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2. Showing Up with Heart: Presence as a Leadership Superpower

There are a hundred ways to show up as a leader.But showing up with heart means leading not just with your role, but with your presence.


It doesn’t mean being emotional all the time.It doesn’t mean oversharing, fixing, or carrying everyone else’s weight.


It means bringing your full self to the moment—honest, grounded, and open.

Presence is powerful. Before a single word is spoken, people can feel whether you're rushing in—or truly arriving.Showing up with heart is the quiet presence that says: you matter, even here.


This kind of presence is especially important when things are uncertain, messy, or vulnerable.When someone is struggling.When people are afraid to speak up.When change is happening fast.When a room has tension, but no one is naming it.


True presence doesn’t mean abandoning boundaries.It actually requires strong ones—so we can stay grounded instead of reactive.


Silhouetted person standing at a window at sunset, hand over heart—capturing a moment of grounded presence.
Before we speak, lead, or act—there’s a pause. This is the quiet moment of presence. Where we return to ourselves, so we can show up for others.

Try This: A Heart Check-In


Before your next meeting, conversation, or public moment, ask yourself:


  • Am I rushing in, or arriving?

  • What energy am I bringing into the room?

  • What do I need to set down so I can be fully present?


Then take one deep breath.

Feel your feet.

And lead from that place.


Reflection Questions:


  • When was the last time I felt someone truly show up with heart for me?

  • What does it look like when I do that for others?

  • What keeps me from staying present when things get hard?


Showing up with heart isn’t about perfection.

It’s about choosing presence over performance—again and again.

It’s the foundation for every other capacity in this series.


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