Office Space: Load Testing

My kid just started middle school.
On their first day, they arrived with a backpack full of binders and required notebooks. They also carried a lunch bag and a water bottle. Then, they were handed a Chromebook.
As I watched them walk towards their first class, I couldn't help but wonder how they would carry all of those burdens over the course of the day. It occurs to me that this is part of the training we give our children. The way that They become, Us.
We are all carrying a load. Whether it is necessary or prescribed doesn't minimize it. The issue isn't so much what we are carrying but whether we should. And if we should, how we adapt to that load.
Here's the thing, our brain is preoccupied with our survival. This means that none of us is getting to intentional and authoritative speaking without first addressing our capacity.
Practice This
Today, the exercise is one of breathing and assessing your capacity. It starts with a "box breath" that is a counted inhalation, held breath, counted exhalation, and held breath followed by an unmetered breath. So one could inhale for 4 counts, hold for 4 counts, exhale for 4 counts and hold for 4 counts followed by a "normal" breath, for example.
Now, grab a journal, open a doc, or recording device. Do three cycles of box breathing with normal breathing in-between then start to catalog your loads. The work you do, the responsibilities you have, the weight you feel. List it all whether you think it is important or not. If it is in the load, it gets on the list. When complete, do three more cycles of box breathing. Review your list and how you are managing it or not. Respect your feelings about it and if necessary make plans to rebalance, or lighten, the load.
The simple act of acknowledging the load you carry will allow your brain to give you more resources for communication. In this case, knowledge is most certainly vocal power.
Related posts

What Happens in Vagus Part 3: Reading the Room (And Your Nervous System)
Different speaking contexts create different types of nervous system activation, and effective speakers learn to match their regulation strategies to each environment. This post explores five distinct speaking scenarios - boardrooms, main stages, difficult conversations, virtual presentations, and impromptu moments - detailing the specific nervous system challenges and tailored regulation techniques for each. Rather than one-size-fits-all solutions, readers learn to build a personal "regulation portfolio" that adapts to the unique demands of precision under scrutiny, performance energy management, interpersonal conflict navigation, digital dysregulation, and rapid pressure response.

What Happens in Vagus Part 2: Five Ways to Find Your Vocal Sweet Spot
This follow-up post delivers five evidence-based techniques for balancing your nervous system before, during, and after high-stakes speaking situations. Learn quick regulation methods like the Physiological Sigh (30 seconds) and Micro-Orienting (15 seconds) for in-the-moment reset, plus foundational practices like Coherent Breathing and the Voo Sound for vocal-specific nervous system preparation. Based on research from Stephen Porges, Peter Levine, and Bessel van der Kolk, these tools help speakers achieve "calm intensity" - the optimal state of high arousal matched with high regulation for dynamic, engaging performance.

What Happens in Vagus - Does Not Stay There (Part 1 of 4)
This blog post explores the vagus nerve (Cranial Nerve 10) through the lens of a personal vasovagal episode experienced during blood donation. The author explains how this "freeze" response provided insights into the vagus nerve's role in voice production and performance. The post covers the vagus nerve's dual functions - somatic (conscious) and autonomic (unconscious) - and how its sympathetic and parasympathetic branches work together to regulate everything from vocal muscles to fight-or-flight responses. The author connects this neurophysiology to practical voice work, explaining how understanding vagal responses can help speakers and singers manage high-stakes performance situations by balancing sympathetic arousal with parasympathetic regulation.