“ Resetting is required infrastructure for enduring leadership.”
aside. Within weeks his energy shifted. He entered conversations sharper, more present and lighter in tone. His colleagues noticed the difference, but the real change was his willingness to control the controllable.
The power of pause Do you rush from one thing to the next, never stopping to notice the transition? How much clarity are you losing in those in-between moments?
Resets aren’ t always structural. Some of the most powerful resets happen in the small spaces between tasks. Transitional rituals act as quiet anchors, signals that one thing has ended and another is beginning. Stretching. Stepping outside to notice the air on your skin. Making a cup of tea with your phone left behind on the counter. These little rituals tell your body it can stop bracing. They remind you that energy is renewable, not something to be wrung out until nothing is left.
A general manager began experimenting with transitional rituals during her busiest season. Instead of rushing straight from one responsibility to another, she chose to sip water slowly, step outside and take in her surroundings. Most importantly, she left her phone tucked away. The effect was immediate. She felt calmer, clearer, more grounded. Her staff mirrored her steadiness, and soon the whole property felt lighter. Two minutes of quiet became the thread that carried her through everything. YOUR CHALLENGE: Create one transitional ritual and make it non-negotiable for the next 30 days.
THE NEXT STEP IN RESILIENCE Resilient by Design continues in the December 2025 / January 2026 issue of Pulse with Part 2: A New Model for Leaders.
Closing the year with clarity What if you gave yourself a single hour before 2025 ends, not for strategy, not for planning, but simply to ask yourself three questions?
1 What habit will I leave behind? 2 What’ s been working that I’ ll amplify? 3 What practice do I want to begin by the new year?
One colleague began doing this ritual after years of running on autopilot. One winter, she sat with her notebook and named three things she would release: extra committees, late nights that blurred into exhaustion and social obligations that drained instead of fed her. She let them go. In their place, she amplified what she knew restored her: her morning walks, one restorative practice she loved and weekends that were actually hers again. The year that followed was lighter, more intentional— and far more productive.
If you’ ve never tried it, block the hour now. Tea, pen, paper. See what rises when you let yourself pause.
The mindset that sustains you Getting ready is one thing. Staying ready is the real work. That means designing rhythms that support what you already know is coming: shorter meetings, weekly check-ins, monthly responsibilities and the daily ebbs and flows of“ Two minutes of quiet can reset an entire day.”
your work. When you treat balance as a strategy instead of a reward, you stop waiting until depletion forces your hand. You start protecting your energy before it needs saving. As this year closes, take good care. Choose one reset, whether calendar, ritual or debrief, and carry it with you through the holidays. Notice how your presence shifts. Resetting isn’ t indulgence, it’ s required infrastructure. It primes you for the next steps in expanding your resilience as a leader. When you build resilience from within, the ripple is unmistakable. It moves outward into steadier teams, stronger cultures and guest experiences people can feel. n
LEAH CRUMP is an award-winning consultant and trusted voice in luxury hotel spa and wellness. With more than two decades of experience, she advises hotel groups, owners and founders on new hotel developments, renovations and strategies that refine operations and elevate guest experiences. Through advisory leadership, development consulting and tailored well-being programming, Crump and her team deliver profitable solutions without compromising on luxury. Recognized for her forward-looking insights, she frequently speaks on the future of wellness, conscious leadership and innovation in hospitality.
PULSE n NOVEMBER 2025 37