Morning Lives with Melissa Agnes
A quick morning reset for leaders doing work that matters. Each episode helps you quiet the noise, get grounded, and move forward with confidence, even when fear or doubt show up. Hosted by Melissa Agnes, international keynote speaker, TEDx alumna, bestselling author, and founder of Crisis Ready Institute. For over 15 years, Melissa has helped leaders stay clear and steady in moments that matter. Now she brings that same grounded support to purpose-driven leaders who are stepping into bigger work and want to lead with conviction and trust in themselves and their mission. Every weekday, Melissa goes live on Instagram and LinkedIn with "Morning Lives with Melissa Agnes", then brings those recordings here so you can start your day grounded, steady, and ready. What to expect in each episode: - One bold TRUTH to help you remember what matters (especially when the world gets loud) - One short grounding drop-in to help you start your day centered, aligned, and regulated. Press play in the morning, come back anytime you need a reset, and share this with a leader who could use a steadier start to their day.
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When Is Leadership Truly Revealed?
02/24/2026
When Is Leadership Truly Revealed?
True leadership is not revealed on easy days. True leadership is revealed in moments of uncertainty and vulnerability. And those are the moments that bear the most impact. In today’s Morning Lives, Melissa explores why repair matters more than perfection, why intent does not replace awareness, and how accountability builds safety and trust. You’ll also experience a heart-focused breathing practice to help you access the inner safety required to lead with courage. This Episode Explores: Why leadership is revealed in high-stakes, vulnerable moments The critical difference between intent and impact How accountability creates safety and trust Why repair deepens connection more than defensiveness ever will A heart-focused breathing practice to regulate before courageous conversations Join Melissa Live each weekday morning at 9am EST for the live recording of Morning Lives with Melissa Agnes on Instagram and LinkedIn. Follow on Instagram: Follow on LinkedIn: Interested in diving deeper into transformational leadership? Explore the Visionary Leadership Mastermind: Please share this with another leader who would benefit. Thank you!
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Intuition Is a Leadership Skill (And You Can Practice It)
02/23/2026
Intuition Is a Leadership Skill (And You Can Practice It)
How often do you listen to your instincts or your intuition? In today’s Morning Lives, Melissa explores how leaders override inner knowing, why it happens, and how practicing coherence helps you access steadiness, clarity, and better decisions. You will leave with a grounded question to contemplate and a simple drop-in practice to return to yourself. This episode explores: The cost of ignoring your gut, including reduced clarity and increased internal noise Why your instincts can be accurate even when your brain cannot explain them yet How coherence makes it easier to hear and trust inner guidance A practical reframe: heart and gut lead, brain supports as the direct report How micro-steps build real self-trust over time Join Melissa Live each weekday morning at 9am EST for the live recording of Morning Lives with Melissa Agnes on Instagram and LinkedIn. Follow on Instagram: Follow on LinkedIn: Interested in diving deeper into transformational leadership? Explore the Visionary Leadership Mastermind:
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The 4 Levels of Safety Visionary Leaders Must Create
02/20/2026
The 4 Levels of Safety Visionary Leaders Must Create
In this episode of Morning Lives, Melissa Agnes explores the opposing dynamics of safety: safety comes from within, and visionary leaders are also responsible for creating safety for the people they lead. You’ll learn the four levels of safety (physical, psychological, emotional, energetic) and why nervous system regulation is the foundation for trust, credibility, and leadership presence. This is a grounded conversation for mission-driven leaders who want to lead through change, disruption, and emotional intensity with steadiness and self-trust. This episode explores: Why safety starts inside your nervous system, not in external certainty The 4 levels of safety visionary leaders must create: physical, psychological, emotional, energetic How regulation becomes credibility, trust, and leadership presence What emotional safety actually requires (and why most leaders avoid it) A simple breath-based drop-in to signal safety to your body in real time Join Melissa Live each weekday morning at 9am EST for the live recording of Morning Lives with Melissa Agnes on Instagram and LinkedIn. Follow on Instagram: Follow on LinkedIn: Please share this with another leader who would benefit. Thank you!
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How to Access Clarity When Everything Is Shifting
02/19/2026
How to Access Clarity When Everything Is Shifting
When the world feels unsteady, most people look outward for clarity. But in a rapidly changing world, no one has all the answers. And the more we search externally for certainty, the more fear multiplies. In this episode of Morning Lives, Melissa explores the difference between reactive leadership and visionary leadership. Reactive leadership searches outward and gets stuck in doubt and uncertainty. Visionary leadership creates safety within, accesses clarity from within, and leads from possibility instead of probability. This is a grounded message of hope and empowerment for mission-driven leaders who feel how much is shifting and know they are here to help shape what comes next. When it feels like everything is burning down, remember the Phoenix. Visionary leaders do not just survive the fire. They shape what rises. Join Melissa Live each weekday morning at 9am EST for the live recording of Morning Lives with Melissa Agnes on Instagram and LinkedIn. Follow on Instagram: Follow on LinkedIn: Please share this with another leader who would benefit.
