“Just be grateful.” “Everything happens for a reason.” “It could be worse.” Maybe youโve said it. Maybe youโve heard it. But hereโs the truth: Positivity, when used to silence pain, becomes a barrier to growth. In the latest episode of Her Next Power Move, I explore the trap of toxic positivity and how it disguises itself as motivationโwhile denying us the space to feel, grieve, and grow. Based…
Sometimes the bravest thing you can do is get your hopes up. When everything around us feels uncertainโwhen crisis hits or change comes too fastโitโs easy to believe that staying guarded is smarter. But research tells a different story. Hope Theory, grounded in positive psychology, shows that hope isnโt naiveโitโs strategic. It fuels resilience. It builds pathways where none seem to exist. It keeps us moving when the…
โSome leadership lessons arenโt taught โ theyโre absorbed. In the Black Church, they seep into your spirit between Sunday School and fish fries. They hitch a ride in the choir stand, on the platform behind the pulpit, on the marble floors of fellowship halls. Over the past year, while writing Call & Response: 10 Leadership Lessons from the Black Church (Amistad-HarperCollins/JVL Media llc), I had the honor of…
Letโs get one thing straight: Middle management is not the waiting room to the C-Suite. Itโs the launch pad. But too many high-performing leaders get stuck there, not because they lack potentialโbut because they lack positioning. And the right relationships? They shift the ground beneath your feet. One of the smartest strategic moves you can make is building your Personal Board of Directorsโa tight, curated circle of senior…
We live in a world that wants us to believe happiness is a stroke of luck or a reward for checking all the right boxes. But if youโre waiting on good vibes to just fall into your lap, you may be waiting a long time. Hereโs the truth: Happiness is not a destinationโitโs a practice. And more importantly, itโs your responsibility. Let me break it down. According to…
What makes you feel joy and clarityโฆ might not work for me. Thatโs the beauty of happiness triggersโtheyโre personal. Rooted in your values. Aligned with what you care about most. Backed by brain science. In this video, Iโm sharing how to find your own happiness triggers and why theyโre essential for leading with clarity, connection, and purpose. Research shows just one moment of positive emotion can reshape your…
Since March, Iโve been moving at a pace that only purpose can justify. And itโs been powerful. Hereโs just a glimpse of the journey: โ I submitted the full manuscript for my fourth book, Call & Response: 10 Leadership Lessons from the Black Churchโa love letter to cultural leadership, steeped in science and soul โ I spoke at and moderated multiple impactful leadership events โ I offered a…
Have you ever felt like youโre on the edge of burnoutโbut still expected to lead through it? In this weekโs episode of Her Next Power Move, I unpack the neuroscience of resilience and how you can literally rewire your brain to bounce forward. This isnโt about powering throughโitโs about transforming through. ๐ง Tune in now and grab the FREE downloadable infographic to help you make the mindset shift.…
Tomorrowโs episode is for anyone leading in uncertain times and wondering if theyโre built for it. Hereโs your reminder: You areโand neuroscience agrees. Weโre talking resilienceโnot as something youโre born with, but something your brain can build. Let me be the voice on your shoulder reminding you: Youโre not broken. Youโre becoming. Subscribe: lmichellesmith.substack.com
With so much beyond our control, how can we as leaders steer our teams, families, and ourselves through the unknown? Here are three tips to manage uncertainty effectively: โ Cultivate Emotional Agility Emotional agility is about staying in touch with what youโre feeling without judgement and adapting as circumstances evolve. Research from Harvard Business Review shows that leaders who practice emotional agility make better decisions in high-stress situations.…