00:00:00 Sana: Listen, sir, let me share a moment. Which. Which, uh, about which many leaders they don't wish to talk about. I mean, not because it's rare, but probably because it's hard to name. You know, it's this quiet space where everything. It seems like it's working. It's working fine. I mean, the business is running. Decisions are being made. People are depending on you. And yet somewhere inside, something feels off. I mean, it's not broken and it's not even collapsed. It's just there's this, um. Um, disconnect. But then you are still showing up, still capable. Still, it feels like you are carrying your life instead of living it. And maybe the hardest part? You cannot fully explain it, not even to yourself. In fact, I am also struggling to explain because this disconnect. It's very hard to give a language to. So today's conversation is about that moment, why it happens, what's actually going on beneath the surface for people who carry a lot, and how leaders can come back to themselves without stepping away from their responsibilities. Because the goal here isn't to escape pressure. Nope. Not at all. It's to stay whole inside it.

00:01:40 Sana: So welcome back, listeners to another interesting episode on the Biz Blend podcast. I am your host. And joining me today is someone who has spent over two decades working inside high stakes environment. Name about like advising founders, executives, leaders navigating intense pressure. But more importantly, she has lived this experience herself. Out of that journey came something very powerful listeners. The inflection method, which is a way to understand those quiet internal turning points where something very profound, very deep is asking for attention. And we're also going to explore this through a very fascinating lens. You probably would have heard about it, human design, but but not as a belief system, but as a tool for self-awareness that many leaders are beginning to rediscover. So if you have ever, ever felt successful on paper, but then disconnected or maybe being uncertain inside. This conversation is for you. So let's get started, listeners, and let's welcome our incredible guest, Fiona Grant. So Fiona, welcome to this plan. It's an honor to have you here with us.

00:03:01 Fiona Grant Leydier: Oh, thank you so much. That was an incredible introduction. I got chills just listening to you speak about it. That was wonderful. So thank you so much for having me. I'm excited for this conversation. Oh my.

00:03:15 Sana: Goodness. Thank you so much, Fiona. Thank you. I mean, yeah, it's it's such a palpable tension. I mean, um, and, and, and, and kind of very interesting thing is, uh, this disconnect, I mean, that's kind of the, uh, you know, very interesting, fascinating stuff is that this disconnect can be within an individual. It can mean the business as well. Because after all, a business is, I mean, even if we are in the age of AI and, you know, um, we talk about machines and AI running everything, but still, it's all run, run by humans. So I think, uh, from, from that perspective, I'm very excited to see how we are, you know, going to blend, um, the inflection method, human design. And so, so, so thank you so much for bringing this up.

00:04:07 Fiona Grant Leydier: Um, my pleasure.

00:04:09 Sana: Okay, so talking about your work, Fiona, and talking about naming the moment, I mean, you have worked with leaders who are they are capable, um, they're respected, they are successful externally, but then internally there's this disconnect. So, um, what, what is actually happening in that moment? You know, when a leader, uh, is starting to feel that, uh, feel something is off or misaligned.

00:04:38 Fiona Grant Leydier: I think it can show up in so many different ways for different people, but generally speaking, it can look like starting to override yourself. Where you get this, like we all have this voice inside our head, right? This intuition that speaks to us constantly. But when we start or we've been operating at full capacity for so long with so many leaders have, then you start to override that little voice or that instinct inside of you, and you start to override your voice, your own voice, how you speak, you start to override your health and your wellness and your well-being because you just need to keep pushing and keep going. You start to override your rest, right? You just have so much to do. That rest really becomes secondary. I mean, we see that so much. We've obviously heard a lot about the impacts of that. And and oftentimes you're doing that for so long without really recognizing that that's what's going on. But then little things start to, to, to, to shift or break your relationships start to be impacted where you start to feel resentful towards the people around you. You no longer have the joy or the job and the role and the work that you once had. You, you know, your health. Obviously, it will come out through your health in many ways. Maybe you're not sleeping or you go to bed and you sleep a full night, but you wake up and you're actually still tired, so you're not properly resting. Um, perhaps you're not prioritizing, you know, getting exercise and eating well. And so that starts to impact your, your, your capacity, your, your memory retention, all those kinds of things. And so, um, it, it happens slowly, but it's like an accumulation of multiple different things that oftentimes because of the society and the world that we live in today, we just continue to push it down and ignore it, right? Almost don't. We don't want to allow ourselves to admit that that something needs to change. And it's often that people get to the point where it's they have to change. Like they get pushed to the point where major change has to happen. And my belief is that if we can support leaders earlier on to navigate the high demands and the high pressures of the lives that they've built for themselves, then it doesn't get to the point where they have to do a major overhaul of their life to keep going.

