Professional coach and performance nutritionist working with execs and athletes | 1:1 or Group Coaching | Book A Free Consultation

I work with male founders who are making money but quietly losing themselves at home, 

Drinking more than they want to admit.

Health sliding.

Head constantly running worst-case scenarios about cash flow, performance, and keeping everything afloat.

One client closed a £700k deal in Q3 2025. 

He went home buzzing.

His wife looked at him and said,

“Our daughter asked me today if you even like her.”

He had spent three months chasing deals.

Late nights.

Trains to London.

Eight days at home in total.

That is not rare.

That is normal in founder life.

Here is what most men miss...

You will spend hours preparing for a meeting but you won’t spend three minutes asking your kid about their day.

You track revenue daily like a crazed addict yet you can’t remember the last time you sat down as a family to eat dinner together. 

Then you wonder why success feels flat.

He asked me,

“Is it possible to feel proud at home the way I do at work?”

Of course it is. 

You don’t lack the skills to get sh*t done. You have a plan, set goals and then execute. 

They just point them in one direction and aren’t extended to your loved ones. 

We turned that around, and family time went in the diary as a non-negotiable. 

He took a break from alcohol and introduced some healthy habits. We unpacked his fears that were holding him back from being the best version of himself. 

Three months later, his daughter ran to the door when he got home.

He felt the same buzz watching her score at football as he did closing a deal.

That is the work.

Helping founders apply world-class thinking to their body, their relationships, and the life they are actually living.

Build the business.

Keep the family.

Walk into your house calm.

Not carrying the company on your back.

That is what I do.

If you want my help, message me with the word “Ready”.

Adam Mayhew

Yesterday was incredible.

We hosted our first Boardroom event with a group of our clients and friends of the business.

For the last five years, almost all of our coaching has happened online, aside from our transformational retreats. That’s changing. There will be a lot more in-person work in 2026, but more on that later.

It was genuinely great to be in the room together. The energy was spot on. Everyone showed up for themselves, invested in their growth, and leaned into the process. 

The conversations, the connections, the honest shares and the breakthroughs reminded me why this work matters. I’m proud of every person who took time out of their life and business to be there and do the work.

These were founders and leaders who stepped away from the day-to-day noise and put themselves in a room with like-minded people. 

They gained clarity on where they are right now in life and business, and where they actually want to go next. 

We worked on changing thinking patterns, shifting state, challenging inner narratives, and setting meaningful goals that align with their values and strengths. And that was just the start.

Moments like this make me pause. A-Game  was just an idea five years ago. Progress comes from doing the work and continuing to show up, even when it’s uncomfortable or inconvenient.

P.S. We’re running an online version of this session next Tuesday 20th to help you set yourself up properly for 2026. Link in the comments.

No alternative text description for this image

We’re ending the podcast,


At least, the way we’ve been doing it.

We haven’t been unfiltered enough. So this year we’re changing it. More honesty about where we’re actually at with our personal lives and the business.

Today’s episode we opened with a quote that set the tone. Sometimes letting things go is an act of far greater power than defending or hanging on.

Most people hear “let it go” and think it means not caring. It doesn’t. 

It means stopping the habit of defending stress, old stories and coping behaviours that drain your energy but feel familiar. 

If you want an honest conversation to start 2026 then have a listen - link in comments.

I used to hate Mondays, 

Until I quit drinking.

Weekends used to destroy me. A few drinks turned into too many. Then came the poor sleep, the anxiety and the “what did I say?” spiral.

By Monday, I was behind, stressed, irritated, and full of dread.

I never realised how much alcohol was dragging me down until I removed it.

Now I start the week clear, focused, and 10 steps ahead. It wasn’t easy. But it was worth it.

Are you alcohol-free or thinking about it? Let me know 👇

P.S. Message me if you want support removing alcohol and fixing your habits in 2026.

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Life Coaching For Male Founders who want to remove alcohol, rebuild their health, and stop letting fear about money, performance, and failure follow them home every night.

Most founders are not burnt out. They are stuck in their head, 


There is too much thinking, too much noise, and very little space to breathe and just be. All those unmade decisions turn into fatigue and drain your energy and you start second guessing everything. 

I know this pattern well, because I lived it and work with founders on it every week. 

A few years ago, I was overthinking everything, second-guessing decisions, and staying “busy” on stupid stuff that doesn’t move the needle.

I told myself I could not step away. The business needed me. What I did not realise at the time was that staying constantly “on” was the very thing keeping me stuck.

It was only when I created space that things began to shift. Stepping back allowed me to see what actually mattered, make decisions I had been avoiding, and stop carrying the mental weight I had normalised.

I see the same pattern in founders every week.

Adam Smith and I have also had a big realisation over the last year. 

The one thing missing from our coaching business was more in person connection. Online work is powerful, but being in the room together changes things faster and deeper.

Yes we have our retreats but we wanted more. 

Because of that, we are building a new offering that brings everything together. 

