December 7, 2020

Hello,

Tuesday night is our final meeting of 2020! Log onto Zoom at 5:30 PST/8:30 EST for the BOSLady discussion of Dare to Lead by Brene Brown. If you did not receive a Google calendar invite, details are below. I know that we are all suffering Zoom fatigue and most likely burnout of some sort, so do what is best for yourself and if you can make it, I hope it energizes you as much as it energizes me.

Time: Dec 8, 2020 05:30 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada) https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83498377569?pwd=aHlUM3RjbjNGZUxqWnFnRWpzQkFCdz09 Meeting ID: 834 9837 7569 Passcode: 783885

The Weekly Three

1. Something about leadership during COVID: Since the theme of this month's read is leadership, when looking for content for today's letter I googled "leadership during COVID". Just a few results in was this article whose number one surprised me. I didn't expect self care to be the first habit on the list, or even for it to be on the list at all. The most common emphasis I've seen for effective leadership during COVID is on empathy. What are some ways you've seen advice for leaders shift during the pandemic?

2. Something about the aforementioned burnout: Brene Brown had sisters Emily and Amelia Nagoski on her podcast to talk about their book Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle. During the first part of the podcast, they explain the way stress physically affects your body and the difference between dealing with stressors vs. the stress itself.

“The stress itself will kill you faster than the stressor will, unless you do something to complete the stress response cycle. While you’re managing the day’s stressor, your body is managing the day’s stress, and it’s also absolutely essential to your well-being, the way sleeping and eating are essential, that you give your body the resources it needs to complete the stress response cycle that has been activated.”

The Nagoskis describe stress as a tunnel. If you don't complete the stress cycle, you get stuck in the tunnel and that's how burnout happens. Three ways to complete a stress cycle include physical movement, breathing and positive social interaction. Fun note - they cite Entitled by Kate Manne which we read earlier this year. I highly, highly recommend listening to this podcast episode and would like to offer this book as a suggestion for next month's read.

3. Something about loneliness and the holidays: This is the item I'm sharing this week that doesn't quite fall under professional development. But this is a very important thing to acknowledge and is extremely relevant to our mental health, which affects every part of our life, including our profession. Let me know your thoughts

Thank you for your time and see you Tuesday,

Amber