How to Lead with Resonance, Not Just Reason

What if the key to powerful leadership wasn’t another strategy — but a shift in frequency? Below, I explore the concept of heart coherence and why your leadership becomes magnetic when you’re aligned with your truth — not just your to-do list.

Today, we’re diving into something that sounds soft… but is actually one of the most powerful things you’ll ever access in your leadership: your heart.

Not metaphorically. Literally. That physical organ in your chest.

Science now shows us what many have known for centuries — that the heart has its own intelligence.

With over 40,000 neurons, its own nervous system, and a magnetic field that extends feet beyond your body, the heart is a powerful ally.

When your heart and brain are in sync — when you’re in coherence — everything changes. For the better.

Your communication becomes clearer. Your decision-making becomes stronger. Your presence becomes magnetic.

But let’s be honest — most of us spend our lives stuck in our heads. We run strategies, chase logic, and second-guess ourselves into exhaustion. Meanwhile, one of the most powerful guidance systems we have is sitting in our chest… silently beating. Waiting for us to notice.

Today, we’re changing that.

I’m going to show you:

• Why heart coherence isn’t just spiritual — it’s neuroscience.

• How limiting beliefs often live in your head, but wisdom lives in your body.

• A simple practice that can help you shift from panic to presence — in moments.

• A personal story that cracked this open for me and inspired today’s podcast.

  
  

When you lead from your heart, it doesn’t mean you’re soft. It’s not just about being kind or caring. It means you’re tuned in. It means you’re resonant. And that’s the kind of leadership the world is craving right now.

Why Does “Leading from the Heart” Feel So Different?

Why does it land differently when someone speaks from their truth instead of just their talking points? Why do some leaders make us feel seen, safe, and connected — without even saying all the “right” things?

It’s not that they have natural charisma. It’s physiology. It’s energetics. It’s resonance.

Let’s start with the science because I love a bit of science. If you’ve been following my previous episodes, you’ll know this.

The heart isn’t just a pump that keeps you alive. It literally has its own intelligence. Researchers at the HeartMath Institute discovered that the heart has a complex intrinsic nervous system — more than 40,000 neurons that can feel, learn, remember, and sense.

This “heart brain” communicates constantly with the head brain. And get this: the heart sends more information to the brain than the brain sends to the heart.

So when you get a “gut feeling” or feel something “in your chest,” that’s not just metaphor. That’s your heart sending real-time sensory data to your brain, influencing how you interpret situations, make decisions, and connect with others.

And it gets more fascinating…

The electromagnetic field generated by your heart is the most powerful field produced by the human body — about 60 times stronger than the field produced by your brain. This field surrounds your body in a torus shape — like a donut of energy — and it can be measured several feet away from your skin.

Translation into plain speak? People don’t just hear you. They *feel* you.

When you’re in a state of stress or disconnection, your heart rhythm becomes erratic. It sends chaotic signals to your brain, affecting your clarity, decision-making, and relationships. But when you’re in a coherent state — think calm, connected, present — your heart rhythm becomes smooth and harmonious. And your whole system responds.

This is what we call heart-brain coherence. It’s not just a good vibe. It’s a regulated nervous system. It’s emotional intelligence. It’s embodied leadership.

When your heart and brain are in sync, your thinking becomes clearer. Your intuition strengthens. You become more compassionate, creative, and courageous. This is why people who lead from coherence create such powerful resonance. Their internal state literally shifts the energy of the room.

We’ve all felt it, right? That person who walks in and makes everything feel more grounded. The leader who doesn’t yell, doesn’t perform, doesn’t need to dominate — but everyone listens when they speak. That’s coherence in action.

Now — zooming out a little. Indigenous traditions and ancient wisdom schools have known this all along. There’s that beautiful phrase:

"The greatest journey you’ll ever take is the 17 inches from your head to your heart.”

Modern leadership has overemphasised the head. Strategy. Logic. Productivity. Lead with the mind. Outsmart the room. Always have an answer. But this model burns people out.

When you lead from the head alone, you’re often:

• Disconnected from your values.

• Performing instead of feeling.

• Prioritising optics over impact.

  
  

Meanwhile, the heart has its own intelligence. It doesn’t speak in bullet points. It speaks in knowing. In presence. In intuition. In courage. It’s the part of you that knows what’s right even when it doesn’t make logical sense yet.

Here’s something worth knowing: most of our limiting beliefs live in the head.

• "I’ll lose respect if I do something differently.”

• "It’s not safe to stand out.”

• "I can’t lead that way — it’s too soft, too weird, too different.”

  
  

These thoughts feel real. But they aren’t true. We often believe them because our brain is trying to protect us — not elevate us.

