EPISODE · Nov 21, 2024 · 54 MIN
Marcy Axelrod: Deciding On How We Choose To Show Up
from Scouting for Growth · host Sabine VdL
On this episode of the Scouting For Growth podcast, Sabine VdL talks to Marcy Axelrod, a bestselling and award-winning author, TV contributor, two-time TEDx speaker, and renowned management consultant. Her latest book, "How We Choose to Show Up," has recently been honoured with the prestigious Hayakawa Book Prize. In today's conversation, we'll dive deep into the concepts from her book: The idea of "Showing Up"—the invisible system connecting us to our society, our situations, ourselves, and each other, how understanding and embracing the way we choose to show up can lead to a happier, more effective, and balanced life – whether we're parenting, coaching, playing, empowering others, or steering a global company. KEY TAKEAWAYS At 6 years old we moved from Baltimore to Boston, my older sibling wanted nothing to do with me and I needed something I wasn’t getting. There was no one making me feel felt, which is what all humans need, and rather than act out I acted in and took it out on myself, I developed a stutter which led to me losing the ability to speak. Back through time to when we lived in caves we were never just in one role. We were always individuals distinct from, but also we were always a member of a family, a tribe, and we were at the whim of the environment. My book says that we were not designed to show up as inward facing individuals, we’re designed in 3 roles: We’re a discreet self (but not separate from), we’re a situation member, and we’re defined by a society there that creates who we are, and we create it as part of the collective. The model of how we can show up is easy for anyone to intuit, I’ve just put it on paper. Level one is burned out, stressed, not engaged, you can’t show up in a meaningful way – and there are valid reasons for this that we all go through as part of life. Level 2 is just showing up, just getting stuff done – this isn’t bad, we have to be there some of the time with a narrow, deep focus that is tactical and practical. Level 3 is truly showing up. There’s a believe system behind how humans are designed to show up, and it’s an important one because it gets us back into the flow of how nature designed us. There’s nothing cultish, woo-woo, or mystical, it simply recognises you can’t have up without down, left without right, or some version of individual without there being a society collective. BEST MOMENTS ‘I became a natural and deeply driven observer of how other are showing up, and I saw that they can show up as they choose, and yet they are not choosing.’ ‘Our bodies are sensing flow systems, the skin exists because we can feel the world; temperature, pressure, motion, movement, the granularity and nuance of what we can perceive is awe inspiring.’ ‘A big part of the ‘showing up continuum’, and what it means to be a level 3, is recognising what and who we truly are.’ ‘Some people wake up at 5am and get more done before 8am than some of us do in a day, but sometimes they can burn out and stress about things. We all dance along the continuum.’ ABOUT THE GUEST Marcy Axelrod is a bestselling and award-winning author, esteemed TV contributor, and dynamic 2X TEDx speaker. With a robust career as a management consultant, she has earned recognition and accolades, including the prestigious Hayakawa Book Prize for her latest work, "How We Choose to Show Up." This groundbreaking book is the culmination of over 20 years of research, offering a revolutionary 3-D model of human thriving that has transformed the lives of thousands. Website ABOUT THE HOST Sabine VanderLinden is a corporate strategist turned entrepreneur and the CEO of Alchemy Crew Ventures. She leads venture-client labs that help Fortune 500 companies adopt and scale cutting-edge technologies from global tech ventures. A builder of accelerators, investor, and co-editor of the bestseller The INSURTECH Book, Sabine is known for asking the uncomfortable questions—about AI governance, risk, and trust. On Scouting for Growth, she decodes how real growth happens—where capital, collaboration, and courage meet. If this episode sparked your thinking, follow Sabine VanderLinden on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram for more insights. And if you’re interested in sponsoring the podcast, reach out to the team at [email protected]
What this episode covers
What if leadership isn’t about doing more—but about how you show up while doing it? In this episode of Scouting for Growth, Sabine VanderLinden is joined by Marcy Axelrod—bestselling author, award-winning management consultant, TV contributor, and two-time TEDx speaker—for a deeply human conversation that cuts through the noise of productivity hacks and performance myths. Marcy’s latest book, How We Choose to Show Up—winner of the Hayakawa Book Prize—explores something most leaders underestimate: the invisible system shaping how we lead, relate, decide, and sustain ourselves under pressure. This isn’t self-help. It’s a framework for human operating systems. Marcy traces the origins of her work back to an early personal rupture—losing her voice as a child when she didn’t feel seen or felt. That experience became the lens through which she began observing how people move through the world: present, disengaged, or fully alive—often without realising they have a choice. Drawing on over two decades of research, Marcy introduces a deceptively simple but powerful three-level “showing up” continuum: Level 1: Burned out, overwhelmed, disconnected—unable to meaningfully contribute (and often for valid reasons). Level 2: Functioning, executing, getting things done—necessary, but limited. Level 3: Fully showing up—aware, aligned, adaptive, and generative. The insight that lands hardest for leaders? Most organisations are optimised for Level 2—while expecting Level 3 outcomes. Marcy challenges the deeply ingrained belief that humans are designed to operate as isolated individuals. Instead, she reframes leadership and performance as inherently relational and contextual—shaped by who we are as individuals, the situations we’re in, and the societies we co-create. Ignore one, and the system breaks. There’s nothing mystical here. No woo-woo. Just a return to how humans—and therefore organisations—actually function. Flow requires tension. Growth requires contrast. And sustainable leadership requires recognising when you’re drifting along the continuum rather than consciously choosing where and how to show up. For executives navigating constant change, founders running hot, and leaders responsible for others’ energy as well as outcomes, this episode offers something rare: permission to rethink effectiveness without sacrificing ambition. You’ll walk away with: A practical language for understanding burnout, focus, and peak performance A leadership lens that reconnects personal wellbeing with organisational results A reminder that presence—not pace—is the real differentiator Because the future of growth won’t be led by those who simply show up early or stay up late—but by those who show up fully, intentionally, and sustainably. 🎧 Listen in—and ask yourself: where are you on the continuum today, and are you choosing it—or just defaulting to it?
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Marcy Axelrod: Deciding On How We Choose To Show Up
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