In this episode, I explore why capable leaders freeze when pressure hits, not because they lack confidence or experience, but because their brain hasn’t rehearsed what to do when control disappears.

I break down what actually happens in the brain when stress spikes: how the prefrontal cortex (your strategic decision‑making centre) loses effectiveness as the amygdala triggers a threat response and floods your system with stress chemicals, pushing you into protection mode. I explain why this is becoming more common for emerging and senior leaders as high‑pressure moments become constant—faster decision cycles, more uncertainty, and continuous transformation.

I then introduce the Pre‑Mortem Strategy: a simple, research‑backed way to mentally rehearse pressure moments before they happen, so your brain recognises them as familiar instead of threatening. I share how I used this approach training for ultra‑marathons during cancer treatment, and how I now apply the same method with elite triathletes and leadership teams to keep performance high when things go wrong, not just when everything goes to plan.

Finally, I walk you through a practical exercise to apply this yourself: how to pick one upcoming high‑pressure situation, identify what could go wrong, and mentally rehearse your responses so you’re not meeting the moment for the first time when everyone’s watching.

What you'll learn

• Why capable leaders freeze, rush, or default to safety when pressure hits

• What happens in the prefrontal cortex and amygdala during high‑stress moments, and how that shapes your decisions

• Why high‑pressure situations are no longer rare events but a constant feature of modern leadership roles

• How traditional leadership development leaves leaders unprepared for real‑time pressure and uncertainty

• What the Pre‑Mortem Strategy is and how mental rehearsal creates familiarity in the brain, reducing threat response

• How rehearsing pressure (not perfection) builds emotional capacity in the moments that matter most

• A simple framework for identifying one upcoming high‑pressure situation and rehearsing it in advance

• How the same strategy helps elite athletes execute when races don’t go to plan—and what that means for your leadership

• Why stability, not calm, is the real performance advantage when everyone else is losing theirs

Key takeaways

• Freezing under pressure is a predictable brain response, not a character flaw

• Under stress, the brain shifts from strategic thinking to protection mode, driving reactive decisions

• Modern leadership roles expose you to continuous high‑pressure moments, which traditional development rarely addresses

• Mental rehearsal, imagining scenarios as if they’ve already happened, activates many of the same neural pathways as real experience and improves foresight

• The Pre‑Mortem Strategy helps you pre‑decide how you’ll respond when things go wrong, keeping your thinking clear under load

• Rehearsing one specific high‑pressure situation each week can build emotional capacity and reduce the likelihood of freezing or over‑reacting

• Leaders who perform best under pressure aren’t relying on willpower in the moment; they’ve trained their brains in advance

Connect with me
If you are interested in how cognitive load, decision quality, and mental performance interact in leadership roles, staying connected may be useful.

I am a keynote speaker working with emerging and senior leaders across the UK, Europe, and internationally, delivering talks on mental resilience, cognitive performance, and leading through personal adversity at internal leadership events and senior forums.

If this episode would be useful to others in your organisation, or to those who invite speakers for leadership events, feel free to pass it on or make an introduction.

You can connect with me below.
📩 Email: neil@neiledgespeaks.com
🌐 Website: www.neiledgespeaks.com
🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/neiledgespeaks