00:07:37 Sana: Absent, Absent. I really I mean, uh, that speaks of how, um, you know, we, we are actually, uh, looking at this, uh, empathetically. And, um, I mean, I have seen, uh, Fiona. I mean, um, with, with many of my, uh, friends who are actually at, uh, the senior positions, um, when they're working continuously, um, and when they get, uh, you know, sometimes those two or three days of rest, there's a sea change within the way they, they, uh, behave, they react, um, their, their moods, their emotions, their health. Um, I mean, it's, it's like this, you know, immediate switch that happens. But then the way our society, uh, functions, the expectations and then there's innate fear of losing. You know, letting things go out of control just because you are not there. Um, that's why, you know, we, we kind of, uh, and as a leader, we do not want to, um, assume that, you know, if I take rest, if I just, if I think about myself, if right now I'm taking that pause, things may go out of control and, um, it may not be a good position to put out those fires. So let me just somehow drag through this. I cannot take that. I cannot afford to take that risk.

00:09:11 Fiona Grant Leydier: Yeah, absolutely. I mean, we definitely, you know, a lot of, uh, I mean, everybody really is carrying a lot of responsibility. And that responsibility has a lot of pressure with it. And so you don't want to, you know, you're spinning multiple plates and you just, you just can't drop one because dropping one will impact a certain aspect of your life or your life now or your life in the future. But, and yes, it's that fear of like, of like, even asking for help, even asking for help in private where you, you know, you look and you seek someone, um, like myself to help you navigate and reconnect with yourself and find that space and that balance within the life that you have. Even just asking for that help. Um, we've been kind of conditioned to, to think that that's a vulnerability and in, in, in career showing vulnerability is, is, you know, often frowned upon. Um, I believe that is changing. I believe that ten years from now, we're going to look back at this time and just think, oh my God, can you believe that we navigated decades of our careers without being able to be vulnerable? Um, but right now it's, we're kind of in that messy middle where you're seeing more people speak up and be more vulnerable. Um, but it's, it's still very, very scary to do so because it can have such an impact on, on your career and your trajectory and your outcome. Yeah. Yeah.

00:10:46 Sana: Yeah. And, uh, that's the kind of, uh, I shouldn't say misconception, but that's how we picture, uh, anyone who is in the leadership position. This aggression, not aggression, but always having answers or solutions to all the difficult situations and, um, uh, having that mental strength to carry through all the tough, uh, you know, all the challenges. And I think it's becoming more and more relevant right now to talk about this, especially how do we define vulnerability in leadership? That's a, I mean, it can have a separate podcast of its own. I mean, because there is such a, such a profound and nuanced, Uh, aspect of, of leadership of, of a human. Um, and you mentioned about responsibility in there. Fiona. So, um, a challenge that I want to bring in here is, uh, this is something I also sometimes think about, uh, do you think that the disconnect that we are talking about, the disconnection, is it the cost of leadership or is it a sign that, um, responsibility is being, um, carried in and, um, unsustainable way?

