Imagine this: You’re preparing for a high-stakes board meeting. Deadlines are looming, emails are flooding in, and your team is looking to you for answers. On the surface, you’re calm and composed, but beneath it all, stress and self-doubt are building. Maybe even some self-sabotage in the mix as well.

Did you know? According to Gallup the United States reported stress levels of 53% in 2022. And this was second only to  Afghanistan which reported the highest level of stress at 68%.  

For women in leadership, navigating stressors requires more than grit. You need mental fitness, a transformative skill that helps you maintain emotional balance, think clearly under pressure, and thrive in demanding roles.

In this article, we’ll explore the concept of mental fitness, why it’s essential for executive well-being, and how tools like the Positive Intelligence® program can empower you to overcome obstacles and reach your full potential.

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What Is Mental Fitness?

Mental fitness is the ability to cultivate and sustain a positive, adaptive mindset, even in the face of challenges. Think of it as your mental and emotional strength training. Just like physical fitness helps your body perform at its best, mental fitness sharpens your mind and builds resilience.

Key Components of Mental Fitness

1. Emotional Resilience
   Mental fitness helps you bounce back from setbacks, manage stress, and remain composed in high-pressure situations.
   
2. Cognitive Flexibility
   This is the ability to think creatively and problem-solve under pressure without becoming overwhelmed by negative thought patterns.
   
3. Self-Awareness
   Understanding your own triggers, strengths, and emotions is crucial for maintaining control and making empowered decisions.

From Positive Intelligence® creator Shirzad Chamine: The concept of “mental fitness” is at the heart of the Positive Intelligence® (PQ) program, which focuses on improving your “Positive Intelligence Quotient” by strengthening your “Sage” brain (positive, resourceful thinking) and quieting your “Saboteurs” (negative thought patterns that hinder growth).

It’s also important to understand that mental fitness is not the same as mental health. Mental fitness is about your capacity to respond to the challenges life throws at you with a positive mindset instead of a negative mindset.

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The Unique Challenges Black Women Executives Face

Daily Struggles

Black women in leadership navigate unique challenges that affect both their professional and personal well-being, including:

• Microaggressions: Subtle, often unconscious comments or actions that undermine your authority or worth.
  
• Workplace Isolation: Being one of the few, or only, Black women in the room can lead to loneliness and feelings of being unsupported.
  
• High Expectations: The pressure to overachieve can result in perfectionism and burnout, especially when compounded by societal stereotypes.

Impact on Well-Being

These challenges can lead to burnout, imposter syndrome, anxiety, and even physical health issues like high blood pressure or insomnia.

According to Shirzad Chamine, the mind’s Saboteurs consist of the Judge saboteur and his 9 accomplice saboteurs.

These 10 saboteurs are responsible for all our negative feelings and struggles.

They amplify our stress, self-doubt, and perfectionism. Mental fitness coaching through the Positive Intelligence® helps you identify your saboteurs. And coaches you to counteract negative thought patterns.

How Does Mental Fitness Bridges the Gap

Mental fitness equips you with tools to:

• Recognize and neutralize self-doubt and perfectionism.
  
• Build emotional resilience to handle workplace stressors.
  
• Shift focus from negative thinking to empowered problem-solving.

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Why Mental Fitness Is the Key to Executive Well-Being

1. Enhances Decision-Making

When you’re mentally fit, you can approach decisions with clarity and confidence—even under pressure. By silencing negative thought patterns (Saboteurs), you can focus on solutions and strategic thinking.

Personal Insight: One of my clients struggled with second-guessing every decision, which slowed her progress. By implementing Positive Intelligence techniques like the 10-second “PQ Rep” (a mindfulness practice to quiet Saboteurs), she learned to shift into a calmer, solution-oriented mindset.

2. Promotes Emotional Resilience

Mental fitness builds your capacity to bounce back from setbacks and navigate challenges with grace. By strengthening the Sage brain, you can reframe obstacles as opportunities for growth rather than failures.

3. Supports Work-Life Balance

Burnout is a common pitfall for executives. Mental fitness helps you set boundaries, prioritize what truly matters, and create harmony between your professional and personal life.

When you identify the Saboteurs that push you toward overwork (like the Hyper-Achiever), you can learn to set realistic goals and embrace balance.

