You already know what good leadership looks like.
But when the stakes are high and someone pushes exactly the wrong button – a different version of you shows up.
This isn't a knowledge problem.
Nor a skills gap. Not even a psychological issue.
It's a nervous system hijack.
When your threat response activates, judgment, clarity and empathy go offline.
And biology is trainable.
With the right practice, the leader you intend to be is the one who shows up.
The Missing Science of Leadership Under Pressure
I came to leadership development through an unusual door: years of research and practice in health behavior change. That work taught me something most leadership programs miss – that the gap between intention and action isn’t a discipline problem. It’s a nervous system problem. And it’s solvable.
For the last quarter century, I’ve worked with founders and CEOs of high-growth companies who can’t afford the invisible – but very real – cost of triggered leadership.
“I’ve worked with Howie across three companies over 20 years. He instills clarity, discipline, and accountability in a way that produces measurable results – and makes daunting transformation journeys far more enjoyable.”
Mike Psenka
CEO, Moovila, Inc
With a trained nervous system, you don’t just survive pressure – you lead through it. That’s buoyancy. When you’re ready to build it, let’s talk >>
How we work together.
Three ways to build buoyancy – in yourself, your team, and your culture
Executive Coaching
For the leader
One-on-one work with CEOs, founders, and senior executives who’ve hit the ceiling of what willpower and smarts can do. We train the nervous system patterns that show up when the pressure is real.
Leadership Development
For the team
Workshops and programs that give your leadership team a shared practice – not just a shared vocabulary – for staying clear-headed in high-stakes moments.
Organizational Consulting
For the company
When triggered leadership has become a culture problem, not just a personnel one. I help organizations redesign the conditions that drive reactive behavior.
The Buoyant Leader
Leading well under pressure doesn’t come from gritting your teeth harder. It comes from training your nervous system to work with you instead of against you. The Buoyant Leader gives you a concrete, trainable process for getting there.
"This is a book every leader should keep within reach."
Garry Ridge
Chairman Emeritus, WD-40 Company
The Buoyant Leader Podcast
Short, practical episodes on leading well when the pressure is on. New episodes weekly.
Prefer reading to listening?
Grab Chapter 1 of The Buoyant Leader when you subscribe.
Grab Chapter 1 of The Buoyant Leader when you subscribe.