One to one coaching, health, mindset, alignment, and more time in person with the right people. It will be unlike anything else we have seen in the UK. 

We will share more on that soon.

When was the last time you got out and gave yourself real space to think?

P.S. We are hosting a free online workshop next Tuesday 20th January at 7pm UK time. We will cover building healthy habits, overcoming limiting beliefs, and creating a clear blueprint for 2026. If you want to join us live, link in the comments.

Alcohol was costing him everything,

Our client looked “successful” from the outside… but inside it was a different story:
 
- Lost in his identity
- Hitting goals yet feeling empty
- Numbing himself with alcohol
- Absent with his family
- Drinking to fit in and please others
- Living out of alignment

Sound familiar?

Fast forward to today, and his life looks unrecognisable:

- 20lbs of fat gone
- 233 days alcohol-free
- A promotion at work
- The happiest he’s ever been
- Thriving relationships

The ripple effect is powerful. His family now gets the best version of him every day.

When you go alcohol-free, you think it’s about you but the people around you gain just as much!

All it took was one decision to back himself and ask for help.

What’s been the biggest benefit for you since removing alcohol? Comment below.

High-performance at its finest, 

This morning I was absolutely flying.

Woke up.
Meditated.
Journaled.
Breakfast sorted.

Kids up.
Kids fed.
Kids changed.
Teeth brushed.
Nursery bags packed.

Dropped them at nursery FIVE minutes early.

😎 Proper smirk on my face as I pulled out of nursery car park. Alcohol-free super powers in full flow. 

Got to the gym ready to smash a workout.
Warm-up on the treadmill…

…and something didn’t feel right.

Looked down.

Still wearing my pyjama top.

Turns out you can have your mindset dialled in and still leave the house half asleep.

Anyone else ever done something like this? 😅

Your problems aren’t just affecting you,


Our client came to use a few months ago with the following challenges:

❌ Drinking due to low self esteem and wanting to escape his emotions. 

❌ Out of shape and making poor food choices due to poor time management and not organising his meals. 

❌ Not exercising due to a “lack of time”’when in reality his was wasting countless hours scrolling. 

❌ No boundaries at work led to being on his laptop until 9pm most nights. 

His self esteem was on the floor and something had to change as his relationship was strained and he had never felt lower. 

In just 3 months he’s now achieved the following;

✅ Lost 8kg of fat (18lbs) and back in the gym 5 times a week 

✅ Over 90 days alcohol free and removed himself from toxic people that were trying to keep him stuck where he was. 

✅ Killing it in his business by being more intentional and actually working less.

✅ Relationship thriving with his partner and kids and being more present than ever with them. 

He’s happier, more relaxed and focussed than ever. 

So while he’s made the changes to better himself and rightfully so, everyone else is benefitting as well. 

Change is only a message away so if you’re wanting to get results like this, I’m only a message away and we can have a chat. 

What have you already changed this year that you know needed changing? Comment below.

P.S.  If you want the structure, boundaries and clarity that led to results like this, join us on 14th January 2026 for our free webinar - Link in comments.

Dads, if you don’t read this book this year, you’re doing your family a disservice.

This is my third year reading 𝑇𝘩𝑒 𝐷𝘢𝑖𝘭𝑦 𝐷𝘢𝑑. It’s easy because it’s only one page a day and takes 60-90 seconds.

I pair it with 𝑇𝘩𝑒 𝐷𝘢𝑖𝘭𝑦 𝑆𝘵𝑜𝘪𝑐, which I’ve read every day for the last six years.

It's an absolute non-negotiable. My family knows how important it is because of how it affects them, not just me.

1. Wake up.
2. Meditate.
3. Read one page of each.
4. Journal on the quote. Reflect and set intentions for the day.

This book forces me to think about the one role that actually matters above all others, beyond owning a business and being a husband…

A Dad.

I’m four years into this role, and the book makes me ask better questions every morning.

How am I showing up today?
What version of me are they watching?
What behaviour am I modelling without even realising it?

Even after years of meditating and following this morning ritual, there are still days when I lose my patience and moments when I am not proud of myself. There are times my three-year-old is pushing boundaries, and I react instead of respond.

But this book helps me sit with it and not beat myself up. It helps me to reflect on what actually happened and decide how I can handle it better next time.

Your kids don’t do what you say, they do what you do. They’re watching everything.

How you speak.
How you react.
How you handle stress.
How you regulate your emotions.

Emotional regulation is something you must make a morning non-negotiable. It’s not just for you, it’s for them.

That’s why I protect this time. And my wife knows how important it is because when I skip it, everyone feels it.

There is an absurd amount of wisdom packed into this book. If you’re a dad and you’re serious about being better, not perfect, but better…
Buy this book.
Keep your phone out of the bedroom.
Reach for this first thing every morning.

And when you finish it, read it again next year.

What are you doing daily to become a better dad? Let me know in the comments.

You could leave life right now.

Let that determine what you think, say, and do.

This one line has changed how I handle stress, decisions, business pressure and family life. 