00:12:09 Fiona Grant Leydier: I think the latter, I think it's definitely being carried in an unsustainable way. I, I, you know, I have conversations with leaders who are, you know, moving from like one era in a market, for example, that's been depleted and challenging for quite some time. And that market is now moving into being in a more positive space. And so everyone's like gung ho and just putting their foot on the gas, but they haven't recovered from, you know, the, the, the depletion era of the market and the impacts that that has had on them as individuals as well as on their companies. And now they're just moving into having to go to capitalize on this good moment in the market. And so we, we just kind of we just keep overriding ourselves constantly because we have to meet the moment. And you know, my goal with them is really to help people to find that, find sustainability while the train is moving, you know, like you can't just, you don't want to get to a point where you have to stop your life, where you have to take a break, where you have to take a rest. Because at that point you've gone too far. The goal is really to find ways tools that you can utilize day to day. Small daily practices to help strengthen the muscle that creates groundedness. That creates calm in the body, which helps your nervous system to regulate and be calm, even in the face of really high stakes moments. It's about practicing things a little bit every day so that your you learn a new way to meet those moments instead of just keeping going at the in the way that you were going before, which obviously is not sustainable. Like you do not want to hit that brick wall. That is not the goal. The goal is to keep going in a sustainable way.

00:14:20 Sana: Exactly, exactly. You know, to find that balance somewhere in that messy middle. Also because until there are only two options. Uh, probably for, for, uh, you know, anyone in that position that either, you know, you keep on dragging yourself or you just stop everything, take a break and yeah, and, and someone who is actually passionate about, you know, as a leader for bringing that change and, and, you know, whatever vision they have, um, I don't think that has to come at any cost of sacrificing anything. So I'm thankful that, you know, you actually laid down a perfect segue in here because that's exactly what I'm going to ask next. So you, um, bring in the human design in here. Um, and in a practical way, uh, how, how does it actually help someone reconnect with clarity and self-trust? Because whenever we talk about, um, you know, concepts like these or anything around personal development. I believe most of it right now is just becoming like this, you know, uh, a list of, uh, practices or steps like this checklist. And in fact, in following those also sometimes, I mean, we can, we can, we can begin with, uh, a very high motivation or enthusiasm, but then gradually, you know, life keeps happening. It is very unpredictable. And that to when you are, uh, you know, doing something, which is, um, like a vision that you are, you are following, uh, it can be very, very hard or challenging to, uh, sustain everything, uh, together. So how human design and inflection method helps someone reconnect with, with clarity and self-trust.

00:16:16 Fiona Grant Leydier: Thanks so much for asking about that. And I just want to, you know, touch first on, you know, what you said. I mean, you the idea is not to add more to the to do list, as you say, right? It's like we can come with all the best intentions and you hire a coach and you start, you're all gung ho and you know, but then it just becomes something else that you have to do. No, that is not the goal here with the inflection method or it shouldn't be with any of this work that one does for themselves. The idea is to understand how to make it a part of your life. And that's why creating small daily habits grows in impact over time. It compounds right? Human design is an incredible. Framework, if you will, to put it into a word in a context that people can kind of easily grasp that it isn't a labeling system. It's not like the Enneagram or Myers-Briggs or anything like that. It is actually something that explains how you were born, and how you are innately designed to move through the world to, to connect and, and build your own inner authority so that when you express yourself outwardly, you're doing so in a confident, authentic way that is true to you. And it, it explains how you're meant to, um, how you best make decisions, how you can most effectively communicate your ideas, how you connect and relate to other people. And it's in essence, the science of differentiation. The human design framework was, was created based on ancient wisdom. The I Ching um, paired with um, the chakra system as well as quantum physics. So it's, it's quite a complex system, but in the way that I teach it to clients, it's done through a language that has been completely rewritten by a woman for business, so that it's more easily understandable and attainable. And human design is transformative to learn your human design, it gives you language for things in your life that you innately know, but you just never had the words for. And so it's very like affirming. And that's what gives you the confidence. And it's not like this big bravado kind of confidence. It's like a grounded confidence, you know, like a very calm, grounding confidence that you get through learning and understanding and studying your human design.