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Attunement: The Leadership Skill That Unlocks Clarity
02/18/2026
Attunement: The Leadership Skill That Unlocks Clarity
What if clarity didn’t require force? Attunement is the leadership skill of accessing deeper awareness and guidance in real time, especially in moments of resistance and uncertainty. In this episode, Melissa explains attunement through a practical leadership lens and guides a short exercise to help you strengthen your capacity to perceive, sense, and respond from steadiness, clarity, and grounded inspiration. What you’ll learn: What “attunement” actually is (and why it is a leadership advantage) A simple way to “listen from the heart” to shift into coherence A simple way to “listen from the gut” to access clarity in real time How to practice attunement inside meetings and hard conversations Join Melissa Live each weekday morning at 9am EST for the live recording of Morning Lives with Melissa Agnes on Instagram and LinkedIn. Follow on Instagram: Follow on LinkedIn: Please share this with another leader who would benefit.
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What Fire Horse Energy Means for Visionary Leadership
02/17/2026
What Fire Horse Energy Means for Visionary Leadership
Today we explore the beginning of the Year of the Fire Horse, and why it matters to you as a mission-driven leader. Regardless of whether you believe in astrology, collective belief systems shape behavior. And behavior shapes reality. When the cultural narrative amplifies themes like decisive movement, bold change, independence, and forward momentum, what opportunity does that create for visionary leadership? This episode unpacks: The symbolic themes of the Fire Horse year The psychological power of temporal landmarks and fresh starts How belief, emotion, and perception create reality—individually and collectively How to consciously align your leadership with amplified collective energy A guided coherence breathwork practice to anchor your forward momentum This episode is both perspective-expanding and experiential. If you are here to lead meaningful change, this is an invitation to move decisively. If this episode resonates, share it with another purpose-driven leader. Resources mentioned in this episode: The Visionary Leadership Mastermind is opening its doors for a 2026 cohort! If your body felt something when I mentioned the Visionary Leadership Mastermind, follow that signal. DM me “Mastermind” to learn more, on IG or LinkedIn: Instagram: LinkedIn:
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You Can’t Lead From Depletion! Systemize Your Self-Resourcing.
02/13/2026
You Can’t Lead From Depletion! Systemize Your Self-Resourcing.
As a mission-driven leader, you cannot create meaningful change from depletion. This episode is a grounded reminder to systemize self-resourcing so you can return to coherence, clarity, and self-trust, before the weight of what you carry begins to feel like the full “truth.” Within this espisode, Melissa shares practical examples of replenishment and leads a simple breathwork drop-in to help you get out of survival mode and back into aligned leadership. This episode explores: Why depletion makes you feel jaded and convinces you the work is “too big” How to build multiple self-resourcing systems (not just one) to fall back on The role of support systems (friends, loved ones, coach, deeper modalities beyond talk therapy) Practical self-resourcing actions that restore frequency, steadiness, and inner power A guided coherence drop-in using breath and heart-focused awareness Join Melissa Live each weekday morning at 9am EST for the live recording of Morning Lives with Melissa Agnes on Instagram and LinkedIn. Follow on Instagram: Follow on LinkedIn: Please share this with another leader who would benefit. Thank you!
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Why Mindset Alone Doesn’t Change Your Results
02/12/2026
Why Mindset Alone Doesn’t Change Your Results
Mindset is important, but mindset alone does not create the identity-level shift that changes your life and leadership. In this episode, Melissa explains why affirmations and positive thinking often fail when unconscious belief systems are still running the emotional and behavioral autopilot. You will also be guided through a grounded drop-in breath practice to help you hear what you truly believe, so you can begin shifting it at the root. This episode explores: Why mindset is a gateway, not the mechanism of deep transformation How unconscious belief systems create emotions and dictate outcomes How to identify the subtle belief looping in the background of your mind A practical reframe: stop focusing on the gap and ask what is creating it internally How somatic practice helps bring the unconscious into conscious choice Join Melissa Live each weekday morning at 9am EST for the live recording of Morning Lives with Melissa Agnes on Instagram and LinkedIn. Follow on Instagram: Follow on LinkedIn: Please share this with another leader who would benefit. Thank you!