If you’re constantly in your head, worrying about the future or carrying unnecessary weight, this is for you. 

I shared my thoughts in this Sunday’s article. 👇

You could leave life right now. Let that determine what you think, say, and do. That line has been stuck in my head for years. It comes from Marcus Au

Open article: The Mindset Shift Every Stressed Founder Needs by Adam Mayhew • 4 min read

The Mindset Shift Every Stressed Founder Needs

You can’t perform at your best if you’re still drinking alcohol,


Ok can you make a load of money and still drink? Yes 
Can you stay in shape? Probably.

Can you keep your relationship ticking along? Sure.
 But can you show up every single day as the best version of yourself? Absolutely not.

Even a couple of drinks is enough to affect your energy. You might not feel “hungover,” but you’re slower, less focused, and not operating at the standard you’re capable of.

One or two beers a week might feel harmless, but that’s 52 wasted days a year. Almost two full months where you’re not firing on all cylinders.

That’s two months of being less present with the people you love and two months of settling for average.

Look, it’s simple: alcohol holds you back. 
Remove it, and you unlock mental clarity, energy, and momentum you didn’t even realise you were missing.

If you’re tired of just coasting in business, looking to thrive in your relationships and perform at higher levels then your first move is to cut out alcohol.

Let me know if you’re alcohol-free 👇

Your friends won’t leave you if you quit drinking,

Your real friends won’t care, your insecure drinking buddies might. 

This is one of many fears that comes with taking a break from alcohol. 

“I’ll become boring” 

If you need a drug to have a personality, I would say that’s boring. Socialising without alcohol is a skill and like any skill, it can be improved. 

“I’ll have so much free time on my hands” 

People say this to me like it’s a bad thing. Time is your most valuable commodity. If you reframe that mindset to what you gain, the likelihood of achievement is much higher. 

- Better sleep and recovery
- More energy for exercise 
- More time for hobbies -
- More present with family 
- Save money and use it for other things 
- You’ll gain clarity on your goals -
- You’ll become fitter and stronger 
- Your skin will become clearer 
- Your clothes will fit better 

Taking the break from alcohol isn’t easy but it’s the single best gift you can give to yourself and your loved ones. 

What are your thoughts on this? Let me know below.

I didn’t quit drinking. I outgrew it.

When I first started this journey, all I wanted was to stop feeling like sh*t.

Then I thought my goal was simply to drink less and “be moderate.”

After that, I believed I needed to prove I could still go out and have fun without alcohol.

That was seven years ago.

Today, I remain alcohol-free because drinking just doesn’t make sense to me. I’m a business owner, a husband, and a dad. I’ve been sober for a long time, and I know one drink isn’t worth it. It would throw me out of alignment and jeopardise everything I’ve built.

When people ask why I don’t drink, my answer is simple:

“Because I don’t need to.”

Going alcohol-free won’t solve all your problems, but it certainly makes life a lot easier.

As we evolve, our priorities shift and that’s ok.

For now, my heart’s desires are:

Continue to wake up clear-headed and calm
Feel proud of the choices I make each day
Make my mind a nice place to live
Become the man and dad my family deserves

Who knows where I’ll be in a week, a month, or a year.

But living alcohol-free has kept me on the straight and narrow, and I’ve achieved things I never thought possible.

What keeps you on the straight and narrow?

P.S. If you want a clearer picture of where you’re out of alignment right now, take our A-Game Audit. It’s a simple way to see what’s helping you move forward and what’s quietly holding you back - link in comments.

You’ve outgrown the life you’re pretending to enjoy,

I remember sitting by the pool in Dubai - No debt, high-paying job, luxury hotels, nice car, sun shining.

From the outside, it looked like I had it all. The kind of life people scroll past and double-tap. 

But I felt completely numb. Waking up with a tight chest. Dragging myself to a job that once excited me. Scrolling LinkedIn during lunch breaks quietly searching for...f*ck knows what 🤷‍♂️ .

I kept thinking: Why do I feel like this? I’d ticked all the boxes. Done everything “right.” The career. The income. The Status.  But I still felt like sh*t!

I eventually realised that success without alignment is just a more glamorous version of stuck.

I was out of sync with my values, my priorities, my purpose. Eventually, the pain outran the pleasure. 

So I made the hardest decision of my life: I walked away. 

From the alcohol, the mask, the people pleasing and the character that I thought people expected of me. 

Rebuilding from alignment is hard. You won’t get claps at first. You might get silence or raised eyebrows...well, I sure did!

But what you get back...mental clarity, energy, focus and authenticity - That’s when things finally start to feel like yours again.

You don’t need to figure it all out alone. Send me a message, I'm happy to share what helped.

P.S. If you want a clearer picture of where you’re out of alignment right now, take our A-Game Audit. It’s a simple way to see what’s helping you move forward and what’s quietly holding you back - link in comments.

Most of your stress doesn’t come from your life,

It comes from how you think about it.

