Ever sat with someone so distracted you wondered if they were really listening? Or worse, if your time together mattered?

What if they were doing the best they could with the capacity they had, unaware of the impact on you?

Rewind to an early leadership chapter in my executive career: I’ll never forget 360 feedback where two brilliant directors on my team shared they felt I wasn’t fully present, often multitasking in meetings. I was horrified, humbled, and grateful they had the courage to tell me in their own way, and they were spot on.

Looking back, I was deep in Hyper-Achiever mode, with a Restless mind convinced I could “do it all” at once. On top of that, multitasking was normalized on the executive team, and I fell right into the trap. I assumed my relationships with my team were solid enough that it was okay. I was in a fear loop, swimming in complexity, on high drive. There was a cost: to relationships, to creative problem-solving, and I was modeling habits others might adopt too.

But with that feedback, I quickly adapted. What happened? Deeper, richer conversations, stronger connections and trust, more meaningful support for their growth as rising leaders, strengthened ideation together. How simple, and powerful.

Fast forward.

Being present isn’t just about cutting distractions. If we’re stuck reflecting back or looking too far ahead, we’re likely hooked by Saboteurs and maybe even activated in trauma patterns. Our precious nervous systems may be spiraling unconsciously. We’re pulled from the present, often at the cost of ourselves, our relationships, creativity and clear thinking.

The simple act of noticing, naming, pausing, and taking a few deep breaths helps loosen the grip. We slow down. We come back. And others feel it.

In that presence, magic can emerge such as self-tending, relational, developmental, or strategic.

What if true productivity is simply being here, right now?

Thank you for being here.

With fervor,

Eva