Martina Felderman Coaching

Turns out, climbing 125 routes each in one day is… ambitious. Lyn Jeffers, Ph.D. and I are learning this the hard way as we train for the 𝐕𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐌𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐛 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞 on 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝟏𝟗. So far we’ve discovered:

- A killer playlist will make all the difference
- Skin fails faster than optimism 😅
- Belaying for hours is its own endurance sport

Huge thanks to the friends who have already volunteered to help belay during the challenge at Movement Golden on March 19. We’re very grateful for the support.

The exciting part: 𝐰𝐞’𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝟐𝟓% 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐠𝐨𝐚𝐥 — 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 $𝟐,𝟕𝟎𝟎 𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐨 𝐟𝐚𝐫. 🎉

Every foot we climb raises funds for the Roadrunner Grant at State University of Denver, helping students getting over financial barriers to stay enrolled and finish their degrees.

If you’re able, 𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐮𝐬 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐛𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬.

👉 https://msudenver.me/climb

And one more request: 𝐝𝐫𝐨𝐩 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬. We’ll need them. 🎧🧗‍♀️

We lucked out with perfect weather and beautiful fall colors yesterday, hiking Quandary, just before the rain showers moved in. Grateful for this beautiful place we get to live in, for friendships that make days like this even sweeter, and for the simple pause to reset. .lyn.jeffers

Everyone’s a “good leader” when the market is strong, the team is happy, and projects are running smoothly.

But tough times? That’s when you really get to know yourself.

Do you hold on tighter—or learn to let go?

Do you retreat—or step forward?

Do you react—or respond?

In climbing, the hardest routes demand effort. You don’t just float to the top - you fall, slip, miss holds, and try again. Each attempt teaches you something: where to adjust, how to pace yourself, which hold to trust. Progress only comes from working through the struggle.

Leadership works the same way. If you want to achieve something hard, you have to put in the effort, especially when things get messy. Setbacks aren’t the exception; they’re the path. You try, fail, reflect, and keep going. Those moments don’t just reveal character. They build it.

That’s why I designed 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐀𝐬𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭—to create a safe, hands-on space where leaders can tackle hard challenges, learn from them, and grow stronger in the process.

👉 Want to learn more? Message me, I’d love to share how it works.

Sometimes you need to level-set.

You thought everyone was on board. You had buy-in. Decisions were made, plans were approved, and ex*****on was underway.

And then… people start to disagree. New ideas emerge. What was once agreed upon suddenly feels up for debate again.

While this is frustrating, it’s also a moment to pause, reset, and clarify.

Level-setting isn’t about rehashing every argument. It’s about:

- Re-aligning on why decisions were made
- Reconfirming roles and responsibilities
- Ensuring the team understands what can and cannot be changed at this stage

When you take the time to level-set, you protect momentum while giving people space to be heard. It’s not a step backward - it’s a way to move forward smarter.

Have you had moments where a project felt like it was drifting after buy-in? How did you bring everyone back together?

An SVP of a global company recently shared something with me that stuck:

👉 “A marker of a strong executive leader is developing talent.”

It sounds obvious, but it’s surprisingly rare.

Because coaching and developing talent requires courage.

The courage to let go.

The courage to give responsibility.

The courage to sometimes watch mistakes happen.

Leaders who hold tightly to their power may achieve short-term wins. But leaders who develop others create exponential impact. Their legacy isn’t just in what they accomplish, it’s in what their teams go on to achieve long after.

Strong leaders know: success multiplies when you grow the people around you.

Sometimes the biggest promotion isn’t about a new title.
It’s about the moment you realize you’re finally in the right room.

A client recently shared with me what this shift feels like:

✨ “It’s like a weight lifted. I feel lighter. I’m not trying to prove myself anymore. I can trust my team, ask for what I need, and know I don’t have to be everywhere at once.”

This didn’t happen overnight. For years, she carried more than her share - stepping in, saying yes, proving her worth. She shouldered burdens that weren’t hers, mistaking over-responsibility for progress.

But perseverance has a way of paying off. She kept showing up. She kept building skills and relationships. And now - she’s here. Leading from a place of trust, not control. Asking, not overextending. Belonging, not scrambling.

That moment- when you finally arrive where you’re meant to be - is worth the climb.

And it’s a reminder that grit still matters. Perseverance still matters. Because sometimes the only way to the right room… is to keep walking through the wrong ones until the door finally opens.