I’ve written a short piece on why our relationship to thought is the most important relationship we have, and how changing it changes everything else.

If you’ve been feeling busy or constantly “in your head,” this will resonate.

If it helps, please feel free to share it with someone who might need it today.

Read it here 👇 🙏

I love quotes. Stoicism, spirituality, all of it. I journal on them in the mornings and often share them with my clients along with my own reflections

Open article: The relationship that decides every other relationship in your life by Adam Mayhew • 3 min read

The relationship that decides every other relationship in your life

Deep down you know it’s not right. You already know what must be done. 

The clarity will come when you take imperfect action.

P.S. Save your seat for our upcoming live workshop - details in comments.

You’re not afraid of their opinion.
You’re afraid of your own thoughts.

Worrying about what other people think has always fascinated me, because that used to be me years ago.

I also think it’s a complete waste of time. You’re choosing to suffer over thoughts you made up, not anything they actually thought.

You imagined their judgement, attached meaning to it, then reacted as if it was real.

That thought didn’t come from them.
It came from your own insecurity.

The moment you see that, it loses its power over you. A daily meditation practice is the best way to break this spell. 

What would you do today if you stopped believing the stories in your head?

P.S. We are hosting a free online workshop tomorrow Tuesday 20th January at 7pm UK time. We will cover building healthy habits, overcoming limiting beliefs, and creating a clear blueprint for 2026. Register your seat in the comments.

You feel stuck because you’re out of alignment, 


If you have no boundaries, if you’re saying yes to everyone but yourself, then don’t be surprised when your life feels out of alignment.

Alignment isn’t a woo woo concept. It’s simple. It means your actions match the man you say you want to be.

When you’re out of alignment, your behaviours don’t reflect who you are. You hide behind the mask of being “the outgoing one,” “the fun one,” or just the guy who can keep up with everyone else.

That mask stops you showing up as your best self and being authentic. And when you can’t be authentic, you lose touch with your identity.

It’s exhausting it isn’t it? I know this because I’ve stood in your shoes.

So the question is simple: 
Are you ready to the bullsh*t, put in boundaries, remove alcohol and start living as the man you know you’re meant to become?

If you want the breakdown of how our coaching works in 2026, DM me “A-GAME”.

P.S. How do you live in alignment each day? Comment below

Most men are emotionally stunted,

I typically coach men aged between 35-55. Their fathers were from the “when men were men” era. 

Showing emotion is weak.

Don’t cry.

Man up.

Toughen up.

Stop being soft.

This was all common language when I was growing up.

You become accustomed to staying silent and suppressing your emotions. That’s why it often comes out in anger or despondency. 

“Why won’t my husband open up?” Because he was often punished when he did. 

The issue is, most men go through the same thing as children so they learn to just provide solutions to their challenges rather than allowing themselves to experience the emotion.

Men provide solutions for each other and their partners rather than listening. This can cause a break down in marriages and also friendships.

It’s not your fault but it is your responsibility to do something about it. Speaking about it openly with a professional, reading the right books and introducing tools like meditation have been life changing for me.

Life doesn’t have to be lived in frustration and being misunderstood. The freedom lies from within and when you do the deep inner work you’ll become the man you were meant to be.

P.S: WE ARE LIVE TONIGHT! 7pm UK time. We will cover building healthy habits, overcoming limiting beliefs, and creating a clear blueprint for 2026. If you want to join us live for this workshop - save your seat in the comments.

You’re stuck in a future that doesn’t exist, and it’s stopping you from living fully now.

We love to make plans as it gives us a feeling of control and productivity. It feels good. But this is all an illusion. A plan is just a thought happening in the present about a future that may never arrive.

This week’s article explores why so many founders live in next quarter, what it’s costing them, and where their attention actually belongs. 👇

I came across a passage this week that genuinely stopped me mid-page. It articulated something I see founders and high performers struggle with every 

Open article: The Mistake Founders Make With Planning by Adam Mayhew • 3 min read

January 17th is statistically the day most people give up on their New Year’s goals. In this live, I break down why that happens and what actually keeps people consistent long after motivation fades.

Watch this if you don’t want 2026 to become another year of good intentions and zero follow-through.

P.S. Join us live for our upcoming workshop on Tuesday 20th January. We will cover building healthy habits, overcoming limiting beliefs, and creating a clear blueprint for 2026. Save your seat - https://lnkd.in/eH4R7vxM

Ranked #1 in Branding | AI Strategist for High-Stakes Communications | I Help You Attract Premium Clients, Stages & Global Media | 35M Views

Iza Montalvo is an award-winning journalist, founder, and speaker whose work has been recognized on the floor of the U.S. Congress.

She works at the intersection of media, reputation, and influence, shaping how leaders, companies, and experts are seen, trusted, and remembered.

Over the past 15+ years, Iza has helped craft public narratives and media strategy for U.S. elected officials, public figures, advised C-suite executives at Fortune 100 and 500 companies, and partnered with product and go-to-market teams to launch and scale complex technologies. 

