Megan Akatu Coaching & Culture
The time is now to make immediate decisions that positively impact the future of your organization and its people with confidence, clarity and impact
The High-Achiever’s Guide to Saying "No" (Without the Guilt Hangover)
If you're a high-achiever, chances are your identity is tied to one phrase: "People rely on me." It's a great trait. It's also what makes you the first person everyone thinks of when something needs to get done. And there's a shadow side. We hate disappointing people. We know everyone else is drowning too. So we inherit work we don't actually have room for, and we say yes to keep the guilt at bay. Here's the thing I keep coming back to: guilt is a terrible fuel source. It doesn't move us...
Mourning the lazy days of summer
Dear Leader, Every year, I get SO excited for summer. It just feels more playful and spontaneous with 8pm ice cream runs and random chats with our neighbors. And for some reason, work doesn't stop in the summer the way it did when we were kids and I feel a push and pull of: I should be having more fun, I should be planning for fall, that project should be complete by now. Welcome to being human, where we are capable of holding two wildly conflicting emotions at the exact same time....
The Quiet Way We Hand Our Power Away
Hi Reader, What happens when you just don’t have the energy to make another decision, and others are counting on you? Over the last few months, I have been navigating through some tough dynamics: things that I didn't want, things that I didn't ask for, and some things that were just downright unpleasant. And you could be facing other unpleasant things pulling at your attention: Layoffs and reorgs Leading the team through uncertainty Hiring gaps and doing the the work of more than one person...
We know two heads are better than one...
Hi Reader, Almost every day I complete several New York Times games with my 9 and 11 year olds kids. And each day I am astounded by: How differently each of our minds work The neuroplasticity of kids It actually takes all three of us to complete the puzzles each day My son is not afraid to just "go for it" in Connections and is often correct. My daughter processes out loud and it is just enough of a "spark" for my "connection" brain to get us to the next step. I am not smarter than they are,...
Does your love life reflect the same 'success' you have in other areas of your life? {New Podcast}
Hello Reader, I am so excited to share this latest podcast episode with you! This episode goes straight to the core as we discuss love, romantic relationships and common patterns in high-achievers. (Yes, I am talking to you!) So many of us demonstrate so much 'success' to the outside world: a great job, a welcoming home, great kids, lots of travel and secretly wishing we felt the same about our love life. Francesca Zoia breaks down why resentment builds and why treating your relationships the...
What Gen Z is teaching us about leadership {New Podcast}
Hello Reader, Thank you for joining my session at IACC, my favorite conference of the year! At IACC 2023 at the JB Duke, Veronica Bellamy-Leak and I co-presented together and now she is back on the podcast to teach us what we can learn from Gen Z. Veronica has a special ability to see the wisdom in each person and I learn from her every time we are together. Listen now as she explains what Gen Z is here to show us and how we will get farther by embracing their gifts. Spotify Apple Podcasts...
The decision you already know {New Podcast}
Hello Reader, There is a particular kind of exhaustion that comes from not deciding. And it's not because you are irresponsible or incapable. Most of the time some part of you already knows…and the other part of you is running every possible if-then scenario and trying not to freak out in the process. This week on The Way She Leads podcast, Sarah Castle and I discuss decision making with imperfect information, leadership, growth, and what it actually takes to move forward. Sarah is a...
Today is THE day I can finally talk about this
Hello Reader! Today is the day that the big, scary and exciting thing that I have been quietly working on in the background is finally here... The Way She Leads podcast is live! So where did this all start? I work with high achieving women who are excelling at work and often quietly longing for another way to have it all. I hear something like this almost daily: “I have done everything 'right'… so why doesn’t it feel the way I thought it would?” If you sense there is something more for you...
It's not people pleasing. It's not perfectionism.
I used to think it was perfectionism. Then I thought it was people-pleasing. Those both faded as I grew, and I still felt like I was working harder than I needed to. So what is actually running the show? A deeply learned, often unconscious way of moving through the world where you are constantly scanning: What’s needed here?Who needs support?What will make this go well?What’s expected of me? You step in and (over)deliver. Because you are smart, capable, polished. You know when to answer...
More discipline, more problems?
Do you ever have this thought 'If I were just more disciplined…Then I could finally get my life together.' And when you don’t wake up early to start chipping away at your to-do list, morning workout, making a protein-packed breakfast...the shame cycle begins. And somehow, this has become the standard for high-achieving women to complete their self-care and still show up at 110% everywhere else. Here is something that is rarely mentioned: Women are not designed to run on the same energy model...
The time is now to make immediate decisions that positively impact the future of your organization and its people with confidence, clarity and impact