Your Future Realized
Work Smarter, Feel Lighter—The Your Future Realized Podcast is your unapologetic permission slip to ditch the grind and rediscover what makes work matter. With Laura Malinowski, you’ll get straightforward strategies, fresh experiments, and tiny wins that create practical shifts you’ll notice right away. Designed for operations leaders and their teams. Find out how to connect with your people, build steady, resilient habits, and sharpen your focus—so every workday feels more rewarding. Each episode is like having a coach in your corner, bringing you proven tools to handle anything that comes your way, strengthen what works, and keep making progress—day after day.
Your Future Realized
The Operations Exec Reset Routine—No Apps Required
Find the full transcript at YourFutureRealized.com/113.
Every challenge at work has a tech “solution.” Stressed? Get a timer, or a soothing sound app. Overwhelmed? A bot can remind you to drink water. Here’s a game where you can breathe with whales. Gadgets buzz your wrist or zap your ear, promising calm on demand.
But I’ve found the real fix is not on any screen. It’s daylight, sneakers, and a deep breath.
A leader I know was swamped by merger chaos. He started slipping out for 10-minute walks to clear his head.
Honestly? He was just dodging work, not following some big plan. But it worked. It snapped him out of his “ugh, now what?” mode. He’d come back lighter, calmer, steadier. No apps, no monthly fees.
This episode is about how tiny real habits build resilience and help you hit reset when it all feels like too much.
Every challenge at work has a tech “solution.” Stressed? Get a timer, or a soothing sound app. Overwhelmed? A bot can remind you to drink water. Here’s a game where you can breathe with whales. Gadgets buzz your wrist or zap your ear, promising calm on demand.
But I’ve found the real fix is not on any screen. It’s daylight, sneakers, and a deep breath.
A leader I know was swamped by merger chaos. He started slipping out for 10-minute walks to clear his head.
Honestly? He was just dodging work, not following some big plan. But it worked. It snapped him out of his “ugh, now what?” mode. He’d come back lighter, calmer, steadier. No apps, no monthly fees.
This episode is about how tiny real habits build resilience and help you hit reset when it all feels like too much. Find the full transcript at YourFutureRealized.com/113.
Hey Ops Execs,
Why Tech Won’t Fix Burnout in Operations
You can have your whole day mapped out then, boom, everything changes before 9am. The stress of dealing with constant changes and demands, and holding it all together takes a toll.
The latest gadgets promise instant fixes. Tech grabs our attention, apps feel slick and fresh, and we love it because it turns everything into a new project that we can optimize. (Hey, my calendar and entire organization system basically lives on my phone, and there is a meditation app I use sometimes.)
But sometimes what your system actually needs isn’t a new app, it’s an old-school reset. Because let’s be real:
If your version of calm depends on a phone battery, how much control do you actually have?
Time and time again, I find what usually works best is classic: the stuff you’ve always had on hand, anywhere, anytime—no gadgets required. Your body’s got a built-in reset button. Ten-minute walks, a couple deep breaths, humming under your breath… Not flashy, but they just plain work.
Simple Habits That Actually Work Under Pressure
Here are three ways to reset and find your footing when things are spinning out.
- Blow off the steam. Say what’s actually going on. Name it, feel it, let it spill out. Bottling it up it uup is seless. Call a friend or text your coach and just say, “This is such a mess.” Suddenly it’s not all on you (and in you) as much anymore.
- Have one little go-to move in your pocket. Maybe it’s a walk, maybe it’s the fastest breathing break ever—whatever works. Shut your laptop, stand up, look outside. It doesn’t have to be long. Just take a real, honest break. It’s a way of telling yourself: “Okay, I am still here in the middle of all this.”
- Find your people. Don’t lone-wolf it. Forget the hero act. It’s rough out there, and sometimes you just need backup, or even just someone to laugh with.
If you’re waiting for someone to give you permission to ditch complicated solutions and keep it simple, here it is.
And hey, if you’re skeptical that a walk or a breath can beat fancy tech, I understood. Most of us were taught not to trust the basics, and there’s always someone selling ‘better.’ I say: just try it for yourself—see what actually works for you.
No need to toss your gadgets completely. Just question whether you want to outsource your calm to something you have to charge.
Take Back Control with Five-Minute Resets
I’m leaving you with this question: When the next wave of turbulence hits, and you know that it will!, what’s one low-tech move you’ll try to get your energy back and keep your hands on the wheel?
Try it out and let me know how it goes.
By the way, if you want to walk into chaotic situations like it’s just another Wednesday, check out Episode 73. It’s all about how to carry yourself with serious calm and composure, no matter what’s coming at you. Listen in at YourFutureRealized.com/73.
You can’t stop the chaos, but you can change the game.