00:19:19 Sana: Yeah. Because, uh, because you have seen, I mean, you have lived through those experiences, not just through, uh, working with, uh, leaders, but also, uh, you know, through your own life experiences as, as well. So, uh, that I think brings a very unique blend, uh, to sometimes, you know, people would say, ah, this is all woo woo or something, which doesn't even have any relevance in the, in the business world or in the world of leadership. So yeah, that makes sense.

00:19:55 Fiona Grant Leydier: Yeah. No, I mean, that's, I think that's the biggest disservice that people can do for themselves is to disregard human design as being too woo. It is not it's not woo really at all. Um, it very much is, is it's very grounded and factual. And the minute you start to learn and study your own human design, you. You see for yourself that it, it really is. Um, it's like a lesson plan basically for your life and for how you are meant to show up and the lessons that you have to learn in order to be the best expression of yourself. You know, there, there's, we all have pros and cons in our life. We have strengths and weaknesses, and all of that can be explained through understanding your human design, which is fascinating because if you have that knowledge, then you can understand when you are met with a specific moment, how you can be dwelling in the weakness that you have in that certain situation, or with awareness, you can bring awareness to when you're kind of dwelling in that weakness so that you can flip over to the strength and meet that moment from a position of strength as opposed to weakness. And human design gives you the tools and the understanding of yourself to be able to do that like nothing else does. Yeah.

00:21:33 Sana: And, uh, Fiona, um, in the, in the interest of time, you know, before we wrap up, of course, um, I, I, I'm very sure, um, our listeners will be very, very curious or eager to explore more about the inflection method. Um, seek more wisdom from Yousef. Of course, if they would like to reach out to you, connect with you, what's, what's the best way for that?

00:21:59 Fiona Grant Leydier: Um, thank you so much for asking. Absolutely. You know, I invite people to, um, book a personal clarity session, which is a free, complimentary one hour session that I have with potential clients, whereby we spend time looking at their lives and understanding the pressure of the daily demands that they have. And we speak openly about how they're navigating those moments. And the session really helps to bring awareness and language to what they're experiencing in their daily lives. Um, what might be weighing on them and holding them back. And it offers a chance to explore whether additional support might be of value to them. So they can book that at the inflection dot com slash clarity.

00:22:55 Sana: Amazing stuff. This is, you heard it from Fiona. And what I'll do is I'll have the link and the details mentioned in the show notes. So find them attached along with this episode on your favorite podcast platform. Uh, go and check out inflection method dot com slash clarity. And yeah, book a personal clarity session with Fiona and of course, get to know more about the inflection method. And before that, get to know more about human design. Because I think this conversation, I mean, um, it's, it's simple, but not easy. I mean, this, the feeling of being off, it isn't something to ignore or push through listeners. It's information. And maybe, maybe it's an invitation and it doesn't ask you to step away from your life, but it provides you a direction in realizing that there is, there is a better way, a sustainable way to come back to yourself within it. So if this conversation stayed with you, which I'm very sure it did, and if it helped you recognize something you haven't been able to name. That's exactly why the show exists. And thank you so, so much, I know that. You know, we didn't have much time, but I think we are now beginning to understand the importance of understanding exactly who we are. Understanding our own design. And of course, for the all the leaders out there who are pushing through, putting out fires in there, but still they they want to come back to themselves. So thank you so much.

00:24:39 Fiona Grant Leydier: Oh, thank you so much for having me. I really enjoyed the conversation.

00:24:43 Sana: Absolutely, absolutely. Me too. And listeners, I hope you also, um, loved listening to Fiona and um, of course, do connect with her and, uh, do follow this blend and for more such conversations that don't just inform you, but help you hear yourself a little more clearly. Until next time, this is your host Sana signing off. Thank you and take care.