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The Three Brains of Leadership: How to Discern Intuition from Noise
02/11/2026
The Three Brains of Leadership: How to Discern Intuition from Noise
Did you know that you don’t only have one brain? You actually have three intelligence centers: your head brain, your heart brain, and your gut brain. And most leaders have never been taught how to use them all together... until now! In this episode, Melissa Agnes explores the science behind these three intelligence centers. She explains why so much critical information travels from the body up to the brain, and how cutting yourself off “at the neck” limits your clarity, resilience, and leadership effectiveness. You’ll discover: • The neuroscience of head, heart, and gut intelligence • Why fear lives in the cognitive brain • How to discern the whisper of truth from the loud voice of fear • Why coherence strengthens executive decision-making • How to build trust with your intuition over time • A guided drop-in practice to access clarity and steadiness As a mission-driven leader navigating uncertainty, this episode will help you lead from increased steadiness, coherence, and deep self-trust. Because you are not here to play small. You are here to move mountains. If this episode served you, please share it with another leader. Join Melissa live every weekday at 9am eastern, on LinkedIn and Instagram. Join on Instagram: Join on LinkedIn:
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Gratitude Is a Life Hack for Achieving Your Goals Faster
02/10/2026
Gratitude Is a Life Hack for Achieving Your Goals Faster
Gratitude is a powerful leadership tool and skill for purpose-driven leaders. Gratitude is one of the quickest ways to shift out of fear, stress, and scarcity and back into coherence, clarity, and grounded leadership. In this episode, Melissa shares a simple framework: one foot in gratitude for what is here now, and one foot in excitement for what is coming. You will also be guided through a heart-focused breathing and writing practice to amplify gratitude and excitement in your body. This episode explores: How gratitude interrupts survival mode and supports coherent, clear decision-making The “one foot in gratitude, one foot in excitement” framework for mission-driven leadership Why elevated emotional states can be contagious and help co-regulate others A guided breath + writing practice to amplify gratitude and excitement in your body Join Melissa Live each weekday morning at 9am EST for the live recording of Morning Lives with Melissa Agnes on Instagram and LinkedIn. Follow on Instagram: Follow on LinkedIn: Please share this with another leader who would benefit. Thank you in advance!
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You Can’t Lead From Survival Mode: How to Shift Out of Stress Fast
02/09/2026
You Can’t Lead From Survival Mode: How to Shift Out of Stress Fast
Stress isn’t just an emotion. It’s a physiological state that narrows your awareness and can shut down your access to visionary, strategic leadership. In this episode, Melissa explains what cortisol and adrenaline do to your brain, why you can’t create from survival mode, and how to shift into regulation and coherence quickly when you find yourself feeling stressed. You’ll also practice a simple breath-based drop-in designed to move you out of stress and survival, and into clarity, connection, and creation. This episode explores: Stress as a survival-state that narrows awareness and increases reactive decision-making Why cortisol/adrenaline can reduce access to the prefrontal cortex (vision, strategy, innovation) The difference between survival mode and creation mode—and why purpose-driven leaders must choose creation A fast “switch” practice: breathwork + heart-focused breathing to restore coherence How your regulation supports co-regulation and changes the tone and outcome of meetings Join Melissa Live each weekday morning at 9am EST for the live recording of Morning Lives with Melissa Agnes on Instagram and LinkedIn. Follow on Instagram: Follow on LinkedIn: Resources referenced in the episode Book: Abundance Ever After, by Cathy Heller Research referrenced: HeartMath Institute — heart-focused breathing / coherence practice Reference: “Our thoughts matter because our thoughts create matter.” — Dr. Joe Dispenza
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You’re Allowed to Feel Good (Even When Life Is Heavy)
02/06/2026
You’re Allowed to Feel Good (Even When Life Is Heavy)
You are allowed to feel good—even in moments of doubt, fear, uncertainty, anxiety, stress... And when these lower frequency emotions show up, “feeling good” is always a breath and a choice away. Follow on LinkedIn: ASK: Please share this with another leader who would benefit.
