Increase your visibility in a more conscious way
‘Visible’ is my word for 2026. And interestingly, visibility sits at the centre of so many leadership discussions I’ve had recently. Many leaders tell me they want to be seen and heard more, whether that means speaking up in meetings, speaking at conferences, sharing insights online, or reconnecting with their network. At the same time, the thought of increasing our visibility often brings a mix of excitement and discomfort.
This year, visibility is my big professional priority. I want to speak on more stages, share more video content, and connect more consistently with current and potential clients. I feel very grateful for the events and partnerships I’ve had so far, but many of my clients are in industries where cameras aren’t allowed, which limits the chances to capture and share that content with a wider audience.
As I thought about what visibility meant for me in the next twelve months, I realised that increasing visibility is a strategic decision and a great way to practice conscious leadership. Visibility calls for awareness, self-regulation, novelty-seeking and more: all conscious leadership principles.
Awareness: recognising your internal stories about visibility
I remember the lovely nina@ninamucalov.com posting about increasing a social media presence and worrying about judgment from ‘Sandra from accounts who I worked with 6 years ago’! I related to this too.
Visibility can feel energising for some people and deeply uncomfortable for others. Our thoughts may range from “I love sharing what I know” to “What if I’m judged?” or “What if I’m not interesting enough?” and our thoughts often shape our emotions. All of these thoughts are human, but when we increase our awareness, we bring them into focus so they stop running in the background.
When we notice our emotions and thoughts patterns around visibility, we can choose our response more deliberately. Awareness helps us to show up with intention rather than avoid showing up out of fear.
Discomfort: tolerating the stretch
Growth and discomfort are a group deal. Standing on stage, writing publicly, or even sending a simple outreach email can create discomfort for many of us.
However, discomfort is often a good sign of growth. Discomfort is a sign that you’re expanding. It lets us know we’re moving from something familiar to something that stretches us to move out of our comfort zone. When we understand this and we approach discomfort consciously, that stretch helps to build our capacity to tolerate that discomfort.
Neuroscience research shows that tolerating manageable discomfort increases our confidence over time. Each repetition rewires the brain, bit by bit, to associate visibility with safety rather than threat. The next time you notice those nerves before your press “post” or you step up to speak, take a slow breath. Then remind yourself that this is the feeling of growth in real time.
Self‑regulation: calming strong emotions
For many people, the ‘spotlight’ (real or metaphorical) can create pressure. More visibility needs us to to stay steady even when we feel that spotlight-induced pressure.
Self-regulating tough emotions can start with our physiology. Techniques such as slow, rhythmic breathing or grounding ourselves through posture reduce our cortisol levels and activate the parasympathetic nervous system (sometimes know as rest and digest, rather than the better-known flight or flight). Self-regulation resets the body and restores our mental clarity and focus.
Before important conversations or recorded sessions, I take a short breathing pause, where I inhale for four counts, hold for four counts, then exhale for six. This helps me feel much calmer.
Reframing thoughts: thinking about visibility in a helpful way
There is no doubt that how we think about visibility shapes our experience of it. Many people subconsciously link visibility with self‑promotion, or vulnerability. It is much more more constructive to reframe visibility in a way which is helpful. For you, that might be reframing visibility as more opportunities for connection.
For others, thinking of visibility as creating opportunities for others to learn, benefit, and collaborate is more helpful. Thinking of visibility as a positive contribution helps shift our anxiety into purpose. It changes our approach from, “I have to show up” to, “I get to share something valuable.”
Goals and habits: building consistency
Visibility thrives on structure. Without the consistency that structure provides, motivation and momentum can quickly fade.
A great start, and something I’ve put into practice myself, is to define specific visibility goals. This might include speaking on a certain number of stages, sharing weekly online insights, or contacting three clients each month to exchange ideas. Clarity helps to focus our efforts and energy.
Once you have a goal, look at building habits toward achieving that goal which make visibility automatic. Scheduling social media posts ahead of time, or planning to record at least one video snippet from each event. Small, repeated actions compound into visible progress over time.
All of the research on habit formation shows that repetition make change much more sustainable than pressure or motivation alone.
We also know that publicly declaring your goals means you’re more likely to achieve them, so that’s another reason for me writing this blog :)
Zest: making visibility enjoyable
Excitement and enthusiasm go a long way toward fuelling consistent action. Leaders who find genuine enjoyment in creating visibility will build and sustain their visibility far more easily than those who treat it as an obligation.
For this one, how can you make visibility creative and fun for yourself? This might look like experimenting with new topics or formats. One great way to have more fun is to really allow your personality to shine through (then you get the added bonus of congruence and more trust with your audience).
If speaking lights you up, find more rooms to speak in. If you enjoy writing, let that be your platform. Enthusiasm is contagious, and audiences respond so positively to genuine energy over perfection.
And if the whole thought of visibility fills you with dread, what would make it more enjoyable for you? Zest is the key to decreasing dread.
Novelty seeking: step outside your comfort zone
You cannot move forward to achieve new goals by doing what you have always done. It simply won’t work. Repetition and staying in your comfort zone feels safe, but it’s actually keeping you still and keeping you small. And it’s often acting like an invisibility cloak too.
Leaders who consciously and consistently seek new contexts and new experiences learn faster and adapt better. In terms of visibility, this could mean presenting to a different audience, trying video content, or experimenting with interactive sessions instead of traditional presentations.
Every new experience reshapes our competence and our confidence.
New experiences also fuel our brain. Exposure to new experiences stimulates dopamine, which enhances our motivation and creativity.
Conscious visibility in practice
Visibility is a multi-layered concept, which includes awareness, courage and consistency. By regulating discomfort, reframing thought patterns, and finding fun and energy in being seen, we can positively impact our visibility.
Conscious visibility means showing up with intention and care rather than impression management.
As I continue my goal of increased visibility this year, I’ll be seeking out and saying yes to more big stages, refreshing my online presence, and building relationships through valuable insights. To help, I’ll keep returning to these same principles:
Awareness keeps me honest.
Regulation keeps me steady.
Goals keep me focused.
Habits keep me moving forward.
Zest keeps me motivated.
A final reflection
Visibility creates connection, trust, and shared learning. For conscious leaders, visibility is about congruence and contribution.
As you look ahead through 2026, which form of visibility would make the most difference to your leadership right now? Perhaps it is making your expertise known, giving your team’s work more recognition, or simply letting yourself be seen more fully as a human at work.
Whatever it looks like, visibility begins with a single conscious step of showing up.
If you’d like to explore how conscious leadership can enhance your people’s performance and wellbeing this year, I’d love to connect. You can get in touch by email or book a call to chat.
Dr Sarah Whyte helps leaders get their REPs up—retention, engagement, and performance—through the Conscious Leadership Advantage. A leadership and resilience expert with two decades’ experience working across finance, law, technology, and health, Sarah equips leaders to stay grounded, connected, and commercially sharp with her warmth, humour, and authenticity.
