Practical Wisdom for High-Power Situations

Life isn’t happening to you. Life is responding to you. So change must begin INSIDE.

Here is the experience of one of my clients, Davis Rosborough, Chief of Staff, in his own words:

Spending nearly a decade in investment banking and venture capital reinforced one necessity: To be a highly-effective participant in any demanding environment requires training like a professional athlete.

[Related: Olympic Gymnast Carly Patterson on Pressure, Success, and Inspiring Others]

For me, working 80-100 hour weeks, traveling 40 weeks a year, and often sleeping 4-5 hours a night was never ideal — and it led to strain that eventually ran me down. This daily tumult of life extended beyond my body — it negatively affected me emotionally and intellectually.

A shift occurred for me when I began working with my teacher, Michele Risa — who taught me to view everything as time and energy investments: what I eat, read, pay attention to, which relationships I choose to maintain or invest in — are all deliberate choices that I make.

With this method of taking inventory, I paired a daily practice. At first, finding the time for meditation felt like a nuisance. Yet as time passed, the breath work began to compound, postures in the body felt more comfortable, and soon a habit was reinforced. Eventually it became my foundation — the daily hygiene for my soul, a new way of operating. My meditation led to new insights about problem solving.

[Related: Become a Master Problem Solver]

With new mental models for discernment and decision-making, I felt my confidence strengthening — my ability to take risks increased. I left my firm after nine years of dedication and took a leap into an executive position within a global technology company.

Michele says that the real journey of life is fifteen inches: from the head to the heart. Rethinking the "self-critic" to a posture of self-love and appreciation; reimagining the external as a reflection of something that is seen internally; rewiring vulnerability and compassion to help serve your higher purpose, are just some of the frameworks that have helped me on this journey.

Being willing to venture into the realm of the self has verifiably proven to yield unimagined returns.

[Related: The Surprising Belief Holding Women Back]

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Michele Risa is the CEO of Collaborative Solutions Global. For over 25 years, she has supported influencers in their inner journey — reducing stress and struggles with health, uncovering joy within the heart, and shifting from surviving to creating a life that is a masterpiece.