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Take a quick look around the office or scan the names of your colleagues on Slack. Two-thirds of your coworkers are feeling burned out. Maybe you are, too. In a survey conducted for Moodle, an e-learning tool, 66% of workers are struggling, citing too much work, not enough resources, and a poor economy. While all these circumstances have a role in burnout, there may be an internal problem also in play, according to Jeffrey Hull and Margaret Moore, coauthors of The Science of Leadership: Nine Ways to Expand Your Impact. Your ego could be too noisy! A noisy ego describes a person who is constantly thinking about themselves, Moore says. Theyre asking Am I OK? Are they insulting me? Am I being positioned correctly? Its a self-referencing, self-oriented noise. A quiet ego is a term coined by Jack Bauer, a professor of psychology at the University of Dayton, and Heidi Wayment, a professor of psychological sciences at Northern Arizona University. It describes a personality type characterized by being mindful, emotionally intelligent, compassionate, and growth-oriented. The quiet ego is an evolved person who’s integrated all the noise, Moore explains. Theyve been through life. Its where stress turns into growth; the next stage beyond emotional intelligence of self-awareness and self-regulation. Why We Shift into the Noisy Ego The noisy ego often gets triggered during a loss of vitality. Perhaps youre not getting enough sleep or youre not eating well. This is a really important transitional moment when the ego could get really noisy and make things difficult, Hull says. Your battery is basically drained, and there’s no energy left, Moore adds. [Your prefrontal cortex goes offline], and you’ve lost your ability to control things. You can’t blame the individual for all of it. It’s an equal balance of external factors and internal factors, and you can’t get out by yourself. Being in a crisis can trigger the noisy ego since it pushes you out of the familiar and into reaction mode. It can also stir up emotions that are uncomfortable to handle. You can easily slip into feeling out of controlanxious, afraid, and hopeless. Its also common to not ask for enough support, believing you can power through. But this can quickly become a place with a lot of negativity and too little positivity, Moore says. Shifting Back into the Quiet Ego Getting yourself out of your noisy ego involves positive psychology. How do you find gratitude and inspiration? Moore asks. How do you get a little bit of upward liftby socializing or taking a break? You build those positive resources, but you also have to resolve the negative with a friend, a coach, or by journaling. A good place to start is investigating the noise. When youre coming from a place of fear, the main negatives are worry, anxiety, sadness, disappointment, and anger. Look at each of those, Moore says. If you’re angry, what are the emotions telling you that you need more? Do you need more safety or stability? Then, how do you meet the needs of those parts of you? Curiosity is a superpower, but it isn’t accessible with a noisy ego. You need to quiet that energy to be more open and receptive. When you notice symptoms of burnout, Hull recommends reflecting on a time when things were working. What did it look like? he asks. Very successful people wouldn’t be in positions of success if they had always been burned out. They had to come from a place of having done well. But that noisy ego gets in the way, and they forget the gifts and talents and strengths that got them to that place of success. Hull recommends reflecting on a resource called the resourceful past. What got you through college? What got you your first job? Or try to remember a time that was really difficult. What did you do to get through that? he asks. Those capacities are still there. The Quiet Ego Is Your Natural State Its easy to forget what it feels like to have a quiet ego because we live in an overstimulated world. We become so caught up in the noise that we no longer recognize it, seeing it as normal. But the quiet ego is our natural and normal state, Moore says. Start noticing your heartbeat and your breathing, she suggests. It is a place of quiet. Think about a time when you exhaled and felt calm and in control. This place is a state of stillness, and it can become a refuge you visit when you want to regain control of your mind, Hull says. The challenge we have in our culture is that we’ve made [stillness] wrong. We think we don’t have time for that, that its wasteful. But when you get calmer, you start to explore because your ego is not in the way. “Its not about having no ego,” he adds. “Its setting aside the noise. Its the process of becoming awake to yourselfphysically, emotionally, and mentally. Your energy shifts to a calmer place. And from that calmer place, you can access creativity, ideas, and curiosity.