Her specialty: translating high-stakes ideas, from AI platforms to enterprise systems into human stories people understand and believe.

Her own platform has reached more than 50 million people, building a 115k-strong audience in a single year. 

She has been featured in Times Square, recognized by Forbes as a LinkedIn expert, and ranked #1 globally for branding and positioning by Favikon.

Whether on stage, online, or on the page, Iza challenges one belief:
talent isn’t enough, visibility shapes opportunity.


IZA MONTALVO 🧲

This isn’t persuasion.
It’s how the brain works.

Most offers don’t fail because the product is weak.
They fail because the decision feels hard.

Carousel created by Tom Pestridge.

Every buying decision runs on a few shortcuts.
Ignore them and strong offers stall.

9 principles that shape buying decisions:

✅ Anchoring Bias
✅ The Framing Effect
✅ The Contrast Effect
✅ The Affordability Illusion
✅ The Power of Free
✅ The Rule of 3
✅ The Paradox of Choice
✅ The IKEA Effect
✅ The Endowment Effect

Good marketing isn’t deception.
It’s structure.

It aligns the offer with how decisions happen
so value doesn’t need explanation.

📌 Save this before you price or package anything.
♻️ Share it with someone who builds offers.

NEUROMARKETING CONCEPTS TO KNOW

I lost time trying to “figure things out myself.” Speed matters more than pride.

So in 2023, I made a rule:
If I want to learn something fast, I hire the best.

I treat this as a practical decision.

Jobs are contingent.
Markets are cyclical.
Titles are temporary.
Skills are portable.

I’ve seen people lose income, security, and status.
The ones who recovered weren’t unusually confident or optimistic.
They were competent.

They could do something useful in more than one setting.
They didn’t need ideal conditions to function.
They weren’t dependent on a single system continuing as planned.

One distinction:

You’re not paying for information.
Information is easy to access.

You’re paying to shorten the gap between not knowing and being able to act effectively.

There’s evidence behind this way of thinking.

The World Economic Forum estimates that 44% of workers’ skills will change by 2027, driven by technology and shifting business needs.

Skills that only work in one role or one environment don’t age well.
That’s why I don’t see learning skills as a gamble.
I see it as limiting downside.

When you invest in property, equities, or a role, you rely on external conditions holding.
When you invest in skills, you increase your ability to operate when they don’t.

The filter I use before investing in a skill:

Can I use this in more than one role or industry?
Does it improve how I think and decide, not just what I produce?
Would it still be useful if my current job disappeared?

If the answer is no, I skip it.
If things went wrong tomorrow, I wouldn’t be starting from zero.

I’d be starting with capabilities I can apply again.
That’s the difference.

PS: If you’ve built a skill that paid off later than expected, share it below, those examples are more useful than advice.

♻️ Repost to help spread this message

When I say it's never too late, I mean it because I've lived it.

At 40, I:

got married for the first time
had my second child
quit my corporate career in news
built my first serious business
traveled to my dream city in Europe 
bought my first investment property

At the same time, life didn't stop happening.

I lost a job. 
My husband got sick.
I spent years trying to find the right support for my child with additional needs.
I got scammed online.
I had to reinvent myself.
I found success again. 

If you're new here, I want you to know this:

You're not late.
You're not broken.
You didn't miss your one chance.

Some of us move slower because we're carrying more.
We are figuring out things as we get older and wiser. 

If you're in the middle of a reset, this isn't the end of your story.
It's the part where you realize what you're really made of.

PS: What's one thing you started later than you "should have" and still made happen?

Award-Winning Founder, Journalist & Speaker | Top 1% Creator | Former U.S. Congress Communications Director

Kindness matters more now than it used to. 
Or at least it feels that way. 

Sometimes it’s a smile, a helping hand, or a simple gesture that brightens someone’s day. 

Work has sped up, gone remote, stripped back to tasks and messages and calendars. 
A lot of the human stuff has thinned out.

There’s data behind that feeling. 
Studies on modern workplaces show declines in perceived empathy and connection as work becomes more digital. 

Gallup has found that only a small fraction of employees feel genuinely seen or cared about at work, even when performance stays high.

During remote learning, a professor logged into what he assumed was just another final Zoom class. 

Same faces. 
Same screens. 
Nothing to mark the end.

Then the cameras came on.
One at a time.
Every student holding a handwritten sign.

"Thank you".
"For caring".
"For showing up".
"For treating us like people".

He stopped talking.
Just looked at the screen for a second.

Then said is a whisper: “You’re gonna make me cry.”

Someone recorded it. 
The clip made its way around. 
People shared it, saved it, sent it to each other.

Psychology research explains why moments like this are so memorable. 

Under stress, the brain holds on to emotional experiences more than information. 
Facts blur. 
Feelings don’t.

That semester was full of isolation, deadlines, and glowing rectangles. 
And this is what stayed with people.

Not the material.
Not the grades.
Not the lectures they crammed for.

Being noticed.
This isn’t really about teaching.
It’s about leadership. 

