Dear Courageous Leader,

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The first week of Advent invites us into watchfulness, not the anxious, bracing kind, but the quiet, courageous kind. Watchfulness asks us to be awake to our lives, to ourselves, and to what is slowly emerging beneath the noise.

This invitation took on new meaning for me last week in Santa Fe. I had the privilege of learning with Susan David, the creator of Emotional Agility, alongside 49 extraordinary coaches, consultants, and deeply human leaders at the Modern Elder Academy. Our time together deepened my understanding of how profoundly our emotions shape us and how profoundly we shape the emotional experience of others.

Susan teaches that our emotions are data, not directives. They are signposts -- telling us what we value, what we fear losing, what boundary has been crossed, where possibility is calling. The challenge, especially in a world as stressed and uncertain as ours, is that we rush past these signals. We collapse nuance. We grasp for answers. We try to secure safety as quickly as possible.

But the truth is:
​Complexity requires us to slow down. Ambiguity asks us to hold paradox. Growth asks us to stay awake, especially to ourselves.

One morning during the week, I went out for an early hike. About halfway through, the marked path simply disappeared, washed away by rain. I stopped. I slowed my breath. I softened my gaze. And then I did something counterintuitive: I walked backward about ten feet and scanned again.

I needed a different perspective to see what was already there.

Then I moved forward slowly, scanning with patience through the uncertainty, until I finally spotted a yellow flag tucked into the brush. A few minutes later, a green rock confirmed that I was back on the trail.

Our lives work the same way.

We think we’re on the path… until suddenly we’re not.
A job shifts. A relationship changes. A decision surprises us. A belief cracks open.
Or sometimes the inner path disappears first—our confidence, clarity, or sense of direction quietly slipping out of view.

In those moments, emotional agility becomes an act of watchfulness:

• Slow down.
• Soften your gaze.
• Hold multiple perspectives.
• Anchor in your values.
• Let your emotions inform you, not drive you.

Across my week in Santa Fe, I felt the full constellation of emotions - some old, some new, some that surfaced stories I didn’t realize I was still carrying. Others reminded me of the humanity in those around me. All of them pointed to the beauty and fragility of our lives, and to the gift of being in community with people who inspire us, love us, and challenge us to become more of who we’re meant to be.

This is the work of Advent:
​Staying awake. Watching with intention. Listening for the quiet truth beneath the noise.

Clear eyes. Full hearts.
​Paula

Awakening Through the Enneagram — and Aligned by Design

Each Enneagram type has a predictable way it falls asleep:

• Some overthink.
• Some overfeel.
• Some overdo.
• Some disconnect.
• Some speed up.
• Some shut down.

Understanding this pattern is not judgment—it’s liberation. The Enneagram helps us see how we lose the path and how we find it again.

Aligned by Design is my guided process for helping leaders awaken to their core drivers, reconnect with their gifts, and navigate uncertainty with clarity, compassion, and steadiness.

If this season is inviting you to slow down, wake up, and become more intentional in how you move through the world, I’d be honored to walk with you.

Secure your spot before December 31 to receive the 2025 rate of $797 (regularly $997). The standard rate increases to $1,197 in 2026 as the experience expands.

​

Richard Rohr