Welcome to Misti's Insights

If you’re leading significant change and facing resistance, this may be the most important question you ask yourself this year: Are you tightening strategy—or tightening control? The difference determines whether trust expands or erodes. An executive I work with...

Not long ago, I was standing in an office building with two people who are deeply connected to a leadership initiative I co-lead—L3, a free monthly lunch where local leaders gather to learn from and support each other. As we stood there chatting about which businesses...

    A few days ago, I set out walking toward a part of town where I knew there were businesses. It was a Sunday afternoon, so most places were closed. That’s why, when I noticed one garage door open at a pool company, I perked up. My first thought: the only person...

Last year, I swam in open water and got stung by jellyfish — dozens of times. Even though I wore a protective suit, the stings still found the unprotected parts of my body: face, hands, feet. The pain lingered, and so did the memory. For eight weeks, I stayed out of...

Mirroring in Leadership: Why Belonging Is a Performance Multiplier Most leaders believe belonging is about culture initiatives. What they often miss is that belonging is about identity. Many high-performing adults walk into organizations still negotiating their worth....

A few months ago, something happened that my body did not register as small. I was playing with my six-year-old neighbor—full of energy, laughing, moving fast. At one point, I came down toward him with full gusto, ready to scoop him up and hug him. At the exact same...

“If I’m not an athlete, then who am I?” It’s a question I first asked myself in college, when—for the first time—I couldn’t play sports. My body had defined me, my discipline had validated me, and my performance had given me belonging. When I lost that version of...

Leadership is evolving. The old model of "power over"—where control, hierarchy, and compliance reign—no longer serves the dynamic, collaborative environments we need to thrive. Instead, a new paradigm is emerging: "power with." This shift isn’t just about leadership...

She had everything ready — the numbers, the projections, the polished pitch. But something was missing. Something that couldn’t be found in a spreadsheet or a business plan. I met with a woman recently who was preparing to pitch her business idea to investors. She...

The pool was quiet, the water still, and for a moment, I felt like I could finally breathe. A few mornings ago, I found myself standing at the edge of the pool in my neighborhood — the only indoor pool in the area. It’s often crowded, which is why I got there forty...

Sometimes, the parts of us that once protected us end up holding us back. For most of my life, perfectionism was my armor — my way of feeling safe in a world that often felt unpredictable. It made me sharp, driven, and dependable. It helped me succeed. But as I’ve...

Sometimes, the moments that define our leadership aren’t the calm, controlled meetings or polished presentations — they’re the times we let our authentic passion come through. A client recently shared one of those moments with me. At the end of a long day, a rumor had...

For the past three years, I’ve had the privilege of volunteering with a local nonprofit whose mission is close to my heart. I’ve seen the incredible impact this organization has on the community, and I care deeply about helping it thrive—especially now, when some...

Most leaders don’t wake up asking whether they’re abusing power. They ask something quieter and more practical: Is how I’m using my position creating trust—or tension? Am I creating clarity—or compliance? Capacity—or control? Commitment—or quiet withdrawal? One way to...

Most leaders believe resistance is a behavioral problem. What they often miss is that resistance is frequently a physiological one. People don’t resist authority because they’re difficult. They resist—or more accurately, withdraw—when authority isn’t relationally...

Our first experience of hierarchy doesn’t happen in the workplace.  It happens in our families. Long before we understand leadership, titles, or organizational charts, we learn what authority feels like. Does it protect us? Control us? Require compliance in exchange...

This morning, I had an experience that left me stung—literally and figuratively. It was a swim that turned into a lesson about trust, fear, and listening to the signals our bodies give us. Here’s what happened and what I learned. The Swim That Stung I swim at Savannah...