Or maybe it’s about what leadership looks like when all the extras fall away.
If you manage people, build things, mentor someone, the impact you have usually shows up later.

In trust.
In who sticks around.
In moments you never planned for.

That’s the part people carry with them.

🎥 Video credit: Brain Nourishment, IG
♻️ If you believe in kindness, pass it on.

Perspective arbitrage is worth 30% more revenue.
Research on cultural adaptation found this pattern.

Companies that adjust products and messaging see higher revenue growth than those that don’t.

Most companies already have this advantage.
They just don’t see it.

What is perspective arbitrage?

The ability to profit from insights others can't access because you think in multiple cultural contexts.

Inside organizations, this ability is often treated as translation.

I’ve seen the cost of that mistake.

A company planned to enter a new market.
The discussion centered on translation and launch timing.
One person raised a different concern.

The product story didn’t match how customers in that market judged value.
That observation changed the launch plan.
Projected revenue increased threefold.

Nothing new was added.
The decision changed.

So why does this keep getting overlooked?

1/ It gets framed as language
“I can help translate.”
Instead of: “This won’t work the way we expect.”

2/ Differences get set aside
Teams aim for speed and miss context.

3/ Observations don’t carry forward
Adjustments get made in meetings,
then disappear once the decision is done.

When insight isn’t named, it doesn’t influence the next choice.
Seeing across cultures isn’t a soft skill.
It’s how blind spots get caught early.

Many bilingual professionals are hired for language.
The ones who advance earn trust for how they think.

Perspective arbitrage isn’t a personal advantage.
It’s how companies avoid making the wrong call.

Your cultural lens isn't just heritage.
It's a business advantage.

🔁 Share if you've used cultural insights to drive business results
➕ Follow me IZA MONTALVO 🧲 for more

Founder | Top 1% Creator | Journalist | Former U.S. Congress Communications Director | 50M Views

Intelligence opens doors. 
Adaptability keeps you moving.

Someone with less experience just got promoted 
over 5 people who'd been there longer.

Same role. 
Same manager.
Happened over 18 months.

The difference wasn't talent.
It was how they responded when things changed.

When feedback came, they didn't defend it. 

They listened. 
Took notes. 
Applied it without ego.

When a new system rolled out, they learned it first. 
While others complained, they were already fluent.

They copied what worked. 
Emails. 
Meetings. 
How to handle pushback. 

Same personality. 
Upgraded execution.

They admitted gaps early. 

"I haven't used this before. 
I'll learn it this week." 
Speed beats pretending.

They systemized mistakes. 

What went wrong. 
Why it happened. 
What changes next time. 

Fix once. 
Avoid forever.

Research shows 64% of senior leaders say: 
a growth mindset enhances productivity and performance. 
Source (TalentLMS)
and 94% of employees would stay at a company longer 
if it invested in their career development.  
Source (LinkedIn)

The pattern is clear: 
Internal promotions happen 20% faster than external hires 

PS: What's one habit you picked up from watching someone else work?
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Most leadership misses one simple truth:
Connection isn’t one-size-fits-all.

My 9-year old son’s teacher proves this every morning.
At the classroom door, she gives her students five ways to be greeted:

High-five
Hug
Fist bump
Smile and nod
“Good morning”

That’s it.

No pressure.
No forcing energy.
Just choice.

What matters isn’t the options themselves
it’s what they mean.

👉 You get to decide how you want to be seen today.

Some mornings kids want closeness.
Some mornings they want space.
Some mornings they just want acknowledgment without attention.

And every choice is respected.

That small moment does something powerful:
It gives students agency before the day even starts.

When people are acknowledged in ways that work for them, engagement follows.

They participate more.
They take risks.
They trust.

It made me think about leadership.

How often do we decide for people how connection should look?
How often do we mistake our preference for a universal rule?
The best leaders don’t demand sameness.

They design for difference.
Because confidence doesn’t grow from being managed.
It grows from being met where you are.

♻️ Worth sharing with someone who leads people.

Some fires don’t burn you all at once.
They warm you first 🔥 

You stand close.
You tell yourself it’s manageable.

You adjust instead of stepping back.

Until one day you realize...
you’re not tired.
You’re scorched.

I used to stay near things that were silently burning me.
I thought endurance was a virtue.
It isn’t.

There’s research that backs this up.

Studies on chronic stress show the body reacts before the mind does: 
elevated cortisol, muscle tension, sleep disruption, long before people consciously label a situation as “toxic” or unsustainable.

That’s why logic rarely gets you out first.
Your nervous system tries to.

What finally changed things wasn’t a conversation.
Or closure.
Or an apology.

Relief came the moment I stepped out of the burn radius.

That’s emotional intelligence.
Not reading the room
reading the heat in your own body.

Those Sunday night knots?
That’s not anxiety.
That’s information.

Psychologists call it somatic signaling, the body flagging prolonged threat when the mind is still negotiating.

