Susan David, Ph.D., one of the world's leading management thinkers, operates at the nexus of business and psychology. She is the creator of the concept of Emotional Agility, and uses this lens in her consulting, coaching, and keynotes, and in the development of psychometric tools to analyze, assess, and develop these skills. 

Her focus is on how Emotional Agility contributes to effective people strategies, particularly in the areas of employee engagement, wellbeing, interpersonal relationships, high-performance leadership, and organizational culture change. Her TED Talk on Emotional Agility has more than 11 million views. Susan is also a co-founder and co-director of the Harvard-affiliated Institute of Coaching.

Susan is a sought-after keynote speaker, coach, and consultant to C-suite executives. Her unique combination of pragmatic business experience and extensive scientific knowledge allows her to help leaders meet the most pressing business challenges without losing sight of their people. 

She routinely consults internationally at the most senior levels of large organizations and has extensive experience in industries as diverse as financial services, information technology, healthcare, utilities, pharmaceuticals, and mining. Her client list includes Ernst and Young Global, the World Economic Forum, BHP Billiton, Telstra, the United National Development Program, JP Morgan, GlaxoSmithKline, and Nestlé, among many other multinational firms. 

Susan is author of the definitive Oxford Handbook of Happiness (Oxford University Press), Beyond Goals (Gower). She also authored the top-rated Harvard Business Review article “Emotional Agility” which was named as a Management Idea of the Year and was the impetus for her #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling book, “Emotional Agility: Get Unstuck, Embrace Change, and Thrive in Work and Life.” Her work is frequently featured in the national media including Harvard Business Review, TIME, Fast Company, the Wall Street Journal, and Inc.com.

Susan David

Here's a secret: self-compassion does not make you weak or lazy. 

There's a misconception that you need to be tough on yourself to maintain focus as you move toward your goals. On the contrary, research shows that self-compassionate people aim just as high as self-critical people do. The difference is that self-compassionate people don't fall apart when, as sometimes happens, they don't meet their desired result.

Instead of expecting your disparaging inner critic to be waiting in the wings if you fail, turn instead to offer yourself words of kindness and support while you work your way toward your goal.

Susan David, Ph.D.

Psychologist. Harvard Medical School. TED Speaker. Author of the #1 WSJ bestseller Emotional Agility. Co-Founder of Institute of Coaching.

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It's hard to maintain a sense of calm when you're juggling a deadline at work, a weekly calendar full of meetings, and ongoing family responsibilities. 

If your emotions are threatening to send you over the edge, try to identify exactly what you're feeling.

Stress is different from anxiety and anger is different from frustration.

Correctly labeling your emotion is the first step to achieving greater balance.

Just show up. You don't have to always get it right or be a perfect person. 

You DO have to be willing to show up to your uncomfortable feeling and say,"You're here. I'm here. Let's talk."

When we show up to our difficult feelings, we prime ourselves to anticipate pitfalls and prepare more effective coping methods for critical moments.

Let's try the emotional agility stress-buster.

Scenario: You often get stressed out when faced with a long to-do list.

1. Give yourself the space to simply feel that way. Say it, whether out loud, or in your head: "Okay, this is my go-to reaction when I have a heavy workload. I am feeling stressed." 

2. "I still have the power to decide how to act in this moment. I will choose not to snap at my coworker, because I value kindness." 

3. This stress is telling me to divide my work and approach it one step at a time instead of getting overwhelmed by everything at once. 

4. "I am feeling stressed, but I am not defined by my stress." 

How'd it go?

Display rules are the lessons we teach our kids about what is and is not an appropriate emotional response to any given situation. 

A display rule might manifest itself through a directive like “Buck up! Boys don’t cry,” which signals to a child that uncomfortable emotions are signs of weakness and to be avoided. This kind of response deprives a child of the critically important opportunity to sit with their feelings. 

It’s critical—because over time, the way we talk about emotions becomes the way they talk to themselves. These early lessons shape their coping strategies, wellbeing, and adaptability for life.

Helping Founders Scale, Prepare, and Exit | Value & Profit Growth | Live Streaming Business Development | Buying & Selling Businesses | Chief Exit Officer | LinkedIn Live Stream Host

Running a business was supposed to give you more freedom, not take it away.

But somewhere along the way, growth slowed. The work got heavier. You’re buried in day-to-day decisions, your team is busy, but results aren’t where they should be. Instead of scaling, it feels like you’re stuck.

That’s not failure. That’s a business plateau. And it’s more common than most business owners are willing to admit.

I help fix that.

For more than 25 years, I’ve worked with owners and leadership teams in manufacturing, ecommerce, and B2B services to help them grow businesses that run better, generate more value, and eventually become sellable when the time is right.

Through Exit Your Way, I guide B2B companies to build systems, elevate teams, and create exit options, even if they don’t plan to sell for years. Through our work at B2Btail with the Digital Game Plan strategy development/execution process, we help companies stop being the best kept secret by creating marketing foundations that attract their ideal customers and position them for long-term success.

My focus is simple: helping you build a business that works, whether you’re in the room or not.

Common challenges I help solve:

Low visibility: Your best customers don’t know you exist. We fix that by aligning messaging, strategy, and marketing assets to bring them to you.

Owner overload: If everything depends on you, growth hits a wall. We help build teams and systems that keep moving, even when you step away.

Exit confusion: You want out someday, but the path forward is unclear. We build companies buyers want and owners are proud of.

When it works, here’s what changes:

Customers find you because your message finally speaks their language

Your team handles the day-to-day, freeing you to focus on higher-value work

You move from reacting to leading, and from being stuck to scaling intentionally

I’ve built and sold companies, led investor-backed teams, and helped founders grow from $5 million to $30 million and beyond. I bring the tools, perspective, and calm needed to lead through messy growth and prepare for clean, profitable exits.

But this isn’t just about growth or selling. It’s about control over your time, your team, your income, and your future.

If you’re ready to lead again instead of constantly catching up, I’d be glad to talk.

damon@exityourway.com

425-654-7757
exityourway.com | b2btail.com

You’ve built something great. Let’s make sure it works for you.

Damon Pistulka √

I read this last week, and it stopped me:

“Try to hear what is not being said.”

It felt like a leadership gut punch, in the best way.

In meetings, sales calls, or client reviews:


🔥The real clues are in the gaps. 🔥


Deep listening reveals things like:

🔷Misaligned expectations

🔷Unspoken fears

🔷Opportunities hiding in plain sight

Most people don’t listen. Some listen to respond. Few listen to understand.


⚡The important things often lie in what’s not said. ⚡


Where could deeper listening change the outcome?



⭐ Helping owners grow their businesses with coaching, training, systems, and a supportive community. ⭐

👉 Subscribe to "The Best Kept Secret Sauce" newsletter for strategies that turn conversations into opportunities.

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#leadershipskills #deepwork #activelistening #businessgrowth #clarity

Helping Business Owners Achieve Significant Profit Growth | Transformative Business Development | Transaction Advisory | LinkedIn Live Stream Host

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