Choose the leader you are becoming, or default to the leader you have been. That is the real decision in front of you as you head into a new year.
Most leaders believe change starts with better goals. New priorities. New plans. But if you keep showing up with the same identity, the same emotional patterns, and the same nervous system responses, you will recreate the same year with different tasks.
This episode is about breaking that cycle.
Episode overview
This is Episode 2 of my three-part Design Yourself series on creating the life and leadership you want in 2026. In Episode 1, we focused on self-awareness and uncovering the default stories running your leadership. In this episode, we move from awareness to choice.
Because you cannot design a different year if you show up as the same version of yourself.
In this conversation, I break down why goals do not create lasting change and why identity does. We explore how identity is formed, how it drives behavior under pressure, and why many high-performing leaders stay stuck by clinging to versions of themselves that once worked but no longer fit.
I also share personal stories about releasing old identities and what shifted when I consciously chose who I wanted to become, not someday, but now.
Research highlight
According to research from the University of Scranton, ninety-two percent of people fail to achieve their goals. One major reason is that they focus on outcomes instead of the identity and systems required to sustain change.
Key takeaways
• You cannot design a different year if you show up as the same version of yourself.
• Identity is not fixed. It is practiced.
• Your identity drives your behavior, not the other way around.
• Leadership friction is often an identity problem, not a performance problem.
• You are designing the experience of you every day.
Mic drop moments
• Choose the leader you are becoming, or default to the leader you have been.
• Goals do not create change. Identity does.
• If you do not upgrade your identity, your life will keep bumping up against the same edges.
• You are not designing a to-do list for 2026. You are designing the experience of you.
If you haven’t listened to Episode 1 yet, start there. In Episode 3, we’ll talk about how to design a 2026 structure that supports the leader you are becoming, because you don’t need a better plan. You need a better practice.
If this episode resonated, share it with someone who’s ready to stop repeating the same year with different tasks, and subscribe to Reflect Forward wherever you listen.
Connect with Kerry
Visit my website, kerrysiggins.com, to explore my book, The Ownership Mindset, and get more leadership resources. Let’s connect on LinkedIn, Instagram, or TikTok!
Find Reflect Forward on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@kerrysiggins-reflectforward
Find out more about my book here: https://kerrysiggins.com/the-ownership-mindset/
Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kerry-siggins/
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Choose the leader you are becoming, or default to the leader you have been. That is the real decision in front of you as you head into a new year.
Most leaders believe change starts with better goals. New priorities. New plans. But if you keep showing up with the same identity, the same emotional patterns, and the same nervous system responses, you will recreate the same year with different tasks.
This episode is about breaking that cycle.
Episode overview
This is Episode 2 of my three-part Design Yourself series on creating the life and leadership you want in 2026. In Episode 1, we focused on self-awareness and uncovering the default stories running your leadership. In this episode, we move from awareness to choice.
Because you cannot design a different year if you show up as the same version of yourself.
In this conversation, I break down why goals do not create lasting change and why identity does. We explore how identity is formed, how it drives behavior under pressure, and why many high-performing leaders stay stuck by clinging to versions of themselves that once worked but no longer fit.
I also share personal stories about releasing old identities and what shifted when I consciously chose who I wanted to become, not someday, but now.
Research highlight
According to research from the University of Scranton, ninety-two percent of people fail to achieve their goals. One major reason is that they focus on outcomes instead of the identity and systems required to sustain change.
Key takeaways
• You cannot design a different year if you show up as the same version of yourself.
• Identity is not fixed. It is practiced.
• Your identity drives your behavior, not the other way around.
• Leadership friction is often an identity problem, not a performance problem.
• You are designing the experience of you every day.
Mic drop moments
• Choose the leader you are becoming, or default to the leader you have been.
• Goals do not create change. Identity does.
• If you do not upgrade your identity, your life will keep bumping up against the same edges.
• You are not designing a to-do list for 2026. You are designing the experience of you.
If you haven’t listened to Episode 1 yet, start there. In Episode 3, we’ll talk about how to design a 2026 structure that supports the leader you are becoming, because you don’t need a better plan. You need a better practice.
If this episode resonated, share it with someone who’s ready to stop repeating the same year with different tasks, and subscribe to Reflect Forward wherever you listen.
Connect with Kerry
Visit my website, kerrysiggins.com, to explore my book, The Ownership Mindset, and get more leadership resources. Let’s connect on LinkedIn, Instagram, or TikTok!
Find Reflect Forward on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@kerrysiggins-reflectforward
Find out more about my book here: https://kerrysiggins.com/the-ownership-mindset/
Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kerry-siggins/
To lead well, you must train your brain to lead. When your nervous system is calm, you think clearly, make better decisions, and build stronger relationships. When it is hijacked by stress or fear, even the most experienced leader can lose presence and perspective. In this episode, executive leadership coach Nataly Huff, founder of Inspire Forward, explores the neuroscience behind composure, emotional regulation, and the stories we tell ourselves when we are triggered.
