The 90-Second Practice That Changed How One Leader Showed Up — Thanks to Neuroscientist Jamey Maniscalco
- Marcy Stoudt
- 2 days ago
- 4 min read
Some weeks you show up centered.
Some weeks, the kitchen wins.
A few months ago, after three long days of travel, I walked into total chaos — dishes in the sink, kids on screens, dogs barking, bags everywhere. I snapped. Not my proudest moment. And definitely not the leader I want to be, at home or at work.
But later that night, after I apologized, something struck me:
This is exactly what happens to leaders every single day.
They walk into meetings already activated — a tense conversation with their boss, a project slipping, a passive-aggressive email. Their nervous system is already in Red Energy before they even say a word.
And teams can feel it.
They just can’t always name it.
That’s why I keep coming back to something neuroscientist Dr. Jamey Maniscalco shared on our Above Center® Podcast — something so simple and yet so profound that it immediately changed how I coach leaders.
“Small changes create big transformations.” — Jamey Maniscalco
(Above Center® Podcast)
During our conversation, Jamey talked about why most leaders struggle with emotional regulation: they try to overhaul everything at once.
In his words:
“Let’s be reasonable. Let’s find small, manageable changes that yield the maximum impact… When you try to become a new person overnight, you burn out quickly, and the research shows you often regress even further.” — Jamey Maniscalco
What he teaches instead is the neuroscience of micro-shifts — tools that help the brain calm the stress response so leaders can respond thoughtfully rather than react impulsively.
It reminded me of the 90-second practice I’ve taught leaders for years:
Pause. Breathe. Choose.
And just a week after the podcast aired, I watched Jamey’s philosophy come to life in a real client moment.
A Real Client Story: “Marcy… it worked.”
I shared Jamey’s insight with one of our VPs who had a critical meeting coming up, the kind where tension is already baked in before anyone walks into the room.
She was dreading it.
So I reminded her of Jamey’s approach:
Don’t overhaul everything. Don’t rehearse every line. Just create 90 seconds of space for your nervous system to reset.
Pause.
Breathe.
Choose the energy you want to create.
Later that afternoon, my phone buzzed:
“Marcy… it worked. I did the 90 seconds calming technique. The meeting went completely differently.”
She wasn’t less accountable.
She wasn’t less direct.
She was simply more centered. And when leaders are centered, everything downstream changes — tone, presence, trust, outcomes.
Her team didn’t get the overwhelmed, stressed out version of her.
They got the real one.
Why This Matters for Leadership
In Jamey’s words:
“You need a brain that’s able to fire on all cylinders… Emotional regulation, critical thinking, planning — all of it starts with the health and clarity of your brain.” — Jamey Maniscalco
This is why the 90-second practice works:
It gives your brain the micro-moment it needs to move out of stress and into intentional, Above Center® leadership.
And as we enter the holidays — a season full of joy, pressure, deadlines, and family dynamics — this tool matters more than ever.
You don’t need a meditation retreat.
You don’t need a wellness overhaul.
You just need a moment.
Pause.
Breathe.
Choose.
It’s leadership in 90 seconds.
Join Us in January:
Redefining Wellness with Neuroscientist Jamey Maniscalco
After our podcast conversation, we knew we had to bring Jamey into the REVEL community.
This month, he’ll be our guest speaker for the January REVEL® Leadership Circle — an invite-only 25-minute coaching session with fast, science-backed practices you can use immediately.
You’ll learn:
Micro-meditations that reset your brain in 90 seconds
Gratitude practices that shift energy in meetings (and at family gatherings)
Simple, joyful habits to stay Above Center® in a hectic season
How brain health directly shapes leadership presence
Event Details
Date: Thursday, January 22, 2026
Time: 1:00 PM – 1:25 PM ET
Location: Zoom (link shared after registration)
Guest Expert: Dr. Jamey Maniscalco, Neuroscientist & Founder of Manifest Wellness
As a part of the REVEL community, you’re invited.
Bring a colleague or loved one who wants to join our Leadership Circle with a free Cloverleaf account.
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Marcy Stoudt is a seasoned sales leader dedicated to shaping the future of talent acquisition and executive coaching. As the founder of Revel Search and Revel Coach, Marcy collaborates with corporate clients to develop innovative strategies for attracting, advancing, and retaining top-tier talent.
During her 22 years at Allegis Group, Marcy was TEKsystems's first female Vice President. She led a team of 300 producers and delivered four consecutive years of revenue results at 18% CAGR, averaging $320 million annually. While at MarketSource, she established the Customer Experience Strategy for the Target Mobile outsourced sales team at 1,540 Target locations, fostering executive-level relationships with Target and Apple.
The Revel Coach™ Blog is provided for educational and informational purposes only and is not mental health, financial, business or legal advice. The information presented here is not intended to diagnose, treat, heal, cure or prevent any medical, mental or emotional condition. The information presented here is not a guarantee that you will obtain any results or earn any money using our content.