Signs you’re standing in the fire:

🚩 You explain it more than you enjoy it
🚩 You’re depleted, not restored
🚩 You don’t recognize who you’re becoming
🚩 Every interaction feels like careful movement
🚩 You’re giving fuel, getting smoke back

Leaving doesn’t mean you failed to control it.
It means you stopped pretending you could.

Sometimes, the bravest thing you can do 
is walk away and chose yourself.

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Ranked #1 in Branding & Positioning | AI Strategist for High-Stakes Communications | I Help You Attract Premium Clients, Stages & Global Media

Your biggest limit isn’t skill. 
It’s self-perception.

Before effort.
Before chances.
Before experience.

I didn’t apply for leadership roles
because I didn’t see myself there yet.

That took me longer to admit than I’d like.

You don’t try everything you can do.
You try what feels right for someone like you.

That starts early.

The jobs you apply for.
The roles you raise your hand for.
The rooms you expect to be in.

Over time, this view becomes familiar.

You learn what you’re known for.
You learn what people come to you for.
You learn what feels normal to reach for.

Then something bigger shows up.

A role with more responsibility.
A chance to lead instead of help.
An opportunity that could change things.

You pause.
You read it twice.
You tell yourself to wait.
You think you need more time.

So you stay where you are.
The work stays busy.
The results stay good.

But nothing really changes.

While that view stayed the same:

Skills stayed boxed
Growth slowed
Opportunities passed you by

Nothing broke.
Nothing failed.
That’s how limits work.

They don’t stop you.
They guide what you try.

People who move ahead see themselves doing more.

They apply sooner.
They speak up earlier.
They step into roles they grow into later.

That starts with how they see themselves.

Different view.
Different actions.
Different results.

Change how you see yourself,
and the line moves.

Little by little.
You reach higher.
You stay in the room.

You try things that once felt out of reach.
That’s how limits lift.

PS: What’s one limit you’re ready to question?
♻️ Share this with someone who needs it.

A bad boss makes weekdays hell. 
A great one gives you Sundays off. 

I’ve worked for managers who made me dread Mondays.
And managers who made me want to take on things I didn’t feel ready for.

The difference wasn’t title or tenure.

7 signs you’re working with a great manager:

They remember what you told them weeks ago.
They ask how it turned out without checking notes.

When you mess up, the first question is:
“What do you need to fix this?”

They back you in rooms you’re not in.
You hear about it later, casually, from someone else.

Bad news doesn’t trigger panic.
It starts with: “Walk me through what happened.”

They give you work that makes you pause before saying yes.
The kind that forces you to rise.

Their one-on-ones aren’t updates.
They’re honest conversations about what’s stuck and what’s next.

When they’re wrong, they say it.
Out loud in front of others.
Then they move on.

The best managers don’t just manage work.
They change what you think you can do.

If you've got one, appreciate them. 
If you don't, become one. 

PS: What’s one thing a great manager did that you still remember?
♻️ Share if you believe good leaders deserve recognition.

5 mindsets I see in every successful person 
(you’re not born with this)

95% of people want to be high performers.
Only 5% install the mindset required to sustain it.

The difference isn’t effort.
It’s how they interpret pressure, failure, and time.

I’ve had to consciously rewire these myself, especially after hitting plateaus where “working harder” stopped working.

Here are 5 mindset reframes that separate winners from everyone else:

Reframe #1: Failure
Every setback is data.
Every obstacle reveals something.

❌ "I'm afraid of making mistakes."
✅ "Mistakes show me what to fix."

Reframe #2: Discipline
Pressure isn't the enemy.
Avoidance is.

❌ "I don't feel like doing it."
✅ "I do what needs to be done."


Reframe #3: Time
You don't find time.
You protect it.

❌ "I don't have time."
✅ "I protect what matters most."


Reframe #4: Success
Success isn't motivation.
It's repetition.

❌ "I hope this works."
✅ "I make it work through action."


Reframe #5: Opportunity
Momentum beats timing.
Action beats waiting.

❌ "I'll start when it's right."
✅ "I start now."

Your mindset determines your ceiling.
Reframe how you think.
Change what you achieve.

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>>5 MINDSET REFRAMES OF HIGH-PERFORMERS<<

The best KPI no one talks about 👇🏽
because you can’t measure it

It’s how your team feels on Monday morning.
You won’t find it in a dashboard.
It won’t show up in a report.

But you notice it straight away.
It’s there when people walk in.
In the energy they bring.

In whether ideas get shared or kept to themselves.
In how people treat each other before the meeting even starts.
That tells you more than most metrics ever will.

What tends to move that needle:

1/ Keeping people interested
Not just busy.
Not just ticking tasks.
Engaged in what they’re building.

2/ Keeping people informed
Sharing the why, not just the plan.
Letting people see the bigger picture, not just their lane.

3/ Keeping people involved
In decisions that affect their work.
In changes they’ll have to live with.
In wins they helped create.

4/ Keeping people inspired
Through trust.
Through space.
Through leadership that doesn’t rely on pressure.

