Hey Leader!
I was promoted to my first Director role because I could handle anything. Tight timelines, tough clients, messy processes… hand it to me and I’d make it work.
But when I stepped into Managing Director-level scope? That same “I’ll just handle it” instinct became my biggest liability.
The skills and habits that got you to your senior role, over-delivering, saying yes, fixing fast, are the exact ones that keep you stuck once you’re in senior leadership.
Why?
Because Director, VP, & C-level leadership isn’t about doing more, it’s about upleveling your team, focusing on your highest-value work, & creating an environment where work can get done without you.
You can’t build a strategic, sustainable role for yourself if you’re still leading like the “Chief Everything Officer.”
Lead boldly, live fully, & don’t forget to breathe.
In your corner,
Try This Today
Audit Your Rescue Reflex: Notice every time you step in to fix something (or answer a group email) without being asked. How many of those truly needed you?
Delegate Without Guilt: When you hand off a task, don’t apologize; tell them why they’re the right person for it.
Run the 3 Ds Filter: [See the Power Move section below!] Take your current initiatives and run them through Dream / Design / Do. See what you can move off your “Do” list right now.
Your Power Move
One simple shift my clients love, that helps them get out of constant-react mode, is a framework I call Dream / Design / Do.
Use Dream / Design / Do to stop drowning in new ideas: yours, your boss’s, and your team’s.
When every idea feels urgent, you end up in reactive, “Chief Everything Officer” mode.
Dream / Design / Do is the simple filter that keeps you strategic. Label each idea or initiative as follows:
Dream → Exciting or “someday/maybe” ideas you’re parking for later.
Design → Ideas you’re curious enough to explore & start designing, but not ready to dive into fully.
Do → Approved, resourced initiatives you’re executing now.
Use it in 1:1s to filter new requests, in team meetings to set priorities, & in project reviews to reset expectations. Once everyone knows the categories, they’ll start tagging ideas themselves & you’ll spend a lot less time firefighting.
Want the full guide?
Free Masterclass
If you’re ready to stop leading like an emergency response unit and start leading like the senior leader you are, join my free masterclass on August 26, 9–10 am PT.
You’ll learn how to reclaim strategic capacity, protect your time, and lead at your actual level without dropping balls or burning out.
Behind The Scenes
A peek inside what I’m building — at work & in life!
Work in Progress
Life in Progress
My amazing EA, Pau, made me do a literal happy dance last week.
She built a Vision Vault.
Until now, my ideas were everywhere… in my head, Slack, Asana. Chaos.
Now? I drop ideas into our “Vision Vault” Slack channel, she logs them in an Asana project, tags them as Dream / Design / Do, and we review them in our 1:1s to decide what to move forward.
It’s one of those deceptively simple systems that saves so much mental energy & makes sure nothing brilliant gets lost in the shuffle.
Wednesday hit me with that midweek tired that makes everything feel like moving through molasses. Instead of forcing it, I took the afternoon slow — no laptop guilt spiral, just some puppy snuggles & curling up on the couch.
And, my mom’s birthday was Tuesday, so on Saturday, we pulled off a surprise bady party for her with friends and family. Aperol Spritzs, the cake she makes for everyone else, and games that made us laugh.
She was genuinely shocked & watching her light up as people she loves arriving was the best part of my week.
Thought For The Week
In Case You Missed It
Three years ago, I made a scary career move I thought I’d regret, and it turned out to be one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. Here’s what changed and how I’m helping others do the same.
The “infinite workday” is real: 40% of employees check email before 6 a.m., and the average worker gets 117 emails + 153 Teams messages a day. Microsoft’s latest report breaks it down.
Burnout isn’t a badge of honor; it’s holding you back. Here’s how high-achieving women leaders are rewriting what “good leadership” really looks like.