The Risk You Didn’t See Coming: Isolation

It doesn’t show up on your balance sheet. It’s not tracked in your CRM. It doesn’t burn cash or break systems. But it erodes something far more critical:

Clarity. Confidence. Conviction.

That risk is isolation – and it blindsides more Veteran leaders than you’d expect.

The Quiet Drift 

Ask any Veteran leader what surprised them most in entrepreneurship, and it’s not the stress. It’s the loneliness.

The Hidden Threat

When she got fired from her CEO role years ago, she didn’t know what to feel. She kept showing up to work until the day they told her to stay out. After she left that office, the silence was deafening. No one was calling. She didn’t know who she was supposed to be anymore.

When he launched his consulting business, he thought the hardest part would be finding clients. But it wasn’t. It was the silence between meetings. The moments when he’d close the laptop after sending proposals and wonder, "Is anyone even seeing this?"

There were no teammates to bounce ideas off. No after-action reviews. Just a desk, a calendar, and the sound of his own thoughts stretching into the evening.

That’s what most Veteran leaders don’t anticipate. Not the stress or pressure – we’re used to that. But the slow, creeping drift into isolation.

It’s subtle. It feels like discipline at first: ‘head down, get it done.’ Until weeks pass. Then months. And somewhere in there, we stop reaching out. Not because we don’t care. But because we don’t even know what we’d say.

How It Shows Up

You start letting calls go to voicemail – not because you’re avoiding people, but because explaining where you're at just feels... heavy.

You say “it’s all good” out of habit, even when your gut says otherwise.

You start solving problems in your head, alone. It feels faster. Cleaner. Easier than bringing someone else in.

Clarity slips; confidence dips.
And worst of all – you start to believe it’s just part of the job.

But it’s not. And it doesn’t have to be.

What Help Looks Like

This isn’t about therapy. It’s not about motivational speeches. It’s about someone who sees you in it.

That friend you can text a voice memo at midnight. That former teammate who knows your tone without you having to explain. That mentor who won’t flinch when you say, “I’m tired.”

The kind of person who reminds you you’re not crazy – or alone.

So Here’s the Ask:

As we enter into a holiday weekend, let this be a reminder: take a breather and schedule one real conversation. Not a networking call. Not a check-the-box chat. A real one.

Talk to someone who’s built something. Someone who’s felt the weight. Someone who won’t try to fix you, but will sit in it with you.

If no one comes to mind right away? That’s your clue. Start building that list. This isn’t just about connection – it’s about survival.

Leadership isn’t about being the strongest or the smartest in the room. Sometimes, it’s just about being honest enough to say:

“I don’t want to do this alone anymore.”

Pick up the phone. Make the call. Let someone in.