Staying Calm Amid Uncertainty: Sustain Performance & Reduce Anxiety in a VUCA World

What does it really take to perform at a high level without running yourself into the ground? In this conversation, Steven MacGregor, CEO of the General Counsel Wellbeing Network and Senior Advisor at McKinsey & Company, shares practical insights on sustainable performance, recovery, stress management, and why well-being is not separate from success, but foundational to it.We explore the unique pressures facing senior legal professionals, especially in-house counsel, and discuss how leaders can work more rhythmically, recover more intentionally, and regulate stress before it turns into burnout. Steven also explains how lessons from elite sport can be translated into modern leadership, including what HRV can reveal about stress, the power of breathwork, and how short reset practices can improve decision-making under pressure.The conversation also goes deeper into what it means to stay steady in uncertain times. From intrusive thoughts and 3 a.m. anxiety to dopamine-driven coping habits, gratitude, journaling, and psychological distancing, this episode offers grounded tools for anyone navigating pressure in a demanding world.Timestamps00:00 Why resetting your nervous system matters02:36 Steven’s background and how he began working with the legal community06:27 Why in-house lawyers and GCs face unique pressure13:16 The biggest well-being challenges facing senior legal leaders17:45 HRV, recovery, and what executives can learn from elite athletes20:34 A practical three-minute reset for stress and decision-making28:42 The physiological sigh and fast nervous system regulation34:37 Control the controllables during uncertainty and crisis42:11 What to do when anxiety spikes at 2 or 3 a.m.48:27 Psychological distancing, gratitude, and reframing difficult experiencesWhat We Cover1. Sustainable performance and why recovery matters2. The specific pressures facing GCs and in-house counsel3. Leadership, workload, and the need for more rhythmic working4. How athletic training shaped Steven’s approach to performance5. HRV as a tool for stress awareness and recovery6. Breathwork, body scans, and quick reset practices7. The physiological sigh and how to use it in daily life8. How to respond to uncertainty by focusing on what you can control9. Coping with intrusive thoughts, rumination, and middle-of-the-night anxiety10. Gratitude, reframing, and psychological distancing as resilience toolsKey Takeaways- Recovery is not a luxury. It is part of sustainable high performance.- Small interventions can create meaningful shifts in stress and focus.- Leaders perform better when they work with rhythm rather than constant intensity.- HRV can help people better understand the relationship between stress and recovery.- Breathwork and short pauses can improve thinking during high-pressure moments.- You feel stronger in uncertainty when you focus on what you can control.- Poor sleep and chronic stress make reactive coping habits more tempting.- Writing worries down can reduce rumination and mental overload.- Support, perspective, and shared vulnerability matter during difficult periods.- Reframing hard experiences can create more resilience, perspective, and gratitude.Guest ResourcesGeneral Counsel Wellbeing Network: https://www.gcwellbeing.org/ Steven’s LinkedIn: https://es.linkedin.com/in/spmacg Connect With Me🌍Website: https://charlenegisele.com📸 Instagram: https://instagram.com/charlenegisele💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlène-gisèle-bourliout/✉️ Subscribe to my Life Less Burnt Out Newsletter