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The Powerful Benefits of Zero-Judgment Leadership
02/05/2026
The Powerful Benefits of Zero-Judgment Leadership
What if judgment is quietly costing you your steadiness, your compassion, and your leadership power? In this episode, Melissa explores what “zero judgment” can look like—toward others and toward yourself—without giving up boundaries, discernment, or standards. You’ll also be guided through a grounding breath-based drop-in to return to coherence, clarity, and self-trust. This episode explores: Why judgment often becomes self-righteousness and reduces empathy How to disapprove without judging (keep boundaries, drop superiority) The difference between selecting and judging in leadership and relationships How judgment wastes time + energy and pulls you out of your highest self A grounding drop-in to build awareness + coherence in real time Join Melissa Live each weekday morning at 9am EST for the live recording of Morning Lives with Melissa Agnes on Instagram and LinkedIn. Follow on Instagram: Follow on LinkedIn: Resources referenced in the episode Book: Atlas of the Heart, by Brené Brown Quote: “The self-righteous scream judgments against others to hide the noise of skeletons dancing in their own closets.” — John Mark Green Quote (comment shared live by a viewer): “Judge not that you be judged.” — Matthew 7:1
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When You Encounter Hatred: Transmuting Hate Into Something Life-Giving
02/04/2026
When You Encounter Hatred: Transmuting Hate Into Something Life-Giving
There’s a lot of hatred in our world right now, and many mission-driven leaders feel unsure about how to meet it. In this episode, Melissa names that reality and then takes you somewhere steadier: understanding hatred as an emotion, as an energy, and as a choice—so you can meet it without wobbling, counter it with coherence, and be stronger than it. This episode explores: What hatred is made of and how it works Why hatred can intensify when there’s distance and “ideological bunkers” How “common enemy intimacy” creates counterfeit belonging Why understanding hatred matters if you want to lead through it How to interrupt the current of hate so you don’t carry it forward A heart-opening drop-in to practice meeting fear with love—safely and powerfully Join Melissa Live each weekday morning at 9am EST for the live recording of Morning Lives with Melissa Agnes on Instagram and LinkedIn. Follow on Instagram: Follow on LinkedIn: Resources referenced in the episode: Book: "Atlas of the Heart," by Brené Brown Research paper: "Why We Hate," by Agneta Fischer, Eran Halperin, Daphna Canetti, and Alba Jasini Researcher/Reference: Robert Sternberg
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Failure Is a Choice: The Difference Between Temporary Defeat and Failure
02/03/2026
Failure Is a Choice: The Difference Between Temporary Defeat and Failure
In today’s Morning Lives, Melissa reframes success as an upward spiral — not a straight line — and invites leaders to stop interpreting “backwards” moments as failure. You’ll learn the difference between temporary defeat and failure, how to use setbacks as information and insight, and how to return to steadiness through breath and heart-focused coherence. This episode includes a guided drop-in to help the truth land in your body: your next win may be closer than you think. This episode explores: • Why real growth and success move in spirals (progress + wobble + return) • How to distinguish temporary defeat (data) from failure (a choice to stop) • A practical reframe: extract the “seed of equivalent advantage” from setbacks • How to course-correct without shame when old patterns reappear • A breath + heart-focused drop-in to restore coherence, hope, and forward momentum Join Melissa Live each weekday morning at 9am EST for the live recording of Morning Lives with Melissa Agnes on Instagram and LinkedIn. Instagram: LinkedIn: Resources referenced in the episode: Book: "Outwitting the Devil: The Secrets to Freedom and Success," by Napoleon Hill Research/Reference: HeartMath Institute — heart-focused breathing/coherence context Proverb: “The temptation to give up is greatest right before you’re about to succeed.” — Chinese proverb (as shared in-session)
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Feeling Powerless About the World Right Now? You’re Not. Here's How To Reclaim Your Power.
02/02/2026
Feeling Powerless About the World Right Now? You’re Not. Here's How To Reclaim Your Power.
