What If Slowing Down Was The Smartest Thing You Could Do This Week?
When I Stopped Talking and Started Listening
For years, I thought I was connecting.
I showed up to every meeting, my camera on, my voice steady, my notes neatly written.
I was saying all the right things — but something didn’t feel right.
Then one day, in the middle of yet another Zoom call, I saw blank screens, heard polite voices… and felt an emptiness I couldn’t ignore.
That quiet moment hit me like a thud in my chest — a physical realization that I hadn’t really been present.
I realized I’d been talking, not listening.
Explaining, not asking.
Looking, but not really seeing.
I couldn’t remember the last time I had tuned in to someone’s tone, noticed their pauses, or sensed what wasn’t being said.
When had I last asked,
“What do you need?”
“What’s important for you right now?”
“How do you want us to work together?”
I had been moving fast — clicking, typing, nodding — but not connecting.
My body was there, but my attention was scattered.
I was running on mental autopilot, not emotional presence.
When I finally slowed down, everything shifted.
I started to feel the space between words.
To hear what people truly meant beneath their sentences.
To see their expressions soften when they felt heard.
And I could sense — almost touch — the trust returning.
Slowing down didn’t make me less efficient.
It made me more real.
The work started to flow again — conversations sounded lighter, decisions felt clearer, and collaborations became warmer.
So this week, I invite you to try it too.
Before your next meeting, pause.
Take a deep breath.
Notice the tone, the pace, the silence.
Ask one simple question — and then listen with your whole body.
No rush. No fixing. Just connection.
Because sometimes, the most powerful thing you can do as a leader is not to speak louder — but to hear deeper, see clearer, and feel closer.
PS. If you missed last week’s freebie, you can still find it below. But maybe this week, the real download you need isn’t digital — it’s human.
