From Pressure to Peace: A Conversation on Leadership and Mindfulness
“Leadership is not about performing strength. It is about knowing when to step back and see the whole game.”
I do not do podcasts often (I should do more). My work usually shows up in the studio, in writing, or here on the Just Breathe blog. But when Jason invited me to join him on Leadership Voyage, I said yes right away.
I have spent much of my life in high pressure environments. For more than three decades, I worked in the automotive industry leading teams, hitting deadlines, and managing stress. Or at least, I thought I was managing it. Then came December 12, 2019, when a health crisis forced me to face what all that pressure had really cost. That moment became a turning point.
What began as a simple recovery plan of eating better, moving more, and sleeping well grew into something deeper. Mindfulness, meditation, and awareness became the foundation of my life. Today, I ground myself in four pillars: nutrition, movement, rest, and cognitive awareness. These are not extras. They are the essentials that allow me to show up in leadership, in teaching, and in daily life with more presence than I ever managed before.
That is the heart of what Jason and I explored on Leadership Voyage: what it means to lead without performing strength, and how mindfulness helps us navigate the constant pressure of our lives and work.
One image we spent time with is football. It is how I often explain mindfulness:
On the field, you are caught up in the play. You see only what is in front of you.
From the sidelines, you pause, take a breath, and get a broader view.
From the stands, your perspective expands. You see the whole game, the crowd, the bigger picture.
Leadership requires the same shifts in perspective. Sometimes you are immersed in the action. Sometimes you need to step back. Sometimes you need to rise above it all to see the larger system. Mindfulness gives us the awareness to move between those levels with intention.
This conversation reminded me why I keep writing here on Just Breathe. It is not about calm as a product, or mindfulness as a trend. It is about awareness as a way of living, and about the refusal to let pressure dictate who we become.
If you want to listen in, the full conversation is here:
Listen to “From Pressure to Peace” on Leadership Voyage
If you want to know more about the football analogy, send me an email and I will share a digital copy with you. No strings attached. No sales funnels. Just something you can check out and reflect on.
And if you would like to go deeper, you might also revisit these pieces from the blog:
Always remember to Just Breathe.
—Brian
If this message resonated with you, I invite you to share it forward.
Wellness expands when we pass it on, a moment of stillness, a shift in perspective, a reminder to pause. I can’t tell you how many times someone has reached out to say, “Your message came through just when I needed it.” This is why we share. You never know whose day, or mindset, you might help shift with a single post or message.
So if something here spoke to you, don’t keep it to yourself.
Send it to a friend. Post it on your feed. Mention it to someone who might need to adjust their script. One small action can ripple in powerful ways.
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Let’s keep the conversation flowing. Let’s breathe together.
Always Remember... Just Breathe!
The Unscripted Mind