(3-4 mins)
If you’ve ever found yourself saying yes to everything, staying late, or checking email at 11 p.m. just to prove you’re dependable… you’re not alone.
For many first- and second-gen professionals (the first in your family to build a career here or the child of immigrants balancing two cultures), “work harder” wasn’t just advice, it was survival. That’s how we were taught to earn respect, build credibility, and show that we belonged.
But here’s the truth: executive presence isn’t built through overworking. It’s built through energy management. Rather than pushing harder, it comes from slowing down long enough for people to actually feel your impact. It’s now powered by performance - it’s powered by regulation, reputation, and rest.
Let’s break that down:
1. Regulation: Stay Grounded, Not Guarded
When pressure hits - conflict in a meeting, pushback from a leader, a high-stakes presentation - your nervous system decides who shows up. If you’re constantly on edge, exhausted, or anxious, your presence reads as defensive or disconnected.
In order to change this, you can start practicing what I call “micro-resets.” Before a big meeting or difficult conversation, pause for 10 seconds. Take 3 deep breaths, where you exhale a little longer than you inhale, drop your shoulders and ask:
“What energy do I want to bring into this room?”
Then breathe again and do just that. This one question alone can shift you from reactive to intentional, allowing you to show up as a whole different person with a whole different energy.
2. Reputation: Confidence Isn’t Built in a Bubble
Executive presence isn’t just about how you feel, it’s also about how others experience you. And you can’t cultivate credibility in isolation. So pick three people you trust, like actually really trust, and ask:
Listen without defending. You asked, they’re not attacking you and this is just information, it’s not personal. Then work to align how you see yourself with how you show up. When how you see yourself starts to match how others experience you, you start to build credibility and a reputation that’s built on confidence as opposed to bravado.
3. Rest: Strategic Stillness Is a Power Move
If you’re always “on,” people don’t feel your power, they only feel your pressure.
High achievers often confuse being busy with being valuable. But real power isn’t being in constant motion, it’s about being in control. The leaders who command a room don’t rush - they pause before they speak, they think before they answer, and they rest before they crash.
Try this: block off one 30-minute “white space” block this week. No meetings, no messages, no multitasking. Just time to think, breathe, or step outside. Protect it like you would your most important call. Ideally, you build this into your day, every day, but start slow. The goal isn’t to fill the space; it’s to feel it. No doom scrolling, no “quick prep” for the next meeting, no check-in phone calls. Just you and ideally some fresh air. The more calm you can cultivate in your daily life, the more calm you’ll be in stressful situations.
The best part about this is that calmness isn’t a personality trait. It’s actually a skill you can learn and practice. And being calm amidst the chaos is the presence people remember long after you’ve left the room. A calm presence leaves an impression, but strategic stillness is what makes it last.
TL;DR:
You got this!
📎 Bonus resource:
💡 Comment “CLEAR” below or DM me on LinkedIn and I’ll send it your way.
👋🏽 Hi! I’m Minal - a Career Success & Leadership Coach for 1st & 2nd gen professionals (the first in your family to build a career here or the child of immigrants balancing two cultures). I help you move past outdated work advice, communicate with confidence and clarity, and show up as a strong, credible leader so that you can earn promotions (and raises) faster without burning out, shrinking yourself, or pretending to be someone you’re not.
If you enjoyed today’s issue, please subscribe 👇🏽 and forward it to one friend who needs to hear this. Because burnout doesn’t have to be the badge of success. Let’s rise together.
