I’m 416 days into a 1,095-day commitment — a 3-year journey to reinvent how I lead, pitch, build, and connect.
Surprise insight of the week?
How I enter a room might matter more than what I say inside it.
It started with a simple shift: noticing.
- How my body feels in high-stakes meetings
- The sound of my voice when I’m under pressure
- Whether I make real eye contact or scan the room, half-distracted
- If my breathing is shallow or grounded
These aren’t soft skills. They’re signal skills. They tell the room if I believe in what I’m saying — or if I’m bluffing, nervous, or disconnected.
So I began exploring the Laban Method — a system usually used by actors and performers to train presence, awareness, and intention through the body.
Turns out: founders need this just as much.
Because in every pitch, negotiation, or team meeting — it’s not just what we say. It’s what we transmit.
- Notice how you enter a room. Your first few seconds set the tone.
- Breathe consciously before key moments. It centers your energy.
- Tune into your feet. Grounding physically changes your presence.
- Record your voice. See how it actually sounds under stress.
- Practice eye contact — but with softness. Not intensity. Connection.
- Observe your hand gestures. Are they open, closed, or fidgety?
- Take movement breaks before big meetings. Get out of your head.
- Rehearse your message while walking. Body and brain sync.
- Ask a friend to mirror your posture. You’ll see what others see.
- Deconstruct how others carry themselves. Reverse-engineer charisma.
I’m not writing this from the finish line. I’m still in the lab.
Still figuring out how the energy we bring into a room affects the deals we close, the trust we build, and the stories we tell.
But one thing is clear: Presence is trainable. And the founders who master it? They don’t just pitch better. They lead better.
How much thought do you give to your own presence — your body, voice, and breath — as a founder or leader?
And if you could improve just one thing this week, what would it be?
