Stay Out of the Red Zone

Let’s talk about the Red Zone. That place your brain goes mid-class when one small thought turns into a full-blown spiral. Overthinking creeps in, insecurity pops up, and suddenly you’re hyper-aware of yourself instead of the room. That’s when you lose your flow—and when you lose your flow, you lose the room.

I like to think about this the same way I think about my Prius. When I’m driving, I try my hardest to stay in the blue zone on the dashboard so I get the best gas mileage. Smooth acceleration. No jerky moves. Calm, efficient, steady. That’s Eco Mode and that’s exactly how I want to teach.

When I stay in Eco Mode as an instructor, I’m grounded, clear, and not forcing anything. My energy feels natural. My cues land better. I’m fully present. The more time I spend here, the easier it is to slip into flow state, where teaching feels effortless and my personality shines without trying so hard.

The problem is, we don’t leave Eco Mode because something actually goes wrong, we leave it because of a thought.

Here’s the key: the spiral starts with a thought, not the story.
A thought is harmless… until you start thinking about it.

Example:
Thought: “Wow, class is small today.”

Neutral. Just information.

Then comes the story:
Story: “People must not like me. I’m losing momentum. I’m failing.”

And just like that, you’ve slammed on the gas. Red Zone. More effort, less efficiency, worse mileage.

Nothing changed in the room. The music didn’t stop. The students didn’t leave. You just left your blue zone.

The skill isn’t stopping thoughts from showing up. It’s catching them early and letting them pass before they turn into a story. When you stay smooth, steady, and centered, you remain in Eco Mode and flow shows up naturally.