I’m incredibly grateful for the response to last week’s first issue. Your notes, messages, and the conversations that followed meant a lot.
What stood out most wasn’t just the encouragement to keep going. It was how many of you related to the idea of energy—and how we manage it. It resonated in a real way.
My healing process, post-surgery, continued this week with a thumbs up from my surgeon. I am healing well. I’ll have some longer-term, temporary, adjustments to make, which has made me focus on leading with discipline in a constrained moment. I’m working to honor my body and my commitments through energy management.
Based on your reaction to last week’s note, energy management is something we’re all navigating.
Which made a moment from this past week stand out even more: the splashdown of Artemis II.
Did you catch the giddy, collective excitement throughout the entire mission? Mission Control labeled it “Moon Joy.” And I am all IN!
What struck me wasn’t just the energy. It was the shared sense of purpose.
This was a team that didn’t just execute at a high level. They brought everyone – the ground crews, the news media, social influencers, and households, like mine, right along with them.
You could feel it:
in the way they spoke about one another
in the stories they shared
in humanizing moments —who couldn’t relate to the “girl dad” bracelet, the naming of a moon crater after mission commander Reid Weisman’s late wife, Carroll and that awesome Nutella jar floating across the capsule (which had to be the best unpaid product placement ever!).
Even their first post-mission media conference from Johnson Space Center in Houston made something clear: This wasn’t just a group that worked together. It was a group connected by a common mission and genuine relationships with one another. And it showed.
It made me think about something I often see missing in leadership.
Most leaders spend a lot of time thinking about how to create momentum in the moment. But far less time thinking about what sustains it.
While energy can spark movement, shared purpose is what carries it forward.
Last week I mentioned picking up On Fire by John O’Leary. I’m halfway through. Wow. His story and the insights he shares on stepping fully into life are profound. When people are grounded in a clear sense of purpose, they move differently. They endure more. They stay connected to something bigger than the immediate moment.
In leadership communication, that matters.
Because when people understand the why—when they feel part of something meaningful—everything else changes:
How they show up. How they collaborate. How they push through uncertainty.
Which brings me to something I’ve been thinking more about this week: Intentionality.
Worth Your Time
One of the notes I received after last week’s issue stayed with me.
A reader shared:
“The difference between being productive and being intentional is one I can’t stop thinking about… Being ‘productive’ is easier to manage. But how do you increase intentionality?”
It’s a great question. Productivity is visible. It’s measurable. It can be ramped up. Intentionality is different.
Intentionality requires:
clarity on what matters
awareness of how you’re showing up
alignment between what you say, do, and prioritize
It’s less about doing more—and more about doing what matters on purpose.
That idea connected for me with a recent conversation from LinkedIn CEO Ryan Roslansky and Aneesh Raman on the future of work. They are busy promoting their new book: Open to Work which shares their perspective that AI will change a lot. But it won’t replace what makes us human.
Curiosity. Compassion. Creativity.
Or, as they put it: “No one beats you at being you.”
That’s where the opportunity is. Not in competing with AI—but in leaning more fully into what is uniquely ours. Building work—and leadership—around:
how we think
how we connect
how we create
If we do this well, it doesn’t just change how we work. It gives us permission to focus more on what we actually care about—even within the demands of our roles. We can get better in our careers, relationships and for ourselves, if we put AI to good use. (Good being the operative word here.)
For me, that’s part of what this newsletter represents. My thoughts, my desire to connect and create something around it. I hope it helps.
The Leadership Edge
If shared purpose sustains momentum, then leaders have a responsibility to make it visible. Not just in big moments—but in the everyday ones.
Watching Artemis II last week, it was clear this wasn’t just about the mission itself.
It was in the way they:
spoke about one another
acknowledged the small, human moments
carried a sense of pride and connection that went beyond the task
It wasn’t forced. It wasn’t scripted. It was felt. And that’s what made it powerful.
It reminded me of something I see often in organizations: We assume purpose is understood. But it’s not always experienced. There’s a difference.
Purpose doesn’t come from a statement on a wall. It shows up in:
what gets recognized
what gets repeated
what leaders choose to highlight in the moment
My challenge to you this week is simple:
call out a contribution that reflects something bigger
connect a task back to impact
pause long enough to acknowledge why something matters
Small signals. Big impact. Focus on building connection and creating community. Over time, that’s what people remember.
Beyond the Room
This week, I found myself thinking about purpose—not just in big, defining ways, but in the smaller, everyday moments that shape how we experience our work and our lives.
A few things that stood out:
I watched House of Dynamite—not a new movie, but one that hits differently when you’re paying attention to decision-making under pressure and in the context of contributing to something bigger than ourselves. What stood out wasn’t just the decisions themselves, but how they were made—in real time, with incomplete information, shifting dynamics, and real consequences. It’s a stark, but good reminder that leadership isn’t about perfect conditions—it’s about how you show up when they’re not. And having a good grounding in yourself and your why and how before things get crazy.
Brené Brown and Adam Grant’s new podcast, The Curiosity Shop is a great place to spark this kind of thinking. I’ve long appreciated both of them, but what I enjoy most here is their dynamic—curious, playful, and grounded. Their recent conversation on overconfidence and knowing yourself is worth the time. It’s a reminder that self-awareness isn’t static—it’s something we continue to refine.
And then there are the smaller things.
Loved Jefferson Fisher’s recent posts on phrases to leave out of conversations—one of those pieces that makes you smile because you can immediately think of someone who needs to read it (and maybe a moment or two where you did).
And a close-to-home story that caught my attention: the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette being saved by a nonprofit focused on local journalism. There’s something meaningful about that—about preserving spaces where stories are told and communities stay informed and connected.
Different inputs. Different moments. But all reinforcing something similar: It’s important to pay attention to how we engage and shaping how we think, how we lead, and how we show up.
(Note: All links are shared as a courtesy—there are no partnerships or financial benefits tied to any recommendations.)
What’s Ahead
I’m continuing to work with a small number of leaders stepping into new or expanded roles—particularly those navigating visibility, complexity, and the need to establish credibility quickly.
If that’s something you’re thinking about, I’d love to hear from you. Send me a DM and we can schedule a complementary conversation.
Closing
This week, I’ve been thinking about the difference between creating momentum—and sustaining it.
Because in the end, leadership isn’t just about driving action.
It’s about creating meaning, connection, and shared purpose.
And how that is ultimately: Seen. Heard. Trusted.