Transforming Stress Into Fuel, featuring Dr. Rebecca Heiss

Stress is not the enemy, and trying to calm down may be making things worse. Dr. Rebecca Heiss joins Michelle Johnston to unpack the science behind stress, why uncertainty pushes leaders toward control, and how reframing fear can improve performance. Their conversation moves from boardrooms to classrooms to basketball courts, showing how stress can become useful energy instead of a barrier. Rebecca shares practical tools for public speaking, leadership, and self-talk, including her “coach voice,” emotional distancing, and curiosity as an antidote to fear. The result is a fresh, hopeful framework for using pressure as momentum.

This episode is a strong reminder that meaningful work often comes with elevated stress, and that pressure does not have to mean panic. It can be reframed as purpose, momentum, and forward motion.

CHAPTERS:

00:00 Welcome and meeting Dr. Rebecca Heiss
00:26 What a stress physiologist actually does
02:13 Stress, uncertainty, and the shift in leadership
04:59 Why controlling leaders create more disconnection
05:21 Invite the tiger in for tea
07:09 Act as if it is an adventure
08:18 Why “just calm down” does not work
10:08 Service to others as a stress intervention
10:48 Public speaking fear and performance anxiety
11:46 Stress as proof that something matters
13:23 Self-talk, storytelling, and presentation confidence
15:24 Coaching yourself in the third person
17:30 Why acting as if can change physiology
19:19 What students can do before presenting
20:29 Meet the inner critic and coach voice
21:56 Stress lessons from basketball
23:04 What leaders can do before a tough meeting
25:27 Rebecca’s new book, *Springboard*
27:48 Who the book is for
29:07 Using stress in service to others
30:33 Closing reflections and thanks

Special thanks to our friend Brian Wayy for the theme music this season!
Track Title: My Heart's On Fire

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What is The Seismic Shift with Michelle K. Johnston?

Welcome to Seismic Shift - a leadership podcast that focuses on connection. I’m your host, Michelle K. Johnston: management professor, executive coach, and leadership expert. I believe that today’s leaders need more than power and control to get the best from their teams; they need connection. Through interviews with some of today’s top business leaders, we are going to explore how leaders' ability to connect with themselves, their teams, and their organizations defines their ultimate success or failure. This podcast runs in close parallel to my new book, The Seismic Shift in Leadership, where you can find even more insights from me and the brilliant leaders I interviewed this season. So let's set our sights on connection and get ready to take on the daunting, yet exciting, challenge of this Seismic Shift.