In the last 5 days, I had conversations with ten different CEOs that started as business check-ins and ended up somewhere completely different. Maybe it was the third cup of coffee, maybe it was the way the afternoon light hit the room, maybe it was HAIM’s new album “I QUIT” just came out and it got them thinking…. but suddenly we were talking about the stuff that really matters.
What I heard through their beautiful strong vulnerability was truth.
Why I See This So Clearly
For years, my work has been helping blind audiences experience movies and TV. I’m the voice that fills in the silence between dialogue, describing what’s happening on screen so the story makes sense. It’s called audio description.
That work taught me something simple: clarity is survival. If I rush, the story collapses. If I over-explain, people tune out. If I hit it just right, people feel fully included.
That same tension shows up in every executive I talk with (go with me here, it’s not that big of a leap). You’re juggling impossible cues. You’re filling silence with noise. You’re trying to serve the story of your company without stealing it.
It’s why I started sharing these lessons outside the recording studio. Because running a studio, a startup, or a Fortune 500, the challenges is similar: how do you connect with people in a way that’s clear, human, and unforgettable?
The Questions That Keep You Up at Night
“Do you ever question whether any of this work actually matters?”
Every leader I’ve spoken with admits this quietly, like it’s a guilty secret. But it isn’t. When your calendar looks like a game of Tetris nobody can win, when you spend whole weeks reacting instead of steering, it’s natural to wonder if you’re just rearranging deck chairs. That voice in your head is honesty tapping you on the shoulder.
“Do you drag yourself to work and struggle to get the engine started?”
I’ve heard CEOs describe sitting in front of their screens, watching their coffee go cold, hoping the spark kicks in. That feels like maybe you’ve lost your edge. But maybe it means you’ve been carrying more than anyone should. Even the strongest people stall under too much weight.
“Do you feel disconnected from your work and the people around you?”
A lot of leaders call it “professional distance.” But be real, it feels more like loneliness. You miss walking into a room that buzzes with belief, that energy when everyone is building something together. Leaders crave that belonging just as much as anyone else. It’s human.
“What’s draining way more energy than it should?”
This one always gets a bitter laugh. Meetings that take an hour and give you nothing. Campaigns that promise connection but just add noise. You’re not making it up. You’re giving out more than you’re getting back.
“Where do you feel most ineffective?”
Inevitably, the answers land in the places leaders once felt unstoppable: strategy, storytelling, building trust. When those start wobbling, it shakes confidence everywhere else. Grinding harder won’t fix it. (Ask me about the fly and the window sometime). Making space to breathe might.
“Do you lack the energy to do your job well?”
Every exec nods here. Sleep helps, but it doesn’t solve it. Because no amount of rest can refill a tank that’s leaking meaning. Energy follows purpose. Without that, you could sleep for a month and still wake up tired.
“Do you feel satisfied by what you accomplish?”
Hard to feel satisfied when your days are reduced to box-checking. As you fill spreadsheets, you remember that you stepped into this to create ripples. Maybe satisfaction comes back when the impact does.
“What are the signs that you need to stop?”
Most of you already know the signs: patience gone before lunch, irritability out of nowhere (that unnecessary 2FA, the incredibly slow Prius in front of you, driving parallel to the Tesla, with hundreds of yards in front of both), that numbness that settles in during the fifth meeting that didn’t need to exist. “One more of these and something in me might snap.” The vibrations from you eye twitches cause earthquakes. Maybe that’s too dramatic. But it could be that your system begging for a reset.
What’s Stealing Your Life
– The 9 a.m. meeting that should’ve been a &@#*ing email
– Attention sliced uselessly thin, thrown to the wind
– Marketing not even your team believes in
– Software that makes simple things harder (ouch. OUCH.)
– Trust evaporating with every broken promise
– Good ideas watered down until they’re unrecognizable
– Loyal customers drifting because connection got replaced with metrics
– five meetings, zero decisions
– Communities that feel like mailing lists instead of belonging
– Context stripped until choices feel like guesswork
Finding Your Way Back
You don’t need another leadership workshop. Time to get back to basics:
Guard your attention like it’s oxygen. Because it is. (I’m playing small: no phone use at the dining table or in bed)
Create something worth people’s time to earn their attention (This blog is my experiment with that)
Keep your promises, especially the tiny ones. Trust rebuilds in fragments. (Personally I’m experiencing this in staying present with some very valuable relationships; instead of driving for what I want, I’m simply showing up).
Make things so simple they don’t need instructions. If people have to think too hard, you’ve already lost them. (Damn this takes work, but what a beautiful payoff. Elegance, clarity and simplicity are worthy)
Live your ideas instead of filing them away. Execution is the only separator. (I have friends who regularly text me “STAY PRESENT.” It is always welcomed, and zones me right where I need to be)
Stop manufacturing fans. Listen. Respond. Repeat. Believers show up when you’re consistent. (Listening is active, not waiting to respond. I love relearning this in so many areas of my life.)
Use data only if it drives a decision. (Marie Kondo the rest; the information river will always flow, and it’s so easy to drown).
Build belonging, not just audiences. People want to be part of something, not just marketed to. (My advisors consistently remind me of the relationship instead of the transaction. Life changing).
Restore context. In a world of noise, clarity is leadership. (Context drives all my work, in every aspect)
Why This Actually Matters
If you’ve ever typed into Google, “How do leaders rebuild trust?” or “How can executives restore focus?” at 11 PM, you’re not the only one. The shortages of energy, attention, trust, are clarity aren’t going away. But neither are you.
This is a mirror.
Your tools of experience, instincts, and the ability to see patterns others miss are there for you, and the question is how you’ll use them?
And here’s what stuck with me from those ten conversations last week: not one CEO had it all figured out. But every single one was still showing up.
Tired, flawed, human, and still leading.
Just like accessibility of content (remind me about the keynote presentation where I showed up for a panel and found out that my handouts needed total revisions. The conference tables were crawled under, and then the spark of ‘ah-ha!’ Changed everything for me).
That’s what people need from you too. Not perfection. Just presence.
For deeper perspective on communication, leadership, and how to cut through noise with clarity, visit ParityEndeavors.com and take a peek at my book roysamuelson.com/book – it’s more than just for voice actors.