Dr. Cara delivers a short, motivational YouTube monologue urging viewers to grant themselves permission to rest and prioritize self-care as a foundational practice for sustainable leadership. She argues that leaders must model restoration (finding an "ocean," "mountain," or "quiet space") so teams can feel safe doing the same, and closes with a New Year call-to-action to "lead yourself first."
So as we step into this new year, I want to invite you to something radical. Permission. Permission to unplug, permission to recharge. Permission to acknowledge that you are human, that you need rest and balance isn't a luxury, it is a necessity. Remember, we lead ourselves before we lead others. If we can't model sustainable practices, how can we expect our teams to embrace them? If we can't honor our own needs, how. How can we create cultures where others feel safe to honor theirs? Find your ocean. Find your mountain. Find your quiet space. Find whatever brings you back to yourself and then protect it fiercely. Be as intentional about your restoration as you are about your responsibilities. Because the world needs leaders who are whole, not burned out, who are grounded, not depleted. Who lead from overflow, not from empty. Here's to a new year of connected leadership, starting with the most important person you will ever lead yourself.
