In this grounding episode, Elena Armijo welcomes Megan Akatu, executive coach and somatic leadership guide, for a conversation on body intelligence, self leadership, and the kind of confidence that does not require pushing or proving. After twenty years in corporate leadership, Megan followed what she describes as a clear inner call toward coaching, building a practice rooted in helping leaders trust the wisdom already living within them.
Check out Elena’s website to learn more about how she can support you in seeing and using the power that resides within you.
Elena opens with a coaching reflection centered on a powerful question: when the pressure is highest, what would it mean to trust your body before your strategy? She names the body as a source of leadership data, reminding leaders that tension, heat, stillness, breath, and discomfort are not distractions. They are signals worth learning.
Megan shares how her own transition began during a season of exhaustion and uncertainty, when her body signaled that something was no longer aligned before her mind could explain why. That moment became a turning point into coaching, somatic leadership, and the deeper work of helping people identify patterns, release old stories, and take the next aligned step without forcing certainty.
The conversation also explores how leaders can create safety in themselves before trying to stabilize a room. Megan offers simple practices, including tracking body sensations, noticing personal cues, pausing before responding, and building the capacity to sit with discomfort long enough for clarity to emerge.
This episode is an invitation to slow down, listen inward, and recognize that the body often knows before the strategy forms. It offers a steady reminder that leadership begins with the capacity to stay present, especially when things feel uncertain.
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This podcast was produced by the following amazing team:
Ulrich Wolvaardt, Audio Engineer
Aaron Boykin, Musician & Artist (Get updates about Aaron’s music via Instagram)
Jo van Eeden, Project Manager
Elena Armijo
Founder
Megan Akatu is an executive leadership coach, culture consultant, and founder of Megan Akatu Coaching & Culture. She supports high-achieving, heart-led women who are ready to lead with greater clarity, confidence, and ease without overworking or abandoning who they are.
Megan is known for her grounded, compassionate approach and her ability to help leaders name what’s unsaid, shift deeply held beliefs, and take aligned action that creates real impact in their whole life.
With over 20 years of experience across higher education, hospitality, and healthcare, Megan brings a rare blend of strategic insight and embodied wisdom. Her organizational leadership experience, combined with her background in DEI leadership, somatic coaching, and mindset work, informs her holistic approach, which integrates the body, beliefs, behaviors to create long-term impact and transformation.
Megan holds an MBA from Georgetown University and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Notre Dame. She is a certified LIghtyear Leadership coach with advanced training in somatic practices and the Enneagram.
She lives in New England with her husband and two children, and loves reading, traveling, and cooking food from around the world.