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With any innovation comes risk, but those risks can be managed with the right precautions. Protecting yourself online is just as important in your crypto wallet as it is in your email inbox or your banking app. According to the largest ever study of crypto holders in America, which my organization conducted, just 3% reported negative experiences with crypto, and of these, less than a third had experienced fraud or security breaches personally. Thats less than 1% total. Compare that to traditional banking scams, where 34% of U.S. adults have experienced in the last year, or online dating, where 40% of users have reported being targeted by scams. The point is that scams happen in every corner of the internet. The good news? The habits that keep you safe in other online spaces also work in Web3. Find the scams before they find you Scams can happen to anyone, anywhereno matter how smart or tech savvy you may be. By staying alert, you can avoid the hassle and heartache that comes with being swindled. These are some of the most common tactics used by online scammers: Pig butchering: Scammers build fake relationships onlineposing as a friend, love interest, or mentorbefore persuading you to invest in a cant miss opportunity. Once the crypto or money is sent, the scammers vanish. Pump and dump: A lesser-known token gets hyped up by influencers or group chats, driving up demand. The scam organizers then sell their holdings at the topleaving latecomers holding the bag. Fake giveaways: Look out for messages claiming youll receive free crypto if you send a little first. No legitimate organization or person asks you to pay in order to receive a giveaway. Impersonation scams: Fraudsters pretend to be customer service reps, government agencies, or wallet providers to get you to send funds or hand over your login details. Phishing attacks: These often come through fake emails or links on social media, asking you to log in or verify your wallet. The goal? Steal your private keys or seed phrases. Stay safe with smart internet habits Online safety isnt about paranoiaits about preparation. Governments, companies, and organizations are working to improve consumer protections so that people can use crypto securely. And while those measures can make everyday use more secure, no system is completely foolproof. But with these six simple practices, you can help protect your coins, your identity, and your peace of mind: Never share your private key. Your public wallet address is safe to share (its like your email) but your private key or recovery phrase gives full access to your wallet (its like your password). Keep it secret, and store it securely offline. Avoid clicking random links. Whether its a text, tweet, or email, always double-check the source before responding or clicking. Be skeptical of urgency. Scammers rely on pressure tactics. If someones telling you to act fast or youll miss out, take a step back. Real opportunities dont rush you. Research before you invest. Dont believe the hype or anonymous tips. Look up the project, the people behind it, and whether its widely recognized and reputable. Trust your gutand verify the details. Misspelled names, strange email addresses, or too-good-to-be-true offers are always red flags. Beware of random texts or emails. Hey I found your number in my contacts, a random How are you? from an unknown number or, other out of the blue overtures should always be treated skeptically. General rule of thumb: If it seems too good to be true, it’s probably a scam. Take control of your digital destiny Crypto gives people more control, more access, and more opportunity. But that means nothing without trust and safety. You dont have to be a tech wizard or finance pro to use crypto. You just need to be a little crypto curious. When you decide to dip your toe in, practice and a few smart habitshabits you hopefully already uselike double authentication (where your bank, for example, will text you a code). So lets build a safer digital future together. Not by avoiding whats new, but by learning how to navigate it responsibly. Stu Alderoty is president of the National Cryptocurrency Association.
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E-Commerce
In a time where almost anything you could want is just a tap awayAI-powered answers in seconds, groceries delivered within the hour, endless content streamed instantly, and real-time validation through likes and sharesit’s no surprise that we’ve come to expect that same level of immediacy from our health. GLP-1 drugs promise rapid weight loss. Telemedicine provides patient care from the comfort of your own couch. At-home diagnostic tests deliver near-instant health insights. Social media and on-demand culture have rewired our brains to crave this kind of instant gratification, trapping many of us in a dopamine loopthat endless cycle of seeking out short-term rewards at the expense of long-term well-being. The consequences of this mindset are much deeper than we realize. In fact, the ripple effect is reshaping how we view our bodies, our health, and what it means to feel good. And it’s taking a toll on our physical and mental health. The health and wellness industry, which should be offering a counterpoint to this culture, has too often played into it, promising overnight results, quick fixes, and immediate transformations. The truth is, our bodies dont operate on the same timeline as our screens. The disconnect between instant gratification and whole-body health Biological transformation is a slow and intuitive process, one that unfolds over months and years, not overnight. Yet we’ve been conditioned to feel like we’re failing if we don’t see instant results. This gap has real consequences: People abandon solutions that could meaningfully improve their health simply because they haven’t delivered fast enough. In the chasing of short-term wins, we’re ignoring the foundational systems that fuel long-term well-being: our stress response, hormone health, gut microbiome, and the delicate balance of nutrients that power our bodies. The rise of quick-fix wellness has only reinforced this cycle. The common thread? They all offer a dopamine hita fleeting sense of progresswithout addressing the root causes of why we don’t feel good in the first place. The problem is, quick wins rarely translate to lasting health. When we expect instant results from our bodies, we’re setting ourselves up for disappointment, and that disappointment breeds distrust. We start to believe that our bodies are failing us, when in reality, it’s our expectations that need recalibrating. Whats more concerning is that this mindset is compounding the very issues we’re trying to solve. Stress, fatigue, thinning hair, breakouts, brain fogthese are all signals that our bodies are out of balance, not problems to be hacked. But in the dopamine loop, we treat the symptoms, not the root causes. So the cycle continues. A new mindset: Longevity over quick fixes The most profound health transformations happen when we work with our bodies, not against them. This requires a radical mindset shiftone that prioritizes optimization over instant gratification and rewires the way we measure progress. What if the question wasnt How quickly will this work? but instead How will this support the future version of me? This is the mindset of whole-body longevitythe belief that how we feel today is deeply connected to how we’ll feel five, 10, or 20 years from now. It’s about setting your body up to not just feel good right now, but to stay strong and thrive for the long haul. As an industry, we have a responsibility to lead this shift. That means telling the truth about what it really takes to transform your healththat lasting change happens over months, not days. It means designing products that address the root causes of how people feel, not just surface-level symptoms. And it means empowering people to celebrate progress, not perfection, and to understand that feeling better is a journey, not a destination. The future of health is whole-body True wellbeing doesnt come from quick fixes; it comes from lasting habits. While treatments and medications can offer short-term relief, sustainable transformation requires a deeper, long-term commitment to how we live every day. Whole foods, regular movement, quality sleep, stress management, and mindful choices like reducing alcoholthese arent trends; theyre the foundation for clarity, resilience, and longevity. When these habits are supported by science-backed clinical tools, they create the conditions for real, lasting change. Health becomes something we cultivate, not hack. Imagine if we shifted the focus from fast results to long-term vitality. If success was defined not by how quickly we feel better, but by how well were preparing our bodies and minds to thrive for decades to come. This is the future of health: slow, intentional, science-driven, and whole-body, because no part of us functions in isolation. As leaders, aligning with this vision means building not just better businesses, but a healthier world. Giorgos Tsetis is cofounder and chairman of Nutrafol.
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