Last month at the 2025 FSAE Conference, I was seated behind my husband at the final brunch keynote in West Palm Beach. The air was still buzzing with ideas and connections from the past few days. Our speaker, Larry Long Jr., wrapped up the event with infectious energy, and toward the end of his talk, he invited us to rate ourselves in eight key life areas: family, friends, faith, finances, fun, fitness, philanthropy, and career.
My fun score? A 4.
That number came quickly and intuitively. I didn’t think about it, I just felt it. And it surprised me, because I’d just finished giving a keynote of my own, emphasizing the importance of joy and emotional energy in high-performing teams. I knew the importance of play. But my own reflection revealed a hard truth:
I had been deprioritizing joy. Dimming wonder. Living too much from the head and not enough from the heart.
The Leadership Case for Wonder
In business, we often talk about mindset, resilience, and innovation. But what underpins all of these is something quieter and less talked about: wonder.
Wonder is not about escaping reality. It’s about entering it more fully.
It’s the capacity to be moved, to pause, to connect deeply to something greater than ourselves. Wonder fuels creativity, fosters empathy, and deepens presence, three things every modern leader needs more of.
When we lead with wonder, we see people differently. We make decisions from a broader lens. We ask better questions. And perhaps most powerfully, we invite our teams to show up more fully, too.
In a world addicted to productivity, wonder is the antidote that brings us back to humanity.
From Responsibility to Reconnection
Growing up, I carried a strong sense of responsibility. Be the good girl. Do what’s expected. Excel.
That identity served me well in many ways. But it also built an invisible wall between me and my own sense of play, imagination, and lightness. And that wall crept quietly into my leadership.
It wasn’t until I took a sabbatical in 2023 to Tulum, Mexico that I fully reconnected with wonder. I unplugged from distractions and dove into writing, journaling, and reading books like The Right to Write and The Creative Act. What surfaced wasn’t a lack of inspiration, it was the realization that I had simply stopped noticing it.
I hadn’t lost my creativity. I’d just gotten too busy to hear it.
What Is Wonder, Really?
Wonder is a feeling of awe, curiosity, and deep admiration, often sparked by something beautiful, unexpected, or mysterious.
It’s the moment you look out at the ocean and feel small but powerful. It’s laughing freely with a colleague. It’s noticing something about someone you’ve worked with for years, and seeing them in a new light.
Wonder requires presence.
And presence is the root of all meaningful leadership.
Cultivating Wonder in Yourself and Your Team
If you want to bring more aliveness, innovation, and heart into your leadership, here are four ways to start:
1. Slow Down to Feel
Stop rushing. Even briefly. Give yourself space to notice how you feel, not just what you need to do.
2. Create Space for Play
Host an unstructured brainstorm. Invite humor. Make room for spontaneous conversations.
3. Model Curiosity
Replace judgment with inquiry. Ask your team what they’re learning outside of work. Be fascinated.
4. Celebrate Beauty and Awe
Start meetings by sharing something that inspired or moved you. Invite others to do the same.
These practices might seem small, but they create psychological safety. They build connection. And they remind everyone, including you, that work isn’t just about metrics. It’s about meaning.
An Invitation to Reclaim Your Wonder
This week, I invite you to set a new kind of leadership intention:
I am open to fully experiencing, listening for, and observing all the beauty, wonder, and awe that today holds.
Reflect on what you notice. And if you’re brave enough, ask your team to do the same.
Let’s stop waiting for the next vacation, the next retreat, or the next big idea to reconnect us with joy. Let’s lead from a place of presence, heart, and yes, wonder.
I’d love to hear from you:
How are you reclaiming wonder in your life and leadership? Drop a comment or send me an email at hello@carmenohling.com.