What Resilience Really Looks Like: Willing Over Ready

Hey Reader,

This week's edition will be a little different. Vulnerable and honest. I've been keeping a secret. I've been navigating through grief over the past 2 years. I'm pretty good at navigating emotions. My degree is in doing so, and helping others. But grief affects all aspects of our lives - business, home, leisure. Let me know if this resonates with you; if so, share it!

✦ Clarity Spark

Running was my church.
It cleared my head, helped me make sense of life.
Until it didn’t.

When my dad died, everything I used to rely on stopped working.
Even running.

It took me nearly two years, and a lot of avoiding, to lace up again.

But I finally showed up.
Slow. Messy. Unmotivated.
And somewhere between the start and the finish line, something shifted.

Not because I was ready.
But because I was willing.

✦ The Mindset Reset

One comment on that post hit me in the gut:

I felt that. Because I’ve lived that.

So many of us, especially in leadership roles, default to motion when things get messy.
We keep going because slowing down feels scary.
But motion isn’t always the medicine.

Sometimes it’s the pause that heals.
Sometimes it’s the choice to move forward differently that unlocks real growth.

✦ Business Tip

As leaders, we often expect the systems we’ve always used — or the selves we’ve always been — to keep showing up the same way.

But life shifts.
Grief happens.
The ground moves.

And when it does, we need to adjust how we lead.

This week, I’ve been asking myself:

• What habits have quietly stopped serving me?
• What would it look like to lead from where I am right now — not from who I used to be?

You don’t have to go back.
You just have to go forward, as you are.

✦ Community Conversation

After I shared the story of returning to running — and how grief disrupted even the rituals I used to count on — the response on LinkedIn caught me off guard.

The messages, comments, and quiet “me too” replies reminded me of something important:
We’re not the only ones trying to lead while navigating loss, burnout, or deep change.
We just don’t always talk about it.

Here’s one comment that really landed with me:

If you’d like to read the full post or add your voice to the conversation, you can find it here:
👉 Read the original post on LinkedIn​

Sometimes seeing yourself in someone else’s story is the first step forward.

✦ Wright Invitation

If this landed for you, here’s your permission to stop trying to “bounce back.”

Maybe this season is asking for something else.
To rebuild.
To reset.
To rest a little longer before the next move.

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