The bad habit that shrinks your influence


Run the Room

Sorry, not sorry.

I'm Canadian, so I'm an expert at apologizing.

And we often think it sounds gracious:
“Sorry to bother you.”
“Sorry to take your time.”

But in meetings, every apology lowers the ceiling for the room.

You've told people this meeting is a burden––and they'll act accordingly.

Instead, frame it as a privilege and a purpose.
“This is the best group to tackle this.”
“I’m energized to dig in together.”

Energy rises to the story you tell.

Try this:
In your next meeting, replace every “sorry” with an expression of confidence or gratitude.

  • “I’ve been looking forward to this conversation.”
  • “We’re already making progress."
  • “I value the intention everyone’s bringing.”
  • “Thanks — this is meaningful work, and it shows.”

You’ll feel the tone shift immediately.

🌿 Lead with energy, not apology.

PS — Make It Land is now open

(Only 7 seats this round)

If you’ve been meaning to sharpen how you show up in high-stakes rooms, now’s the moment.

Make It Land is a 90-minute influence sprint — built for people with big ideas who need them to move.

This round is capped at just 7 seats.
And every spot now comes with a personalized written diagnostic before we start.


Run the Room is your weekly briefing on building real influence—so you can shape outcomes and move systems.

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Run the Room

Get in the room. Run it. Change what happens when you leave. That's the work I do with senior leaders moving standards from concept to institutional adoption. My work has been featured in The New York Times, TIME, The Lancet, and Foreign Policy. Each Saturday, one short note on making it easy to move decisions that matter—three minutes to read, used in next week's meeting.

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