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This Human by Melis Senova

Enabling senior design professionals to be more influential within their organisations. ✨ Author of this human and design character, published by BIS Publishers.📚

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💓 Here's the kicker about your ticker...

"We cannot lead what we are disconnected from. And we cannot connect unless we slow down enough to feel." We often treat leadership as a cerebral exercise: charts, KPIs, strategy decks. But what if our most profound insights come not from our heads, but from our hearts? This week's article invites us to reconnect with the heart, not just as a metaphor, but as a genuine organ of perception. True leadership arises from attunement, presence, and embodied awareness. When we slow down and listen...

"Leadership-real leadership- is not a performance of perfection. It is a practice of wholeness." We’re often taught to aim for perfection; to get it right, to hold it all together, to lead without cracks. But what if that’s not what’s needed? This week's article continues an open invitation to lead differently through the lens of nature. Nature doesn’t strive for flawlessness; it works with what’s real, messy, and alive. And so can we. True leadership isn’t about polish, it’s about presence....

"Living systems don't need micromanagement. They need tending." We often think leadership is about driving outcomes or steering the ship. But what if it’s more like tending a garden? In this week's article, Melis offers a fresh take; leadership as ecology. Instead of pushing harder, it’s about creating the right conditions for growth. Like in nature, thriving doesn’t come from control, but from care, timing, and attention to what’s needed. When leaders focus on the work environment, not just...

“Nature never forces growth. It listens, responds, and knows when to pause. Imagine if we led that way.”" We’ve been sold the idea that more is always better. More growth, more speed, more efficiency. But life doesn’t work that way. In her latest article, Melis invites us to take a cue from nature; where growth is smart, responsive, and knows when to pause. Trees don’t grow taller just for the sake of it. Ecosystems thrive through balance, not endless expansion. So why do we lead our teams...

"Return to what's real, not what's rehearsed." We are not just walking stories — we are walking scripts, shaped by early patterns and often running on autopilot. But what if we could pause the performance long enough to notice it? In this newsletter, we explore how presence interrupts the plot. In Stillness in Motion, Melis reveals how embodied leadership begins with the radical act of being fully here — not posturing, not predicting, just present In What’s Your Life Script?, Ben trace's the...

"The work of the eyes is done. Go now and do the heart-work on the images imprisoned within you." This quote from Rainer Maria Rilke is the perfect primer for this newsletter and this time in our evolution. There is A LOT happening in the world, no matter where you are, no matter what you do. As a leader, there is more complexity, pace and pressure than ever before. It may feel easier to look outside of ourselves for answers, but it's not the whole picture. Whether we call it heart-work, or...

How do you do change? Not the kind you find at the bottom of your bag or drop into a tip jar or swap for a sausage sizzle at Bunnings on a Saturday morning. We're talking about the kind of change that stirs something in you, calls you to action and alters your course toward a new horizon. We've been stirred. And this newsletter is one of the shifts we’re making at this human. We’re changing how we do things—now, in service of what’s to come. What does that mean for you? The newsletter is...

What if leadership wasn’t about control, but about connection—starting with yourself? We've all read the traditional leadership books. They focus on external strategies—processes, hierarchies, efficiency. Thanks (but no thanks) old white guys. 😉 True leadership, what we call deep leadership, begins from within. It’s about integrating all aspects of yourself—your beliefs, emotions, imagination, and attention—so that your leadership is grounded, authentic, and transformative. What is deep...

Are you getting the most out of your mornings? Are you part of the 5am club, bouncing out of bed, off for a run, a healthy breakfast, then smashing out a few chapters of your memoir, all before 8am? (me neither ;-) Or perhaps you immediately reach for your phone and dive straight into your workday and the art of being a busy person. Or maybe you're non-existent until that first hit of caffeine floods your system. How you do your mornings can significantly impact how the rest of your day...

Happy lunar new year! As you may know, this is the year of the Snake. This ancient creature has much to offer us. Here are some key themes to consider. 1. Strategic Growth & Transformation A year for thoughtful transformation, favouring calculated risks over impulsive change. 2. Creativity Meets Strategy A powerful time for innovation and long-term planning, ideal for launching creative projects. 3. Diplomacy & Charisma Enhanced eloquence and adaptability make this a favourable year for...