In this week’s post, I am wondering about how impact moves between us, what it brings up in others, and what it shakes loose in ourselves through those exchanges. This raises interesting questions about the traces we leave behind, often without even noticing. Let’s jump into the rabbit hole together.
NOVEMBER 14, 2025
My podcast has always been a passion project.
For more than three years, it has been the place where I sit down with people and share conversations that feel meaningful, profound, and insightful.
In all that time, I can remember only a handful of recordings I had to bow out of, due to serious illness, unexpected travel, or the loss of a loved one.
Those rare moments reminded me how much I value this work. How much I love the connection, the stories, and getting to know each and every one of my guests.
Then came a day last week when I simply wasn’t well.
I had a sore throat, my body and head ached, and I couldn’t focus on the computer for more than a few minutes. The thought of recording a podcast felt like an impossible task that afternoon.
I remember sitting in my office, debating with myself. Part of me wanted to cancel and give in to rest. Another part reminded me how much these conversations mean to me. For a while, I went back and forth, weighing what to do.
In the end, I decided to go ahead with the recording. I sat down at my desk, still unsure how much I had to give, and opened the call.
At first, I noticed the same exhaustion I had been dealing with all day.
My throat was burning, my head was foggy, and I braced myself for an hour that I expected would take more out of me than I had to spare.
But something unexpected began to happen as the conversation unfolded. The more we talked, the lighter I began to feel. The aches in my body quieted down. My voice grew stronger. My focus returned.
By the end of the recording, I realized I felt completely different. The sore throat that had almost made me cancel was gone. The tiredness had lifted. I didn’t feel drained at all. I felt awake, energized even, and profoundly well.
Looking back, I can see precisely what created that transformation. My guest guided us through a healing practice during the recording, and as always, I had followed along.
That moment stayed with me long after the call ended and I kept turning it over in my mind, trying to understand what had happened.
In this moment of reflection, it became clear to me that I had been deeply impacted by someone else’s influence, energy, and presence.
We affect each other far more than we acknowledge. Not only through words, but through tone, breath, cadence, and the state we bring into the room. One hour in profound connection changed how I felt in my body and how I moved through the rest of the day.
This is where Impact Literacy connects.
For me, Impact Literacy is the skill of noticing the effect we have on people and spaces, and then choosing that effect on purpose. It is paying attention to the imprint our nervous system leaves behind. It is the difference between hoping our good intentions make a positive difference and actually discerning what happens.
Impact Literacy asks a unique set of questions. What happened to the room after I spoke? Did the other person breathe more easily or tighten up? Did my timing invite openness or shut a door? What did I leave echoing in their mind and body after the call ended?
This matters because our unseen influence is not neutral. Our bodies register contact long before our minds attach any meaning to it.
An aggressive tone can build pressure in someone who already feels stretched. Support and care can help another person find their footing. Even silence carries weight. We are always teaching something with our presence, whether we mean to or not.
I think about this often in my own work. Before I click record, what am I transmitting? Am I bringing urgency or am I holding space? Am I chasing the next point or making room for what wants to be said?
Impact Literacy is a practice of noticing, adjusting, and noticing again. Slowing my exhale before I speak. Softening my body while I listen. Letting the other person finish their thought without stepping in.
There is also a cost when I ignore this.
When I push through, I don’t show up the way I mean to. My husband can feel when I am distracted or short with him. A friend can tell when my attention is somewhere else. Even small things, like the tone of my voice or how quickly I barrel through a conversation, can leave someone else carrying tension that was never meant for them.
This recording reminded me to keep choosing my impact.
Not only when I sit down to record an episode, but in the everyday moments that shape my relationships. The way I respond to a message, how I hold a boundary, or how I meet someone I love at the end of the day all leave an imprint.
What struck me most is how often I underestimate the reach of my impact.
This is the part of Impact Literacy that deeply humbles me.
I would like to leave you with a few questions. What effect do you want to have in the next five minutes? What will someone carry with them after being with you? What might shift, even in a small way, because you crossed paths?
Sometimes the smallest choices shape the biggest ripples. What kind of ripple will you leave behind today?
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By Petra Brunnbauer
Petra Brunnbauer is an award-winning Mind-Body Coach, founder of The Jōrni®, host of the globally-ranked Jōrni Podcast, and author of The Functional Freeze Formula™. With a Master’s in Psychology and as a doctoral student in Mind-Body Medicine, Petra is committed to advancing holistic approaches to health and healing.