You can track every number in the business
and still miss the important one.

How many people want to be here.
Look at how your team show up in the morning.
That’s the real dashboard.

Old thinking built control.
New thinking builds outcomes.

Good people don’t leave bad companies.
They leave bad leaders.

Treat people like a risk and you’ll churn talent.
Treat them like an asset and they’ll grow the business.

This isn’t a culture debate.
It shows up in revenue. 

Here's what works:

→ Hire for behavior, train for skill
→ Give people freedom to get results
→ Apply the same rules to everyone

The business owners I work with get this.
They don't build places where people count down to Friday.
They build places where people want to show up.

This change is happening now.

The best leaders aren't building better companies.
They're building places where people grow.

PS: Which shift has made the biggest difference where you work?
♻️ Share this if you agree

"If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed."
William H. McRaven

If you can’t do the small things right
You’ll never do the big things right 

That’s a Navy SEAL lesson to remember. 

Admiral William McRaven said it best in a commencement speech that has been watched over 100 million times.

It comes down to one simple idea:

Make your bed.

It sounds silly.
It isn’t.

True leadership isn’t built in big moments.
It’s built in what you do every day.

When small things slip, bigger things follow.
1/ Start with one finished task
Before email.
Before meetings.
Before anyone needs you.
Do one small thing you can complete.
You start the day with a win.

2/ Use hard moments to pull people together
In SEAL training, the toughest tasks can’t be done alone.

When something breaks:
→ Don’t avoid it
→ Don’t carry it solo
→ Bring someone in and work through it

Teams don’t bond when things are easy.
They bond when things feel challenging.

3/ Notice what others skip
Details tell the truth.
What you check shows what you care about.
People trust leaders who pay attention.

4/ Say what didn’t work
In training, failure was normal.
What mattered was owning it and learning fast.
When leaders talk about mistakes, people stop hiding.
Trust goes up.

5/ Make one person feel seen
In the hardest moments, one comment kept people from quitting.
Leadership lives here.
In checking in.
In noticing effort.
In showing up when it’s uncomfortable.

The gap between good and great isn’t talent.
It’s doing the small things.
Every day.

video credit: IG

♻️ Share this with your network of high-performers

Built your credibility face-to-face.
Keeping it offline is the bottleneck.

I analyzed 50+ leaders’ online presence last year.

Not to study content.
To see where opportunity breaks.

The pattern showed up across the same roles:

📣 Investors.
📣 Executives.
📣 Founders.

People with track records.
Very little to verify in public.

That gap creates credibility leaks.
If you’re missing deals, it’s usually coming from 1 of these 4 places:

1/ Your wins are hard to find
Media features buried
Exits never named
Board seats invisible
If someone has to work to understand your background, they won’t.

2/ Your language sounds like everyone else’s
Careful phrasing
Safe opinions
Nothing that shows judgment
You don’t look wrong.
You look replaceable.

3/ Your presence doesn’t match your level
Generic posts
Helpful tips
No authority markers
You wouldn’t hire this version of yourself.

4/ Your footprint is too light to confirm influence
Search doesn’t validate you
So decisions move on without you

Here’s what that costs in practice:

❌ Investor intros that don’t progress
❌ Board seats that go to visible peers
❌ Speaking invites that never land
 
When leaders fix this, the shift is predictable.

✅ Inbound increases.
✅ Demand rises.
✅ Opportunities start finding them.

Same experience.
Clear positioning.

If you want to close the leaks:

1 / Look yourself up like capital would
First three results only
Do they show relevance?

2 / Put proof where attention goes
Headline: the win that opens doors
About section: the track record you already have
Once a month: explain one real outcome

3 / Remove corporate or technical language
Write how you speak in closed rooms
State what you believe
Let judgment show

4 / Leave authority trails
Share how you decide
Break down calls you’ve made
Show the method behind results

Staying quiet doesn’t protect your name.
It makes it easier to pass over.

PS: Where is your credibility leaking?
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>>Your Perception Capital VS Your Intellectual Capital<<

The mistake doesn’t define you.
It’s what you do next.

This video shows that.
The chair breaks.
The performance continues.

There’s no pause or restart.
The movement changes.
The routine carries on.

That pattern shows up in real work.
When something goes wrong in front of people, they don’t stay on the error.
They watch what happens next.

This lines up with what Atul Gawande describes in The Checklist Manifesto after studying surgeons, pilots, and emergency teams.

Mistakes are expected.
What counts is whether the work keeps moving.

People tend to notice three things:

1/ does it stall or continue
2/ does form hold or break
3/ does ownership stay visible

That’s what shapes judgment.

When something breaks in public, decide fast:
what still works
what needs to change

Then move forward.
The error passes.
The response stays.

Everyone has a version of this moment.
VC: motivatengrwvin

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Ranked #1 in Branding | Award-Winning Journalist Turned Founder | Ex-US Congress Director | Atract Premium Clients, Global Media & Stages 🧲

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