How to Unlock Your Inner Energy for Purposeful Leadership (video) by Suzanne Roberts

Let’s be real: the modern leadership playbook is broken. We’re told to hustle harder, stay connected 24/7, and treat “busy” as a badge of honor. The result? A workforce on the brink. Forbes isn’t shy about it, reporting that a staggering 66% of us are experiencing burnout. We’re not just exhausted; we’re disconnected from our purpose and, in a new trend called “boreout,” we’re profoundly disengaged.

What if the solution isn’t another productivity hack or a weekend retreat? What if you had a self-renewing energy source inside you, just waiting to be tapped?

In a recent eye-opening conversation, I listened to leadership expert Suzanne Roberts, a master somatic coach with four decades of experience. She laid out a robust framework for leaders to move from drained and depleted to energized and purposeful. This isn’t about working harder; it’s about connecting to your core vitality. Here’s a breakdown of her game-changing insights.

The Real Problem: We’ve Unplugged from Our Power Source

According to Roberts, the root cause of burnout isn’t just a packed schedule—it’s a profound disconnection from our life force. She calls this the “soul current,” the fundamental energy that animates our bodies and minds.

Think of it like a light bulb. The bulb (your body) is useless without the electricity (your soul current) flowing through it. When we’re constantly stressed, distracted, and living in our heads, we disrupt this flow. The energy gets siphoned off by mental chaos, leaving us feeling foggy, fatigued, and uninspired.

Roberts’ approach is unique because it doesn’t just treat the symptoms. It heals the disconnection by integrating three powerful modalities:

Somatic Coaching: Goes beyond talk therapy to work with the body’s wisdom. It focuses on aligning your head, heart, and gut to regulate your nervous system.
Polarity Therapy: An energy-based practice that views the body as a system of energetic currents. It’s about getting your inner energy flowing freely again.
Energy Principles: Understanding that our mind is the gatekeeper. A calm, neutral mind allows energy to flow, while a reactive mind blocks it.

This integrated method addresses the whole person—mind, body, and spirit—for lasting change.

5 Practical Ways to Reconnect and Recharge Your Leadership

So, how do you tap into this “soul current”? It’s more practical than it sounds. Here are five actionable strategies Roberts shared that you can start using today.

1. Master the Art of Stillness (Even for 5 Minutes)

In our culture of constant motion, stillness is a superpower. It’s the access point to your inner energy. But let’s be honest, the idea of sitting still can be terrifying.

How to do it:

Start Small: Forget hour-long meditations. Begin with just five minutes a day. Sit comfortably, close your eyes, and notice the sensations in your body.
Visualize Your Energy: Imagine resting your awareness against your spine, feeling the subtle current of energy “bathing” you from the inside.
Embrace the Discomfort: Your mind will be agitated at first. You’ll feel restless. That’s normal! The goal isn’t to silence your thoughts but to observe them without judgment. Trust that with practice, the inner chaos will settle.

Expert Tip: Stillness isn’t about doing nothing. It’s about being radically present with yourself. Just five minutes can hit the reset button on your nervous system.

2. Define Your “North Star” to Navigate the Chaos

A “north star” is a core value—like curiosity, integrity, or empathy—that acts as your compass. When you’re stressed or triggered, it’s the anchor that helps you respond with intention instead of reacting on impulse.

How to do it:

Identify Your Value: What’s one word that represents the leader you truly want to be?
Use It as a Pause Button: The next time you feel that flash of anger or frustration, pause. Take a breath. Bring your north star to mind. Ask yourself, “How would I respond if I were guided by [your value] right now?”

Expert Tip: Your north star is a living practice, not a one-and-done exercise. Revisit and refine it as you evolve.

3. Ditch the Lone Wolf Mentality

Trying to build these new habits alone is like swimming upstream against the current of hustle culture. It’s exhausting and often unsustainable. Community and accountability are essential.

How to do it:

Find a Partner: Team up with a trusted colleague or friend. Share your intentions and schedule regular, brief check-ins to hold each other accountable.
Join a Group: Look for leadership cohorts or groups (like those Roberts is launching) focused on these principles.
Normalize It: Acknowledge that you’re going against the grain. Support from others makes the journey less isolating and far more effective.

4. Learn to Regulate Your Nervous System

Your nervous system is the foundation for everything. When you’re stuck in “fight or flight” mode, you can’t access creativity, strategic thinking, or empathy. A regulated state is where purposeful leadership thrives.

How to do it:

Tune In to Your Body: Throughout the day, notice your physical state. Are your shoulders tense? Is your breathing shallow? Simple awareness is the first step.
Build in “Recovery Points”: Don’t wait until the end of the day to relax. Intentionally schedule 2-3 minute breaks to take a few deep breaths, stretch, or look out a window.
Shift Your State: Use simple, body-based practices like slow, deep breathing to move from the “fight or flight” (sympathetic) state to the calm “rest and digest” (parasympathetic) state.

Expert Tip: You can be both productive and relaxed. Sustainable energy and your best ideas come from a calm, regulated nervous system.

5. Embrace Vulnerability as Your Greatest Strength 💪

Authentic leadership isn’t about having impenetrable armor. It’s about having the courage to lower your defenses and connect with people on a human level.

How to do it:

Redefine Vulnerability: It’s not about oversharing your deepest secrets. It’s about being open, kind, and empathetic. It’s about replacing defensiveness with curiosity.
Lead with Presence: Put your phone away in meetings. Listen to understand, not just to reply. See situations from your team’s perspective.
Let Authenticity Emerge: Authenticity isn’t something you “perform.” It’s the natural result of being connected to your inner energy source.

Expert Tip: Vulnerability is a magnet for trust. It creates psychological safety, which is the secret ingredient for highly engaged and innovative teams.

From Personal Practice to Global Impact

Roberts makes it clear that this inner work isn’t just a self-help project—it’s a world-changing one. When leaders operate from a place of deep connection, they naturally foster more inclusive, empathetic, and just organizations. They see the interconnectedness of their teams and build cultures where diverse talents can truly thrive.

This journey requires courage, especially when facing cultural taboos around words like “soul” or the initial discomfort of stillness. But by grounding these practices in both science and direct experience, we can bridge the gap and lead from a place of inexhaustible, authentic power.

Please use this link to book a FREE Coaching Session with Suzanne: https://unifyingsolutions.com/schedule/

Our Host

John is the Amazon bestselling author of Winning the Battle for Sales: Lessons on Closing Every Deal from the World’s Greatest Military Victories and Social Upheaval: How to Win at Social Selling. A globally acknowledged Sales & Marketing thought leader, speaker, and strategist, he has conducted over 1500 video interviews of thought leaders for Sales POP! online sales magazine & YouTube Channel and for audio podcast channels where Sales POP! is rated in the top 2% of most popular shows out of 3,320,580 podcasts globally, ranked by Listen Score. He is CSMO at Pipeliner CRM. In his spare time, John is an avid Martial Artist.