The Unseen Emotional Labour of Leadership

Who’s holding space for the space holders?

Lately, we’ve found ourselves in quiet, honest conversations with founders, people leaders, and systems thinkers who are carrying a very particular kind of tiredness. It’s not burnout, and it’s not boredom – it’s something softer, deeper. It’s the emotional fatigue that comes from holding space for everyone else: for clients, for teams, and for communities. And so often, there’s no one holding space in return.

This kind of labour doesn’t show up in the key metrics or on the balance sheet. But it shows up in the quality of relationships that shape the entire ecosystem. It’s the invisible work that makes everything else possible.

In many business cultures, this kind of emotional weight goes unnoticed. But in the regenerative, resilient companies we’re all trying to build – where care, reciprocity, and accountability are foundational – it matters. Deeply.

So we’re naming it. The cost of being the one who keeps it together. The challenge of leading through grief, conflict, or uncertainty. The power – and yes, the privilege – of regulating the energy in a room so others can feel safe, connected, steady.

We’re not offering a fix. Just an invitation. To name this part of the work. To talk about it. To honour it. Maybe even to shift something, gently.

You don’t have to hold it all. Not alone, anyway.