With all the crazy stuff going on in our world, finding peace of mind and a serene center may be difficult.

I don’t know about you, but that’s certainly been the case with me lately. I've been playing catch-up after Michael Cantu and I launched our paperback version of our best-selling e-book, No-Nonsense Digital Transformation, last month. I have more than I can do at this point!

In times like these, I love to use the following techniques to help me feel more serene and present in my circumstances.

I’m sharing them with you in hopes they’ll help you, either now or in the future, when life gets crazy.

1. Practice the 5-Senses Grounding Technique

When I’m too excited about something or am stressed out, and my brain is going 90 mph, practicing these grounding techniques helps me. I’ll find a quiet space to focus intently on these five steps, moving slowly from one to the next.

5: Acknowledge FIVE things you see around you. ...
4: Acknowledge FOUR things you can touch around you. ...
3: Acknowledge THREE things you hear. ...
2: Acknowledge TWO things you can smell. ...
1: Acknowledge ONE thing you can taste.

You’ll hopefully feel calmer and more present in your circumstances when you finish.

2. Share Your Life with Friends

If you’re anything like me, I work from home with no one but my dogs to keep me company during the day. The isolation can sometimes get to me.

Since I am an external processor, I make it a point to reach out and share my life with friends to have in-depth, authentic conversations. Doing so helps me to stay more centered. And even in times of excitement, sharing your recent experiences with friends can be fun. That can even uplift them!

3. Journal

I’ve been journaling since my late 20s, and it has been my lifeline. If you have a myriad of emotions you’re experiencing, working through those with pen and paper can be therapeutic. It’s certainly been that way for me.

And there’s proof of how powerful journaling can be. Studies show that journaling can reduce the adverse effects of stress, decrease the symptoms of chronic health conditions, improve clarity, and help with problem-solving.

If you’re unsure how to start, there’s no set formula. Just start! You don’t have to think about what you’re going to say. Just let the words flow.


I hope these tips will help you reduce your stress levels. If you have a chance to try them out, I’d love to hear how they worked for you!

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Speaking of stress, are you facing challenges in your organization that seem unsolvable?

That’s where I love to come in! As a business transformation expert, I enjoy helping organizations solve their most pressing problems.

If you’re interested in learning more, I’d love to hop on a quick phone or Zoom call to help point you in the right direction.

Click the button below to get started!

By: Kathy Kent Toney, CEO & Founder of Kent Business Solutions

As an avid Chiefs fan, my mind is still on the incredible win the Chiefs had against the Los Angeles Chargers on Thursday Night Football last week.

The person who comes to mind is Jaylen Watson, the game's hero. He intercepted the ball on the Chargers three-yard line and ran it back for a 99-yeard touchdown. That’s pretty amazing in itself, one of the longest “Pick 6s” in Chiefs history and the longest go-ahead fourth-quarter Pick 6 by a rookie in NFL history.

But that’s not the only significant part. Jaylen's backstory is incredible. After committing to play football at USC, he had to de-commit after five months because of academic issues. He couldn't find a good job back in his home state of Georgia, so he took a job at Wendy’s while still finding somewhere to play football.

So why talk about all of this?

Here are some great leadership lessons about his life that I believe we can embrace to become more effective leaders:

1. Never Give Up and Never Give in

When the cards are stacked against you, rearrange the cards! Jaylen did that after he flunked out of USC. He realized the necessity to turn things around. So, when he landed at Washington State, he worked hard and ended up getting straight A’s while beginning to make a name for himself on the football field.

Lessons learned: stay determined to achieve your goals, no matter what obstacles or challenges stand in your way.

2. When Your Name is Called, Be Ready

Jaylen wasn't even supposed to be playing in this game. Trent McDuffie, another rookie, was injured in last week's season opener. Jaylen was the next man up. In his own words, he said, "I've just been working my butt off, and if the time came where someone went down, I was going to be ready and prepared, and that's what happened.”

Lessons learned: stay proactive in your day-to-day professional life. Sharpen your saw through learning opportunities. Make the most of mentoring relationships. Stay on top of your obligations, and don't forget to pass your wisdom on to others.

3. Anticipate Great Things to Happen

In a post-game interview, Jaylen said he woke up knowing he would get a Pick-6. Since he was a rookie and a seventh-round NFL draft pick (the bottom-of-the-barrel talent, in NFL speak), he knew the tests would come early from the Chargers quarterback, Justin Herbert. And when it happened, he was ready.

Lessons learned: envision your success, knowing you'll succeed in whatever comes your way. Be confident that great opportunities are on the horizon.


As business leaders, we would all do well to embrace these qualities: through never giving up, preparing ourselves to serve well, and envisioning our success, we will become better equipped to lead with excellence.

Speaking of leading with excellence, Michael Cantu and I discuss how to do this in our best-selling book, No-Nonsense Digital Transformation. We cover quite a few topics on leading well: transforming culture and mindset, effective project planning, and building productive teams, to name a few. So, this book would still be an excellent read, even if you're not interested in digital transformation!

If you’re want to learn more, click the button below!

Leadership development can often take a back seat when the demands of heavy workloads infringe on our desire to grow our influence. And that certainly is the case these days with many business leaders!

To help those of you in this boat, here are 10 leadership quotes to provide a quick dose of inspiration on your journey to becoming a better leader.

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Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others. -- Jack Welch

A leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves. — Lao Tzu

Where there is no vision, the people perish. -- Proverbs 29:18

You manage things; you lead people. — Rear Admiral Grace Murray Hopper

A leader is a dealer in hope. — Napoleon Bonaparte

Leadership is lifting a person's vision to high sights, the raising of a person's performance to a higher standard, the building of a personality beyond its normal limitations. — Peter Drucker

The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants done, and self-restraint enough to keep from meddling with them while they do it. -- Theodore Roosevelt

A leader takes people where they want to go. A great leader takes people where they don't necessarily want to go, but ought to be. — Rosalynn Carter

He who has never learned to obey cannot be a good commander. -- Aristotle

A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way. -- John Maxwell

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This last quote is powerful. Leaders who know where they are going and take those who follow them on their journey can experience higher levels of success than those who don't.

Unfortunately, many leaders don't know how to lead effectively, and their companies suffer because of their inability to adapt, grow, and thrive during challenging times.

That's why Michael Cantu and I wrote our best-selling Amazon book, No-Nonsense Digital Transformation —to help business leaders who fall into both categories.

And it's not just about how to digitally transform organizations. In it, we talk extensively on topics such as how to shift mindset, change culture, and how to build great teams. Business leaders who instill these qualities in their organizations have a greater capacity to build stronger foundations, which in turn can lead to increased productivity and profitability.

In a nutshell, we've created a roadmap to manage change in your business effectively. So, the book is not just for digital transformation fans!

If you're interested in learning more about the book, click the button below!