A lot of people are watching what’s happening in the world and thinking: “I’m just one person. I can’t change this. I can’t make an impact.” In today’s Morning Live, Melissa Agnes delivers the message you need to hear clearly: You are not powerless. Here’s the truth: you can’t fight fear with fear—just like you can’t fight darkness with darkness. The only thing that overcomes fear is love (love-based emotions like gratitude, joy, excitement, excitement). Not as a “nice idea,” but as a real leadership choice that changes what you create and what you amplify in the world. From there, Melissa leads a 10-minute grounding drop-in to help you shift out of fear-based spirals and back into coherence—so you can lead your day from truth and true inner power. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why feeling “powerless” is the most dangerous lie fear tells you The two energies driving every emotional state: fear vs love How to stop feeding fear (without guilt, shame, or pretending you’re fine) The exact practice to reclaim your power Why choosing love-based energy is not selfish—in fact, it’s one of the most selfless contributions you can make right now If you’ve been feeling heavy, overwhelmed, or like the world is too big for you… press play. This is how you come back to your power. Join Melissa live Monday through Friday at 9am ET on Instagram + LinkedIn. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissaagnes/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melissaagnes/ Resources referenced in this episode: Book: "The Seat of the Soul," by Gary Zukav Book: "Outwitting the Devil," by Napoleon Hill
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How to Process Your Emotions Healthily In 90 Seconds
01/30/2026
How to Process Your Emotions Healthily In 90 Seconds
Have you ever felt an emotion so intense—anger, sadness, fear, overwhelm—that it felt like it might swallow you whole? And then you judged yourself for feeling it… or tried to push it down… or got stuck replaying the story in your mind? In today’s Morning Live with Melissa Agnes, you’ll learn a simple, powerful way to process emotions healthily in real time—without suppressing them, without spiraling, and without making the emotion your identity. Melissa explores a research-based idea often attributed to Harvard-trained brain scientist Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor: when we notice an emotion and allow it to be present (instead of resisting it or feeding it with story), the chemical wave of that emotion can move through the body in about 90 seconds. After that, what often keeps the emotion alive isn’t the emotion itself—it’s the thought loop that re-stimulates it. In this episode, you’ll learn how to: Stop labeling emotions as “good” or “bad” (emotion is simply energy in motion) Name what you feel without judgment—and why labeling helps you regulate Witness the sensation of emotion without attaching to the story Use breath to create safety and come back to the body (in through the nose, out through the mouth) “Titrate” intensity so you don’t overwhelm your nervous system Let an emotion pass through—then consciously choose what you want to feel next Use as a bridge back to steadiness and higher emotional states Guided grounding included This episode includes a grounding “drop-in” practice to help you settle into your body, open the heart space, safely access an emotion, and witness it moving through. Listen when: you’re feeling emotionally charged, stuck in a loop, or you want a simple tool you can return to again and again. If you know someone who would benefit from this practice, please share this episode with them. Join Melissa Live each weekday morning at 9am EST for the live recording of Morning Lives with Melissa Agnes on Instagram and LinkedIn. Follow Melissa on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melissaagnes/ Follow Melissa on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissaagnes/
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Possibility vs. Probability: The Leadership Reframe That Changes Everything
01/29/2026
Possibility vs. Probability: The Leadership Reframe That Changes Everything
Today’s episode explores possibility vs. probability, and why mission-driven leaders can’t afford to live only by what the past suggests is “realistic.” Melissa shares a grounded leadership reframe (anchored in science, belief, and focus) and then guides a heart-centered drop-in to help you feel your mission as possible—right now—so you can lead your day with more resonance, coherence, and conviction. This episode explores: How probability thinking keeps people looping in “this is just how it is” How possibility leadership reclaims choice, agency, and meaningful change How the question “What if?” can soften disbelief and open new internal access points How attention + belief shape what you create next (personally and collectively) A heart-based drop-in to support calm, coherence, and renewed conviction Join Melissa Live each weekday morning at 9am EST for the live recording of Morning Lives with Melissa Agnes on Instagram and LinkedIn. Follow Melissa on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melissaagnes/ Follow Melissa on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissaagnes/
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Stop Blaming, Start Understanding: Curiosity as a Leadership Superpower
01/28/2026
Stop Blaming, Start Understanding: Curiosity as a Leadership Superpower
In this episode, Melissa shares a morning leadership reminder inspired by Napoleon Hill: there is no problem without an appropriate solution, and often, the solution is found by getting curious about the circumstances that created the problem in the first place. This is not an invitation to blame. It’s a call to open curiosity and radical self-ownership—so you can access clearer thinking, deeper self-connection, and more creative solutions. The episode closes with a grounding breathwork drop-in to help you regulate and return to your calm, clear, most expansive self. This episode explores: Why blame, guilt, shame, and judgment are fear-based reactions that narrow your thinking and keep you stuck. A powerful reminder from Napoleon Hill (Outwitting the Devil): "there is no problem which does not have an appropriate solution, and that solution often can be found in the circumstance creating the problem." How to shift from reaction to open curiosity (without judgment) so you can access deeper understanding and better solutions. What radical self-ownership actually looks like in real time: turning “I’m triggered” into self-inquiry and self-leadership. A short grounding breathwork reset to return to calm, clarity, and creative problem-solving. Reminder: Join Melissa live every weekday at 9am Eastern on IG + LinkedIn. Follow Melissa on LinkedIn: Follow Melissa on Instagram: Referenced / resources Napoleon Hill, Outwitting the Devil: The Secret to Freedom and Success (quote referenced).
