I was having a conversation with a friend recently. He thanked me for talking about the system shift we are in. We were reflecting on how not many in his circle were actually willing to talk about it and meaningfully address it.
I shared how I was seeing most leaders right now reacting to the overwhelm from a reactive stress response. And as such being in denial and avoidance, trying to pretend we are still in business as usual, that this is just a blip and that we will get back to 'normal' soon. Or are doubling down on existing tools and doing what they have always done - even when the sectors and jobs they are in are being directly affected.
So I wanted to provide a 'survival kit' - a different lifeline that is fit for the purpose of navigating the system shift we are in.
Wherever you are at in terms of change, here are 4 questions you can focus on to ground and anchor yourself in these times. ‘It is a set of four questions that you can ask yourself to help you move from just reacting to what's happening to getting your power and agency back around it. So that you can actually create something better out of it.’
The truth is that you will be able to create something new out of this. But first you have to take care of yourself and manage your mind and emotions. And this is what I help you with here.
EPISODE OVERVIEW
It is hard to deny that we are living through chaotic and uncertain times. The sheer pace and scale of change - the sustainability crisis, AI disruption, political instability - can leave even the most capable leaders feeling overwhelmed, disoriented, and powerless.
Many of us find ourselves spinning our wheels, trying to keep up, yet sensing that “business as usual” no longer works. That is why I wanted to share something practical. A simple tool you can use to meet this overwhelm and start to get your power back: four questions that can help you shift from reacting to creating.
The truth is, big changes - especially the ones we didn’t choose - often leave us with the sense that we have lost our agency. We feel at the mercy of what is happening, unable to control the outcome.
Yet these four questions can reorient us. They remind us that even in the most difficult circumstances, we have choices about how we respond and what we create next. And this isn’t just about individual resilience. At a time when our collective systems are also shapeshifting, these questions become a way to reorient ourselves, find new solid ground and retrieve our agency. So that we can contribute to shaping what comes next.
The first question is: What is my state?
This means noticing your emotional state - especially how you may be caught in fight, flight, freeze, or fawn.
These survival reactions are normal when change feels like an attack on our safety - whether physical, emotional, intellectual, or spiritual. But the problem is that they are an automatic reaction, rather than an appropriate response to what is actually happening. And we tend to be a one trick pony - often defaulting to the same one or the same cocktail, over and over.
By simply noticing your reaction, you begin to take ownership of it. You see it for what it is - an automatic mechanism - and in that moment, you reclaim the possibility of choosing a different response.
The second question is: Where am I on the change curve?
Shock, denial, fear, anger, bargaining, grief are stages we all move through when facing change. The key is not to get stuck.
Each stage carries information about what you need, and by naming where you are, you stop fighting the process and start moving through it.
As you integrate the change, you begin to get your agency back. That is when new possibilities and hope can return.
The third question is: What do I want to create?
In the chaos, it is easy to lose sight of this. But even when it feels like the light has been switched off, asking this question points your attention in the right direction.
You may not have the full answer yet, but by holding the question, you begin to surface deeper truths about what really matters most to you. And that clarity becomes the building blocks for creating something better.
The fourth question is: What can I do?
Imposed change often leaves us feeling lost and powerless. Focusing on what you can do puts you back in the driving seat.
Start small. One step, then another. It doesn’t have to be perfect or final. The point is to remember you can walk through even the most difficult changes.
And ask yourself too: Who can support me? These times can feel lonely, and part of your power comes from remembering you don’t have to do this alone.
If you ask yourself these four questions daily - even for a week - you will find something start to shift. This is how we move through overwhelm in times of systemic change. This is how we retrieve our agency, step back into creation, and begin to shape a future that is more authentic, more aligned, and ultimately more human. And as our systems continue to shift, these same questions can guide us collectively, not just to survive what is coming - but to take our place, play our part and create what comes next.
10 Specific Quotes
“When we are faced with big change, especially when it is not a change we have chosen, it can feel like we have lost all our agency.”
“Our nervous system tends to go into automatic survival mode - fight, flight, freeze, or fawn.
"By simply noticing your state, you begin to take ownership of it. You create a tiny space between reaction and choice.”
“On the change curve, shock, denial, fear, anger, bargaining, and grief are stages - each giving you information.”
“We don’t bypass the emotional stages of change, but we also don’t have to get stuck in them.”
“A powerful question to ask yourself in the midst of all this is: what do I actually want to create? It is the doorway back to your capacity to create something good out of this - and it reorients you toward possibility”
“You don’t have to know the full answer. Just holding the question already changes the way you see things and how you show up.”
Take a step, then another, then another. Taking even a small step reminds you that you can walk through this change.”
“Who can support me? These times can feel lonely. Remember you don’t have to do this alone."
“Start asking yourself these questions daily, and in 30 days you could be in a very different place.”
