In the latest Gallup State of the Global Workplace 2025 report, leaders speak candidly about what they’re struggling with:

  • “I notice that I am physically tired, but I can’t sleep. I can’t switch off.”
  • “I try to stay positive for my customers, but inside I feel negative. I’m tired, and that’s every day.”
  • “When I leave home, all I can do is come back and lie down because I work 9 or 10 hours straight with no break.”
  • “I feel stressed and tense. I have difficulty concentrating and I forget tasks.”

These aren’t isolated quotes. They’re a chorus of distress, echoing across organizations and sectors.

We are living in an age of immense global volatility—climate disruption, geopolitical conflict, and a tidal wave of data, pressure, and complexity. Our brains and nervous systems must process more than they were ever designed to handle. It’s no wonder so many leaders feel overloaded.

The First Responsibility: Stay Grounded and Connected

In this world, our first responsibility as leaders is not to perform—it is to stay grounded. To connect with ourselves and others in ways that regulate our nervous system and build resilience.

This is where supervision becomes essential.

Supervision is Not Just Understanding—It’s Understanding Understanding

That repetition is intentional.

Supervision goes beyond intellectual insight. It is a deep, coherent process that connects mind, body, emotion, and relationship. Whether you’re an executive, professional, or student, supervision invites you into a space where learning is not just content—but holistic content that ripples through your professional role and the broader system.

In supervision, we:

  • Slow down.

  • Reflect deeply.

  • Explore how your work and role impacts your inner world.

  • You realign thoughts, emotions, strategies and actions.

In the coaching and supervision world we often speak of “safe spaces.” What does that mean?

Can We Really Create a “Safe Space”?

I’d like to share with you a powerful poem that was recently shared within one of my professional communities for supervisor, the Global Supervisors’ Network.

The poem, written by Beth Strano, was originally published by Facing History & Ourselves and can also be accessed here. It offers a profound reflection on safety, belonging, and self-leadership.

“There is no such thing as a ‘safe space’

We exist in the real world.

We all carry scars and have caused wounds.

This space seeks to turn down the volume of the world outside,

and amplify voices that have to fight to be heard elsewhere…

It will not be perfect.

But it will be our space together,

and we will work on it side by side.”

This poem is a beautiful starting point for supervision. It acknowledges reality—without illusion—but also commitment.

It allows us to ask a deeper question: Not “What’s wrong with me?”

But “What happened to me—and where do I feel safe now?”

The Nervous System Doesn’t Respond to Logic—It Responds to Felt Safety

Supervision recognizes that you can’t think your way out of stress, overwhelm or trauma.

Your professional growth begins when your personal nervous system is acknowledged. In supervision we co-create space for safety, worth, and self-compassion—not just in thoughts, but in and with the body.

From there you will explore what this means for your role (e.g. as an executive, a team leader, a professional coach or a student Social Work)

Embodied Supervision: Not a Hype, But a Necessity

Supervisors engage with the entire human biological system—brain, body, and thoughts—and does that methodically, and evidence based.

This isn’t just a fleeting wellness trend — it’s the practical use of evidence-based supervisory tools.

And personally, for me as your supervisor, it also involves integrating insights from applied neuroscience.

Through embodied supervision, we cultivate environments that foster:

  • Self-leadership

  • Enhanced agency

  • Purposeful impact that extends to our families, teams, and communities

You’re not navigating this journey alone.

Supervisors work with the full human system – brain, body, and thoughts- in a methodological way. This isn’t a wellness fad—it’s applied neuroscience in real time conversations.

In embodied supervision, we create the conditions for:

  • Self-leadership

  • Growing agency

  • Purposeful ripple effects in our families, teams, and communities

You don’t have to do this alone.

Take the Journey!

Supervision offers a powerful invitation to pause and say:

“Yes, this is a challenge for me. And yes, I’m ready to grow through it.”

Leaders Are Tired. Supervision Can Help. So, let’s move beyond surviving—and start evolving. Together.

Applied neuroscience is still an emerging field for many professions. The vital connection between brain and body, especially our nervous system, is only just beginning to gain recognition among educators, psychologists, therapists, coaches, supervisors, doctors, teachers—anyone in a role that supports or leads others.

We are in the midst of an exciting discovery: learning how our remarkable human system truly operates—and how we can consciously regulate our own brains and bodies to live, lead, and work with greater presence and purpose.

My Journey in Applied Neuroscience and Professional Development

For many years I am interested in the biology of our body and the alignment between the brain and the body. In 2024, I embarked on a transformative journey into applied neuroscience, joining the global community of neuroplasticians.  In 2024 I also marked a milestone as I achieved the Master Neuroplastician® (M.npn) credential, the highest recognition bestowed by the Institute of Organizational Neuroscience.

Current Collaborations for Research and Publications

  1. Collaborating with Selma Kalkavan,Phd,PCC , a fellow M.npn, on an academic article titled “Leading with Heart and Mind: Exploring the Neurobiological Dimensions of Decision-Making in Leadership“, to be shared with you later this month.

  2. Co-authoring a comprehensive study book in Dutch with an esteemed fellow supervisor and author of many articles on supervision Louis van Kessel, titled “Supervision for Coaches,” which synthesizes extensive literature reviews. Our book is written for professional coaches, supervisors, and professional bodies for coaching and supervision. It is expected to launch in August this year, in partnership with publisher Kloosterhof Neer BV, yet a new learning process to our co-authorship.

  3. Initiating a new book-project with executive ally Andrea Edmondson exploring the vital role of the brain and the nervous system to leadership.

Engage with Me

Stay updated on the progress of these publications, and feel free to schedule a Zoom meeting via my calendar if you’re interested in discussing supervision or executive coaching opportunities.

#appliedneuroscience, #leadership, #supervision, #excutivecoaching #ourbookaboutcoachsupervision