wanting to talk, long periods of zoning out in front of the TV...)

I know what resets me.

(walking, playing golf, listening and dancing to great music, meditation and mindfulness practices, journaling, a consistent sleep routine, hanging in my hammock chair on the gazebo with a decaf coffee and a non-work book - watching and listening to the birds in our backyard, going on a road trip, coffee dates and laughing with friends)

And I know that my energy is a leadership tool - one I must tend to intentionally.

So I ask you:

• What’s your energy telling you today?
• Are you energized or just enduring?
• Are you showing up for you, your team, and your organization from your highest self - or your most depleted?

Your team doesn’t just need your expertise.

Your business doesn’t just need your strategy.

They need you - fully present, clear, grounded, and alive (and excited and optimistic about what you're doing, why you're doing it, and who you're doing it for)!

And that starts with ENERGY.

Final Thought

It may feel counterintuitive at first - especially if you’ve been conditioned to lead by doing more, pushing harder, and staying late.

But your leadership presence is not powered by pressure.

It’s powered by energy.

So here’s your permission:

Start putting your energy at the top of your to-do list.

Not as an afterthought.

But as the foundation of everything you want to lead, create, and impact.

You’re not just leading others.

You’re leading yourself.

And that’s where the ripple begins.

Until next time...