How to Lead Under Pressure Without Losing Yourself

In this episode of the HR Leaders Podcast, Mechelle Monroe, former Global Chief People Officer for WPP Open X, Team Coca-Cola at WPP, explores how people leaders can support others without losing touch with what they need themselves. Mechelle breaks emotional resilience into practical habits, including scheduled emotional maintenance, conscious breathing, honest self-talk, protected meals, movement, reflection, and knowing when to say no. She also explains how naming an emotion, questioning the story behind it, and creating a clear end to the working day can stop difficult moments from following leaders home. As work becomes faster and more technical, emotional intelligence and emotional resilience become more valuable, not less. For leaders carrying other people’s stress, the real question is not how much more they can absorb, but whether they have built the capacity to pause, recover, and keep showing up well. 🙏 Thank you to our series partner, 365 Talents Download the free toolkit and get your 2026 skills strategy moving faster → https://365talents.com/en/lp/hr-skill... 👉 Subscribe to HR Leaders: http://bit.ly/2wFkCEq 🎙️ Listen on your favourite platform: https://art19.com/shows/hr-leaders-po... 👤 Follow Chris on LinkedIn:   / chrisraineyhr   About HR Leaders Podcast: Join Chris Rainey as he chats with the world's top Chief People Officers, CHRO’s and industry experts who share their experience, insights, lessons learned and how they are shaping the future of work for business and society.