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Adam W. Barney

Adam helps high-growth leaders scale smarter, without burning out. His philosophy: Energy is the edge.

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šŸ›£ļø When Resilience Becomes a Trap: The Hidden Cost of ā€œPushing Throughā€

Please forward this to a high-impact leader who needs the energy edge. If this was forwarded to you, get plugged in here. ⚔ QUICK SPIN: Resilience is sexy. Every founder, exec, and athlete loves to talk about it. We glorify grit. We wear burnout like a badge. We survive the hard road, and call that leadership. But here’s what I’ve learned...personally and professionally: If resilience isn’t paired with reflection, it just becomes repetition. And that repetition? It kills your energy quietly...

Please forward this to a high-impact leader who needs the energy edge. If this was forwarded to you, get plugged in here. ⚔ QUICK SPIN: Control feels like confidence. But for high-performers? It’s often the root of energy depletion. Let me explain: You’re trying to manage everything: decisions, outcomes, people, the calendar, your personal energy, and everyone else’s moods while you’re at it. But energy isn’t optimized by controlling—it’s scaled by designing for autonomy. And no, autonomy ≠...

Please forward this to a high-impact leader who needs the energy edge. If this was forwarded to you, get plugged in here. ⚔ QUICK SPIN: You crush a project. Feel unstoppable. Then later that day (or maybe even the next šŸ˜‰), your body (or brain) crashes. It’s not weakness. It’s not poor planning. It’s energy debt. And whether you’re building bunk beds or building a business… That bill always comes due. šŸ› ļø MY TURN: For my oldest daughter’s upcoming birthday, we upgraded her bed to a laddered...

Please forward this to a high-impact leader who needs the energy edge. If this was forwarded to you, get plugged in here. ⚔ QUICK SPIN: You blocked the day. You promised yourself space. You even called it your ā€œrecovery runway.ā€ And then… šŸ”” Dings šŸ“ž Unexpected calls šŸ“¬ A few ā€œjust quickā€ things 🧠 One too many tabs open in your brain Welcome to The Creep. It’s what happens when your calendar says ā€œrecoveryā€ but your life didn’t get the memo. šŸ› ļø MY TURN: Last Thursday, I landed from our...

Please forward this to a high-impact leader who needs the energy edge. If this was forwarded to you, get plugged in here. ⚔ QUICK SPIN: Everyone tells you to take the break. But no one tells you how to come back. Let’s fix that. This week, I came back from my very real family vacation. (Doing my best to avoid ā€œworking remotely,ā€ avoiding the "fake unplug".) It gave me new ideas, clarity, and space I didn’t know I needed. But the lingering digital inbox hanging over my head? Boom. Emails. DMs....

Please forward this to a high-impact leader who needs the energy edge. If this was forwarded to you, get plugged in here. ⚔ QUICK SPIN: Here’s what no productivity tool will tell you: You can’t think your way into your next breakthrough. You have to create space big enough to let it land. This past week, our family has been road-tripping our way through LA, Tahoe, Napa, and San Francisco. No agenda. No hustle. No checking in. And somewhere between the trees and the coastlines, I stopped...

Please forward this to a high-impact leader who needs the energy edge. If this was forwarded to you, get plugged in here. ⚔ QUICK SPIN: For years, we made time for trips. But not for vacations—the real kind. The kind that doesn’t just ā€œrelaxā€ you, but resets your entire system. This week, we finally booked one. LA → Tahoe → Napa → San Francisco. No work. No almosts. Just family. Just presence. Just pause. And before we’ve even boarded the plane, I’m remembering a hard-earned truth: Your best...

Please forward this to a high-impact leader who needs the energy edge. If this was forwarded to you, get plugged in here. ⚔ QUICK SPIN: People have been telling me for years: ā€œYou need to launch a podcast.ā€ And for years, I said: ā€œYeah… probably.ā€ ā€œOnce I have more time.ā€ ā€œOnce the right idea hits.ā€ ā€œOnce the brand’s tight.ā€ Sound familiar? Then one day, I stopped waiting, and I launched it. šŸ› ļø MY TURN: šŸŽ™ļøThe Show: Is Anything Real in Paid Advertising? āœ… Available now everywhere podcasts live...

Surrounded by support. Still resisting it. This is what high-functioning isolation looks like.

Please forward this to a high-impact leader who needs the energy edge. If this was forwarded to you, get plugged in here. Coaching Works. So, Why Won't You Use It? ⚔ QUICK SPIN: The word coaching used to signal growth. Now, for a lot of high-performers in their 30s and 40s…it triggers resistance. This hit hard in a conversation I had recently with my brilliant friend Elizabeth Miner after our Female Founders event in Cambridge. She said: ā€œCoaching still resonates with younger professionals,...

Please forward this to a high-impact leader who needs the energy edge. If this was forwarded to you, get plugged in here. Small Rooms. Big Shifts. Real Leadership. ⚔ QUICK SPIN: This week, I moderated one of the most electrifying conversations I’ve had the privilege of leading at the CIC in Cambridge, alongside the Social Impact Cohort and JPMorgan's SEEN, which supports female and underrepresented founders on their path to scaling. And let me be clear: This wasn’t a summit. This wasn’t a...