Executive Clarity: Leading Without Reactivity

What if your greatest leadership advantage isn’t what you know, but the state you’re in?

Executive Clarity: Leading Without Reactivity explores the “window of tolerance,” a neuroscience-based concept that defines the optimal zone of nervous system activation for effective functioning. The talk demonstrates how physiological regulation enables leaders to maintain clarity and steadiness, respond rather than react, exercise sound judgment, and foster stronger relationships and organizational culture.

Outline

• Introduction
• The Optimal Zone: Your Foundation for Clear Leadership
• Regulation: Your Leadership Superpower
• What Pulls Executives Out of the Optimal Zone
• Executive Tells: Signs You’re Leaving the Optimal Zone
• Out of the Zone: Costs to Leadership Effectiveness
• High-Impact Strategies: Reclaiming and Expanding Your Optimal Zone
• Conclusion

Speaker Bio

Leila Atiyeh https://www.linkedin.com/in/leila-atiyeh-9a046210/  is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor with eight years of experience. She works in private practice with individuals and couples, helping them navigate career and workplace challenges, cultural and social stressors, identity clarity, life transitions, and relationship dynamics. 

Before transitioning to psychotherapy, Leila built a 13-year career in consulting and internal audit, with high-impact experience in business transformation, process improvement, and risk management for global organizations, and serving in an internal audit role internationally. Her corporate background includes roles at EY and Deloitte.

Leila also serves in board leadership roles, including as Vice-Chair of the San Diego Center for Emotionally Focused Therapy and Membership Chair of the San Diego North County chapter of the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists.

By integrating her corporate insights with clinical expertise, Leila equips executives to manage stress and enhance resilience in high-performing environments.