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“The nervous system runs the show, even when you think you’re in control.” - Louise Rellis

In this episode, I speak with Louise Rellis, founder of the ANAM Rural Youth Association, about providing vital mental health support to marginalized youth in Alberta. We discuss the effects of trauma on behavior and practical strategies for emotional regulation, including informal conversation techniques that create a safe space for youth to express themselves.

Louise emphasizes the importance of community and the role of compassionate adults in fostering resilience. We explore accessible explanations of polyvagal theory and share stories of hope and transformation through trauma-informed care. This conversation highlights the need for understanding and support to empower young people to overcome challenges and thrive.

BIO

Louise Rellis is the Founder and Executive Director of Anam Rural Youth Association, a mobile, trauma-integrated support service for marginalized, at-risk and systen-disconnected youth and young adults across Central Alberta. Through Anam, she meets young people where they are-literally and emotionally-removing access barriers and providing one-on-one trauma-integrated care. Anam’s work is grounded in the belief that every young person deserves to recognize their worth and potential, especially those who have been disconnected from traditional systems.

Louise is also the founder of Mt. Leinster Consulting, where she provides a non-clinical mental health support for adults who haven’t found success in conventional settings. Her consulting work includes community and workplace traumatology, trauma-integrated workshops, and organizational support rooted in Polyvagal Theory and lived experience.

Known for her direct, practical, and deeply human approach, Louise challenges the diluted, buzzword version of “trauma-informed” care and instead champions trauma-integrated practice-an approach that assumes trauma is present and shapes every element of how support is delivered.

Her work has been recognised for advancing equitable access to mental health support and amplifying the voices of youth often invisible in traditional research and service design.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/louise-rellis-017a77110/

Website: https://mountleinsterconsulting.ca/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/anamruralyouth/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anamruralyouth/

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"Thinking feels heavier, not because the task is complex, but because the space required to think has become crowded."

Struggling to finish simple tasks? Learn about the "Clarity Tax"—the hidden cognitive cost of overthinking and decision fatigue—and discover a three-step micro-reset to reclaim your mental focus and emotional steadiness.

Why do straightforward tasks like writing a short email sometimes feel impossibly heavy, even when you aren't "busy"?

Key Takeaway Insights and Tools

• The "Clarity Tax" Defined: Mental fatigue is cumulative; it is the "tax" paid for constant task-switching, micro-decisions, and sensory input that fragments attention and overloads working memory. [00:01:59]
• The Loop of Overthinking: Overthinking isn't just rumination; it manifests as "cognitive loops"—rewriting sentences or second-guessing finished decisions—which physically crowd the mental workspace required for problem-solving. [00:03:05]
• The Warning Signs of Cognitive Load: When the "tax" becomes too high, accuracy slips, emotional reactivity increases (irritation over small things), and strategic thinking narrows to the "easiest" familiar solution. [00:06:00]
• The 40-Second Micro-Rest Tool: A physiological "downshifting" of the nervous system—such as a slow exhale or closing your eyes—that restores cognitive clarity in under a minute. [00:08:59]

The 3-Step Mental Reset Protocol

When the "internal fog" settles in, use this sequence to clear your mental browser:

1. Identify ONE Next Step: Stop trying to solve the whole project; find the single immediate action to give the brain one target instead of many.
2. Externalize the Clutter: Write down everything else pulling at your attention. Once thoughts live on paper, they stop occupying "RAM" in your working memory.
3. The Physiological Pause: Take a micro-rest (stretch, walk, or deep breath) to reset your nervous system's gear.

Call to Action

Share this episode with a colleague or friend who is feeling the weight of "decision fatigue" to help them reclaim their clarity.

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Are you leading with clarity and structure—or are you unintentionally relying too much on inspiration or too much on systems?

Discover how balancing meaning and mechanism—the “poet and the plumber”—can improve your leadership, strengthen your routines, and increase follow-through. This episode breaks down practical tools, including the pre-mortem, to help you align purpose with process at work and in your personal projects.

Key Takeaway Insights & Tools

Leadership requires balancing meaning (poet) and mechanism (plumber).

When one dominates, progress stalls—ideas lack structure or systems lack purpose. (00:00:59–00:02:08)

The poet creates clarity of purpose so people understand why their work matters.

This role provides coherence and direction, shaping judgment and prioritization. (00:03:06–00:04:31)

The plumber ensures systems, routines, and expectations actually support the stated purpose.

When plumbing contradicts narrative, engagement drops and friction increases. (00:04:31–00:06:25)

Imbalance leads to predictable failure: meaning without structure remains theoretical; structure without meaning becomes hollow.

Two common leadership traps are inspirational intent with no systems—or rigid systems with no unifying purpose. (00:06:25–00:08:19)

The pre-mortem is a practical tool that integrates meaning and mechanism.

By imagining success and failure before execution, teams reveal risks, responsibilities, and alignment issues early. (00:09:03–00:10:34)
Tools discussed:

• Pre-mortem exercise
• Success/Failure split-team analysis
• Diagnostic questions: “Why?” for poetry, “How?” for plumbing (00:14:31–00:15:53)

Personal leadership also depends on poet–plumber balance.

Define why something matters before building habits, routines, or time blocks around it. (00:12:29–00:13:46)

Books Mentioned:

• On Leadership — James G. March
• The Friction Project: How Smart Leaders Make the Right Things Easier and the Wrong Things Harder — Robert Sutton & Huggy Rao

If you found this episode valuable, share it with someone who would benefit from strengthening their leadership or personal discipline.

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