The meeting where you said something sharper than you intended.
The decision that felt obvious at the time and wrong by morning.
The conversation you were physically present for but not really there.
That is not a character issue. That is the vagal brake withdrawing.
The vagal brake is a myelinated branch of the vagus nerve that your body
uses to regulate heart rate, cognitive bandwidth, and social engagement
in real time, without your conscious input.
When it is engaged, you lead well.
When it is not, the quality of everything you produce narrows with it.
Episode 04 of the iuan Podcast covers exactly this: what the vagal brake is, why high-performers are especially vulnerable to losing access to it, and the two tools that re-engage it under 60 seconds without leaving your desk.
Listen to the full episode on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6Yz5oHu3Pg3eEKyXCSwQFY?si=e748fff0029548d2
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