Episode 41: When Everything Feels Heavy, You Might Need More
From Communications Business Advisor by Tara McDonagh
February 23, 2026 · 18 min · Season 1 · Episode 41
About this episode
Tara McDonagh discusses the challenges of isolation in communications leadership and the importance of connection during overwhelming times.
Welcome back to the Communications Business Advisor podcast. In this solo episode, Tara shares an update, perspective, and invitation. Because right now, if there's one way to describe the collective experience of communications leaders, it's this … it's a lot. The world feels heavy. The mental swivel factor is high. We are absorbing headlines, advising executives, managing reputational risk, running teams, parenting, partnering, and trying to remain reasonably stable humans. Tara shares a personal story about a crisis in her own family that revealed something important about high-functioning leaders: when things get overwhelming, many of us isolate. We narrow the world. We close ranks. We "handle it." But while isolation can often feel like control, it actually makes the load heavier. And for women in communications leadership, that isolation is frequently normalized. This episode explores why connection, not withdrawal, is what allows us to move forward. In this episode, Tara explores: The "mental swivel" reality of modern communications leadership Why high-functioning women default to isolation during crisis The difference between professional processing and emotional…
People in this episode
Host: Tara McDonagh
Topics covered
- communications leadership
- isolation
- connection
- mental health
- women in leadership
- emotional processing
Keywords
- communications
- leadership
- isolation
- connection
- mental health
- women leaders
- emotional processing
More episodes of Communications Business Advisor
- Episode 45: The Strategy That's Still in Your Head · April 20, 2026 · 20 min
- Episode 44: Long-Term Planning Is Dead (No, It Isn't) · April 6, 2026 · 18 min
- Episode 43: Thinking Alone Has a Leadership Ceiling · March 23, 2026 · 20 min
- Episode 42: When Helpfulness Becomes a Career Ceiling · March 9, 2026 · 18 min
- Episode 40: Path to CCO+ with Laura Duda · February 9, 2026 · 45 min
- Episode 39: Path to CCO+ with Anthony Farina · January 26, 2026 · 58 min
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Communications Business Advisor podcast page.