When it all feels heavy... How to be the light

Yesterday on LinkedIn, I shared a reminder that I find to be simple, but significant: You’re either part of the problem or part of the solution. There is no third option.

Based on the messages I’ve received since, it struck a chord. That you’re feeling the weight of what’s happening- globally, locally, and sometimes just inside your own four walls. I see you. And I want to offer something practical to hold onto.

Because “being the solution” can feel vague when the headlines are screaming, your calendar is packed, and your nervous system is fried. So how do we actually do it?

Here are three grounding practices that help me recalibrate when the world feels too loud, too fast, or too broken:

1. Take the Sacred Pause

Before reacting. Before judging. Before fixing. Just… pause. One breath. One beat. One moment to interrupt the default pattern.

This is a great time to count or bring in a mantra. One of my favorites is reminding myself to “observe, don’t absorb.” This is where wisdom lives. Even a 10-second pause can shift your energy from reactivity to response, and that small space is where compassion and clarity can slip in.

Try this: Before your next tough conversation or triggering email, put your hand on your chest and take three deep breaths. No need to fix. Just feel.

2. Get Curious, Not Certain

Certainty feels comforting. But in moments of division and complexity, it often does more harm than good. Curiosity, on the other hand, invites connection.

Ask yourself: What don’t I know yet? What might be true for them that I can’t see? That mindset softens edges. It opens doors. It makes room for growth.

In conversations, lead with: “Help me understand…” instead of “Here’s why you’re wrong.” Watch what shifts.

3. Serve Where Your Feet Are

You don’t need a platform, a pulpit, or a public following to make an impact. Kindness at the grocery store. Patience with your team. A check-in text to someone who’s gone quiet.

These are small acts—but they ripple outward in ways we rarely get to see.

Ask yourself: Who in my life could use five extra minutes of my attention today? Then give it without an agenda.

Being part of the solution doesn’t require perfection. It just asks for presence.

And if you’re feeling like you need a little more light before you can offer it to others? That’s okay, too. Start by anchoring in a mantra that brings you back to center. The kind of words that remind you who you are and who you’re choosing to be.

One of mine: "I have everything I need in this moment."

Now I’d love to hear from you:

🧘‍♀️ What mantra or practice helps you return to yourself when the world gets heavy? Drop it in the comments, because your words might be the reminder someone else needs today.

And one more thing... This Saturday marks the Summer Solstice; The longest day of the year. A threshold moment. A natural reset. It’s a sacred invitation to begin again. To trade what’s heavy for what’s true. To lead not from pressure, but from purpose.

If you’ve been waiting for a sign to shift, to rise, to move...Let this be it. I’ve made big decisions on this day before. Quiet ones, too. Casting a vote for the life I want, even when I wasn’t sure I was ready. And I can tell you, there’s something powerful about aligning your action with a moment of renewal. It’s been the spark for momentum and change I didn’t know I was capable of.

P.S. If you’re craving more clarity, courage, or community to walk that out… that’s exactly what The Rising’s Executive Mastermind is here for. This is where high-integrity, impact-driven leaders come to expand, not just their influence, but their alignment.

Only a couple seats remain. If this is your season to rise, apply today.