That’s where the heart comes in. The heart doesn’t operate from fear. It operates from resonance. When you’re in coherence, you don’t just challenge your beliefs — you transcend them.

If you need data to trust the process, the HeartMath Institute has been studying this for decades. They’ve found that when people shift into heart coherence using simple practices like slow breathing, intentional focus, and gratitude:

• Stress hormones like cortisol decrease significantly.

• Immune system function improves.

• People report higher levels of calm, clarity, and confidence.

• It can create more harmonious relationships, as others begin to entrain to your coherent state.

  
  

One study even showed that people trained in heart coherence experienced better decision-making under pressure and could return to baseline faster after emotional upsets — meaning they didn’t spiral or snap. How cool is that?!

So this isn’t just a “nice to have.” It’s a core leadership skill. And the best part? It’s easily trainable. You don’t need to master meditation or disappear into the woods. You just need to remember that the most powerful instrument you have… is already beating in your chest. And when you learn to lead from there — everything changes.

Why Your Head Creates Limits, But Your Heart Liberates

Let’s talk about what happens when you’re trying to lead, grow, evolve — but you’re stuck in your head. That’s where most of our resistance lives. Our heads are full of beliefs that sound responsible, practical, and sensible.

“What if they don’t take me seriously?” “What if I’m too much?” “What if I lose credibility?” “What if I get it wrong?”

They sound logical. But they’re not wisdom — they’re wiring. They’re survival thoughts. Thoughts that were installed when we were young, or in past jobs, or relationships — wherever we learned that being fully ourselves wasn’t quite safe.

When we live from the neck up, we make every decision through the filter of “what will keep me safe?” — not “what will set me free?”

This is exactly what Dr. Joe Dispenza talks about in his work on coherence and creation. He explains how when we live in a constant stress state — fight, flight, or freeze — the brain becomes hardwired for protection, not possibility. You keep looping the same stories. You keep firing the same thoughts. You can’t see new options — because your biology is stuck in survival mode.

Dr. Joe says:

“When you’re living in survival, you’re trying to predict the future based on the past. Your energy is in the predictable — not the potential.”

And that’s the kicker. You can’t create a new reality from the same state of mind that created the old one. You have to shift — from the analytical brain to the heart-centred self.

That’s where coherence comes in. When you regulate your nervous system… When you drop into the body… When your heart and brain come into sync… that’s when the magic happens. That’s when you shift from fear to intuition. From logic to knowing. From protection… to power.

Here’s how that looked for me: One of my biggest internal blocks was around Human Design. I love it. It changed my life. It has literally reshaped how I lead, how I coach, how I live. But this thought kept running the show: “If I use this and speak of it publicly, I’m going to lose respect.”

Every time I thought about going all-in with it, my chest would tighten. The voice in my head would whisper: “That’s not professional enough. That’s too ‘woo.’ People won’t take you seriously.” So I stayed quiet. I watered it down. I made it digestible.

Until not so long ago, I sat down and dropped into a heart coherence practice. Hand on my heart. Box breathing. Music at the right frequency. I consciously brought that belief — “I’ll lose respect” — down from my head into my heart.

I visualised it dropping down like a stone sinking into water… and I kid you not, I visualised my heart just munching it up. Chomp. Chomp. Chomp.

It was quite the imaginary sight! But what thoughts came through immediately after that?

“I’ll be more respected for owning my truth.”

“Whose respect do I need anyway?”

“I didn’t come here to be approved of. I came here to be real.”

That didn’t happen because I thought harder. It happened because I felt safer. I moved out of fear and into coherence. Out of the negative loop… and into my own personal leadership.

And that’s the thing: The heart doesn’t just soothe the mind. It liberates it. It gives you access to what’s already true beneath the fear. You don’t have to destroy your beliefs with logic. You just need to bring them into the light of the heart.

When your nervous system is regulated, when your heart is open, when your body feels safe… you stop performing. You start aligning. And leadership from that place? That’s not performance. That’s empowering.

The Practice: How to Shift from Head to Heart

Why don’t I help you drop into a practice together right now?

Step 1: Anchor Into the Heart

Wherever you are right now — if it’s safe to do so — close your eyes. If not, just listen in and come back to this later when you can. With your eyes closed, bring one hand gently over your heart. And just… pause. Feel the warmth of your hand against your chest. Feel the rhythm of your breath, just as it is. Now let’s begin to slow that breath.

Inhale for 4…

Hold for 4…

Exhale for 4…

Hold for 4…

Or extend it if it feels good — maybe a 5x5 rhythm. Keep that going. This is called box breathing and it helps relax your nervous system.

Now, while you continue your box breathing, let your shoulders drop. Unclench your jaw. Let your belly soften. As you continue to breathe, gently drop your attention from your head… down into your chest. From thinking… into feeling. From controlling… into trusting.

