Stress

January 1st Isn’t a Fresh Start. It’s a Mirror.

By Sylvia Lafair | January 1, 2026 |

Summary: New Year’s Day comes with glitter and pressure. Pressure to reinvent yourself and to be “better.” In fact, it’s pressure to announce the new you, like a product launch. And if we’re being honest, a lot of that pressure is just old stress dressed up in sequins. Here’s my wish for you on January…

GLIMMERS on Christmas Day: When the Light Shows Up Anyway

By Sylvia Lafair | December 25, 2025 |

Glimmers on Christmas are small signals of safety, warmth, and meaning. Learn how noticing them supports resilience and emotional presence.

Hope Can Survive During This Christmas Time (Even When It’s Complicated)

By Sylvia Lafair | December 23, 2025 |

When the holidays feel heavy, hope can survive. A compassionate reflection on loneliness, grief, divorce, and finding steady ground at Christmas.

The Leadership Blind Spot: Fear of Finding Out, and What It Costs You

By Sylvia Lafair | December 15, 2025 |

FOFO, or fear of finding out, keeps us stuck in avoidance, denial, and distraction—making small issues grow bigger. Learn how to recognize the subtle signals, regulate your nervous system, and take brave, manageable steps to face the truth and reclaim your agency.

How Wise Leaders Survive the Holidays (and Don’t Lose Their Minds, Their Teams, or Their Health)

By Sylvia Lafair | December 10, 2025 |

Learn how business leaders survive holiday stress with clarity, and ways to protect energy, support your team, and lead wisely.

Patterns Escalate at This Time of Year: Complete Them or Repeat Them, Your Choice

By Sylvia Lafair | December 4, 2025 |

Explore why family patterns escalate during the holidays and learn simple shifts that transform your reactions, relationships, and leadership.

The Patterns We Pass at the Thanksgiving Table: A Lesson in Leadership, Love, and Letting Go

By Sylvia Lafair | November 24, 2025 |

Summary: Thanksgiving has a way of shining a spotlight on the people we love most and the patterns we pass around, but would prefer to keep in the pantry with the canned cranberry sauce. Let this year be a day of gratitude and learning. Keep reading about how to make this time with family and friends…

The Ugly Middle: When Conflict Gets Messy (and What to Do About It)

By Sylvia Lafair | October 9, 2025 |

Summary: Every leader wants conflict resolution to occur as quickly as possible. Few are prepared for the ugly middle, where things get confusing. Here’s how to stay grounded when you feel frustrated and hopeless. Dear Dr. Sylvia, The entire world seems to be fighting all the time. There is no middle ground. I often feel…

A Different View of Leadership in Today’s Polarized World

By Sylvia Lafair | September 22, 2025 |

Summary: Leadership today isn’t just about titles, strategies, or skills. It’s about you, and you, and me. It’s about how we each bring our voices forward, no matter our role. Today is about the courage to speak out, ask questions, and yes, to listen. We are at an inflection point, where we can either make…

When Stress Clamps Down, Curiosity Blows the Doors Off

By Sylvia Lafair | July 17, 2025 |

Summary: You know that feeling, your chest tightens, your jaw clenches, and suddenly your to-do list feels like a personal attack. That’s stress! We all relate to stress. Instead of taking the meds, here is another way to pivot the stress factor and feel better faster. Dear Dr. Sylvia, I read your book “Invisible Stress…