Top Executive Coach Marcy Axelrod: You’re Not Showing Up for Success—Here’s What to Do About It
What if the one thing sabotaging your success isn’t strategy—but how you show up each day?
The Hidden Crisis Behind High Performance
Marcy Axelrod isn’t just another leadership expert. She’s the rare kind of executive coach who cuts straight through the noise of hustle culture to expose a painful truth: Most people aren’t really showing up. They’re surviving. Sleepwalking. Checking boxes. And it’s costing them everything—profits, passion, and peace of mind.
In her decades advising Fortune 100 companies and Silicon Valley disruptors, Marcy discovered a pattern that became impossible to ignore. Behind the titles and success stories, most leaders were barely present. That insight led to her best-selling book, How We Choose to Show Up, and the birth of her three-level Show Up System.
The 3 Levels That Define Your Life
According to Marcy, we all live somewhere on a spectrum. Level 1 is “barely there”—a state of burnout, disconnection, and reactive living. Level 2 is “just showing up”—where 80% of people reside, going through the motions with no deeper presence. Level 3? That’s where the magic happens. It's “truly showing up,” a flow state where your purpose, presence, and performance align.
And here’s the kicker: “Your business will never outperform your level of presence,” Marcy says. “If you’re operating from level 1 or 2, you’re missing deals, damaging culture, and making poor decisions without even realizing it.”
The Story That Started It All
Marcy’s insights aren’t theoretical—they’re personal. At age six, she lost the ability to speak due to emotional trauma and stress. The experience turned her into an acute observer of human behavior.
“I couldn’t express myself, so I watched everyone else. I started asking, ‘Why do people show up the way they do? And where’s the blueprint for how humans are meant to show up?’” That question became her life’s work.
You Can’t Fake Level 3
Through her work with entrepreneurs, Marcy shares how presence or the lack of it shows up in surprising ways. One founder, poised to win a massive contract, lost the deal because he internally didn’t believe in it. “Your energy tells the truth before your mouth does,” Marcy explains. “People feel when you’re not aligned. You can’t fake truly showing up.”
Jeffrey confirmed this with his own experience: “We were the front-runner for a deal, but my heart wasn’t in it. We lost. I now see why—because I wasn’t really there.”
Why Culture Fails Without Presence
Marcy doesn’t just help individuals, she transforms entire company cultures. Her first step is always an honest culture audit. “Can people show up authentically? Do they feel emotionally safe to speak truth? Without that, you’re managing fear—not performance.”
And the most common barrier? Leaders who confuse control with leadership.
“True leadership isn’t about being right,” she says. “It’s about being real. Vulnerability doesn’t weaken you. It multiplies trust.”
Redefining Success
Marcy points to deathbed regrets to expose the lie of modern success. “Almost no one says, ‘I wish I had worked more.’ They say, ‘I wish I had lived more. Been more present. Told people I love them.’ We’re chasing titles, not truth.”
She explains how industrial-era thinking and hyper-productivity culture have warped our definition of a good life and how presence is the antidote.
The Entrepreneur’s Blind Spot
Jeffrey shares how after his 9-figure exit, he felt lost. “I never learned how to show up after the deal. I hit the goal—but I had no framework for life beyond the grind.”
Marcy nods: “This is so common. We treat success as an endpoint. But showing up is a practice. Every day. In every room.”
The Two-Minute Shift That Changes Everything
So how do you start? Marcy gives one simple practice: “Pick one person—at work, at home, a stranger. Pause. Breathe. Feel with them. You’re rewiring your brain from scarcity and separation to connection and care. This one act shifts everything.”
She also encourages leaders to rethink how they enter meetings. “Show up with the intention to listen—not dominate. Switch from ‘power over’ to ‘power with.’ That’s where real performance lives.”
Business Built on Presence Wins
The ROI of showing up isn’t just personal—it’s financial. “Deals close faster. Culture improves. Innovation returns. Presence isn’t soft. It’s the hardest skill in business—and the one that pays off the most.”
Final Words of Wisdom
When asked what she would tell her younger self, Marcy said, “Keep loving every moment. Even the painful ones. Gratitude changes your life—and your leadership.”
She leaves listeners with a powerful question: “Are you choosing how you show up—or are you just showing up?”
Listen to the full episode now and discover how one shift in presence could unlock the life and business you’ve been chasing.
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