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Practical Strategies to Build Mental Fitness

Building mental fitness doesn’t happen overnight, but small, consistent practices can create lasting change.

Daily Practices

1. Mindfulness Meditation
   Spend 5–10 minutes daily focusing on your breath or practicing mindfulness to reduce stress and enhance focus.
   
2. Gratitude Journaling
   Write down three things you’re grateful for every day. This simple practice helps shift your mindset toward positivity and abundance.
   
3. PQ Reps (Positive Intelligence Exercises)
   These 10-second mindfulness exercises, recommended by the Positive Intelligence program, help calm the mind and center you during stressful moments. For example, focus on the texture of an object or listen closely to surrounding sounds.

Workplace Integration

• Set Boundaries: Say no to unnecessary meetings or tasks that drain your energy.
• Delegate Effectively: Trust your team to handle responsibilities, freeing up your mental bandwidth.
• Use the Sage Perspective: Reframe work challenges by asking, “What’s the gift or opportunity in this situation?”
  
  

Strategic Success Mindset: 7-Week Positive Intelligence Mental Fitness Group Coaching Intensive

My 7-week coaching intensive, which integrates Positive Intelligence techniques with personalized strategies to help you thrive in your leadership role. provides step-by-step strategies to weaken Saboteurs and strengthen Sage thinking. It’s backed by science and proven to enhance performance, happiness, and resilience.

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The Long-Term Benefits of Mental Fitness

Professional Success

• Better Leadership: Lead your team with confidence, clarity, and compassion.
• Stronger Relationships: Improved self-awareness and emotional intelligence foster better communication.
• Sharper Focus: Mental fitness enhances strategic thinking and problem-solving.

Personal Fulfillment

• Reduced Stress: Quiet the mental noise and focus on what truly matters.
• Increased Confidence: Feel empowered to lead authentically and make bold decisions.
• Enhanced Joy: Enjoy the fruits of your labor both at work and in life.

By prioritizing mental fitness, we serve as role models for resilience, self-care, and authentic leadership. Your growth creates a ripple effect, inspiring others to step into their power.

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Wrapping It Up

Mental fitness is your foundation for executive well-being. It enhances decision-making, promotes resilience, and supports a healthy work-life balance, all while helping you combat challenges unique to your experience as a Black woman leader.

Your mental fitness journey doesn’t have to be perfect, it just has to start. Small, consistent steps can transform the way you lead and live.

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Take the Quiz

How mentally fit are you? Take the Positive Intelligence® quiz to identify your Saboteurs and uncover the hidden ways you self-sabotage.

I’m an ICF Professional Certified Coach (PCC), a Positive Intelligence® Coach and a certified executive coach for Twanna Carter Professional & Personal Coaching, LLC. I flubbed my first career transition from the military so badly, it took me the next 10+ years to build my confidence and  recover. I know what it feels like to struggle with imposter syndrome and uncertainty about my leadership skills in the workplace. It’s why I am dedicated to empowering Black women. Helping them navigate career challenges and uncertainty by providing them with the tools and strategies they need to be successful. Schedule a V.I.P. Roadmap session today.

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Curated Reading List

1. Melaninated Magic: 180 Affirmations to Nurture Your Soul and Unleash Your Black Girl Joy by Twanna Carter, PhD
2. Eat That Frog!: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less, by Brian Tracy
3. Sacred Rest: Recover Your Life, Renew Your Energy, Restore Your Sanity by Saundra Dalton-Smith, MD
4. Positive Intelligence: Why Only 20% of Teams and Individuals Achieve Their True Potential AND HOW YOU CAN ACHIEVE YOURS, Shirzad Chamine
5. I’m Not Yelling: A Black Woman’s Guide to Navigating the Workplace (Successful Black Business Women), Elizabeth Leiba.
6. Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, and Al Switzler.
7. Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert B. Cialdini.
8. How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie.
9. Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead by Sheryl Sandberg.
10. Dare to Lead by Brene Brown.
11. The Memo, by Minda Harts.
12. Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones, by James Clear
13. Worthy: How to Believe You Are Enough and Transform Your Life, by Jamie Kern Lima
14. 33 Tools to Remake Your Career by Paul Gabriel Dionne