What if the secret to real resilience isn't just powering through, but learning to pause—even when it's the absolute hardest thing to do? I've been there myself, caught in the frantic pace, feeling like the world's too loud and demanding. Maybe you too, as a leader, find it easy to keep going… until suddenly, you realize you don't even know how you feel anymore. You're supposed to be strong, to keep it together. But honestly, is pushing through actually helping you, or just holding you together by a thread?

So many leaders believe resilience means being tough and unbreakable. But the truth, as Dr. Ute Liersch and I explore in this episode, is that resilience is about yielding and noticing the real experience, even when it's frustrating. When we slow down enough to notice what's going on inside, we can actually respond flexibly, adapt, and find our footing again. Today, we're reframing resilience and looking to the deeper work of psychological flexibility and awareness. This is about building a daily ritual of noticing, connecting, moving, expressing, and realigning with what matters most.

This isn't about achieving perfection or following someone else's script for success. This is about real, practical ways to build your noticing muscle using the resources you already have and giving yourself grace when it's hard.

Chapter Highlights

(00:00) Why noticing is more than mindfulness

(05:10) How do we give without depleting our own energy?

(07:00) The Power of "Offering" Instead of "Pushing": Reframing leadership at home and work

(10:40) The Yielding Assignment: What happened when Andrea stopped to notice?

(16:45) Why feeling angry, anxious, or exhausted is normal (and how to honor it)

(21:40) Self-Trust and Honest Awareness: Handling hard moments in crisis or grief

(33:30) How noticing shifts your experience from overwhelm to authenticity

(36:30) How expectations shape your family and work relationships

(48:38) Reframing Anxiety: Seeing it as a sign that life matters, not a problem to fix

Connect with Dr. Ute

https://www.drute.org/

Dr. Ute's Book

A Minimalist's Guide to Becoming Resilient: How to Yield, Return, and Begin Again

About Andrea Butcher

Andrea Butcher is a visionary business leader, executive coach, and keynote speaker—she empowers leaders to gain clarity through the chaos by being MORE of who they already are. Her experiences—serving as CEO, leading at an executive level, and working in and leading global teams—make her uniquely qualified to support leadership and business success. She hosts the popular leadership podcast, Being [at Work] with a global audience of over 600,000 listeners and is the author of The Power in the Pivot (Red Thread Publishing 2022) and HR Kit for Dummies (Wiley 2023).

Connect with Andrea

https://www.abundantempowerment.com/

Connect with Andrea Butcher on LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/in/leaderdevelopmentcoach/

Abundant Empowerment Upcoming Events

https://www.abundantempowerment.com/events