In this solo episode of The Space in Between host Leigh Morgan explores how to stay awake, engaged, and fully human in a time when fear, outrage, political division, and emotional overwhelm can sometimes constrict our capacity to lead and be our fullest selves. Drawing from her own experience responding to the 2025 dismantling of USAID, Leigh reflects on what happens when we care deeply about suffering in the world — but find ourselves consumed by doomscrolling, dread, and the constant churn of unsettling headlines. The episode offers a powerful invitation to creating inner spaciousness, where we stay awake, but do not let fear consume us.

Leigh shares practices to feel grief without drowning in it, hold conviction without hardening, and reclaim agency even when we cannot control the outcome. She shares her personal journey, reflecting on her global development work in sub-Saharan Africa and northeastern India, insights from psychology, and how a powerful podcast conversation with Kaye Foster about reflective practice, leadership, and hope helped her remember and reclaim agency. The result is a timely and deeply human reflection on how we keep our hearts open, our minds clear, and our spirits steady in chaotic times.

Key messages:

• Fear is human, but it does not have to lead - Leigh names fear, dread, and grief as normal responses to real suffering and real uncertainty. The goal is not to deny those feelings, but to keep them from occupying more space inside us than we want to give them.
• Negativity bias and emotional contagion are real - Our brains are wired to notice threat, and our social systems often amplify fear, outrage, and grievance. Understanding these dynamics helps us respond with more awareness and less reactivity.
• Doomscrolling can feel like responsibility, but left unchecked can become constriction - Staying informed matters. But there is a difference between learning what we need to know and repeatedly consuming information that leaves us depleted, anxious, or numb.
• Agency is not always about controlling the outcome - Leigh reminds us that agency does not mean we can single-handedly change policy or prevent suffering. Sometimes agency begins with reclaiming our inner ground — how we breathe, what we notice, where we place our attention, and how we choose to show up.
• Inner spaciousness is where personal and collective agency can flourish - Inner spaciousness allows us to bear witness, work for justice, remain connected, and resist becoming hardened by fear or despair.

Check out the detailed show notes on the Space In Between website: http://spaceinbetweenpodcast.com/culvivating-inner-spaciousness/