Jesse Katen Leadership Consultancy

08/16/2026

To whomever needs to hear it today:

You know how you can get "rusty" at a skill? You haven't done it in a while so you feel awkward, clumsy, and like it comes to you less naturally than it once did?

Trauma, self-doubt, self-criticism, and worry are also skills you've developed over time that you can CHOOSE to allow to become rusty.

By practicing an alternative to them, these "skills" that are not natural but merely well rehearsed and practiced can become "rusty" and eventually, like a neglected muscle, they can atrophy. And even disappear.

Start practicing the opposite of the things you want to become rusty.

Hope that helps!

08/15/2026

Have you been holding onto fear that doesn’t serve you because you’ve fallen for the mistaken belief that it will keep you safe? Or that it’s somehow more “responsible” and “realistic” to be motivated by the fear of what you DON’T want rather than the desire for what you DO want?

In this article, I explain how, despite often believing that fear has a productive and protective purpose, it ONLY stands to get in our way. When we imagine the absence of fear, we invite limitless possibilities—new insights and inspirations that propel us toward what we actually want.

Desire for what you want s entirely possible without the unhelpful and uncomfortable, oftentimes even paralyzing, effects of fear.

In the absence of fear, you have access to freedom.

If this was at all helpful to you, please don’t hesitate to reach out. I’d also love to hear your responses to the “In the Absence of Fear” Exercise!

Our culture seems to teach us—probably because our culture actually believes—that fear serves a productive or protective purpose. If we are afraid of an undesired outcome, then, the thinking goes, we will work extra hard to ensure the desired outcome instead. The assumption almost seems to be th...

08/14/2026

This video explains my concept of “Purpose Places,” which is an approach that leaders can use to draw out and expand the talents of the people who work for them. Creating a Purpose Place is an integral part of embracing my Leadership is Teachership Philosophy.

A Purpose Place gives you the space and the opportunity to expand your capabilities. It offers you a workshop, classroom, laboratory, playground to explore, experiment, and experience whatever fascinates you. And a Purpose Place SHOULD be full of things that fascinate you. Purpose Places should be exciting and fulfilling!

If someone comes to you looking for a job that offers them a sense of purpose, not only is that something you have to offer them, but that’s a person you WANT because they are likely to take full advantage of what working for you has to offer, and in doing that, they are guaranteed to contribute to the success and development of your Purpose Place as well.

This video explains my concept of “Purpose Places,” which is an app...

08/12/2026

The future of leadership will be profoundly influenced by new ways of thinking offered by cognitive science, especially the fascinating insights emerging from 4E cognition theory.

In this essay, I introduce the basics of 4E cognition and explain its potential influence on how we think about leadership and workplaces.

Check out the video I created on 4E Cognition and Leadership here: https://www.jessekaten.com/videos/v/jesse-katen-4e-cognition-part-1-what-is-4e-cognition It may be a daring statement to claim I know where the future of leadership is headed, but I would venture that the more you consider the

08/08/2026

One of the most powerful concepts for leaders (or anyone!): “Positive Notcaring”

In the leadership seminars I teach, this one concept seems to be the most remembered and the most transformative.

“Positive Notcaring” is a practice that liberates and empowers us to withdraw our energy and attention from situations that might otherwise deplete us so that we can more effectively and positively devote our internal resources to where we CHOOSE.

Many of us—leaders, but anyone, really—seem to be believing that we MUST care and we MUST care ENDLESSLY about all situations. But that belief places us at risk for burnout. And no one benefits from that.

In order to POSITIVELY be available and effective for what we’re trying to achieve, it’s important that we exert our power to choose where our own internal resources are flowing.

What do YOU need to choose to positively notcare about?

I’d love to hear in the comments!

One of the most powerful concepts for leaders (or anyone!): “Positi...

08/07/2026

Jesse’s No 1 Message for Leaders:
Intro to “Leadership is Teachership”

What if your organization was seen as the one where every talented person in their field wanted to be employed because they knew that they would be better able to develop their talents there than anywhere else?

What if YOU were seen as THE boss that every talented individual wanted to have because they knew that working for you meant they were going to grow into the most talented version of themselves they could imagine? Or couldn’t even yet imagine?

What if YOU were consistently praised and promoted by your organization because they noticed that all the individuals that you led were consistently developing themselves to unanticipated levels of talent and achievement? And EVERYONE—your people, the organization, and yourself—were experiencing unimaginably positive outcomes as a result?

This is the vision of the “Leadership is Teachership” model.

I also distinguish here between “intentional” and “incidental.” In INTENTIONALLY prioritizing the development of the talent of our people, we actually enable them and the organization to INCIDENTALLY achieve even greater outcomes than we could have anticipated.

Hope this gets you excited! More details on “Leadership is Teachership” to come!

Jesse’s No 1 Message for Leaders:Intro to “Leadership is Teachersh...

08/05/2026

I honestly believe that these ideas represent the future of thinking about leadership.

Recently, members of my leadership groups have been fascinated by a relatively new category of theories that have emerged in recent years: 4E Cognition.

4E Cognition is a set of theories that emerged at the intersection of cognitive science, affective science, neuroscience, and philosophy of mind.

Basically, 4E perspectives look at the ways in which cognition or “the mind” are processes not limited to the brain. Yes, you heard that right. We can’t think without involving the body, the environment, objects around us, and our actions.

The Four E’s are:
Embodied
Embedded
Extended
Enacted

I’d love to give you an idea of what 4E Cognition theory is all about and how we can apply these theories to leadership.

Stay in touch!

I honestly believe that these ideas represent the future of thinkin...

07/13/2026

I’m hoping this video helps a lot of people! It’s probably my most significant to date!

Jesse’s “What if / As if” Technique for shifting how you experience high-stakes moments

One of the principles I emphasize with my leadership clients is that “we are at our best when we are feeling good.” It is when we are feeling good that we have access to the fullest extent of our talents. So what do we do when fear, pressure, anxiety, doubt, and other negative emotions (that don’t feel so good!) intrude upon our high-stakes moments? If, at moments we most need them, our best talents become stifled by our negative thoughts and feelings, what can we do to find our best selves?

In this video, I share with you a technique I first developed for my own benefit—to help me learn to find the best version of myself in the midst of anxiety-inducing experiences. I call this “What if / As if” because it has two steps: ASKING “What if . . .” followed by ACTING “As if,” allowing us to envision and enact another version of ourselves—one that can effectively and happily meet any challenge. By practicing the technique, we can expand our abilities to respond to the demands placed on us, allowing us to both empower ourselves and enjoy our experiences.

One of the principles I emphasize with my leadership clients is tha...

07/07/2026

I'm going through the "P" words of what gets in the way of leadership and life! These are people pleasing, perfectionism, procrastination, analysis paralysis, and impostor syndrome.

As promised, here’s the video in which I discuss perfectionism. I talk about what it is, where I think it comes from, how it gets in our way, and how we can change our thinking to be free from the need to be perfect!

I'm going through the "P" words of what gets in the way of leadersh...

07/03/2026

I created this video on people pleasing for those in my leadership groups, but I hope it may resonate with anyone interested in leadership. It's a short, five-minute video on a topic that I could probably fill entire days working on. People pleasing can be detrimental to ourselves as leaders, but there's hope!

Please feel free to reach out to me with your thoughts!

I created this video on people pleasing for those in my leadership ...