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The Great Unravel: A Somatic Self-Check for Leaders
- Emmy Beeson
- 2 hours ago
- 4 min read
I recently wrote a blog post entitled The Toxic Productivity Culture, that highlighted the need for drastic changes to leadership performance in the working world today. That article since became the foundation for a discussion with Melanie Foote-Davis on her podcast She Chose Joy, airing October 8th, 2025. During that discussion, Melanie asked me how my body felt before I started being intentional about my own healing and mindfulness as a leader compared to where I find myself now. This was, for me, one of those moments when you hear your own voice reveal a truth to you that you have been carrying around but had yet to unearth.
I am currently experiencing an incredibly different reality living in my body than I did five years ago. Completely without me knowing any better or knowing that it could be any different, I was living in a knotted up, twisted body where my muscles were constantly tensed and stiff. I lived with my shoulders way too close to my ears and as a result, I actually suffered from quite a bit of pain. I was armored up. But here is the kicker, I thought this was normal. I worked hard, long hours, led teams of people, was responsible for large budgets and decisions that affected people’s livelihood and daily experiences. I thought this was how leaders felt. If I accepted the task of a demanding job, then this was what it felt like. This tension and pain was "normal".
It wasn’t until I started an unexpected journey of therapy, mindfulness practices, and yoga that I realized my muscles could actually relax, release, and unravel. I could breathe - breathe big, deep breaths. I could pause and be present in the current moment. I could take off the armor and rest even while I was working long hours.
If you are a leader of others, reading this and thinking, “Oh man, this is way too woo-woo for me,” let me challenge you to consider a few questions. As leaders, we audit finances, performance, inventory, and departments. Let’s think through a self-check or a mini internal physical stress signal audit instead. And if any of these questions cause you to recognize something in yourself, maybe you could hang with me until the end of the article. Come on, what do you have to lose?
Take a moment and draw your attention inward. Ask yourself these questions and just notice.
Is my jaw relaxed, or do I notice clenching or grinding teeth?
Are my eyebrows furrowed or my forehead tight?
Are my shoulders lifted toward my ears or rolled forward?
Do I feel heaviness, knots, or tight bands across my upper back?
Am I gripping my pen, phone, or steering wheel more tightly than needed?
Do my forearms or wrists feel tense, as if I’m bracing for something?
Is my breath shallow or held without me noticing?
Does my chest feel open and spacious, or constricted?
Is there a fluttery or knotted sensation in my gut?
Do my feet press hard into the floor or do my toes curl in my shoes?
What did you discover?
Here’s the thing, many leaders unconsciously “armor-up” their bodies to mirror the sense of responsibility they carry. We know stress shows up in the body. It may first begin with micro-signals such as the clenched jaw or shallow breath before it spills into big symptoms such as chronic back pain, migraines or burnout. Our bodies are talking to us all of the time, but many of us live a very cerebral experience and we do not listen to the messages our bodies are sending us.
So our first step in our own recovery is to notice. If we can develop the skill of listening to our bodies and noticing signals then we become more aware. Awareness is the doorway to having more choices about how we want to proceed. So, in the spirit of practicality, here is a One-Minute Body Signal Scan that you can copy, paste, print and tape to the mirror, monitor, or some other place that receives much of your attention.
If you practice this scan with consistency, you will begin to develop a picture of the overall state of hidden stress your body is holding. With this knowledge, you can begin to make concrete changes from small things such as some intentional deep breathing to large scale shifts such as practicing yoga or working with a leadership coach trained in somatic awareness.
Empowered leadership that can go the distance deserves the investment of noticing what the body is sharing and it requires us to investigate ways to begin our own relaxing, releasing and unraveling. From one who has experienced The Great Unravel, take my word for it, it is worth it and so are you!
Emmy Beeson, The Change Coach, has dedicated her life to educating and serving others, knowing that by growing within, we can grow others in even more significant ways. Emmy knows that by asking key questions, one can open up and discover a whole new way of approaching the world. If you're ready to look within, schedule a free strategy session with Emmy today.