The hidden cost of apologizing too much at work | Teresa Caro | TEDxBuckheadAve

We’ve been taught that saying “I’m sorry” makes us considerate, yet, for many leaders, it’s become a reflex that quietly erodes confidence. In this talk, executive and teams coach, Teresa Caro, unpacks how over-apologizing undermines our leadership, and shares how to replace it with something far more powerful: unapologetic prioritization. This isn’t about doing less. Instead, it’s about leading with clarity, conviction, and what matters most. Teresa Caro is an executive and teams coach, leadership speaker, and co-author of The Purpose Playbook. As the founder of Liminist, she works with high-performing leaders and teams navigating liminal moments: those in-between states where transformation is both possible and necessary. Her work blends research-backed frameworks like Positive Intelligence and The Five Behaviors with real-world tools for unapologetic prioritization, resilience, and leadership clarity. With decades of experience leading change inside agencies and brands, and scaling executive performance, Teresa now helps others lead with conviction, without burning out or selling out. Her focus? To shift the belief that exhaustion is the cost of success and help leaders prioritize what truly matters. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx