Help with Leadership Under Pressure. When Health and Values Collide with Leadership Pressure: Case Study
- Maxine Bryce
- Jan 12
- 3 min read
Updated: Jan 19
Help with Leadership Under Pressure is the topic of this article. I was invited to work with a senior manager at a large UK-based insurance company, serving millions of customers across car, home, health, and business insurance. Outwardly, he was highly capable and successful. Internally, he was under immense strain.
At just 40 years old, he had recently suffered an angina attack. Despite this major health scare, he returned to work with very little recovery time to meet a critical milestone on a high-profile project. The pressure was relentless.
At the same time, he was leading the company’s first call centre set-up in India, which involved repeated long-haul travel. His wife was experiencing a difficult pregnancy, and he felt deeply conflicted about being away from her while also fearing the consequences of missing deadlines. This constant push and pull began to erode his confidence, and left him struggling with decision-making.
Help with Leadership Under Pressure: Looking Beneath the Stress
Our work together took an integrated approach, combining psychotherapy, NLP coaching, and Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT). Very quickly, it became clear that unresolved childhood trauma was driving a pattern of perfectionism and self-sacrifice that was still playing out in his leadership role.
Through a values process, we identified that:
His core values were:
honesty
integrity, and
family.
This brought an important conflict into sharp focus. At the time, the company was advertising that all customer service calls would be answered in the UK, while simultaneously moving operations overseas. He felt physically sick at the prospect of leading a project that conflicted so deeply with his integrity.
With his wife just weeks away from giving birth, travelling to India was no longer emotionally or practically possible. He felt trapped—caught between his values, his family responsibilities, and a lifelong pattern of pushing himself beyond his limits to succeed.
Using Parts Integration and the Core Transformation process, we worked through these internal conflicts and resolved the childhood patterns influencing his adult choices.
Meaningful Change at Every Level
As the internal pressure eased, my client’s confidence returned. He raised his concerns directly with the board, something that had previously felt impossible. As a result, the company changed its advertising and removed all misleading claims.
He went on to successfully open the call centre in India on time, with far fewer trips than originally planned. He was also supported to work from home when his wife gave birth.
His sleep improved.
His physical well-being stabilised.
His energy levels increased - naturally enhancing his performance at work.
As the trauma-driven need for perfection softened, he allowed himself to be human again.
Why This Work Matters
This case study highlights how unresolved trauma and misaligned values can quietly undermine health, confidence, and leadership effectiveness - even in high-performing professionals. When emotional patterns are addressed and values are honoured, leaders can make clear, ethical decisions that support both personal well-being and business success.
A Science-Backed Approach to Emotional Calm and Inner Confidence
I blend EFT, hypnotherapy, NLP, and Mindfulness-Based Coaching so you can experience deep transformation — not just coping strategies.
Clients often tell me:
“I’ve tried everything. This is the first time I’ve actually felt a shift.”
Whether you’re a high performer hiding your stress, or someone quietly battling emotional overwhelm — you deserve peace.
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