Author | Lightnews

Liezel van der Westhuizen | 'The Giraffe' @liezelonline.bsky.social · 1d

🔁 Tell me in the replies:

What’s one habit or boundary helping you land this year with your sanity intact?

#MentalFitness #Leadership #BusinessCoach

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Liezel van der Westhuizen | 'The Giraffe' @liezelonline.bsky.social · 1d

2026 is already taking shape.

And the leaders who’ll thrive?
They’re protecting their peace, prioritising people, and planning from a place of purpose - not pressure!

✨ Finish clear, not crispy. #BurnoutPrevention #MentalFitness

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Liezel van der Westhuizen | 'The Giraffe' @liezelonline.bsky.social · 1d

💡 #MentalFitness isn’t about doing more.
It’s about doing what matters - with clarity, boundaries, and intention.

So before you say yes to one more project, event, or last-minute fire to put out… ask:

👉🏽 Does this energise me or empty me?

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Liezel van der Westhuizen | 'The Giraffe' @liezelonline.bsky.social · 1d

That Q4 “everything, everywhere, all at once” energy?
Yeah... it’s real. 😅

But here’s the thing: you don’t need to crawl to the finish line.
You get to choose how you close this year.

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Liezel van der Westhuizen | 'The Giraffe' @liezelonline.bsky.social · 6d

Just because you're down, doesn't mean you're out.

Take a breath.
Gather your strength.

🎨 Image by: #PennyRedshaw

Liezel van der Westhuizen | 'The Giraffe' @liezelonline.bsky.social · 7d

Imagine if your team walked into every call not only prepared with product knowledge... but mentally trained to stay calm, focused, and confident.

That's the edge neuroscience gives you. #mentalfitness

a woman riding an exercise bike with the words " you gotta exercise your mind " on the bottom

ALT: a woman riding an exercise bike with the words " you gotta exercise your mind " on the bottom

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Liezel van der Westhuizen | 'The Giraffe' @liezelonline.bsky.social · 7d

🔥 Translation:

#sales teams can literally rewire their brains to perform better under pressure, bounce back faster from rejection, and stay motivated when the going gets tough.

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Liezel van der Westhuizen | 'The Giraffe' @liezelonline.bsky.social · 7d

✅ #Stress regulation matters. Breathing, mindfulness, or even leaning on a teammate can reset the nervous system and keep you sharp under pressure.

✅ Connection builds resilience. Celebrating wins together literally changes brain chemistry - boosting oxytocin, reducing stress, and building trust.

a black and white drawing of a circle with the words `` sync your breathing with this '' .

ALT: a black and white drawing of a circle with the words `` sync your breathing with this '' .

media.tenor.com

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Liezel van der Westhuizen | 'The Giraffe' @liezelonline.bsky.social · 7d

✅ Visualization boosts results. Sales reps who mentally rehearse calls can improve performance by ~23%.

✅ Stories stick. Emotion + context = stronger memory. A story-driven pitch will always beat a list of features.

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Liezel van der Westhuizen | 'The Giraffe' @liezelonline.bsky.social · 7d

💡 Did you know your brain can be trained just like a muscle?

#Sales isn't just about skills and scripts - it's about mental endurance. And neuroscience proves that memory, focus, and resilience aren't fixed traits... they're trainable.

Here's what science tells us: ⬇️ #MentalFitness

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Liezel van der Westhuizen | 'The Giraffe' @liezelonline.bsky.social · 13d

So if your mind feels tired - even when life looks 'fine' on paper -
Here’s where you start:

✅ 3 deep breaths
✅ 2 reframes
✅ 1 powerful question:
‘How can I make this 10% easier right now?’

Small #MentalResets done consistently?
That’s real #resilience.

Liezel van der Westhuizen | 'The Giraffe' @liezelonline.bsky.social · 13d

You wouldn’t expect your body to lift heavier weights without training, right?

Same with your brain.

You need reps.

a cartoon character is sitting on the ground with the words one more rep written above him

ALT: a cartoon character is sitting on the ground with the words one more rep written above him

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Liezel van der Westhuizen | 'The Giraffe' @liezelonline.bsky.social · 13d

Here’s what I’ve learned after coaching high performers for years:

💡 #MentalFitness isn’t about eliminating #stress.
It’s about building your capacity to handle it differently.

