In this episode of Catalyst, Tammy welcomes her very own executive coach, Anna Pool, onto the podcast. Anna is the President of Executive Savvy, a master-level certified executive coach and published author. She’s spent more than 20 years coaching senior leaders at organizations like Michelin, Nike, Verizon and Ford. Together they discuss nervous system regulation, why leaders are so exhausted and what to do when pressure pushes us over the edge.

Highlights from the episode include:

• Know when you’re in the red zone. Anna explains how the nervous system moves between different levels of arousal throughout the day. In the green zone, leaders can think strategically while staying connected to their emotions. In the red zone, fight-or-flight responses take over, making it harder to respond thoughtfully. Learning to recognize physical cues can help leaders catch themselves before they react.
• Calming stress is an important part of leadership. Anna sees high levels of overwhelm and exhaustion among senior leaders today. That stress can spread quickly through a team. When a leader enters a meeting in the red zone, others may follow, making self-regulation an important part of how leaders influence the people around them.
• Build practices that bring you back to green. Small resets can make a difference: techniques like box breathing and grounding through physical awareness can help any time you feel activated. Tammy shares how short meditation practices have helped her prepare for difficult conversations when emotions are running high.

Check out the full episode to hear more about Anna’s journey from living in an ashram for twenty years to becoming an executive coach. Plus — practical somatic tips leaders can use to stay present.

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Please note that the views expressed in this episode may not necessarily be those of NTT DATA.