First day of school!! So glad we’re having great teachers this year!
And no homework in 4th grade. Yay!! 😁

When things are going well, it’s easy to believe the best is yet to come.
But when you’re in the gap… or the pit… your brain isn’t looking for solutions, it’s scanning for more evidence that things are hard.

And that’s the tricky part.
Shifting into a more positive state often has to happen before you have data to back it up.

This isn’t about sugar-coating reality or pretending everything’s perfect.
It’s about choosing thoughts that give you the energy and clarity to take better action.
Because when your mindset shifts, your creativity, resilience, and problem-solving all go up, and that fuels action that builds momentum.

Sometimes you have to choose the thought first… take the action… and let the results catch up later.

If you want to explore how to make that shift, let’s talk.

The most successful leaders don’t go it alone. They create allies.

One of my clients was leading a new initiative that kept hitting walls:

→ Pushback in meetings

→ Resistance from the team

→ Frustration you could feel in the room

She started to wonder if she was off track.

Instead of retreating, she made a deliberate choice to check in with a few key people. Her goal wasn’t to “sell” them on her idea, but to hear their perspectives, and bring them on board as champions. The conversations confirmed she was heading in the right direction, and those leaders offered to help rally the rest of the team.

Creating allies isn’t about politics. It’s about expanding your influence, building trust, and knowing others have your back when it matters most.

Don’t quit the game five minutes before it gets fun.

In German, we say: Gute Dinge brauchen Zeit.
Good things take time.

But let’s be honest - in leadership, time and patience are often in short supply.

We want results. We want momentum. And when things stall, it’s tempting to pivot. Try something new. Pick the low-hanging fruit that gives that quick hit of progress.

But leadership isn’t about quick hits.
It’s about staying with the things that are hard because they matter.
It's about having the discipline to focus on what truly moves the needle, even when the payoff isn’t immediate.

That also means:
✅ Letting go of things that no longer align with your goals (even if you’ve invested in them. Sunk cost fallacy, anyone?)
✅ Saying no to shiny distractions that look like progress but really just pull you off course
✅ And yes - staying in the game when your instincts tell you it’s worth it, even if it’s taking longer than you hoped

Real growth often shows up after the part where most people quit.
That’s the hard part.
That’s also where the fun begins.

If you’re leading something that’s challenging you - and wondering whether to push through or pivot - you’re not alone.
Stay the course. Do the hard thing.
Play the long game.

That’s where the transformation happens.

“I’m too busy.”

I hear this a lot in coaching conversations — especially when leaders delegate or stretch their teams and get pushback. Team members say they’re too busy, which often means the work comes back to the leader.

The result? Leaders end up overloaded themselves and lose time to focus on the higher-level aspects of their role.

And to be fair, many people are busy. The pace of work isn’t slowing down for anyone.

But here’s the thing: “Busy” is subjective.

What one person sees as an overwhelming workload is another person’s normal day.
Some thrive with a full plate. Others hit capacity much sooner. Neither is right or wrong, but it does matter when we talk about growth, leadership, and expectations.

Because higher-level roles don’t come with less to do. They come with more complexity, ambiguity, and responsibility.
And with that comes the need for more capacity — not just time, but mindset, prioritization, and resilience.

I’ve seen two patterns:

People who want to be promoted but resist taking on more or stretching themselves.

People who consistently take on more but aren’t as visible — and get overlooked.

Both can stall careers.

Part of leadership is learning your own bandwidth — and then expanding it.
It’s also about knowing what your role demands — not just what you’re comfortable with.

And for leaders? It’s about noticing not just who says “yes,” but who delivers consistently, quietly, and well.

Where do you see yourself in this dynamic?

There’s something about doing what you really love — the thing that pulls you in so completely that the rest of the world fades out.

When I’m on the wall, I’m not thinking about deadlines, strategy decks, or what’s for dinner. I’m 100% present.
All I’m aware of is the rock under my fingers, the pace of my breath and heartbeat, and my mind focusing on the next move.

For others, that feeling might be found in painting, trail running, writing, woodworking, or playing music.
Whatever it is — it pulls you into the moment fully. No performance. No overthinking. Just being.

Coming back to regular life after that kind of focus is like wiping the lens clean. You see things differently. You _feel_different — clearer, more grounded, maybe even a little lighter.

We often associate productivity with doing more. But sometimes the most powerful reset comes from doing something that has nothing to do with work at all.

What’s that thing for you?