Cheers to Monday

USA Today Bestseller & Publisher's Weekly Bestseller A Simple 3-Step Method to Lead – and Live – with Less Stress and More Joy What if the secret to less stress is just three simple steps? If you’ve ever woken up on a Monday already exhausted – or spent Sunday night bracing yourself for the week ahead – the problem isn’t you. The problem is stress. And there’s a surprisingly simple way to break free. Stress is embedded in today’s workplaces – disguised as drive, rewarded as resilience, and even praised as passion. But chronic stress isn’t a strength; it drains leaders, divides teams, and damages entire organizations. Cheers to Monday is the joyful rebellion against stress and burnout you’ve been waiting for. In this transformative book, Amy Leneker – a former C-suite executive and now a trusted leadership advisor to Fortune 100 companies and public sector organizations – reveals a liberating truth: stress isn’t the price of success – it’s the thief that steals it. And she proves it with sharp wit, refreshing honesty, and laugh-out-loud stories. You’ll get the same coaching and science-backed strategies Amy shares in boardrooms, workshops, and conferences around the world. Learn how to: See stress differently – and finally break the cycle of exhaustion, overwhelm, and self-doubt Sort stress into five clear categories – so you know exactly what to do with each one Solve stress with a simple framework to reclaim your time, energy, and focus – at work and beyond Celebrate the shift – because reducing stress isn’t just a wellness strategy, it’s a joy strategy…and much more. Cheers to Monday isn’t just a book – it’s a movement to transform how you lead, live, and work. It’s for every leader quietly falling apart, every team crushing goals while getting crushed in the process, and every human who’s tired of pretending they’re “fine.” Whether you’re just starting your career, climbing the corporate ladder, or reflecting on the legacy you’ll leave behind, this book gives you three simple steps to finally break free from stress – and reclaim the life you were meant to live.

AI Use Declaration ix Introduction: 10 Words Changed My Life xi PART I See 1 What if we've been seeing stress all wrong? Chapter 1 Reimagine Work 3 Chapter 2 Rewrite Your Stress Stories 19 Chapter 3 Reconnect to Stress Warnings 39 Chapter 4 Recognize What's Important 57 Chapter 5 Reclaim What's Yours 71 PART II Sort 89 How do we sort stress into actionable categories? Chapter 6 Schedule Stress 91 Chapter 7 Suspense Stress 107 Chapter 8 Social Stress 121 Chapter 9 Sudden Stress 133 Chapter 10 System Stress 145 PART III Solve 165 How do we stop spinning and start solving? Chapter 11 Acknowledge Then Move On 167 Chapter 12 Accept Without Fixing 183 Chapter 13 Ask for What You Need 195 Chapter 14 Act on the Next Right Thing 205 PART IV Celebrate 217 What if the goal isn't just less stress but more joy? Chapter 15 Celebrate the Shift 219 Appendix: The Un-Stressing Method 225 Notes 229 Acknowledgments 253 About the Author 255 Index 257