I use this simple nightly ritual to help me ‘stay focused and grounded’
Bobbie CEO Laura Modi said on the Oct. 7 episode of the “CNBC Changemakers and Power Players” podcast that she has a nightly ritual that helps her feel confident running her baby food business.
He said Modi does a “personal and professional check-in” every night and mentally rates his day on both aspects on a scale of one to five. The routine, she added, helps her reflect and process her emotions as she gets ready for bed.
“There are moments when you have to check in internally and remind yourself that you are human, that is okay, and then put your thick skin back on,” Modi said.
Modi, Airbnb’s former director of host operations, left his job to start Bobbie in 2018. After giving birth to her first child two years ago, she became frustrated with the ingredients found in typical infant formulas, she told CNBC Make It in July 2023. The company, which sells U.S.-made organic baby food, generates an estimated $64.84 million in annual revenue and has raised approximately $185.01 million in total equity funding. FactSet.
While Modi has always had a thick skin, he said his nightly check-ins helped him celebrate his victories and get through the tough times while making it big. He said his goal was to grow the company and his family.
“I think sometimes you have to regulate your emotions and feelings, personally and professionally, on a wild ride,” said Modi, who is now a mother of four. “Good months or good years come and go [and] Daily moments keep me focused and grounded.”
Former Verizon CEO Hans Vestberg had a similar habit of emotional regulation while at the helm of the company he ran for seven years before leaving his post in October. He told the Fast Company Innovation Festival 2023 that he rates his mood on a scale of 1 to 10 every morning to help him have the “right mood and the right energy” to run the business.
Her sweet spot was when she felt three to seven, which she said: This meant she felt “energetic” and could work and collaborate at a high level. He added that if he felt a little worse, he would often hole up in his office until he had a better space to work with others.
Learning how to regulate your emotions is a type of emotional intelligence, or emotional quotient (EQ), that all leaders must master, leadership expert Scott Mautz wrote in a July 2024 article for CNBC Make It. Reflecting specifically on your missteps and successes can help you build mental strength, he wrote.
“Mentally strong people understand that we are not defined by what knocks us down, but by how we get back up,” Mautz wrote. “They treat mistakes as missteps rather than ‘wrong bounces,’ meaning they are careful not to exaggerate the negative impact of a mishap.”
You can also take the extra step and write these thoughts in a journal. “Self-assessment through writing provides measurable cognitive and emotional benefits by helping process experiences and clarify thinking,” psychiatrist Drew Ramsey wrote on March 25.
“Meta-analyses found that: wrote that “expressive writing can improve both physical and psychological health outcomes.”Neuroimaging studies Reveal what we label by writing emotions… [can] effectively reduces emotional reactivity.”
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