In This Edition Of The Soulful Lens at Work: ​
Is now the wrong time for soulfulness? Think again—this moment needs it most.

• SOULFUL: When the world seems soulless, being soulful is something no one can take from you.
• PRACTICAL: Soulfulness can stop a downward spiral by steadying the system, reclaiming wasted energy, and slowing reactionary flinches.
• THE CONNECTION: Soul ignites focus, focus drives results, and engaged teams power stronger financials.
• TRY THIS: Five simple meeting moves—name the drift, reframe dry reports, pause before you push, and more that turn a near-breakdown into forward momentum.

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Hi Reader,
​

Lately, I’ve found myself asking: “Is now the wrong time for soulfulness?”​
It’s a big question for me, because soulfulness is central to my work, and, I believe, to living a meaningful life. But it’s also a question for all of us: How much of our energy can (or should) we invest in being soulful in times like these?

Per Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, when basic survival isn’t secure, it’s hard to reach for transcendence. Or, as I often say: “If I’ve got a nail in my hand, it’s not the time to tell me to meditate.”

Right now, it feels like many of us are walking around with metaphorical nails in our hands. Layoffs, polarization, unrest, and uncertainty have a way of shrinking our bandwidth for anything beyond the immediate. And yet…

I keep coming back to this: If there were ever a time when soulfulness is needed, it’s now.

Soulfully ✨
​- Jardena

Being Soulful in a Soul-less World

Viktor Frankl survived the horrors of Nazi concentration camps and still found a way to see light. In Man’s Search for Meaning, he wrote:

That’s soulfulness, not fluffy or naïve, but fierce and grounding. It’s the choice to hold onto your humanity, even when everything around you pushes the other way. And though you may feel like others don’t want it, it may be exactly what they need.

Here’s how we can practice it in our own noisy, fractured world:

1. Anchor in what’s real.​
   When the noise is deafening, slow down. Look someone in the eye. Say thank you like you mean it. Even the smallest human moments cut through the static.
2. Reclaim one patch of soul at work.​
   Pick one soulless thing: an email, a meeting, a process, and infuse it with humanity. Rewrite it in plain language. Turn it into an actual conversation. Tiny acts of soulfulness ripple.
3. Name the nonsense.​
   Soulfulness isn’t about pretending everything’s fine. It’s about clean, calm truth-telling. Call out what everyone sees but no one says—and watch dignity return to the room.
4. Stay porous, not armored.​
   When things feel turbulent, our instinct is to harden. Resist it. Soul lives in connection, not defense. If you feel yourself clenching, pause. Breathe. Shift from protection to curiosity.
5. Remember: soul fuels strength.​
   Soul isn’t separate from results, it’s what makes endurance, adaptability, and creativity possible. A workplace without it drains faster, costs more, and breaks people.

In times like these, soulfulness may feel unwanted, but it is like oxygen to the people around you.​
​

Soulfulness can Shortcut a Downward Spiral

Turbulence is bad enough on its own. Add soullessness, and it becomes a death spiral.

When fear rises, people armor up, trust evaporates, and suddenly every decision is defensive and short-term. Financial pressure makes it worse. Leaders tighten the screws, creativity dies, and the spiral accelerates.

Soulfulness interrupts that cycle. Here’s how:

1. It steadies the system.
When you bring grounded energy, it cuts through panic. People stop spinning and start thinking. That shift alone can keep a financial slide from freefalling.

2. It reclaims wasted energy.
Fear is expensive. When people spend their energy managing anxiety or politics, the actual work suffers. Soulfulness creates safety, which channels that energy back into outcomes.

3. It slows the reactionary flinch.
In turbulence, leaders often default to short-term cuts or over-control. Soulfulness creates space to pause and ask what the smartest move is, not just the fastest. That pause can mean the difference between survival and self-sabotage.

4. It fuels adaptability.
Soul-centered workplaces pivot faster because they are less clogged by fear. When people feel safe, they share ideas, challenge old assumptions, and move with change instead of resisting it.

5. It keeps people from walking out.
In chaotic times, good people leave soul-less workplaces first. Soulfulness makes work feel like a refuge, not another battlefield, which retains talent exactly when you need it most.

6. It reverses the spiral.
Soul is stabilizing. It shifts the tone, rebuilds trust, and unlocks creativity, the very things that spark recovery, whether financial or cultural. Without it, cost-cutting alone cannot save you.

In turbulent times, soulfulness is not just sentimental. It is an escape hatch.

Where Soul and Results Unite

Soulfulness often feels unnecessary, even unwelcome when the pressure is on. Yet it delivers a breath of fresh air to a stalled or spiraling business.

When people feel seen and supported, their ideas sharpen and their work steadies. That confidence spreads. Decisions improve, teams pull together, and the loss of trust and talent can stop.

This is where soul meets strategy. Soul sparks focus. Focus delivers results. Engaged teams drive stronger financial performance.

In turbulent times, soulfulness can turn things around and keep an organization moving forward.

Try this: Inject Soul into a Meeting

• Name and Release
  • At the start of your next team huddle, ask everyone to name one worry they’re carrying—no judgment, just a quick check-in.
  • Acknowledge it aloud (“I hear that, thank you for sharing”) and then move on. That simple act frees up mental space for creative work.
• Humanize One Process
  • Pick a routine email, status report, or update you send out this week. Rewrite it as if you were talking to a friend.
  • Swap jargon for plain language. End with a real invitation (“Got thoughts? Hit reply”) instead of a passive FYI.
• Pause Before the Flinch
  • Next time a surprise request lands in your inbox or someone asks “Can you get this done by Friday?”
  • Take three deep breaths before you answer. Use that pause to ask yourself, “What’s the smartest response here?”
• Spot the Spiral
  • When you notice energy draining from your team—more defensive questions, fewer fresh ideas—call it out.
  • Simply say, “I feel us tightening up. Let’s take a breath and refocus on our real goal.”
• Celebrate a Soulful Win
  • Before week’s end, share one example of soulfulness in action—a thoughtful question, a candid moment, or a small kindness that landed big.
  • Publicly thank the person who sparked it. Recognition punishes soul-lessness and rewards the behavior you want more of.

Pick one of these to try today. Small moves compound fast—watch how one breath of fresh air can shift your whole week.

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This powerful quote by Viktor E. Frankl reminds us that when external circumstances are beyond our control, the true growth comes from within.

I’m honored to have had the opportunity to be a part of The Agile Bulletin 2025 that launched last week at Agile2025.

My article: “Risky Business: Why Every Exec Conversation Should Be About Risk” dives into:

↳ Every question execs ask is really about risk.
↳ Hiding it makes you look unprepared. ↳ Leading with it makes you look in control.

Big thanks to the incredible team at AgileAlliance and Gehtsoft USA for curating such a thoughtful, forward-thinking collection.

📍Check out the Agile Bulletin 2025 here >> ​https://www.agilebulletin.org/​

Explore ‘Risky Business: Why Execs Should Talk Risk