Being resourced means having the physical, mental, and emotional capacity to meet life's challenges effectively. When we are resourced, we feel calm and grounded, show up as emotionally present, and engage authentically with others. We think clearly and make sound decisions, experience safety in our bodies and in our environment and have the capacity to connect meaningfully with others.
Before entrepreneurship, I spent the majority of my life in elite competitive sport. As an elite athlete I learned to push my body and mind in training and competition. While the demands of sport are different from operating in the professional world, there are many similarities. One thing that is obvious in sport, but less obvious outside of sport is the importance of being resourced and regulated. In athletics, we are centering our training and preparation to be ready to perform optimally for our competitions week to week and over the course of a year or a quadrennial we are looking to peak for our championships. The obvious performative nature of sport forces athletes to plan to be regulated and resourced for their competitions.
Additionally, at the highest levels of sport the difference between good and great or good and legendary is consistency over time and consistency when it matters most. Almost anyone in the MLB has the talent to hit a home run, every player in the NBA has the capacity hit 15 3’s in a game. To be consistent, one must be consistently resourced.
As a founder, I was constantly in a battle of trying to do more and also remain regulated. Just as my worst plays came when I was not resourced as an athlete, my worst moments as a founder came when I was dysregulated— regrettable hiring decisions made without thorough diligence, unnecessarily sharp feedback to direct reports, investor pitches that lacked the magnetism needed to close a deal. These experiences showed me that regulation isn't just good for personal wellbeing—it directly impacts leadership effectiveness in numerous specific ways.
The leadership journey isn't about maintaining perfect regulation—that's impossible given the challenges of building a company. Instead, it's about developing awareness of where you are on this spectrum at any given moment, recognizing early warning signs of dysregulation, and having practiced tools to return to a regulated state efficiently. (I’ll write about tools in other posts) This capacity becomes particularly crucial during fundraising, scaling challenges, and navigating conflicts among leadership teams.
There are many scientific models that point to our level of regulation. I really like Dr. Stephen Porges' Polyvagal Theory because it offers a robust framework that allows us to view our level of regulation on a spectrum that we move through. As a leader, it's critical to have an understanding of this spectrum so we can observe our dysregulation and make changes to re-regulate and resource ourselves. Unlike other models, Polyvagal Theory specifically addresses how our nervous system states impact our social engagement—a crucial aspect of leadership.
At the center of Porges' theory is the vagus nerve, which controls much of our parasympathetic "rest and digest" system. What makes Porges' work significant is his identification of two distinct branches of this nerve:
The Dorsal Vagal Complex - This is the evolutionarily older pathway associated with immobilization and shutdown responses.
The Ventral Vagal Complex - This newer pathway, unique to mammals, supports social engagement, calm states, and our sense of safety.
While it's convenient to talk about being either "regulated" or "dysregulated," the reality is far more nuanced. Our nervous system states exist on a continuous spectrum rather than as discrete categories. We're constantly moving along this spectrum throughout each day, sometimes even each hour.
Think of regulation as a sliding scale, not a simple on-off switch. At one end lies deep ventral vagal regulation characterized by calm, connection, and presence. In the middle ranges exist various degrees of activation and alertness while maintaining fundamental safety, where we often operate during productive workdays. At the other end lies extreme sympathetic arousal (fight/flight) and eventually dorsal vagal collapse (freeze/shutdown), states that can derail even the most seasoned leader's effectiveness.
We naturally flow along the regulation spectrum throughout our day in response to varying demands—from challenging stakeholder conversations to physical needs like hunger or fatigue. As leaders, our regulated state might appear as calm focus during strategic planning, engaged presence in board meetings, or deep relaxation during recovery time. When dysregulation occurs, it manifests in patterns uniquely relevant to leadership contexts. Sympathetic activation might show up as hypervigilance about market threats, with racing thoughts disrupting strategic clarity during crucial negotiations. Dorsal vagal responses might emerge as emotional numbness during difficult feedback sessions or profound exhaustion coloring your entire business perspective.
Recognizing these patterns early allows for intervention before dysregulation escalates. When our nervous system shifts toward defense responses, our perception narrows precisely when expansive thinking is most needed, making it difficult to connect authentically with stakeholders, allocate resources wisely, or distinguish between present opportunities and past setbacks.
As leaders, our nervous system regulation ripples throughout our organizations. Teams unconsciously attune to leaders' states, meaning your regulation becomes a cornerstone of company culture. When you can maintain ventral vagal regulation during crisis, you signal safety that enables your team to access their best thinking rather than their survival responses.
The most effective humans I know recognize that their nervous system regulation directly impacts life outcomes. Simple practices like breathing exercises before important events, movement or physical exercise between intense work blocks, and structured recovery days have proven as valuable as any strategic planning session.
The path forward as a leader isn't fighting against our biology but working with it. The most effective humans develop sensitivity to these subtle nervous system shifts and implement practices to maintain regulation during pivotal business moments. By recognizing subtle shifts toward dysregulation before they escalate, we can implement micro-interventions that maintain our leadership presence and effectiveness. This awareness builds the foundation for resilient leadership, meaningful connections with our teams, and the clear strategic thinking required to navigate the complex challenges of building a successful company.