Today's visit to Emergency Room

Today could not be more surreal.


It started with taking my daughter to an Emergency Room after nine rounds of vomiting all over our house.

I only thought that happens in movies - and with my husband over in Europe taking care of his mom after two consecutive heart attacks, it was just the two of us amidst the mess and confusion and puke.

(Don't worry, she is much better now, I have proof...)

Then the news came out. 

Pier 1, a US-based publicly-traded retailer has filed for bankruptcy, confirming it will fire 40% of headquarters staff and close as many as 450 stores.

There are new floods and new storms with lives lost.

There's a new humanitarian crisis for displaced Syrians caught in the battle for Idlib (and we are so used to this war, it doesn't even make the main page anymore).


And then I had a call with a client. 

Amidst the Coronavirus, the company has moved into full crisis management - and give it another month or two, it will reach the level of catastrophe management.

What are we to do?


A long, long time ago, a day like this would be an exception.

An abnormality. A rare stuff legends and wedding toasts are made of.

But what was most surreal about it is how normal it was. 

Our new normal.


Whether we talk about our families, our organizations, or our communities, the unpredictability, uncertainty, and volatility are fast becoming the new normal.

Just as we handle one crisis, another appears on the horizon. 

Artificial Intelligence, blockchain, circular economy, digital, Industry 4.0, millennials, new competition, new regulations, political turmoil, sharing economy, substitute products, fires, wars, viruses, you name it – the waves of disruption come crushing faster and faster, fundamentally changing the way we work, compete, and profit.

All of us are living in a perpetual Emergency Room - covered in puke.

It's exhausting. And confusing. And terrifying.


Yet, the best part of this day was not how every conversation started. It's how it finished.

There was laughter. And resilience. And learning.

There was a reboot. A re-think. A re-imagine.

If we fight it, this new world of ours can become endlessly terrifying - or it can be ever more beautiful.


Because in the middle of the chaos, everything got very clear. 

Very focused. Very powerful.

And that's my invitation to you.


One, to accept the new normal. Two, make it work for you - not against you.

Because the next time you find yourself cleaning up the metaphorical puke off your walls - and saving jobs, reinventing products, and upgrading systems in the process - you will have a lot of laughs. And a lot of strengths.

I promise.



P.S. Our signature course, BREAKTHROUGH REINVENTION, is open until the end of Thursday. It's all about pragmatic tested solutions and tools for turning disruption into an opportunity (no matter how messy it gets). 

If that's calling your name, I would love to see you in Winter 2020 Class. 


That way, the next emergency in your life and business might just allow something powerful and beautiful to emerge:

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Dr. Nadya Zhexembayeva helps companies such as Coca-Cola, Kohler, and IBM turn change and disruption into an opportunity.

Want to join this amazing reinvention community? Grab you spot or a replay at our free live online masterclass and you are in: https://www.learn2reinvent.com/masterclass