Step 2: Feel the Shift

Just notice what begins to happen here. What do you feel in your heart? Warmth? Heaviness? A stillness you hadn’t felt all day? No need to label it or fix it — just notice. Let yourself be here for a few breaths longer than is comfortable. Let your body know: this is a safe space.

Step 3: Bring in the Limiting Thought

Now, gently — with kindness — bring in a belief or thought that’s been holding you back. Maybe it’s something like:

“I’m not ready.”

“People won’t take me seriously.”

“I’ll lose respect if I do what I really want.”

Don’t judge it. Just see it. Hold it like a little slip of paper in your hands. And now — send it down. From the head… to the heart.

Let your body visualise it however it wants to. You might see it drop like a stone into still water. You might feel it dissolve. You might, like I did, see your heart go chomp chomp chomp — digesting the fear and making room for clarity.

Then ask yourself: “What new truth wants to emerge?”

Maybe something like:

“I’ll be more respected for owning my truth.”

“What I have to offer is needed.”

“It’s safe to trust my heart.”

Let whatever comes through, come. Don’t rush it. Just listen. Even if you hear nothing — the shift is happening. You’re interrupting the loop. You’re re-patterning the connection between your heart and your mind. You’re creating coherence.

And that coherence? That’s your new foundation for leadership.

Now we can close the practice with a few slow, conscious breaths. Remind yourself of the new truth that emerged. And that is it!

How easy was that? You can literally use that anytime, anywhere, in just a couple of minutes to completely change your operating energy field. So cool.

Why This Matters for Leadership

So why does any of this even matter? Because we’re living in a time when leadership needs to shift. People don’t want more polished presentations. They don’t need more jargon or performative vulnerability or 10-point plans to nowhere.

They want realness. They want to feel something. They want resonance.

Let’s talk about that word for a second. Resonance is when what you say, how you say it, and who you are — are all in harmony. It’s not about the words. It’s about coherence. It’s not just: Do they hear me? It’s: Can they feel me?

That’s the kind of leadership people follow. That’s what builds trust. That’s what sparks action. You can be the most credentialed, experienced, qualified person in the room — but if your energy says “I don’t believe in myself,” no one else will either.

On the flip side — you could be new, still finding your feet, still figuring it out — but if you speak from coherence, from truth, from resonance? People will listen. They’ll lean in. Because it’s real. And real is magnetic.

Real-Life Story: Speaking from Resonance

Many of you know that I hold a volunteer position as Chairperson on the Board of Directors for Police Veterans Victoria — a cause very close to my heart, especially given my background in Victoria Police.

This past week, we hosted our Annual Corporate Lunch at the Crown Palladium in Melbourne — our biggest fundraising event of the year, and a day that means so much to our community.

There were over 520 people in the room. Easily the biggest crowd I’ve ever spoken in front of. As Chair, one of my roles on the day was to give the welcome speech. It was short — just six minutes — but in that time I had to:

• Welcome and acknowledge everyone.

• Honour our special guests.

• Celebrate our incredible team.

• Speak to the mission of Police Veterans Victoria.

• Offer heartfelt thanks to our outgoing CEO, while welcoming our new one.

  
  

Simple, right? Yet, in the days leading up to it — and especially that morning — I could feel anxiety coursing through my body. That familiar tightness. That voice in my head saying:

What if I fall walking up to the mic?

What if I stumble over my words?

What if I sound nervous — or worse, stupid?

Was any of that true? No. Of course not. But my brain was treating the whole thing like a threat. Like my nervous system believed I was walking into danger, not a room full of supporters. Yes, I had some proof that I could do it — I’d given a shorter version of this speech the year before. But this time was bigger. The crowd. The responsibility. The moment.

Still, I had my notes. I had prepared. I was grounded in the why. Here’s the magic part: I used one of the simplest but most powerful tools I know now. Just before going on stage, I dropped into my heart.

I closed my eyes for a moment and focused on something that made me feel love. Connection. Warmth. Truth. Sometimes it’s the mission I’m speaking to. Sometimes it’s my kids. Sometimes, honestly, it’s just picturing my dog. Whatever brings me into a higher frequency of presence and safety — that’s my anchor.

And it worked. I got up there and delivered the speech with clarity, groundedness, and emotion. Afterwards, I returned to my seat and finally exhaled. That kind of shaky, relieved, proud exhale you only get after doing something that scared you — and doing it well.

Then, something happened that stopped me in my tracks. The guest seated next to me leaned over and said: “How did you do that? You spoke so beautifully. The pauses were perfect. You didn’t rush. And not a single ‘um.’ How?”

