Leadership Life Fit: Addressing Stress AND Stressors for a Quality Leadership Life Fit

In this Leadership Life Fit episode of the It's Been SAId podcast, host Dr. Dana Schon (Associate Executive Director — Professional Learning at School Administrators of Iowa) explores the critical distinction between stressors—the internal and external events that trigger us—and stress—the physiological reaction happening within our bodies. In this 30-minute podcast, discover actionable strategies to clarify your role at work, combat negative self-talk, and complete the stress cycle so you can avoid burnout and cultivate a quality leadership life fit. Show Notes & Key Timestamps • – Introduction • Welcome to Leadership Life Fit with Dana Schon. • – Stressors vs. Stress • Why managing a stressor requires a completely different approach than managing your stress response. • – Identifying External & Internal Stressors • External: work (role ambiguity, role conflict, and role overload), kids, family, finance, injustices • Internal: Self-criticism, negative self-talk, and trauma history. • – Strategies for Mitigating Work Stressors • Gaining role clarity, prioritizing with the Eisenhower Matrix, delegating, and establishing clear expectations. • – What is Burnout? • Understanding the three elements of burnout: Emotional exhaustion, decreased sense of accomplishment, and depersonalization. • – Completing the Stress Cycle • How emotions act like tunnels and why getting "stuck" in an emotion leads to burnout, not just physical exhaustion. • – Practical Ways to Reset Your Nervous System • Eight evidence-based techniques: Physical movement, REM sleep, box breathing, positive social interaction, deep laughter, safe affection, creative expression, and crying. • – Final Thoughts & Weekly Challenge • Differentiating how you address stressors (triggers) versus stress (your body's response). Resources & Links Mentioned • Organization: School Administrators of Iowa (SAI) (https://www.sai-iowa.org/) • Article Referenced: Gargi Sawhney and Mallory McCord (Harvard Business Review) on workplace stressors • Book Referenced: Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle by Emily Nagoski and Amelia Nagoski • Upcoming Event: Creating a Culture of Growth: Writing Effective Plans of Awareness and Assistance (Dec 8 at SAI in Clive)