“Meditations” was Marcus Aurelius’s personal journal—a tool for staying centered while ruling a crumbling empire.

⚔️ He led through war, plague, betrayal, and political chaos.
🌀 He was responsible for everything—but couldn’t control most of it.
🧠 “Power over your mind” was the one kind of power he could reliably return to.
📜 He wrote not to withdraw—but to stay present, lead, and keep moving.

Researchers have found that people who develop a strong sense of agency—like Marcus did—are better at handling uncertainty.

💡 When we reset ourselves, we reclaim the capacity to lead instead of react.

My version of this is the Kata Break.

I center myself by practicing my martial art forms (kata).

When I owned my restaurant, I would practice kata:
🌊 right outside, down by the river shore
🪜 in stairwells during bad weather
🛋️ in the upstairs lobby after hours
🧠 and when needed, in my head

😵 Before kata, I would be visibly tense and speak fast. I wasn’t the calmest person in the room.
🎯 Kata helped me focus on something else—something bigger.

Not just the crisis in front of me, but the longer arc.
🥋 My black belt (which I have since earned)
🪴 My growth

😊 Afterward, my team could tell the difference.
❤️ They were glad to have ME back—centered, present, clear.

Now, as a coach working from home, I take kata breaks:
🥋 in my garage dojo
🚶‍♀️ outside in my yard
🪑 in any room
🧠 or again, in my mind

❓ Who do you become when you step away from the chaos and into your reset?
❓ And when you return—what kind of leader are you now, that you weren’t before?

~*~

This is one of my Big Ideas posts—where I explore how new ideas, good science, creativity, and bold leadership can help us build a better world.

I believe ADHD leaders have the empathy and creativity to solve the world’s biggest problems, and I want to support as many of them as possible as they step into leadership.