Executive coach and stress expert Nic Monteforte reveals why the problem isn’t being stressed, it’s staying stress, why sixty seconds of something physical restores a brain that has stopped thinking clearly, and what the hardest decade of her life taught her about the power of calm. Nic Monteforte spent close to thirty years in leadership, coaching and peak performance, becoming the inaugural female director at Fitness First Australia, where she oversaw a business turning over A$250 million with more than 2,500 staff. She holds a Bachelor of Education in physical education and human movement, teaches Vedic meditation, and is the author of Infinite Capacity. Nic explains: What the stress cycle is, and how leaving cycles unfinished leads to chronic stress That your brain doesn't know the difference between a psychological threat, like an angry email, and physical danger, like a lion chasing you, because the response in the body is the same either way Why logic fails in stressful moments, and what has to happen in the body before the thinking brain comes back online What burnout looks like at the level of the nervous system, and why a collapse that built slowly can feel like it arrives all at once The techniques every high performer should know to reset in under a minute The power of meditation for expanding your capacity and becoming more stress tolerant Which signals to watch for in yourself to know when stress is getting the best of you How capacity gets built by stabilising the nervous system first, and which habits fall away on their own once it is The opinions and perspectives shared in this episode are intended for educational and informational purposes only as part of the Raise The Bar podcast. The content discussed is not a substitute for professional medical, mental health, or therapeutic advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you need assistance navigating physical or mental health, please consult your healthcare professional or a licensed therapist in your area. (14:31) The single month between living the dream and being $500,000 in debt, and the closing doors she could only see in hindsight (20:10) How a decade of unrelenting pressure showed up physically, from severe endometriosis to a hysterectomy at 42 (25:53) The pancake stack image for stress that never gets discharged, and the point where the pile topples over (31:34) One minute on a punching bag, and why the clarity arrives in the stillness straight afterwards (37:28) The sponge you have been squeezing stress into since you were two, and the two part work of emptying it (45:30) A broken leg in a cast as the way to understand what stillness gives a nervous system (59:54) The everyday tells of a system running hot: decision fatigue on small choices, forgetfulness, microaggression at work (01:13:19) Three tools in detail, the ball bounce, the intentional scream and humming until there is no hum left (01:27:09) Why capacity gets built by stabilising the nervous system before anything new is added on top (01:29:47) The gap between trigger and response, and how it stretches from five seconds into something far longer One Coach: https://one.coach/Connect with Nic Monteforte:Instagram: @nicmonteforteYouTube: @NicMonteforte22Website: https://nicmonteforte.com/Book: Infinite Capacity In This Episode You Will Learn:Resources