2026: Breathe In

Most leaders don’t wake up one day burned out. They wake up successful, capable, and quietly exhausted.

They’re still delivering. Still leading meetings. Still being “the steady one.”

But somewhere along the way, leadership stopped feeling spacious and started feeling heavy. That’s where executive coaching actually belongs. Not as burnout recovery. But as a place to breathe again while you’re still leading.

Coaching Is Where Leaders Slow the Spin

One of the most consistent things leaders say after coaching isn’t “I fixed everything.”

It’s “I finally slowed down.” As one of my clients shared, coaching helped them “slow down, readjust my mindset, and concentrate on my strengths… allowing me to show up at my best in my professional environment”.

That slowing down isn’t indulgent. It’s strategic. When leaders have space to think, they lead differently. Decisions sharpen. Conversations change. Energy returns.

Sustainable leadership starts when leaders stop running at full speed with no place to pause. (Can you breathe?)

A Meaningful Kind of Space

Many executives don’t lack competence. They lack space. Space to think out loud. Space to be unsure without consequence. Space to process what leadership actually feels like.

Clients often describe coaching as “a truly safe space where I felt completely at ease to share openly and without judgment”. Another named it as learning “how to truly hold space,” something leaders rarely receive themselves. That space matters. Because leaders who never get to pause end up leading on fumes. (Sound familiar?)

Sustainability Is Felt Before It’s Measured

Leadership sustainability isn’t a framework. It’s a feeling.

It’s the difference between reacting and choosing. Between carrying everything alone and knowing what’s yours to hold. Between pushing through and leading with clarity.

One leader described coaching as helping them “sit with my feelings longer instead of pushing them aside, because they informed the way I took action”. That awareness changes how leaders show up. It’s grounded. And it directly impacts decision quality, presence, and trust. (What are you noticing?)

Strengths Make Leadership Lighter

When leaders reconnect to their natural strengths, leadership stops feeling forced. Connecting with your strengths offers permission. Permission to lead from what’s already working. To stop trying to be everything. To build teams and decisions around what comes naturally.

Coaching helped my clients move from confusion and overwhelm to less doubt and more confidence. That’s not burnout recovery; that’s leadership alignment. (What are your strengths?)

Coaching Isn’t About Fixing Leaders

It’s about keeping them.

Keeping their clarity.

Keeping their energy.

Keeping their sense of purpose.

Executive coaching, at its best, helps leaders stay in the work without losing themselves to it. Coaching brings back curiosity, steadiness, and momentum. Or as my client put it: “It allowed me to show up at my best.”  (Does this feel sustainable?)

That’s the work.

If leadership has started to feel tight, rushed, or heavier than it should, you don’t need fixing; you need space. I partner with leaders who want leadership that lasts. Let’s create room to think, choose, and lead boldly, without burning out.

Here's to 2026!

Reeshemah

Reeshemah Davis, PCC, CPCC, is a certified executive and leadership coach who helps leaders build clarity, confidence, and influence while navigating complex workplaces. Her coaching supports meaningful perspective shifts that lead to focused action and sustainable growth. Want to learn more? Click here.