I had to pause. Because I didn’t really know… until that moment. And then it hit me. I had been fully present in my body. Even though I felt a bit like a duck on water — calm above, frantically paddling below — what carried me was the frequency I was holding.

The love, the truth, the connection I felt while speaking… it radiated. People could feel it. And that’s resonance. That’s heart-brain coherence in action. It wasn’t the words. It wasn’t the perfect timing or the polished delivery. It was the energy behind it.

That story — that moment — is the very reason I’m recording this episode today. Because I realised: this is what leadership really is. It’s not about being the most polished speaker. It’s about being the most present. The most integrated. The most true.

Here’s something a little nerdy… but super relevant. As most of you probably know by now — I’m a total data nerd. I love science. I love evidence. And I especially love biometrics.

So naturally, I track my own using two tools I’ve used for years:

• My Oura Ring — a smart ring that monitors sleep, recovery, and readiness.

• An app on my phone called Welltory, which tracks heart rate variability (HRV), energy, stress levels — and even heart coherence.

  
  

Why am I telling you this? Because after that speech — the one I gave to over 500 people, the one I was seriously anxious about — I looked back at my biometric data… and it was wild.

There was one reading taken right before I got up on stage that showed:

• Stress: 98% — yep, nearly maxed out.

• Energy: 17% — which means I was running on fumes.

• Heart Coherence: practically zero.

• HRV: really low.

  
  

The only good thing? My Health Resilience score was high — sitting around 95%, which thankfully meant I had some capacity to recover. It was basically my nervous system saying: “RED ALERT. She’s about to walk into danger!”

The funny thing? I didn’t need the app to tell me that. I felt it. In my body. In my breathing. In the racing thoughts.

But then… another reading was taken after the speech. And the numbers shifted — dramatically.

• Stress: down to 67% — right in the healthy green zone.

• Energy: jumped to 55% — still low, but a massive improvement.

• Heart Coherence: up around 70%.

• HRV: increased, showing I’d moved into a more regulated state.

  
  

It was honestly kind of amazing to see the data reflect what I had already felt. Because the shift didn’t come from pushing through or powering on — it came from coherence. From the moment I dropped into my heart, connected to something I loved, and let myself speak from that place… my entire nervous system recalibrated.

That’s the power of presence. That’s the magic of resonance — when your physiology, your voice, your energy all align. While I don’t have any affiliations with these tools, I’ve used both for about two years now, and I find them incredibly helpful in staying tuned in — especially in moments of high intensity.

Because sometimes, we know we’ve shifted. But having the data to back it up? That’s a pretty cool confirmation.

So here’s the invitation: The next time you’re feeling stuck in your head… Overthinking. Questioning. Worrying if you’re enough, if you said the right thing, if people will take you seriously…

Pause.

Put your hand on your heart.

Breathe.

Remember: you don’t need to know it all.

You don’t need to say it perfectly.

You just need to show up — in resonance.

And the moment you do? Everything changes. As my data confirmed! Because your leadership isn’t about having all the answers. It’s about being rooted in your truth, and letting other people feel safe enough to find theirs too. That’s the revolution. And it starts in your chest.

Integration + An Honest Invitation

So here’s what I want to leave you with:

You don’t have to keep leading from pressure.

You don’t have to keep pretending you’re fine.

You don’t have to keep trying to think your way into alignment.

There’s another way.

A gentler way.

A more natural way.

If that’s what you’ve been craving — I want to invite you into The Natural Leader Hub.

Let me be totally transparent with you for a second: This is a brand new offering. I’ve never done this before. There’s no perfectly polished funnel or pre-recorded hype machine. This is real. This is alive. This is evolving in real time.

Because this isn’t just another course. This is a membership — a living, breathing space where we go deeper into everything you’ve heard today. We explore nervous system regulation, Human Design, embodied leadership, somatic recalibration, energy management — all through the lens of The Natural Leader Model.

But here’s the best part: You get to co-create it. Yes, I’ve already added content. Yes, it’s anchored in the framework I’ve built over years of coaching, study, and lived experience.

Because it’s a membership — not a fixed container — we have room to grow. To expand. To shift. You can tell me what you need. What you’re navigating. What’s feeling sticky, unclear, or urgent. Together, we shape this space to meet you where you are.

Because that’s what real leadership looks like now. It’s not about pretending you have all the answers. It’s about creating spaces where truth gets to lead.

So if your heart’s beating a little faster right now… If you’re feeling that yes in your body, in your chest perhaps… I’d love for you to come be part of it. We’re just getting started. And this space I’ve created? It was made for women like you.

Come be part of what’s next. 💛

I can’t wait to see you join me and take this into your own leadership journey.

The Natural Leader Hub

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