How Nervous System Regulation Helps Leaders Respond with Presence

There’s something sacred about Cancer season. It’s soft and nostalgic. It stirs the waters of our hearts, asking us to come home to ourselves.

The past couple of weeks asked for something different.

When fear moved through our communities, I felt it in my body: 
a tight chest, a lump in my throat, and a deep knowing that it was time to pause.

So I did.

I stepped away from content calendars and promotions.
And I opened space for breath, for regulation, for community care.

Because sometimes, the most powerful response isn’t to do more
but to be with what’s rising.

And I was reminded:
This work, this way of being, it’s not separate from how we lead.
It is the way.

In a world that feels anything but quiet,
staying connected to our own inner rhythm is an act of leadership.
Choosing presence over urgency.
Letting the heart guide, even when everything else demands a reaction.

Now, I’m slowly returning, not with a push, but with presence.

And I’ll be continuing to hold space.

If you’ve been navigating emotional intensity, uncertainty, or simply trying to stay regulated, I’m hosting another 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗧𝗵𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝗝𝘂𝗻𝗲 𝟭𝟵 𝗮𝘁 𝟱𝗽𝗺 (𝗣𝗧).
A space to breathe, process, and reconnect to your nervous system. Register here.

We’re allowed to evolve.
We’re allowed to respond instead of react.
We’re allowed to lead from the inside out.

I’ll be sharing more soon.
But for now, I’d love to hear:

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗹𝘆? 𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘁?

How to Support Your Nervous System During Times of Uncertainty

How to Support Your Nervous System During Times of Uncertainty

Uncertainty doesn’t just live in our minds—it lands in the body.

Whether you’ve experienced a layoff, a cut in hours, or just a general feeling that life is shifting without your consent, your nervous system responds. You may feel it in your chest. In your jaw. In the way you wake up tired or carry a quiet hum of anger beneath your breath.

And yet, if you’re someone who’s always kept it together, it might take a while to notice what your body’s actually trying to say.

During a recent group session with my mastermind clients, one of the themes that came up again and again was the emotional aftermath of professional instability. Many people shared how quickly stress builds up when their roles change, their income drops, or their future feels unclear.

Here’s what came through—and what might support you, too.

1. Honor the Anger, Don’t Bury It

One of the most honest moments in the call came from someone who admitted, “I’m angry. I’m mad that other people weren’t affected, and I was.”

Anger is a valid nervous system response to injustice and fear.

It's not something to push away—it’s something to sit with, gently.

Try this:

Place a hand on your heart and acknowledge, “This is unfair, and it makes sense that I’m upset.”

You’re not making the feeling bigger—you’re simply letting it move.

2. Notice the Loop of “What’s the Point?”

When we’re deep in burnout or fear, our thoughts can spiral toward meaninglessness.

What’s the point of all this?

Why am I even trying?

These aren’t questions that need quick answers.

But they do signal that your system is overwhelmed and looking for grounding.

In those moments, the invitation isn’t to solve everything. It’s to come back to your body.

To reconnect with one thing that is certain right now: your breath.

3. Pause Before You Push Through

We’re often taught to respond to uncertainty with productivity.

Apply for jobs. Update the resume. Work harder.

But the nervous system doesn’t regulate through pressure. It regulates through presence. Through slowness. Through permission to pause.

That pause might look like:

• Five slow breaths before opening your laptop

• Journaling instead of forcing a decision

• Simply noticing: My body feels tight. I’m holding a lot right now.

  
  

4. This Isn’t Just Stress—It’s Survival Energy

Feeling foggy, tired, emotional, or unmotivated? That’s not a personal failing.

It’s a nervous system doing exactly what it’s designed to do: conserve energy when it perceives a threat.

The work is not to override that signal. It’s time to begin building enough safety for your system to soften by learning how to support your nervous system.

That’s what we do together inside my 1:1 coaching container:

We retrain your body to trust safety again—not just in theory, but in your lived experience.

5. You’re Not Alone (Even If It Feels Like It)

One of the most healing moments from the call was witnessing how many others felt the exact same way—tired, scared, unsure how to keep going.

Sometimes the most powerful regulation comes from simply being seen.

If you’re feeling the weight of change, the fog of burnout, or the ache of disappointment, you’re not broken.

You're human. And your nervous system is doing its best to protect you.

You don’t have to hold this alone.

Ready to Feel Supported in the Uncertainty?

Inside Success Beyond Success, we don’t bypass the hard. We build the capacity to meet it—softly, gently, and together.

💛 Learn more about working 1:1 together

🗓️ View upcoming events here

With warmth and presence,

Ana

Breathwork for Nervous System Regulation During Times of Fear

I was raised knowing that safety wasn’t guaranteed.

As a daughter of immigrants, I watched my parents work endlessly—navigating a system that wasn’t designed for them. They did everything “right,” stayed alert, and still… lived with fear.

That kind of fear doesn’t just leave the body.

It settles in your chest.

It coils in your stomach.

It lives in your nervous system.

When Survival Is the Default

Lately, that fear has been stirred again.

With ICE raids happening in our neighborhoods and the National Guard called in nearby, many of us are experiencing deep nervous system activation. It’s not imagined.

It’s lived. It’s remembered. It’s embodied.

I’ve felt it too—tightness in my chest, nausea, a sense of hypervigilance that I can’t quite shake.

This is what happens when your body never learned what safety really feels like.

And in times like these, our nervous systems don’t need more information.

They need care. Grounding. Breath.

A Free Space to Exhale Together

That’s why I’m hosting a free breathwork workshop for nervous system regulation called Community Gathering on Thursday, June 19 at 5pm PDT.

This is a space to pause. To breathe. To exhale together.

You don’t have to hold everything alone.

This workshop is especially for anyone who’s never quite felt like they belonged—who’s carried more than their fair share, who’s always had to “keep it together.”

We’ll use gentle, intentional breathwork practices to support nervous system regulation, emotional processing, and connection.

You Deserve a Place to Land

This moment—this hour—is not about fixing everything. It's about creating one soft space where you can be with what’s real. Where you can reconnect with your breath, your body, and a community that understands.

I see you. I hold you. I’m with you.

You're invited. Register here.