Leadership by Cornerstone
May 2025
Greetings Reader,
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Train Your Emotional Muscles Like a Leader
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What if emotional strength was something you could train—just like your body or your communication skills?
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In her new book, Flex Your Feelings, Dr. Emily Anhalt makes a compelling case: emotional fitness isn’t just for crisis—it’s a daily practice. One that leaders overlook at their own risk.
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Drawing from her work with high-performing leaders, Dr. Anhalt outlines seven core traits—like self-awareness, empathy, and curiosity—that drive both well-being and lasting leadership impact.
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This message deeply resonates with what I see in my coaching sessions. The leaders who thrive aren’t just technically skilled—they’re emotionally fit. They lead with grounded presence, navigate pressure with empathy, and stay centered through challenge and change.
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Whether you’re a business owner, a leader at a crossroads, or someone committed to showing up more fully, emotional fitness is a muscle worth building.
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What Emotional Fitness Really Means
Dr. Anhalt reframes emotional strength—not as emotional control, but as emotional fitness: a skill you build with consistent, intentional practice. It’s not about perfection. It’s about presence, perspective, and growth.
Drawing from her work with high-performing leaders, Dr. Anhalt outlines seven core traits — like mindfulness, empathy, and resilience — that build emotional fitness and strong leadership presence.
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Why This Book Stands Out
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What makes Flex Your Feelings especially powerful is its actionable, strengths-based approach.
Dr. Anhalt doesn’t just advocate for “being more emotional”—she gives you practical tools to build these traits. Her stories from working with high-stakes leaders make the book relatable and engaging.
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How It Connects to Coaching
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As a coach, I often hear clients ask:
“How do I stay grounded under pressure?”
“How do I lead with empathy when I’m stressed?”
“How do I bounce back from this?”
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The seven traits Dr. Anhalt outlines are the very muscles we build in coaching.
Whether you're navigating a career shift, leading a team through change, or building something new, this book is a powerful companion—and coaching can bring it to life in real time.
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Ready to Flex That Muscle?
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If this message sparked something in you, I highly recommend Flex Your Feelings as a place to start.
And if you’re curious about how emotional fitness could strengthen your leadership, I’d love to talk. Coaching is where these ideas become action—and where real growth happens.
Let’s build your emotional fitness together.
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About the Author:
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Dr. Emily Anhalt is a clinical psychologist and co-founder of Coa, an emotional fitness gym. She’s spent more than a decade working with leaders and teams in fast-paced, high-stakes environments, including some of the top names in Silicon Valley including American Express, the NBA, Google, Spotify, and NBCUniversal. Dr. Anhalt can be reached at dremilyanhalt.com.
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If you found this edition insightful and inspiring, please share with your network. Questions, comments, go ahead and hit reply!
If you’re ready to take the next step toward creating a better work/life balance or need personalized strategies for leadership, reach out and schedule a FREE 30-min discovery call. ​
Stay tuned for more practical tips and stories in our next issue, where we will continue to explore strategies to help you lead with confidence and navigate change with ease.
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Thank you for being a part of the Cornerstone community!
Until next time,
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