It’s not about being stronger.
It’s about being more skillful with your mind.

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Liezel van der Westhuizen | 'The Giraffe' @liezelonline.bsky.social · 13d

That’s the silent burnout nobody talks about.

Because when you're high-functioning, when you’re capable, when you're always reliable -
It gets harder to say:
👉 ‘I’m actually not okay.’

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Liezel van der Westhuizen | 'The Giraffe' @liezelonline.bsky.social · 13d

#Burnout doesn’t always look like falling apart.
Sometimes it looks like "everything’s still working perfectly."

You hit your deadlines.
You show up for everyone.
You tick every box.
You look 'fine.'

…But inside, you’re running on empty.

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Liezel van der Westhuizen | 'The Giraffe' @liezelonline.bsky.social · 16d

🌟 Imagine your team showing up sharp, focused, and cool under pressure.

👉 So, here’s the question:
What’s one daily habit you’d love to see your team build to boost resilience?

Let’s spark some brain-friendly strategies in the comments. 👇 #mentalfitness #sales #salesleadership

Liezel van der Westhuizen | 'The Giraffe' @liezelonline.bsky.social · 16d

✔️ Daily movement (yes, even a brisk walk!)
✔️ #Mindfulness & breathing (your brain’s reset button)
✔️ Reframing challenges (hello, prefrontal cortex!)

...you build a brain that bounces back, remembers more, and leads with clarity.

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Liezel van der Westhuizen | 'The Giraffe' @liezelonline.bsky.social · 16d

But here's the power move: resilience is trainable.
This isn’t fluffy wellness - it’s neuroscience in action. And the best part?

You can literally grow back what stress has taken away.

🔁 With consistent #MentalFitness habits like: ⬇️

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Liezel van der Westhuizen | 'The Giraffe' @liezelonline.bsky.social · 16d

💡When cortisol (stress hormone) floods the system too often, it damages your hippocampus - the part of the brain responsible for learning, memory & motivation.

#Sales leaders, this shows up as:
🔸Forgetting key client details.
🔸 Losing drive after tough calls.
🔸 Teams stuck in survival mode.

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Liezel van der Westhuizen | 'The Giraffe' @liezelonline.bsky.social · 16d

💥Did you know stress could be stealing your edge – neuron by neuron?

Chronic stress isn't just an emotional weight - it physically reshapes your brain.

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Liezel van der Westhuizen | 'The Giraffe' @liezelonline.bsky.social · 19d

Science backs it: even small steps like tidying up or breathing deeply can boost your focus, mood, and sleep. 🧠

So I'm curious...🧹 What thought, belief, or habit are YOU ready to declutter this spring?

Let's reset together.
#mentalfitness #SpringcleanYourMind

Liezel van der Westhuizen | 'The Giraffe' @liezelonline.bsky.social · 19d

Spring cleaning isn't just for your cupboards.
It's for your mind too.

This season, Im not just reorganizing shelves - I'm letting go of the mental clutter that's been clouding my calm.

The second-guessing
The pressure to have it all figured out
The habit of doing instead of being.

#mentalfitness

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Liezel van der Westhuizen | 'The Giraffe' @liezelonline.bsky.social · 21d

👉🏽 What emotion has taught you the most about your own strength? #MentalFitnessCoach #mentalfitness

a black and white photo of a man holding a coconut to his ear and the words how you feeling below him

ALT: a black and white photo of a man holding a coconut to his ear and the words how you feeling below him

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Liezel van der Westhuizen | 'The Giraffe' @liezelonline.bsky.social · 21d

It’s about strengthening your ability to sit with the hard stuff - without letting it hijack your #mindset or momentum.

Here’s what I practice(and teach):
✨Feel what you feel
✨Learn from it
✨Then move forward on purpose.

#Resilience isn’t a lack of emotion.
It’s a deeper relationship with emotion.

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Liezel van der Westhuizen | 'The Giraffe' @liezelonline.bsky.social · 21d

A client once asked me, “But do you ever get upset? Cry? Feel overwhelmed?”

Absolutely. 🙋🏽‍♀️ Being a #MentalFitness coach doesn’t make me immune - it makes me more committed to navigating emotions wisely.

Mental fitness isn’t about pretending everything’s fine.

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