Embrace the Reef Hook

In a recent coaching conversation, we found ourselves naming what so many leaders quietly carry:

Too.

Many.

Things.

Too many emails. Too many meetings. Too many fires to put out and new ones already smoldering. The plates keep spinning, the inbox keeps filling, the priorities keep shifting, and the current of incoming work never seems to ease.

We explored the usual tools… prioritization frameworks, workload triage, boundary-setting. Helpful, yes, but incomplete. What ultimately surfaced was something deeper: the realization that the workload wasn’t the true source of anxiety. It was the internal pressure – the guilt, the self-judgment, the whisper of inadequacy… that’s what made everything feel heavier.

This is a pattern I see often. It’s rarely just the volume of work that overwhelms us. It’s the emotional undertow that comes with it: the guilt of not doing enough, the fear of letting someone down, the familiar hum of imposter syndrome. These internal currents are what exhaust us, not the tasks themselves. And I might add, if we are handling an undue burden of “invisible work” – organizing kids’ schedules, navigating aging parents, caring for pets, managing the home, and juggling all the holiday preparation and burden – it feels like too much.

So, what does any of this have to do with a reef hook?

As a scuba diver, a reef hook is a very simple but transformative tool. In high-current dive sites – especially where two currents converge and marine life gathers – you clip into a secure point on the reef and let go to drift in the current. It allows you to stay grounded in one place long enough to witness something extraordinary.

When I first used a reef hook in the Maldives, I hated it. A dive guide clipped me onto a safe section of reef and instructed me to let go (literally) to release control and allow the current to carry my body while the hook held me. Everything in me resisted. But after a few dives, something shifted. Anchored in place, I no longer had to fight the water or burn energy trying to stay with my group. I could simply float, breathe, and take in the scene: reef sharks gliding effortlessly, the rhythm of the ocean, the feeling of being part of something larger than myself.

Letting go of control didn’t create chaos. It created clarity.

As we move through this season – wrapping up the year, planning for 2026, navigating holidays, family, expectations, and the relentless pace of modern work… I invite you to embrace your own reef hook and gain comfort with discomfort.

Let yourself accept that:

• Not everything will get done.
• Not everyone will be happy.
• The current will stay strong, and it may toss you around a bit.

But you can choose where to anchor. You can choose to ground yourself daily, to breathe, to observe rather than react, to let intuition rather than urgency guide your energy.

And who knows…

You may find that from this anchored place, the view becomes clearer.

You may discover comfort in the discomfort.

You may even feel a sense of flow in the midst of chaos.

What metaphors, visuals, or rituals help you stay centered when the current picks up?

#scubaleadership #leadership #coaching #executivecoaching #learninganddevelopment