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The Real Remedy for Overwhelm: Stillness
01/27/2026
The Real Remedy for Overwhelm: Stillness
Overwhelm isn’t a sign you need to work harder. It’s an extreme stress state, and when it hits, your nervous system (and your clarity) can get overridden fast. In today’s episode, Melissa breaks down the common misbelief: that tackling your to-do list is the cure to feeling overwhelmed. Overwhelm can create the feeling that you’re losing control, so the mind reaches for “do more” to feel safer. But in a heightened stress state, your capacity for clear, creative, grounded decision-making can drop. The most powerful move is often the most countercultural one: step away, get still, and re-regulate before doing. From there, we move into a 10-minute drop-in (simple breath + body awareness) to help you come back into coherence—so you can lead your day from steadiness, insight, and alignment. This episode explores: What overwhelm actually is (and why it can feel paralyzing) Why “doing more” can backfire when you’re dysregulated Stillness as a leadership tool (not a luxury) A simple breath pathway to return to calm and clarity How regulated leaders help others regulate, too Reminder: Join Melissa live every weekday at 9am Eastern on IG + LinkedIn. Follow Melissa on LinkedIn: Follow Melissa on Instagram: Resources and quotes mentioned: Book: "Atlas of the Heart," by Brené Brown (Highly, highly recommended resource for all mission-driven leaders) Quote: “Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.” — Viktor E. Frankl
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You Can’t Lead From Stress: Returning to Coherence
01/26/2026
You Can’t Lead From Stress: Returning to Coherence
Learn the practice of choosing calm, even when the world Isn’t. When the collective feels chaotic, it’s easy to slip into stress, fear, and overwhelm. But you can’t lead from survival mode—and you don’t have to stay there. Today is your reminder: calm, clarity, and alignment are always available to you. In this Morning Live, I share a grounded truth for mission-driven leaders: fear and anxiety hijack clear thinking when we’re locked into the “brain brain.” When we return to the body, we regain access to steadiness, creativity, and wise action. We then do an extended grounding drop-in designed to help you regulate your nervous system, return to coherence, and step back into your day from wholeness (not fragments of fear). This episode explores: Why stress shuts down executive function and clarity The agency you have to choose alignment—even in uncertainty A simple heart-to-belly breath practice for regulation A “space awareness” layer that helps interrupt the stress loop Leading by co-regulation: how your steadiness supports others Join me live weekdays at 9am ET on LinkedIn + Instagram. Follow Melissa on LinkedIn (link: ) Follow Melissa on Instagram (link:
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If You Feel Guilty Setting Boundaries, Listen to This
01/25/2026
If You Feel Guilty Setting Boundaries, Listen to This
Boundaries aren’t selfish. They’re self-respect. And when you honor them, you’re not letting people down… you’re teaching them how to treat you. In this Morning Live, Melissa explores why so many of us struggle to set boundaries (especially the overachiever / people-pleaser patterns), and how self-resourcing is actually a leadership strategy. When you listen to your body, protect your energy, and choose spaciousness, you don’t lose momentum — you create clarity and coherence. Melissa also shares a powerful permission: everyone is figuring it out as they go — which means you’re allowed to build your rules in alignment with what’s true for you. Then we move into a short grounding (a guided drop-in) designed to help you shift out of mental clutter and fear, and back into your body’s wisdom. This episode explores: Why boundaries can feel “mean” (and why that’s not the truth) How boundaries model self-respect and teach others what’s okay Listening to the body as a form of clarity and leadership A 10-minute grounding to reconnect to calm, coherence, and truth Why your “reset” is always a breath away Join live every weekday at 9am Eastern on IG + LinkedIn. Follow Melissa on LinkedIn (link: ) Follow Melissa on Instagram (link: )
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When You Wake Up Feeling Lack: How to Shift Back Into Wholeness
01/22/2026
When You Wake Up Feeling Lack: How to Shift Back Into Wholeness
To feel lack is human. It’s also not the place where your clearest leadership and most powerful creation happens. In this Morning Live, Melissa shares what to do when you wake up feeling lack: how to meet it without shame, and how to shift back into wholeness using a simple “toolkit” of practices. As always, this episode includes a grounding drop-in breath practice (please don’t do this while driving!). Today’s message: Lack creates more lack. Wholeness creates more wholeness. If you want to lead with steadiness, clarity, and resonance, the work is not to suppress what you feel, but to meet it and then choose differently. In this episode, we explore: What “lack” actually is (and why it can feel so persuasive) Why longing and craving can widen the gap you’re trying to close The difference between bypassing vs meeting what you feel How to build a personal toolkit that helps you shift your state A grounding drop-in to guide you back to wholeness Resources mentioned: - Book: "Abundance Ever After," by Cathy Heller: https://www.amazon.com/Abundant-Ever-After-Creating-Prosperity/dp/1668022397/ - Your Wholeness “Toolkit” examples: journaling, meditation, movement, music, nature, inspiring books/podcasts - DJ Smalls dance mix: These sessions are recorded live on LinkedIn and Instagram, every weekday morning at 9am eastern. Follow Melissa on LinkedIn to join live (link: ) Follow Melissa on Instagram to join live (link: )
