You can be a Leader—and still spiral.

You can coach others, drive strategy, run big meetings, and still find yourself crying in a bathroom stall (or your home office?)

Because some days, everything hits at once.

Everything. Everywhere. All. At. Once.

You open up about a painful family matter. You cry. You feel raw, exposed, and maybe even foolish for caring more about yourself than others seem to care about you.

Then, you shift gears—back into work mode.

You speak up.

You name real issues.

You offer thoughtful solutions.

You stay professional. But someone responds with a surface-level, dismissive comment—like the solution is simple, like you’re overreacting.

And just like that, you start to question yourself. What is going on?

Did I say too much?

Am I being too much?

The next day, you scroll social media and see someone thriving in the exact way you want to be. Now you start to spiral:

Am I the problem?

Did I hire the wrong people?

Is this all my fault?

Why am I not there yet?

Old doubts come back.

Moments of failure replay.

You feel excluded. Behind. Not enough. You hide. You question everything.

And still—you lead.

Because leadership doesn’t mean you don’t feel. It means you’ve learned to keep showing up anyway.

It means you learn how to manage your thoughts, emotions, and still achieve success.

Even if it feels like Shutes and Ladders (or Snakes and Ladders for my friends around the world)

Here’s what I know:

You are not too much.

You are not behind.

You are not alone.

When the wave of vulnerability comes calling, pause and breathe:

In for 4. Hold for 4. Out for 6.

Say: “I am allowed to feel all this.”

Say: "I am having thoughts/sensations" versus "I am vulnerable."

Ask yourself if the vulnerability has something to tell you. What do you need to know?

This is what real leadership looks like.

Not the polished version—but the human one.

Please be super gentle with yourself.