Maria Mojo Mondays: Staying Human in Inhumane Times

Hello Mindset Maverick,

I want to talk about something that feels heavy, emotional, and intense this week.

All of us have been witnessing the coverage of recent fatal shootings involving federal immigration enforcement agents and the very real grief, rage, and pain those deaths have sparked across communities.

The loss of any human life in these circumstances is unacceptable, heartbreaking, and worthy of accountability and full transparency.

This kind of moment hits deep. It stirs outrage, fear, helplessness, and exhaustion all at once. And while these emotions are valid, they also raise an important leadership question that applies far beyond politics or headlines.

How do we stay human, grounded, and effective when the world feels this heavy?

This Week’s Truth

Outrage can be real, righteous, and necessary.

But outrage alone is not leadership.

Left unchecked, it can drown out the quieter voice inside us that asks a harder question.
What action actually leads to lasting change?

As leaders, we are not exempt from the emotional weight of witnessing injustice and suffering. But we are responsible for how we carry it. Our power, individually and collectively, is not in reaction alone. It is in peaceful clarity, disciplined endurance, and moral clarity without self-destruction.

A Moment That Stopped Me

I was watching a live video on Facebook of the Monks Walking for Peace, and what struck me most was the steadiness in their presence. Calm. Focused. Unshaken.

It was a powerful reminder that peace is not passive. It is strength practiced deliberately.

In the face of horror, they were not numbing out. They were not bypassing pain. They were choosing restraint, presence, and discipline as a form of power.

That is not weakness.
That is leadership.

Why This Matters for Leaders

True leadership isn’t about suppressing outrage.
It’s about holding both the pain of what is unjust and the commitment to what heals at the same time.

If we cannot lead ourselves through pain with steadiness, we cannot lead others toward solutions that last.

This applies everywhere:

• In organizations under pressure

• In communities experiencing loss

• In families navigating fear

• In our own nervous systems when the noise gets loud

Burnout does not only come from work. It comes from sustained emotional overload without regulation or meaning.

A Reframe to Carry With You

Stress management asks:
“How do I cope better with this?”

Recalibration asks:
“Why am I operating in a way that requires this much coping?”

We can hold outrage without abandoning our inner peace.
We can demand accountability without losing ourselves in fear and division.

Both things can be true at the same time.

Your Mojo Practice for the Week

This week, I invite you to practice disciplined presence.

Not disengagement.
Not numbing.
Not endless scrolling or arguing.

Just this:

Pause before reacting.
Notice what you are feeling without feeding it.
Choose one action that aligns with your values instead of your adrenaline.

That might look like:

• Turning off the news earlier than usual

• Having one grounded conversation instead of ten reactive ones

• Moving your body to discharge emotion

• Creating space to breathe before making decisions

Leadership begins with self-regulation.

Final Thought

This moment matters.
Humanity matters.
Lives matter.

And so does how we choose to show up in the middle of it all.

Peace is not passivity.
It is power with discipline.

Until next Monday,
Maria Lesetz
Your Mindset & Resilience Coach