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Choose Your Thoughts: The Fastest Way to Stop Fear/Doubt and Stay on Purpose
01/21/2026
Choose Your Thoughts: The Fastest Way to Stop Fear/Doubt and Stay on Purpose
Fear is fast. Doubt is persuasive. And mission-driven leaders can't afford to be susceptible to drifting off purpose when fear-based thoughts take over. In this Morning Live, Melissa Agnes shares why your thoughts matter so deeply—and how to reclaim agency when doubt, imposter syndrome, or fear start to creep in. Inside this episode: Why fear takes over quickly (often unconsciously) How fear-based thoughts pull you off mission and into “drift” A practical way to respond to doubt without feeding it Why pairing belief with the feeling of success changes everything A guided drop-in to help you anchor into your vision and breathe life into your mission These sessions are recorded live on LinkedIn and Instagram, every weekday morning at 9am eastern. Follow Melissa on LinkedIn to join live (link: ) Follow Melissa on Instagram to join live (link: )
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Equanimity for Leaders: Stay Calm, Open-Hearted, and Steady in Any Situation
01/20/2026
Equanimity for Leaders: Stay Calm, Open-Hearted, and Steady in Any Situation
Equanimity is the liberating skill of staying calm, balanced, and open-hearted, no matter what is happening around you. In this Morning Live, Melissa Agnes breaks equanimity down in simple terms and shows you how to practice it in real time, using your breath and self-leadership. You will hear: What equanimity is, and why it changes how you lead Why breath is your fastest pathway back to steadiness A self-leadership question to use when something external triggers you The four attitudes of equanimity: gratitude, forgiveness, acceptance, hope A guided grounding drop-in to help you return to calm and inner stability If you are doing work that matters and you want a steadier inner state as you lead, this episode is for you. Follow Melissa on LinkedIn (link: ) Follow Melissa on Instagram (link: )
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The Real Reason You Want To Achieve Your Goals (And How to Feel It Now)
01/19/2026
The Real Reason You Want To Achieve Your Goals (And How to Feel It Now)
What you crave isn't the actual achievement of your goals. What you actually crave is the feeling you believe you’ll FEEL when you achieve your goals. In today’s Morning Lives with Melissa Agnes, we explore a simple shift that changes how you lead your week: you don’t have to wait for the milestone, the outcome, or the “someday” to feel the feelings you’re chasing. You can choose them now, on purpose, and it doesn’t just feel better. It also supports you in accomplishing your goals with more ease. In this episode, Melissa guides a short exercise to help you name what you’re really reaching for beneath the goal, then closes with a grounding drop-in to help you practice feeling the wholeness that you're actually craving. This episode explores: Why the achievemebt of your goal isn’t what you actually crave How to identify the feeling underneath the goal A simple exercise to bring your desires into focus A grounding practice to embody the feelings of your desires Why practice and repetition make this easier over time Join Melissa live Monday through Friday at 9:00am Eastern on LinkedIn and Instagram. Want to receive morning text messages before Melissa goes live? Send her a DM on LinkedIn or IG with the word "REMEMBRANCE" and she'll get you set up. Follow Melissa on LinkedIn (link: ) Follow Melissa on Instagram (link: )
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Feeling Low? Do This One Thing and Watch Your Energy Lift
01/16/2026
Feeling Low? Do This One Thing and Watch Your Energy Lift
If you’re feeling low, heavy, sad, or stuck in a funk, today’s episode offers a simple truth that can shift your state quickly: do something kind for someone else. When we’re in a low place, it’s easy to feel disconnected. We can get pulled into our own mind, our own stress, and the sense that we’re alone in it all. The practice we explore today is choosing connection through service. A small act of kindness brings you back into wholeness, and you can often feel your energy lift immediately. In this session, I share a Napoleon Hill quote that captures it perfectly: “Find your happiness by helping others find theirs.” As always, we close with a grounding drop-in to help you return to safety in your body, open your heart space, and move into coherence. This daily practice matters. Like training at the gym, every rep strengthens the pathway that helps you shift out of fear and mental loops and come back into grounded presence more quickly. This episode explores Why low moods often come with disconnection How one act of service can shift your state fast The truth behind “helping others helps you” A grounding drop-in to return to coherence and calm Why daily practice makes it easier over time Want morning reminders? Join live weekdays at 9:00am Eastern on Instagram + LinkedIn, and DM me "REMEMBRANCE" on either of these two platforms to get text reminders before we go live. Follow Melissa on LinkedIn (link: ) Follow Melissa on Instagram (link: )
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Letting Go of Control Doesn’t Make You Weak. It Makes You Powerful.
