WTF WEDNESDAY.

When Leadership Feels Heavier Than It Should

WTF Wednesday - Not the loud kind today. The quiet kind.

Lately, I’ve been sitting with how heavy leadership feels for a lot of people — especially those at the top.

Not because they aren’t capable. Not because they lack resilience. But because they’re carrying more than the role was ever designed to hold.

Decisions with no good options. People issues that don’t have clean answers.

Pressure to stay composed while absorbing everyone else’s emotions.

And very few places to say, honestly: “This is a lot.”

What I see most often in senior leaders isn’t weakness. It’s isolation.

The higher you go, the less space you’re given to think out loud. The more you’re expected to hold it together — even when things are uncertain, messy, or unsustainable. The lonelier you can feel.

So if leadership feels heavier than it should right now, that’s not a personal failing.

It’s a signal.

Sometimes what’s needed isn’t momentum or another push forward. It’s a pause with intention .A place to think clearly again. A space where you don’t have to perform.

If this landed, you’re not alone.

— Stephanie