We dive into what really happens during an amygdala hijack, why your prefrontal cortex becomes depleted, and how to use your body’s cues to regulate your nervous system in real time. Nataly shares science-based strategies to pause before reacting, leverage tools like box breathing and compartmentalization, and reframe inaccurate thoughts before they spiral into conflict. Together, we explore what it truly means to train your brain to lead, not by suppressing emotions but by understanding them.
If you have ever left a meeting thinking, “Why did I react like that,” this conversation gives you the self-awareness and practical tools to stay grounded, curious, and in control.
About Nataly
Nataly Huff is an executive leadership coach with 15 years of corporate experience. She blends neuroscience and emotional intelligence to help emerging executives elevate their leadership impact. Learn more and book a discovery call at inspireforward.com.
What we cover
• The brain’s happiness chemicals and how to leverage them for better performance
• Amygdala hijacks and how to recognize, interrupt, and reset
• Practical nervous system regulation through box breathing, 4 7 8, and sensory grounding
• Healthy compartmentalization: when to use it and when to unpack it
• The Think → Feel → Do framework and Byron Katie’s Four Questions for challenging
limiting stories
• Triggers, ownership, and radical honesty, and how to lead yourself first
• Why the goal is not perfection but a faster recovery loop
Key takeaways
1. Name it to tame it. Notice your physiological cues, label the amygdala hijack, and pause before reacting.
2. Breathe with structure. Try box breathing or 4 7 8 to bring your attention back to the present.
3. Compartmentalize with intention. Put it in a box now and plan when you will process it.
4. Interrupt the story. Ask, “Is it true? Can I know for sure,” before assuming the worst.
5. Progress over perfection. The more you train your brain to lead, the faster you recover and the stronger you show up.
Mic drop moments
• “There is no bear. It is just an email.”
• “Your prefrontal cortex cannot run on empty. Fuel it or you default to reaction.”
• “Compartmentalization is powerful if you open the box later.”
• “Honor the pattern before you release it. It helped you survive and succeed.”
• “Leadership is not the absence of triggers. It is ownership of your recovery.”
Resources mentioned
• Breathwork: box breathing, 4 7 8 breathing
• Frameworks: Think → Feel → Do, Byron Katie’s Four Questions
Connect with Nataly
Website: https://www.inspire-forward.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natalyhuff
Instagram: @inspirefwdcoaching
Tik Tok: @https://www.tiktok.com/@inspirefwdcoaching
Book a Free Call: https://www.inspire-forward.com/book-a-free-call
Rewiring Your Leadership Brain https://www.inspire-forward.com/rewiring-your-leadership-brain
Connect with Kerry
Visit my website, kerrysiggins.com, to explore my book, The Ownership Mindset, and get more leadership resources. Let’s connect on LinkedIn, Instagram, or TikTok!
Find Reflect Forward on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@kerrysiggins-reflectforward
Find out more about my book here: https://kerrysiggins.com/the-ownership-mindset/
Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kerry-siggins/
Reflect Forward
Choose the leader you are becoming, or default to the leader you have been. That is the real decision in front of you as you head into a new year.
Most leaders believe change starts with better goals. New priorities. New plans. But if you keep showing up with the same identity, the same emotional patterns, and the same nervous system responses, you will recreate the same year with different tasks.
This episode is about breaking that cycle.
Episode overview
This is Episode 2 of my three-part Design Yourself series on creating the life and leadership you want in 2026. In Episode 1, we focused on self-awareness and uncovering the default stories running your leadership. In this episode, we move from awareness to choice.
Because you cannot design a different year if you show up as the same version of yourself.
In this conversation, I break down why goals do not create lasting change and why identity does. We explore how identity is formed, how it drives behavior under pressure, and why many high-performing leaders stay stuck by clinging to versions of themselves that once worked but no longer fit.
I also share personal stories about releasing old identities and what shifted when I consciously chose who I wanted to become, not someday, but now.
Research highlight
According to research from the University of Scranton, ninety-two percent of people fail to achieve their goals. One major reason is that they focus on outcomes instead of the identity and systems required to sustain change.
Key takeaways
• You cannot design a different year if you show up as the same version of yourself.
• Identity is not fixed. It is practiced.
• Your identity drives your behavior, not the other way around.
• Leadership friction is often an identity problem, not a performance problem.
• You are designing the experience of you every day.
Mic drop moments
• Choose the leader you are becoming, or default to the leader you have been.
• Goals do not create change. Identity does.
• If you do not upgrade your identity, your life will keep bumping up against the same edges.
• You are not designing a to-do list for 2026. You are designing the experience of you.
If you haven’t listened to Episode 1 yet, start there. In Episode 3, we’ll talk about how to design a 2026 structure that supports the leader you are becoming, because you don’t need a better plan. You need a better practice.
If this episode resonated, share it with someone who’s ready to stop repeating the same year with different tasks, and subscribe to Reflect Forward wherever you listen.
Connect with Kerry
Visit my website, kerrysiggins.com, to explore my book, The Ownership Mindset, and get more leadership resources. Let’s connect on LinkedIn, Instagram, or TikTok!
Find Reflect Forward on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@kerrysiggins-reflectforward
Find out more about my book here: https://kerrysiggins.com/the-ownership-mindset/
Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kerry-siggins/