01/15/2026
Letting Go of Control Doesn’t Make You Weak. It Makes You Powerful.
Control can look like strength. But here is the hard truth we are working with this week: Control is a tool of fear. In this episode, we go one level deeper with a question that so many leaders carry, even if they do not say it out loud: "If I let go of my need to control, will I be weak? Will I be giving away my power?" The answer is no. Releasing your grasp for control is not weakness. It is how you reclaim your power, because control is fear-based, and fear pulls you into survival. When you are leading from survival, you lose access to the steadiness, creativity, and clear thinking you actually need. We also make a crucial distinction in this episode. Releasing your own fear-driven need to control is not the same as surrendering to someone else’s power-over behavior. As always, we close with a grounding drop-in to help you get into coherence and return to the steadiness in your body, so you can move into your day aligned and clear. This episode explores Why control comes from fear The question underneath control: what am I scared of? Why letting go of control is reclaiming power, not losing it The difference between self-leadership and “surrendering” to power-over dynamics A grounding drop-in to return to coherence and steadiness Want morning reminders? Join live weekdays at 9:00am Eastern on Instagram + LinkedIn, and DM Melissa (on those channels) "REMEMBRANCE" to get text message reminders before we go live.
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Control Isn’t Strength. It’s Fear in Disguise.
01/14/2026
Control Isn’t Strength. It’s Fear in Disguise.
Control can look like strength. But here is the hard truth we explore today: control is a tool of fear. When a part of us does not feel safe, the ego reaches for control. Control of the outcome. Control of the timeline. Control of the situation. Control of other people. It is the mind’s attempt to create certainty so it can feel safe. The twist is that control is also an illusion. When we lead from the need to control, we are not actually in control at all. We are in fear, and fear drives fear-based decisions. In this episode of Morning Lives with Melissa Agnes, you will explore this truth and practice recognizing the urge to control when it shows up, then meeting what is underneath it with curiosity and compassion so you can return to steadiness. This episode also explores a powerful lesson in empathy. When someone else is grasping for control, it often means their system is in fear and, in some deep way, does not feel safe. Recognizing that truth does not mean you condone harmful behavior. It means you can respond as a leader with more compassion, grounded authority, and a steadier presence. As always, we end with a grounding drop-in. You will identify one thing you have been trying to control, and we will practice releasing the grip and the fear it stems from. This episode explores Why control is a tool of fear How to recognize your need for control without shame The question to ask when you feel yourself tightening or grasping How to hold empathy when you witness control in others without condoning harm A grounding practice to soften, surrender, and return to safety If this episode stirs something in you, that is welcome. Let it be information. Get curious. Ask yourself why. Want morning reminders? Follow Melissa Agnes on Instagram or LinkedIn (@melissaagnes) and join live every weekday at 9am Eastern. You can also DM REMEMBRANCE to get set up with text reminders before she goes live.
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Stop Overthinking Decisions: The Secret to Clear Decision-Making
01/13/2026
Stop Overthinking Decisions: The Secret to Clear Decision-Making
Big decisions can make even the strongest leaders second-guess themselves. When there is no obvious right answer, most of us try to think our way into certainty. The problem is that “thinking harder” often creates more doubt, more stress, and more mental gridlock. In Day 2 of Morning Lives with Melissa Agnes, we explore a different approach to decision-making. One that starts in the body, not the brain. You will learn why relying only on the analytical mind can feed fear and uncertainty, and how to tap into your three intelligence centers for clearer, steadier decision-making: the brain center, the heart center, and the gut center. Then we close with a short grounding drop-in to help you practice getting out of your head and into your body, so you can access inner knowing and self-trust. In this episode, we cover Why big decisions trigger doubt and analysis paralysis The three intelligence centers: brain, heart, and gut Why stress shuts down clear thinking and fuels second-guessing A simple way to practice listening for guidance in the body What to expect after you decide, when the mind starts throwing “what ifs” at you Want morning reminders to catch these episodes live? Connect with Melissa on IG and LinkedIn (handle: @melissaagnes) and join every weekday morning at 9am eastern!
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