What Tango, Data, and a Book Taught Me About Leadership

Sometimes the right book finds us when we need it most.

For me, it was Fear of Life by Alexander Lowen, almost thirteen years ago. It arrived at a time when my Body was tense, my mind overworked, and my joy quietly missing. I didn’t know it then, but this book—and what followed—would transform the way I lead, create, and live.

It was tango that first pointed me toward the truth. On the dance floor, my Body revealed what my mind refused to admit: I was moving through life disconnected from myself. My embrace felt tight, my steps rigid, my energy restless. The more I tried to “fix” it with technique, the less fluid I became.

Then I encountered Lowen’s work on bioenergetics—a framework that explores how our emotions and experiences live in the Body. It helped me see what many of us in high-performing environments overlook: we can’t think our way into alignment. We must feel our way there.

Later, my work in AI illuminated this from another angle. Machines process data at speed, yet they lack the very thing that gives human intelligence depth—embodiment. Humans feel, but too often we ignore that data source. We override our Body’s signals in pursuit of productivity, certainty, or control.

But when I began to listen—to pause and sense before deciding—something shifted. My leadership became less about managing outcomes and more about cultivating presence. I began to move through complexity the way a dancer moves through music: attuned, responsive, grounded.

In both leadership and tango, the Body doesn’t lie. It tells us when we’re forcing, when we’re aligned, and when it’s time to yield. Presence isn’t something we perform—it’s something we inhabit.

Today, I see embodiment as the bridge between intuition and intelligence. It’s what allows us to bring wisdom, creativity, and care into our decisions—even in a world increasingly shaped by algorithms.

What truth is your Body trying to tell you that your mind hasn’t yet acknowledged?

Take a moment to pause. Breathe. Sense your feet on the ground.

And then ask yourself—what would it mean to lead from here?

Invitation

If you’ve ever come across a book, a song, or even a conversation that shifted how you feel more than how you think, honor that moment. Revisit it. Let your Body remember what it awakened in you.

Because sometimes, one sentence can rewire a lifetime of patterns—if we have the courage to feel it.