I Dismissed This Unconventional Leadership Practice — Until It Transformed My Business and My Life

There's no shortage of leadership advice online. Scroll your feed and you'll find endless tips on optimizing your calendar, sharpening your pitch or making better decisions. After 38 years of building and funding growth companies, riding the waves of the capital markets, IPOs, crashes and reinventions, I've learned the real starting line isn't my calendar or pitch deck; it's my energy, the cadence of my breath and the weight of my feet on the floor.

I didn't come to this realization in a moment of calm clarity or on a meditation cushion. It slammed in hard during one of the most chaotic times in my life, after the Great Recession wiped out nearly everything I had built. I wasn't just facing business losses; my balance sheet bled, real estate values flipped, but the real deficit was unraveling physically and emotionally. On the outside, I still wore the leader's mask, yet I was reactive and spent. Strategy couldn't reach that place; only presence could.

That's when I discovered embodied leadership.

Related: 5 Ways to Be Present With Your Startup, Not Pestered By It

From surviving to leading with presence

Embodied leadership is the practice of leading not just from intellect or strategy, but from the integration of mind, body and emotion. It is grounded in neuroscience and used in elite performance environments, including special-ops military and Fortune 500 boardrooms. At its core, it teaches leaders to feel what is happening inside before they act outside.

At first, I was skeptical and dismissed it as woo-woo. Coming from the world of capital markets and hard metrics, the idea of breathing techniques and posture awareness felt too soft and intangible. But then I tested it when I began practicing it, three slow breaths before investor meetings and grounding myself before making a high-stakes call, I noticed something. I made better decisions. I communicated more clearly. My presence started speaking louder than my pitch.

The science behind the shift

This isn't just personal insight. It is backed by research. A study published by Yale found that even short breathing interventions reduced anxiety and improved executive performance. Other research has shown that adopting an expansive posture for just two minutes can elevate testosterone, reduce cortisol and enhance confidence and clarity.

In real-time leadership, this translates to sharper thinking under pressure, more grounded decision-making and improved team trust. For me, it also meant less burnout. I no longer lived in a constant state of mental overdrive.

Related: This One Overlooked Habit Could Transform How You Lead, Connect and Grow Your Business

Once I started leading from an embodied state, subtle shifts created powerful results.

• Investor meetings became more authentic and effective.

• My team responded more to how I showed up than to what I said.

• Conflict resolution became less reactive and more relational.

• I made fewer fear-based decisions and better strategic ones.

One vivid example: During a tense discussion, I paused a boardroom conversation and took a few centering breaths. Just 30 seconds, but that short pause settled the energy in the room. What could have escalated into a heated debate shifted into a focused, solution-driven dialogue. Had I stayed on autopilot, that moment would've gone very differently.

How entrepreneurs can use this now

You don't need to become a breathwork or meditation expert to lead this way. If you're an entrepreneur dealing with uncertainty, team dynamics or nonstop decisions, this is for you. Try these simple shifts:

1. Start with the body, not the spreadsheet: Before your next big decision, pause. Feel your breath. Relax your shoulders. Plant your feet on the ground. This five-second check-in can help you respond rather than react.

2. Reframe stress as physical data: When you feel tension such as a tight jaw (a bygone for me), racing heart or clenched fists, don't ignore it. That is data. Your body is showing you what needs attention. Listening to them gives you clarity.

3. Lead with grounded presence: Walk into the room with your breath low and posture strong. You'll speak less and land more. People respond to how you enter before you say a word.

4. Integrate regular practices: Whether it is daily movement, breathwork or stillness, it's about doing it daily. It is not about perfection. It is about consistency.

Why this matters more than ever

In a world of constant disruption, information overload and AI-driven decisions, what sets leaders apart isn't just intelligence or innovation. It's presence. The ability to stay grounded is a competitive advantage. It helps you build resilient teams, navigate volatility and make authentic decisions.

I've worked with dozens of CEOs through IPOs, pivots and exits. The ones who lead best aren't always the loudest or the boldest. They're the steadiest. They are the most embodied. These are the leaders who can stay steady in the storm and lead with clarity when the stakes are highest.

Related: 4 Mindful Leadership Practices That Transformed My Management and Company Culture

Leadership is not just what you say. It is how you show up. And how you show up begins in your body.

If there is one thing I wish I had embraced earlier in my career, it is this: You don't need to have all the answers. But you do need to be present. And presence is something you practice, not a performance.

Because at the end of the day, companies rise and fall on decisions. But great leadership? It lives in the presence.